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In this article, we outline our views on the appropriateness and utility of Return on Investment (ROI) for the evaluation of the value of healthcare quality improvement (QI) programmes.

Our recent research explored the ROI concept and became the genesis of our viewpoint. We reflect on our findings from an extensive research project on the concept of ROI, involving a multidisciplinary global systematic literature review, a qualitative and Delphi study with mental healthcare leaders from the United Kingdom National Health Service. Research participants included board members, clinical directors and QI leaders. Our findings led to our conclusions and interpretation of ROI against the broad QI governance. We discuss our views against the predominant governance frameworks and wider literature.

ROI is in-line with top-down control governance frameworks based in politics and economics. However, there is evidence that to be of better utility, a tool for the assessment of the value of QI benefits must include comprehensive benefits that reflect broad monetary and non-monetary benefits. This is in-line with bottom-up and collaborative governance approaches. ROI has several challenges that may limit it as a QI governance tool. This is supported by wider literature on ROI, QI as well as modern governance theories and models. As such, we question whether ROI is the appropriate tool for QI governance. A more pragmatic governance framework that accommodates various healthcare objectives is advised.

This article highlights some of the challenges in adopting ROI as a QI governance tool. We signal a need for the exploration of a suitable QI governance approach. Particularly, are healthcare leaders to be perceived as “agents”, “stewards” or both. The evidence from our research and wider literature indicates that both are crucial. Better QI governance through an appropriate value assessment tool could improve clarity on QI value, and thus investment allocation decision-making. Constructive discussion about the utility and appropriateness of ROI in the evaluation of healthcare QI programmes may help safeguard investment in effective and efficient health systems.

The article raises awareness of QI governance and encourages discussions about the challenges of using ROI as a tool for healthcare QI governance.

India has a distinct family hierarchy and a vertical collectivistic culture. Indian traditional cultural norms discourage young adults from having romantic or sexual relationships before marriage. Romantic liaisons and marriages are fiercely opposed outside the caste and social network. Despite this cultural practice, research in the last decade demonstrated that more young adults in India engage in premarital romantic relationships and prefer a marriage of choice. However, they strongly wish their parents to approve of their partner and arrange their marriage. This increasing trend of love-cum-arranged marriages could be considered how Indian culture adapts to the demands of modernization strongly impelled by globalization. This chapter discusses the dynamics of change in the romantic and marital agency among young adults in India. First, the authors provide a brief historical introduction to the Indian marital system. Then, the authors discuss the changing cultural dimensions that promote marital choice and independence in partner selection (e.g., filial piety). Further, the authors provide an overview of the trends in premarital romantic relationships in India. In addition, the authors discuss the distress and conflict in Indian families due to the increasing premarital romantic and sexual relationships among Indian youth, as evidenced by eloped marriages, forced marriages, and honor killings.

This study aims to explore customer perceived value (CPV) dimensions in the context of free mobile educational applications (EduApps) which are paramount in learning-based digital start-ups and are essential for the implementation of circular economy (CE). The purpose of the present study is to identify dimensions of CPV specifically for EduApps and propose a conceptual model that would assist the digital start-up decisions which in turn can be a catalyst in navigating to a CE.

The study uses the Netnography approach by analyzing online user-generated content. A total of 13,147 reviews posted on the Google play store after using top free education apps were coded using ATLAS.ti 9 software.

Major dimensions of context-specific CPV are identified as technical value, content value, pedagogical value, gamification value and learning value. Subdimensions and items are extracted for each of these dimensions.

The larger subscriber base drives sponsorships, advertisements and donations which underpin the business model of free EduApps. This can be obtained through an attractive value proposition. Identifying context-specific value dimensions would aid entrepreneurs in optimal value mix development decisions. The proposed framework can be utilized by both researchers (for scale creation, comparative studies and quantitative studies) and practitioners (for entrepreneurial decisions on better value propositions).

CPV successfully describes consumer decision-making, but less attention is paid to linking the theory to the setting of mobile learning apps, where the bulk of research is focused on techniques like TAM, UTAUT, etc. In addition, studies identifying CPV from mobile apps with a specific focus on EduApps are sparse. Extant literature in this context is either based on a foundation of in-store business value dimensions or dominated by technical aspects when focused on the context of mobile apps. The current study bridges this gap.

This study empirically investigates whether and how boycott attitudes and subjective norms influence the impact of the perceived behavioral control of boycotts on boycott intention.

To test our hypotheses, we perform a hierarchical linear regression analysis using data from Japanese (n = 500) and South Koreans (n = 571).

Boycott attitudes strengthen the positive effect of perceived behavioral control on boycott intentions for Japanese and South Koreans. Contrary to our assumptions, while the direct impact of perceived behavioral control on boycott intention is not significant, there is a negative moderating effect of subjective norms for Japanese consumers.

We argue that when perceived behavioral control is evident in boycotts, consumers listen more to themselves than to others. Our cross-national analysis of actual boycott campaigns is the first study on boycott research to offer implications for the interaction effects among the three key antecedents of psychological motivation factors in the theory of planned behavior.

As an important engine of economic growth, the digital economy is bringing new opportunities for the promotion of entrepreneurship. However, key questions regarding the extent of the effect of the digital economy on entrepreneurship remain unanswered. This study examines how the digital economy influences entrepreneurship in China using provincial data from 2011–2020, applying convergence tests and spatial econometric models.

Based on theoretical analysis and using macro provincial data covering the period of 2011–2020, we adopt a diversified empirical analytical method and apply a combination of the convergence trend test, spatial auto correlation test, and spatial Durbin model to test the research hypotheses.

First, there is spatial correlation between the digital economy and entrepreneurship. Second, the overall trend of China’s digital economy shows s convergence, with the whole country and the eastern region showing absolute β convergence and the whole country as well as the central and western regions showing β conditional convergence. Third, the digital economy can significantly promote entrepreneurship and has spatial spillover effects. Moreover, higher education has a negative moderating effect on the process of digital economy empowering entrepreneurship.

Studying the spatially correlated impacts of the digital economy on entrepreneurship enhances our understanding of its contribution to economic growth. Policy-makers can use these findings to develop targeted digital infrastructure investments in lagging provinces, guide entrepreneurs to better grasp the opportunities of the digital economy, and provide support for innovation and entrepreneurship. The findings also could offer Chinese experience that can be used to guide developing countries in utilizing the digital economy to enable entrepreneurship.

This paper expands and enriches the analytical focus on digital economy-empowered entrepreneurship and complements the current theoretical research on the moderating effect of the digital economy in empowering entrepreneurship.

This study aims to focus on exploring the role of fear of missing out (FOMO) in the technology adoption context, whereby the bottom-of-the-pyramid (BOP) segment was studied to explore the factors responsible for the development of behavioural intentions (BI) to use unified payments interface (UPI), a disruptive technological phenomenon in the mobile payment systems field.

A mixed-method research approach involving both qualitative and quantitative methods was used. Initially, qualitative data obtained through interviews with UPI’s BOP users were subjected to thematic analysis, leading to the identification of eight factors and the construction of a conceptual model. Subsequently, 354 responses were gathered, and empirical analysis was conducted using structural equation modelling in AMOS 23.0.

Eight factors, including personal and social benefits, perceived security risk, socio-cultural influences, governmental influence, usability, psychological inertia, perceived value (PV) and FOMO, were discovered. The quantitative examination confirmed the validity of the conceptual model in the BOP context, explaining 51% of the variance in BI. FOMO and PV emerged as robust indicators of UPI adoption, with PV significantly regulating the impact of FOMO.

To the best of the author’s knowledge, this study is one of the first to explore what drives BOP users in an emerging economy to adopt UPI. The conceptual model it presents contributes to the advancement of technology adoption literature by incorporating FOMO alongside newly identified BOP-specific factors.

This study aims to investigate the influence of customer satisfaction and brand loyalty on hotel guests’ repurchase intentions when they experience consumer confusion.

A quantitative research method was used in the study and the data were collected through a survey. A survey was used to collect data from 406 hotel guests staying at four and five-star hotels. The structural equation model was used to test the influence of consumer confusion on hotel guests’ repurchase intentions.

The findings of the study show that while consumer confusion has a negative effect on hotel guests’ repurchase intentions, customer satisfaction and brand loyalty have a positive influence on their repurchase intentions. Customer satisfaction and brand loyalty tend to have a partial mediating role in the relationship between consumer confusion and repurchase intention.

The findings show the need for the hotel management to provide simple, concise, yet sufficient information enabling tourists to differentiate their offerings to reduce confusion.

Previous research has largely neglected the role of guests’ loyalty and satisfaction with the hotel brand. This research shows that guests’ loyalty and satisfaction with the hotel brand play an important role in terms of the repurchase intention and in reducing confusion.

This study proposes a theoretical model to explain user intention to continue engaging with Social Commerce (SC) from a habit perspective. The research uses social impact theory, user personal traits, and SC quality to explain how user habits are formed in SC, leading to continued usage.

The study collected data from 868 Indonesian respondents using a cross-sectional field design. SEM analysis confirmed the proposed theoretical model, calculating direct, indirect, and moderating effects.

The results showed that the social aspect is the dominant construct influencing users’ habit of using SC. Further, the outcome indicates that habit significantly predicts Continuity usage. Profoundly, subjective norms are the most significant predictors of habit, followed by self-efficacy, content quality, and herd behavior. Meanwhile, Trust and Social Support only indirectly affect Habit through self-efficacy and content quality, respectively, as mediators. Additionally, the moderating effect analysis revealed that age and gender play a role in habit formation.

This study specifically explores the factors affecting the development of habits in SC usage, leading to repeated behaviors. This area has not been thoroughly examined in previous research. Therefore, this study seeks to address this gap by investigating how habits are formed through social interactions on SC platforms. Understanding habit formation provides an alternative way of comprehending the continued use of SC, as it is considered a significant factor that leads to continued intention.

This study aims to proposes a theoretical model to understand the intention of Indonesian traditional micro businesses (MB) to continue using an e-marketplace.

This research involved the utilization and combination of habit formation and social impact theories to develop the model. A total of 162 responses were retrieved from the owners of traditional MB and used to validate the proposed model.

The results showed subjective norms to be the most substantial direct predictor of continuous usage, followed by usefulness, satisfaction and promotion proneness. Meanwhile, compatibility was found to have only an indirect effect through usefulness as a mediator. Moreover, moderating effect analysis also showed that the impact of herd behaviour was only significant for male and younger traditional MB owners.

The emphasis on the seller perspective using habit formation as well as the social impact theory to explain continuance behaviour is an alternative approach observed not to have been widely explored, especially for traditional businesses such as indigenous industry rather than organizations.

The current work aims to understand the consumers’ adoption of electric vehicles (two-wheelers) from their value perspective by utilizing the value-based adoption model.

The study considered data from 302 potential electric two-wheeler customers and tested the hypotheses using structural equation modeling.

The outcomes showed that perceived economic benefits, social image, enjoyable acceleration and enhanced fun and perceived environment (positively) and perceived physical safety risk, perceived cost of ownership and range and charging risk (negatively) influenced the customers’ perceived value linked with electric two-wheeler (ETW) adoption. Only low engine noise emission and infrastructure issues did not affect perceived value.

Most of the respondents considered in the study were less than 35 years old. Hence, the model can be tested for other age groups.

The study’s outcomes will help ETW marketers, manufacturing companies and governments (state and central) to provide a more convenient environment for electric two-wheelers' adoption and help them curate appropriate strategies.

The current work offers a better understanding of potential customers' ETW adoption by employing a value-based trade-off.