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1 – 10 of 10Joanne Hopper, John R. Littlewood, Tim Taylor, John A.M. Counsell, Andrew Michael Thomas, George Karani, Andrew Geens and Nick I. Evans
The purpose of this paper is to discuss the methodology and results of using thermography for pre‐retrofit (pre‐R:T) and post‐retrofit (post‐R:T) surveys undertaken to…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to discuss the methodology and results of using thermography for pre‐retrofit (pre‐R:T) and post‐retrofit (post‐R:T) surveys undertaken to qualitatively assess retrofitted external wall insulation (EWI) on pre‐1919 existing dwellings with solid exterior walls.
Design/methodology/approach
This study involved undertaking qualitative thermography surveys before and after installation of EWI at two mid‐terrace dwellings in Swansea (UK). One dwelling was part of a whole‐street approach and the other was an isolated installation.
Findings
The two case studies have provided evidence of potential thermal bridges created as a result of an incomplete covering of EWI. Whilst overall heat loss appears to have been reduced, further evidence is required to establish the extent to which these thermal bridges reduce overall thermal performance.
Research limitations/implications
Only two schemes undertaken in Swansea (UK) are represented in this study and are therefore not a reflection of EWI installations generally. Nevertheless, the study suggests more general concerns with the installation of EWI where a continuous covering of insulation cannot be achieved. Further research is required to assess the long‐term implications of thermal bridges on the condition of the dwelling and the health of occupants.
Originality/value
This paper has introduced and tested a pre‐R:T and post‐R:T methodology for assessing the thermal performance of deprived dwellings, which have had EWI retrofitted to solid exterior walls. By using the pre‐R:T and post‐R:T methodology the paper has demonstrated a visual method for illustrating problems in retrofitting EWI and highlighted improvements in thermal performance, which can be used by stakeholders involved in the maintenance and improvement of existing dwellings.
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Anushree Karani and Swapnil Abhishek Mehta
The study aimed at understanding the relationship between supervisor and coworker support, psychological contract fulfillment, work engagement, well-being (different forms) and…
Abstract
Purpose
The study aimed at understanding the relationship between supervisor and coworker support, psychological contract fulfillment, work engagement, well-being (different forms) and innovative behavior in the digitized workspace during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected via a structured questionnaire through Google Docs from 239 respondents working in the sales department of the consumer durable industry through snowball sampling.
Findings
Supervisor and coworker support was positively contributing to psychological contract fulfillment. Further, psychological contract fulfillment was positively contributing to work engagement. Along with innovative behavior, four forms of well-being, i.e. emotional, psychological, workspace and life were studied as outcome variables. Work engagement positively contributes to innovative behavior and well-being.
Research limitations/implications
The study examined the relationship between various organizational variables in consumer durable industry. Future work should involve studying the effect in other industries and functional areas.
Practical implications
The study examined how the supervisor and coworker act as an enabler in fulfilling the psychological contract in the digitized workspace. Organizations also understand the importance of work engagement in maintaining well-being and innovative behavior.
Originality/value
The paper initiates the important debate on well-being and innovative behavior in the digitized workspace for the sales employees of the consumer durable industry.
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Anushree Karani, Payal Trivedi and Heena Thanki
The purpose of the current research is to examine the impact of psychological contract fulfillment on work outcomes i.e. organizational commitment and job satisfaction during the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of the current research is to examine the impact of psychological contract fulfillment on work outcomes i.e. organizational commitment and job satisfaction during the COVID-19 pandemic. It also aims to check the mediating role of co-worker support and work engagement on organizational outcomes.
Design/methodology/approach
The current study has adopted a quantitative approach and a cross-sectional research design has been used with a snowball sampling technique. Data were collected via a structured questionnaire through Google Docs from 926 respondents working at different capacities in the service sector. The study includes those respondents who are working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic situation. The hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling (SEM).
Findings
Results indicated that psychological contract fulfillment was positively impacting work outcomes i.e. organizational commitment and job satisfaction. Co-worker support and work engagement positively mediated the relationship between psychological contract fulfillment and work outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic situation. Multi-group analysis proved that there was a difference in opinion regarding the impact of psychological contract fulfillment on organizational commitment and job satisfaction amongst males and females.
Originality/value
The novel contribution of the study is integrating social exchange theory, organization support theory and social information processing theory during the pandemic situation. The results highlighted meticulous empirical evidence, which answers the question as to how the met expectations cause an advantageous effect on the employees as well as the organizations in this COVID-19 pandemic situation.
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Thanos Kriemadis, Ioanna Thomopoulou and George Sainis
The entrepreneurial vision, strategic goals, organizational capabilities and processes, alone, will not be adequate to attain business success, unless there is a quality…
Abstract
The entrepreneurial vision, strategic goals, organizational capabilities and processes, alone, will not be adequate to attain business success, unless there is a quality management philosophy in the company (Al-Dhaafri, Al-Swidi, & Yusoff, 2016). Successful entrepreneurial endeavours essentially rest on action, assertiveness, persistence and know-how of leadership (Azyan, Pulakanam, & Pons, 2017) who comprehend the application of quality management methods as a long-term ‘quality journey’. The appropriate implementation of a quality management system (QMS) or total quality management (TQM) system results in enhanced organizational performance (Sahoo & Yadav, 2017).
A wide range of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have nowadays been aware of the indisputable importance of quality and have reaped the benefits of TQM, having in mind that TQM is not just a method or a tool but a whole business philosophy. TQM is a systematic approach that focuses on continuous improvement of the organizational processes with the participation and contribution of all the stakeholders, so as to manage and enhance quality, productivity and customer satisfaction. It is the best way for the enterprise's growth and domination in the contemporary national and international competitive marketplace (Kriemadis, Thomopoulou, & Sioutou, 2017). According to several studies, by embracing the TQM philosophy, SMEs can compete in the global competitive environment (Womack & Roos, 1990; as cited in Karani & Bichanga, 2012; Sainis & Kriemadis, 2019; Pashiardis & Kriemadis, 1999).
The present study aims to develop a generic TQM model for SMEs in order to improve their competitiveness, productivity and quality as well as to enhance their entrepreneurial orientation.
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Anushree Karani Mehta, Divyang Purohit, Payal Trivedi and Rasananda Panda
The present study aims to understand the relationship between psychological contract breach (PCB) and outcome variables with mediation role of job stress, psychological…
Abstract
Purpose
The present study aims to understand the relationship between psychological contract breach (PCB) and outcome variables with mediation role of job stress, psychological empowerment and moderating role of learned helplessness.
Design/methodology/approach
Descriptive cross-sectional research design was deployed. Data were collected from the Indian public sector bank employees, especially from those who are regularly going to the banks even during the lockdown situation. A total of 239 respondents were contacted via online and offline method.
Findings
The authors reported that bank employees feel the breach of psychological contract which induced job stress. Further, job stress negatively impacts their psychological empowerment and psychological empowered employees exhibit increased innovative behavior and well-being. The authors also found that job stress and psychological empowerment mediated the relationship between PCB and outcome variables, and learned helplessness moderates this relationship. The current study captures the psychological response of employees during the pandemic era.
Originality/value
The study also highlights that during the pandemic, when majority of the employers have given work from home, the public sector employees were regularly going to the banks with fragile mindset. The banks' managers and HR managers can also understand that how the fulfillment of expectations is important not only for employee well-being but also for the health of the organization.
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Anushree Karani, Mitesh Jayswal, Rasananda Panda and Payal Trivedi
Healthcare is a vital sector in any economy, and the healthcare industry employees should be treated well. Work policies and practices shape the psychological contract (PC) of an…
Abstract
Purpose
Healthcare is a vital sector in any economy, and the healthcare industry employees should be treated well. Work policies and practices shape the psychological contract (PC) of an individual. The purpose of this paper is to explore healthcare employees' PC fulfillment from the lenses of work practices and how it affects their ambidextrous behavior (explorative and exploitative activities).
Design/methodology/approach
This study follows a mix-method research design. First, the authors conducted telephonic interviews to enlist the PC fulfillment items, and after checking the reliability and validity, the authors conducted the survey using a descriptive research design. The sampling method was snowball sampling, where 786 respondents from 6 hospitals were surveyed, and AMOS (analysis of a moment structures) 20 was used for the structural equation modeling (SEM).
Findings
For the healthcare sector employees, a sense of belongingness has contributed the highest in exploration activities followed by work–life balance, rewards and managerial support. Work–life balance has contributed highest in exploitation activities, followed by a sense of belongingness, teamwork and managerial support.
Research limitations/implications
The study offers important implications for researchers and employers of the healthcare sector and highlights the significance of the PC fulfillment, leading to the employees' ambidextrous behavior. There was no prior work that had empirically proved the relationship between PC fulfillment and ambidextrous behavior.
Originality/value
In the study, an attempt was made to identify the healthcare industry's work practices and how that is associated with explorative and exploitive ambidextrous behavior. The paper instigates the imperative deliberation on PC fulfillment and ambidextrous behavior for healthcare sector employees.
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Bienvenu Akowedaho Dagoudo, Natalia Vershinina and William Karani Murithi
As families engage in entrepreneurship, particularly in developing economies, women's engagement in such activities is subject to the traditional cultures, norms and values of the…
Abstract
Purpose
As families engage in entrepreneurship, particularly in developing economies, women's engagement in such activities is subject to the traditional cultures, norms and values of the communities to which they belong. This paper aims to investigate how the socio-cultural context influences women's entrepreneurship as women engage in “family entrepreneuring”.
Design/methodology/approach
The study draws on an inductive qualitative approach to explore how multiple cultural, social and economic contexts encourage women's entrepreneurship and, thus, position them at the centre of family entrepreneuring within this community. Using snowballing techniques, we analyse narratives from 51 women entrepreneurs, generated through semi-structured interviews, to reveal key insights into the practice of family entrepreneuring.
Findings
The findings reveal the complex socio-cultural context within the “Adja” community, where polygamy, a traditional and cultural practice, enables the transfer of culturally and socially embedded informal knowledge. The study explains how women's entrepreneuring activities are supported by informal in-family apprenticeships, resulting in family members learning specific skills while also experiencing the feeling of belonging to the family. Showcasing the heterogeneity of contexts, particularly those found in Africa, this study challenges the normative view within the Global North and the dominance of the “heroic male” in entrepreneurship by showcasing how women (especially matriarchs) are significant actors in training other women, co-wives, daughters and relatives in family entrepreneuring.
Originality/value
Thus, this study contributes to the extant literature on family entrepreneuring by revealing an unusual case of women from polygamous families becoming the focal actors in family entrepreneuring activity and challenging the culturally ascribed gender roles to evolve into the breadwinners in their households, as well as focusing on how this process is driven by endogenous knowledge exchange.
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George Mawuli Akpandjar, Peter Quartey and Joshua Abor
The purpose of this paper is to investigate household financial choice and the determinants of financial services in rural and urban households in Ghana.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate household financial choice and the determinants of financial services in rural and urban households in Ghana.
Design/methodology/approach
Data from the Ghana Living Standard Survey 5 (GLSS 5) are used to estimate the participation of a household in a particular financial sector and what determines this choice.
Findings
The results from Tobit and conditional logit models account for households' demographic characteristics and their financial decisions. The Tobit estimates show that household size, age, sex, marital status, occupation, income, remittances and shocks determine households' participation in the financial markets. Conditional logit model results suggest that locational characteristics are important in obtaining financial services from particular sectors of the financial market. The results also suggest that when the alternatives of financial services are available, rural households are more likely than urban households to obtain their financial services from the informal financial sector.
Originality/value
This current study contributes to the existing literature from the Ghanaian perspective.
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Anushree M. Karani, Revati Chandrashekhar Deshpande and Mitesh Jayswal
This paper aims to explore the content of the psychological contract (PC), i.e. work-family conflict (WFC), family-work conflict (FWC), work overload (WO) and work autonomy (WA…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explore the content of the psychological contract (PC), i.e. work-family conflict (WFC), family-work conflict (FWC), work overload (WO) and work autonomy (WA) and its impact on well-being (WB), i.e. job satisfaction (JS), family satisfaction (FS), life satisfaction (LS), through the mediation of psychological distress (PD).
Design/methodology/approach
The current study has adopted a quantitative approach and a cross-sectional research design with a snowball sampling technique. The sample size consists of 400 employees from the banking sector. SPSS and AMOS 20v has been used for structural equation modelling to give empirical findings from the responses collected.
Findings
The current study has checked the relationship between PC and WB through the mediation analysis of PD. WA was not affecting the WB of banking employees. The study found that there was partial mediation. It was also proven that the lower the breach of PC lower the PD, and the higher the WB.
Originality/value
The current study has tried to explain the content of PC among the employees of the banking sector and how that is associated with WB. There was limited work from which showcase the WFC, FWC and WO from the view of PC theory, and it affects different WB, i.e. JS, LS and FS.
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This study investigates Egyptian society’s attitudes towards women who work held by a sample of 217 participants. The subjects completed the newly developed multidimensional…
Abstract
This study investigates Egyptian society’s attitudes towards women who work held by a sample of 217 participants. The subjects completed the newly developed multidimensional aversion to women who work scale (MAWWWS). The study validates the scale in a non‐western context. The results reveal that, contrary to our expectation, Egyptian students have very similar attitudes towards women who work to those of the older generations. There are significant differences between males’ and females’ perceptions towards women’s roles and participation in society. The study predicts that modernity may diminish patriarchal attitudes towards women in Arab societies. Finally, the study detects no significant difference between Muslims and non‐Muslims in Egypt regarding their attitudes towards women who work.
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