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Estimation of (in)efficiency became a popular practice that witnessed applications in virtually any sector of the economy over the last few decades. Many different models were deployed for such endeavors, with Stochastic Frontier Analysis (SFA) models dominating the econometric literature. Among the most popular variants of SFA are Aigner, Lovell, and Schmidt (1977), which launched the literature, and Kumbhakar, Ghosh, and McGuckin (1991), which pioneered the branch taking account of the (in)efficiency term via the so-called environmental variables or determinants of inefficiency. Focusing on these two prominent approaches in SFA, the goal of this chapter is to try to understand the production inefficiency of public hospitals in Queensland. While doing so, a recognized yet often overlooked phenomenon emerges where possible dramatic differences (and consequently very different policy implications) can be derived from different models, even within one paradigm of SFA models. This emphasizes the importance of exploring many alternative models, and scrutinizing their assumptions, before drawing policy implications, especially when such implications may substantially affect people’s lives, as is the case in the hospital sector.

To investigate the influence of logistics and transportation workers’ perceptions of their management’s simultaneous safety and operations focus (or lack thereof) on related worker safety and operational perceptions and behaviors.

This multi-method research consisted of two studies. Study 1 aimed to establish correlational relationships by evaluating the impact of individual-level worker perceptions of operationally focused routines (as a moderator) on the relationship between worker perceptions of safety-related routines and workers’ self-reported safety and in-role operational behaviors using a survey. Study 2 aimed to establish causal relationships by evaluating the same conceptual relationships in a behavioral-type experiment utilizing vehicle simulators. After receiving one of four pre-task briefings, participants completed a driving task scenario in a driving simulator.

In Study 1, the relationship between perceived safety focus and safety behavior/in-role operational behavior was strengthened at higher levels of perceived operations focus. In Study 2, participants who received the balanced pre-task briefing committed significantly fewer safety violations than the other 3 treatment groups. However, in-role driving deviations were not impacted as hypothesized.

This research is conducted at the individual (worker) level of analysis to capture the little-known perspectives of logistics and transportation workers and explore the influence of balanced safety and operational routines from a more micro perspective, thus contributing to a deeper understanding of how balanced routines might influence worker behavior when conducting dynamic tasks to ensure safe, effective outcomes.

Studies on developed economies showed that imposing taxes on animal-based foods could effectively reduce agricultural greenhouse gas emissions (AGHGEs), while this taxation may not be appropriate in developing countries due to the complex nutritional status across income classes. Hence, this study aims to explore optimal tax rate levels considering both emission reduction and nutrient intake, and examine the heterogenous effects of taxation across various income classes in urban and rural China.

The authors estimated the Quadratic Almost Ideal Demand System model to calculate the price elasticities for eight food groups, and performed three simulations to explore the relative optimal tax regions via the relationships between effective animal protein intake loss and AGHGE reduction by taxes.

The results showed that the optimal tax rate bands can be found, depending on the reference levels of animal protein intake. Designing taxes on beef, mutton and pork could be a preliminary option for reducing AGHGEs in China, but subsidy policy should be designed for low-income populations at the same time. Generally, urban residents have more potential to reduce AGHGEs than rural residents, and higher income classes reduce more AGHGEs than lower income classes.

This study fills the gap in the literature by developing the methods to design taxes on animal-based foods from the perspectives of both nutrient intake and emission reduction. This methodology can also be applied to analyze food taxes and GHGE issues in other developing countries.

This paper presents the findings from the assessment of the determinants of cloud computing (CC) deployment by construction organisations. Using the technology-organisation-environment (TOE) framework, the study strives to improve construction organisations' project delivery and digital transformation by adopting beneficial technologies like CC.

This study adopted a post-positivism philosophical stance using a deductive approach with a questionnaire administered to construction organisations in South Africa. The data gathered were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Also, the fusion of structural equation modelling (SEM) and machine learning (ML) regression models helped to gain a robust understanding of the key determinants of using CC.

The study found that the use of CC by construction organisations in South Africa is still slow. SEM indicated that this slow usage is influenced by six technology and environmental factors, namely (1) cost-effectiveness, (2) availability, (3) compatibility, (4) client demand, (5) competitors' pressure and (6) trust in cloud service providers. ML models developed affirmed that these variables have high predictive power. However, sensitivity analysis revealed that the availability of CC and CC's ancillary technologies and the pressure from competitors are the most important predictors of CC usage in construction organisations.

The paper offers a theoretical backdrop for future works on CC in construction, particularly in developing countries where such a study has not been explored.

This paper aims to shed light on adaptive reuse in traditional architecture (TA) in Erbil, Iraq.

An inductive approach and qualitative method were used in this study. The inductive research approach was used because there was no clear image of adaptive reuse in traditional cafés (TCs) in Erbil. Besides, there are no studies of TCs in Erbil particularly. Thus, there is a lack of knowledge about what adaptations took place in TCs in Erbil. The qualitative method extracted themes and issues from case studies of four TCs in Erbil citadel's buffer zone. This included a physical survey and observation of the TCs in Erbil and 18 semi-structured interviews with the owners, servers and visitors.

The analysis shows the flexibility of the TCs in Erbil as a face of adaptive re-use (AR) which is explained through the capacity linked to space modifications, the addition of modern devices, the function linked to space modifications, service addition, the condition linked to space modifications and the addition of modern devices. Also, TCs in Erbil has a spatial identity and architectural value that proves it is worthy enough to be preserved through unique spirituality linked to preserving the place.

The findings are limited to the cases of TCs in mountain regain and may not be applicable or appropriate to other cafés in other different countries.

There are three aspects of authenticity in the current research. Firstly, the TCs in Erbil have not been studied before. Secondly, TCs that have been discovered have made AR of themselves whilst maintaining their original function-serving beverages, to stimulate creativity. Thirdly, most of the studies of AR have dealt with historical and heritage architecture, whilst the current research paper is dealing with TA.

Lack of knowledge-sharing behavior (KSB) among construction project members hinders propagation of expertise, working methods, and lessons learned within an organization, and deprives the organization of a sustainable competitive edge. The present study investigates the combined effect of organizational antecedents of construction projects on members' KSB and provides a reference for developing management initiatives to motivate KSB.

Based on organizational theory and organizational behavior literature, five organizational antecedents associated with KSB from organizational culture and structure were identified. Subsequently, the authors used survey data from 152 organization members in Chinese construction enterprises to conduct the fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) and reveal configurations of organizational antecedents influencing KSB.

This study identifies five configuration paths that are sufficient for shaping the KSB of construction project members, integrated into two types of driving modes, namely “trust-driven” and “incentive-driven”. Relevant discussions can guide managers of construction project organizations to position the driving strategies of KSB that match different organizational scenarios or constraints.

By analyzing the configuration effects of organizational antecedents on KSB, novel clues are provided for governing the deficiency of KSB among construction project members. This contributes to the literature on knowledge transfer and organizational behavior. The findings provide actionable insights for improving knowledge flow in construction project organizations and designing KSB guidance regimes.

This paper aims to define a hierarchical and multi-criteria framework based on pillars of the Modernization of Higher Education to evaluate European Accounting Doctoral Programmes (EADE-Model).

The authors applied a quali-quantitative methodology based on the analytic hierarchy process and the survey approach. The authors conducted an extensive literature and regulation review to identify the dimensions affecting the quality of Doctoral Programmes, choosing accounting as the relevant and pivotal field. The authors also used the survey to select the most critical quality dimensions and derive their weight to build EADE Model. The validity of the proposed model has been tested through the application to the Italian scenario.

The findings provide a critical extension of accounting ranking studies constructing a multi-criteria, hierarchical and updated evaluation model recognizing the role of doctoral training in the knowledge-based society. The results shed new light on weak areas apt to be improved and propose potential amendments to enhance the quality standard of ADE.

Theoretical and practical implications of this paper are directed to academics, policymakers and PhD programmes administrators.

The research is original in drafting a hierarchical multi-criteria framework for evaluating ADE in the Higher Education System. This model may be extended to other fields.

This study examines the theoretical and empirical relationships between LM&SS, human resource management (HRM), climate for LM&SS and outcomes (employee well-being and performance) in hospitals. As part of this research, the authors examine the interplay between “hard” and “soft” practices for LM&SS and “soft” HR practices.

A cross-sectional, multisite survey study covering all internal service units at all eight Dutch university hospitals was conducted (42 units, N = 218 supervisors, N = 1,668 employees), and multivariate multilevel regression analyses were performed.

A systems approach involving “soft” LM&SS practices that are specifically HR-related has a positive effect (β is 0.46) on a climate for LM&SS. A climate for LM&SS is not related to perceived performance or employee health. It is, however, positively related to employee happiness and trusting relationships (both βs are 0.33). We did not find that a climate for LM&SS had a mediating effect.

This study shows that a balanced approach involving both “hard” and “soft” factors is crucial to achieving the desired breadth and depth of LM&SS adoption at the macro, meso, and micro levels. The authors found that a climate for LM&SS positively affects employee well-being in hospitals.

In their attempt to create mutual gains for both their organization and their employees, hospitals that adopt LM&SS should foster a climate for LM&SS by embracing a balanced approach consisting of both “hard” and “soft” practices, thereby internalizing LM&SS at the macro, meso, and micro levels.

This is one of the first studies to examine in-depth the impact of “hard” and “soft” LM&SS on both employee well-being (subdivided into different components) and performance in healthcare, as well as the role of “soft” HRM in this relationship. Linking LM&SS, HRM and outcomes to a climate for LM&SS is relatively a new approach and has led to a deeper understanding of the mechanisms underpinning the internalization of LM&SS in healthcare.

Entrepreneurs are generally considered to be committed in order to strive for highly desirable goals, such as growth or commercial success. However, commitment is a multidimensional concept and may have asymmetric relationships with positive or negative entrepreneurial outcomes. This paper aims to provide a nuanced perspective to show under what conditions commitment may be detrimental for entrepreneurs and lead to overinvestment.

Using a sample of entrepreneurs from incubators in France (N = 437), this study employs a configurational perspective, fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA), to identify which commitment profiles lead entrepreneurs to overinvest different resources in their entrepreneurial projects.

The paper exposes combinations of conditions that lead to overinvestment and identifies five different commitment profiles: an “Affective profile”, a “Project committed profile”, a “Profession committed profile”, an “Instrumental profile”, and an “Affective project profile”.

The results show that affective commitment is a necessary condition for entrepreneurs to conduct overinvesting behaviors. This complements previous linear research on the interdependence between affect and commitment in fostering detrimental outcomes for nascent entrepreneurs.

This study aims to investigate the relationship between age and entrepreneurial and intrapreneurial intentions considering the mediating role of individual entrepreneurial orientation (IEO) dimensions (risk-taking, innovativeness and proactiveness).

The data were collected from 782 individuals from Bosnia and Herzegovina’s working-age population using a cross-sectional survey design. Hypotheses were tested via structural equation modeling.

Younger individuals have significantly higher intentions for entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship than older individuals. The mediating role of IEO was partially supported in the case of the relationship between age and entrepreneurial intention as well as age and intrapreneurial intention. While risk-taking and innovativeness partially mediate the relationship, proactiveness does not.

This study takes a comprehensive approach when examining the relationship between age and entrepreneurial/intrapreneurial intentions in a developing economy while considering the indirect effects of IEO dimensions.