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The present experimental study aims to investigate when a food safety incident occurs, how country image influences consumers' trust and purchase intention, as well as the relationship between trust and purchase intention.

Participants (N = 1,590) were randomly allocated into one of the eight conditions [(country competence: high vs low) × (country warmth: high vs low) × (clean green image: high vs low)], read the corresponding country image descriptions, and rated measures on trust in food safety and quality, and purchase intention of fruit imported from this exporting country before and after reading a fictional food safety incident scenario.

Results showed that the food safety incident led to a significant decrease in trust and purchase intention across all conditions. However, trust in food safety and quality, and purchase intention were still higher in high competence, warmth or clean green image conditions. The decreased magnitude of trust in food safety was larger when country competence and clean green image was high, and when country warmth was low. Food safety incident caused purchase intention to become more dependent on trust in food safety than food quality.

This study provides a novel insight into the impacts of food safety incidents on consumers' responses in different country image contexts including the human-related and environment-related dimensions.

The current national patient safety strategy for the National Health Service (NHS) in England states that actions need to be taken to support the development of a patient safety culture. This includes that local systems should seek to understand staff perceptions of the fairness and effectiveness of serious incident management. This study aims to explore the perspectives of patient safety professionals about what works well and what could be done better to support a patient safety culture at the level of Trust strategy and serious incident governance.

A total of 15 professionals with a role in serious incident management, from five mental health trusts in England, were interviewed using a semi-structured interview guide. Thematic analysis and qualitative description were used to analyse the data.

Participants felt that actions to support a patient safety culture were challenging and required long-term and clinical commitment. Broadening the scope of serious incident investigations was felt to be one way to better understand patient safety culture issues. Organisational influences during the serious incident management process were highlighted, informing approaches to maximise the fairness and objectivity of investigation findings.

The findings of this study offer original insights that the NHS safety system can use to facilitate progression of the patient safety culture agenda. In particular, local mental health trusts could consider the findings in the context of their current strategic objectives related to patient safety culture and operational delivery of serious incident management frameworks.

The need to develop effective approaches for responding to healthcare incidents for the purpose of learning and improving patient safety has been recognised in current national policy. However, research into this topic is limited. This study aims to explore the perspectives of professionals in mental health trusts in England about what works well and what could be done better when implementing serious incident management systems.

This was a qualitative study using semi-structured interviews. In total, 15 participants were recruited, comprising patient safety managers, serious incident investigators and executive directors, from five mental health trusts in England. The interview data were analysed using a qualitative-descriptive approach to develop meaningful themes. Quotes were selected and presented based on their representation of the data.

Participants were dissatisfied with current systems to manage serious incidents, including the root cause analysis approach, which they felt were not adequate for assisting learning and improvement. They described concerns about the capability of serious incident investigators, which was felt to impact on the quality of investigations. Processes to support people adversely affected by serious incidents were felt to be an important part of incident management systems to maximise the learning impact of investigations.

Findings of this study provide translatable implications for mental health trusts and policymakers, informed by insights into how current approaches for learning from healthcare incidents can be transformed. Further research will build a more comprehensive understanding of mechanisms for responding to healthcare incidents.

This study aims to investigate the dynamic interplay between the management control system (MCS) and organizational identity (OI) in the Deepwater Horizon incident involving British Petroleum (BP). It examines how the MCS manages challenges, particularly those addressing the embarrassment stemming from identity disparities between external portrayal (frontstage) and internal operations (backstage), with a focus on the often-underestimated influence of the media.

This study builds upon the frameworks developed by Ravasi and Schultz (2006) and Malmi and Brown (2008) to construct a theoretical framework that profoundly investigates the relationship between MCS and OI. The framework developed guided the research design and incorporated a qualitative approach complemented by an illustrative case study. The research data was rigorously gathered from diverse sources, including official BP documents and influential media outlets, with a particular focus on well-established American and British newspapers.

BP’s MCS plays a dual role: it exposes discrepancies in safety, leadership and values, causing embarrassment and identity damage, yet catalyses a sense-making process leading to organizational transformation and shifts in the OI. This transformation influences sense-giving and prompts changes in MCS. The study reveals an intricate interplay in identity management between frontstage audiences (e.g. influential media) and backstage actors (e.g. BP’s senior management). It highlights interdependencies both within and between MCS and OI, emphasizing their roles in interacting within identity management. The longitudinal recovery is intricately tied to mutual political interests between BP and the USA, which are significantly facilitated by the media’s role.

This study acknowledges limitations that point future research opportunities. Interviews could provide a more dynamic understanding of MCS changes and organizational transformations. Investigating the role of leadership, particularly the new chief executive office, and the influence of political versus organizational factors in shaping identity claims is essential. Additionally, the effectiveness and historical context of interdependencies should be quantitatively assessed. Theoretical limitations in the OI and MCS frameworks suggest the need for context-specific categorisations. This research serves as a foundation for further exploration of the intricate dynamics between MCS, OI and organizational responses to crises.

This study offers valuable insights with practical implications for organizations facing identity challenges in the wake of significant incidents. Organizations can better navigate crises by recognizing the multifaceted role of MCS in identity damage and restoration. It underscores the importance of addressing both frontstage and backstage aspects of OI while managing identity discrepancies, thereby enhancing transparency and credibility. Additionally, understanding the intricate interdependencies within OI and MCS can guide organizations in implementing more effective identity restoration strategies. Furthermore, the study highlights the significance of media influence and the need to engage with it strategically during crisis management.

This study’s findings have significant social implications for organizations and the broader public. By recognizing the multifaceted role of MCS in shaping identity, organizations can enhance transparency and credibility, rebuilding trust with the public. Additionally, the study highlights the critical role of media in influencing perceptions and decision-making during crises, emphasizing the importance of responsible and ethical reporting. Understanding the intricate interplay between MCS and OI can inform better crisis management strategies and improve how organizations respond to and recover from incidents, ultimately benefiting society by promoting more accountable and responsible corporate behaviour.

This study’s distinctness lies in its innovative exploration of MCS, which transcends traditional methodologies that focus narrowly on front or backstage aspects of OI and often adhere to predetermined MCS practices. It underscores the importance of concurrently addressing both the front- and backstage audiences in managing the embarrassment caused by identity discrepancies and restoration. The research uncovers multifaceted interdependencies within MCS and OI, and these extend beyond simplistic relationships and emphasize the complex nature of identity restoration management.

The main purpose of this research is exploring the tipping points for a radical shift in supplier (dis)satisfaction. This study identifies triggers and links them to consequences for the buyer–supplier relationship.

The Critical Incident Technique (CIT) was used to interview Dutch supplier representatives in the infrastructure sector, resulting in rich descriptions of 29 critical incidents, extracting first-hand information.

Safety issues, technical disputes and recruitment of supplier’s technical staff have been identified as tipping points for suppliers to become dissatisfied. Implementing performance-based contracting is another critical incident that caused irritation and disappointment. On a more operational level, dissatisfaction was provoked by tender errors and price discussions with the buyer. This study also identified tipping points by which dissatisfied suppliers abruptly turned into satisfied suppliers. The effect of a solution-oriented buyer intervention appears to be most powerful if this behaviour transcends prior expectations.

Consequences of misunderstandings and discussion between supplier and buyer may be manageable or repairable, depending on the causes and triggers that influenced a supplier’s dissatisfaction. An early warning system could prove its worth, so that buyers are not faced with unpleasant surprises.

Despite the growing number of studies, processes of how antecedents lead to supplier (dis)satisfaction are not well understood. Antecedents are predominantly investigated by cross-sectional survey data, giving little insights into micro-processes and actual interaction between buyers and suppliers. Although CIT has been applied in many disciplines, the technique is hardly used within the context of purchasing and supply management research.

This paper aims to examine the role of social auditing in legitimising the relationship between the buyer and supplier firms rather than strengthening corporate accountability in the global supply chain.

Applying case study methodology and drawing on Suchman’s theory on societal legitimacy, it is argued that social audits are artefacts of legitimacy, and global firms dominate the buyer–supplier relationship across the supply chain. The analysis is based on data collected from different secondary sources, including Walmart’s corporate sustainability reports.

Using Walmart’s relationship with Tazreen Fashions Limited around the Tazreen factory fire incident as a case study, it explains that the practices which attempt to symbolically demonstrate accountability from social audits need to shift to a more continuous and sincere demonstration of accountability through the social audit process. For this to occur, the cognitive and pragmatic approaches that international buyers have previously used in auditing their supply firms’ social responsibility are no longer sufficient to achieve societal legitimacy. Instead, a moral turn needs to underpin the intentions and actions of these buyers to maintain legitimacy and demonstrate accountability across the supply industry in developing economies.

The findings of the study answer the questions raised in the extant literature about the expectation from social auditing and whether social auditing serves to ensure corporate accountability. The paper contributes to the policymaking discussion of how social auditing can be configured to include a legal provision to ensure that social auditing is not a parroting tool for corporations.

Women are being victimized sexually everywhere today, whether it is at home or office. Women are targeted for molestation, eve-teasing, and rape and sometimes they are murdered after rape. The objective of the present study is to understand the trend of sexual abuse in the socio-cultural context of India. The study aims to examine the relationship between the victim woman and the perpetrator and the impact of sexual abuse on the well-being of women.

The study applies the content analysis method for collecting data and conducting research. The data for this study were collected from June 2020 to November 2020. The sample cases for the current study were gathered manually by reading each and every news section that was published on sexual abuse in the various newspapers and magazines that were referenced in the introduction.

The study has found that women are mostly targeted for sexual abuse by known persons. The study has also found that girls between 6 and 15 years of age have suffered most from sexual abuse. Moreover, the study has pointed out that sexual abuse has a negative impact on women such as sometimes women commit suicide after sexual abuse, face psychological problems and sometimes they are, and their family members are threatened. Incidents of sexual abuse are affecting the mental happiness of women and an environment of fear is being created for women in society.

This is an original work of the author. The research work is based on content analysis that examines the nature and impact of sexual abuse among women in society by using socio-cultural perspective.

The study aims to propose an intelligent real-time traffic model to address the traffic congestion problem. The proposed model assists the urban population in their everyday lives by assessing the probability of road accidents and accurate traffic information prediction. It also helps in reducing overall carbon dioxide emissions in the environment and assists the urban population in their everyday lives by increasing overall transportation quality.

This study offered a real-time traffic model based on the analysis of numerous sensor data. Real-time traffic prediction systems can identify and visualize current traffic conditions on a particular lane. The proposed model incorporated data from road sensors as well as a variety of other sources. It is difficult to capture and process large amounts of sensor data in real time. Sensor data is consumed by streaming analytics platforms that use big data technologies, which is then processed using a range of deep learning and machine learning techniques.

The study provided in this paper would fill a gap in the data analytics sector by delivering a more accurate and trustworthy model that uses internet of things sensor data and other data sources. This method can also assist organizations such as transit agencies and public safety departments in making strategic decisions by incorporating it into their platforms.

The model has a big flaw in that it makes predictions for the period following January 2020 that are not particularly accurate. This, however, is not a flaw in the model; rather, it is a flaw in Covid-19, the global epidemic. The global pandemic has impacted the traffic scenario, resulting in erratic data for the period after February 2020. However, once the circumstance returns to normal, the authors are confident in their model’s ability to produce accurate forecasts.

To help users choose when to go, this study intended to pinpoint the causes of traffic congestion on the highways in the Bay Area as well as forecast real-time traffic speeds. To determine the best attributes that influence traffic speed in this study, the authors obtained data from the Caltrans performance measurement system (PeMS), reviewed it and used multiple models. The authors developed a model that can forecast traffic speed while accounting for outside variables like weather and incident data, with decent accuracy and generalizability. To assist users in determining traffic congestion at a certain location on a specific day, the forecast method uses a graphical user interface. This user interface has been designed to be readily expanded in the future as the project’s scope and usefulness increase. The authors’ Web-based traffic speed prediction platform is useful for both municipal planners and individual travellers. The authors were able to get excellent results by using five years of data (2015–2019) to train the models and forecast outcomes for 2020 data. The authors’ algorithm produced highly accurate predictions when tested using data from January 2020. The benefits of this model include accurate traffic speed forecasts for California’s four main freeways (Freeway 101, I-680, 880 and 280) for a specific place on a certain date. The scalable model performs better than the vast majority of earlier models created by other scholars in the field. The government would benefit from better planning and execution of new transportation projects if this programme were to be extended across the entire state of California. This initiative could be expanded to include the full state of California, assisting the government in better planning and implementing new transportation projects.

To estimate traffic congestion, the proposed model takes into account a variety of data sources, including weather and incident data. According to traffic congestion statistics, “bottlenecks” account for 40% of traffic congestion, “traffic incidents” account for 25% and “work zones” account for 10% (Traffic Congestion Statistics). As a result, incident data must be considered for analysis. The study uses traffic, weather and event data from the previous five years to estimate traffic congestion in any given area. As a result, the results predicted by the proposed model would be more accurate, and commuters who need to schedule ahead of time for work would benefit greatly.

The proposed work allows the user to choose the optimum time and mode of transportation for them. The underlying idea behind this model is that if a car spends more time on the road, it will cause traffic congestion. The proposed system encourages users to arrive at their location in a short period of time. Congestion is an indicator that public transportation needs to be expanded. The optimum route is compared to other kinds of public transit using this methodology (Greenfield, 2014). If the commute time is comparable to that of private car transportation during peak hours, consumers should take public transportation.

Using a video revealing unhygienic practices in Chinese five-star hotels as the case study, this study aims to understand the impact of service failure online exposure on hotel revenue performance in terms of seriousness, magnitude and duration, as well as to identify the hotel-characteristics and hotel-responsiveness factors that influence revenue recovery.

This study uses the actual Revenue per Available Room data of ten hotels involved in the incident and five different market segments during 2016–2019. Event study method is used to investigate the effect of online exposure on hotel revenue performance.

This study confirms the significant negative effect of online exposure and that hotels take nearly nine months to fully recover. The results indicate that hotel size, hotel age and response strategy play an important role in reducing negative impacts. Moreover, this study reveals the dynamic spillover effects of online exposure on different hotel market segments. These effects change from a competitive to a contagious effect with a decrease in class ratings.

Low-class hotel managers should take effective actions to avoid possible negative spillovers from others’ service failure incidents. Hotel managers could consider the synergy of different strategies rather than a single response strategy to minimize losses.

This study theoretically broadens knowledge about the negative impact of online exposure on Chinese hotel revenue. Additionally, the findings examine the dynamic spillover effects on hotels in different segments. Furthermore, they extend the existing findings on the negative impact of online public opinion crises.

本研究以一段揭示中国五星级酒店不卫生行为的视频为案例, 旨在了解网上曝光的服务失败事件在严重程度、规模和持续时间方面对酒店收入绩效的影响, 并确定影响收入恢复的酒店特征和酒店回应因素。

本研究使用了2016–2019年期间10家涉及酒店和5个不同的细分市场的实际每间可用房收入（RevPARs）数据。采用事件研究法（ESM）来研究网上曝光对酒店收入绩效的影响。

本研究证实了网上曝光的显著负面效应, 酒店需要近9个月的时间才能完全恢复。结果表明, 酒店规模、酒店年龄和回应策略在减少负面影响方面发挥了重要作用。此外, 本研究还揭示了在线曝光对不同酒店细分市场的动态溢出效应。这些效应随着酒店星级的下降而从竞争效应变为传染效应。

低星级酒店管理者应采取有效行动, 避免其他酒店的服务失败事件可能带来的负面溢出效应。酒店管理者可以考虑不同策略的协同作用, 而不是单一的回应策略来减少损失。

本研究从理论上拓宽了关于网上曝光对中国酒店收入绩效的负面影响的知识。与此同时, 本研究的结果考察了不同细分市场的酒店的动态溢出效应。此外, 还扩展了现有的关于网络舆情危机的负面影响的研究结果。

Este estudio utiliza los datos reales de ingresos por habitación disponible (RevPAR) de 10 hoteles implicados en el incidente y cinco segmentos de mercado diferentes durante 2016-2019. Se utiliza el método de estudio de sucesos (ESM) para investigar el efecto de la exposición en línea en el rendimiento de los ingresos de los hoteles.

Utilizando como caso de estudio un vídeo que revela prácticas antihigiénicas en hoteles chinos de cinco estrellas, este estudio pretende comprender el impacto de la exposición online de fallos en el servicio sobre el rendimiento de los ingresos hoteleros en términos de gravedad, magnitud y duración, así como identificar las características y los factores de respuesta del hotel que influyen en la recuperación de los ingresos.

Este estudio confirma el importante efecto negativo de la exposición online, tardando los hoteles casi nueve meses en recuperarse totalmente. Los resultados indican que el tamaño del hotel, su antigüedad y la estrategia de respuesta desempeñan un papel importante en la reducción del impacto negativo. Además, este estudio revela los efectos indirectos dinámicos de la exposición online en diferentes segmentos del mercado hotelero. Estos efectos cambian de un efecto competitivo a un efecto contagioso con una disminución de las calificaciones de la categoría o clase hotelera.

Los revenue managers de los hoteles de categoría baja deberían tomar medidas eficaces para evitar posibles repercusiones negativas de los fallos en el servicio de otros hoteles. Los directores de hotel podrían considerar la sinergia de diferentes estrategias en lugar de una única estrategia de respuesta para minimizar las pérdidas.

Este estudio amplía teóricamente los conocimientos sobre el impacto negativo de la exposición online en los ingresos de los hoteles chinos. Además, los resultados examinan los efectos indirectos dinámicos en hoteles de diferentes segmentos. Además, amplían los resultados existentes sobre el impacto negativo de las crisis de opinión pública online.

This study explored whether the critical incident management systems (CIMS) model can predict the EMS performance in the COVID-19 context. Past research has established the significance of early detection and response (ER) in the context of Ebola virus disease (EVD), prompting a question of whether the model can also be helpful in the COVID-19 context. Consequently, the authors assessed whether ER influences the impact of communication capacity (CC), reliable information channel (RC) and environment (EN) on COVID-19 EMS performance. Assessing these relationships will advance emerging infectious disease (EID) preparedness.

The authors employed standardized measurement instruments of the CIMS model (CC, ER, RC and EN) to predict the performance of COVID-19 EMS using structural equation modeling (SEM) in a study of 313 participants from frontline responders.

The results show that the relationship of ER and EN with COVID-19 EMS performance is positive, while that of EN on CC is negative. The relationship between EN and COVID-19 EMS performance was insignificant. Contrary to the hypothesis, CC was negatively significant to COVID-19 EMS performance due to poor communication capacities.

The authors acknowledge some limitations due to challenges faced in this study. First, Data collection was a significant limitation as these questionnaires were built and distributed in June 2020, but the response time was prolonged due to the recurring nature of the pandemic. The authors had wanted to implore the inputs of all stakeholders, and efforts were made to reach out to various Ministry of Health, the local CDC and related agencies in the region via repeated emails explaining the purpose of the study to no avail. The study finally used the frontline workers as the respondents. The authors used international students from various countries as the representatives to reach out to their countries' frontline workers. Second, since the study was only partially supported using the CIMS model, future studies may combine the CIMS model with other models or theories. Subsequent research reassesses this outcome in other contexts or regions. Consequently, further research can explore how CC can be improved with COVID-19 and another future EID in the region. This may improve the COVID-19 EMS performance, thereby expanding the lesson learned from the pandemic and sustaining public health EID response. Additionally, other authors may combine the CIMS model with other emergency management models or theories to establish a fully supported theoretical model in the context of COVID-19.

The findings have practical implications for incident managers, local CDCs, governments, international organizations and scholars. The outcome of the study might inform these stakeholders on future direction and contribution to EID preparedness. This study unfolds the impact of lessons learned in the region demonstrated by moderating early detection and responses with other constructs to achieve COVID-19 EMS performance. The findings reveal that countries that experienced the 2013–2016 Ebola outbreak, were not necessarily more prepared for an epidemic or pandemic, judging by the negative moderating impact of early detection and response. However, these experiences provide a foundation for the fight against COVID-19. There is a need for localized plans tailored to each country's situation, resources, culture and lifestyle. The localized plan will be to mitigate and prevent an unsustainable EID management system, post-epidemic fund withdrawals and governance. This plan might be more adaptable and sustainable for the local health system when international interventions are withdrawn after an epidemic. Public health EID plans must be adapted to each country's unique situation to ensure sustainability and constantly improve EID management of epidemics and pandemics in emergency response. The high to moderate importation risk in African countries shows Africa's largest window of vulnerability to be West Africa (Gilbert et al., 2020). Therefore, they should be in the spotlight for heightened assistance towards the preparedness and response for a future pandemic like COVID-19. The West African region has a low capacity to manage the health emergency to match the population capacities. The COVID-19 outbreak in West Africa undoubtedly inflicted many disruptions in most countries' economic, social and environmental circumstances. The region's unique challenges observed in this study with CC and reliable information channels as being negatively significant highlight the poor maintenance culture and weak institutions due to brain drain and inadequate training and monitoring. This outcome practically informs West African stakeholders and governments on aspects to indulge when trying to improve emergency preparedness as the outcomes from other regions might not be applicable.

This study explored the relevance of the CIMS model in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, revealing different patterns of influence on COVID-19 EMS performance. In contrast to the extant literature on EVD, the authors found the moderating effects of ER in the COVID-19 context. Thus, the authors contribute to the COVID-19 EMS performance domain by developing a context-driven EMS model. The authors discuss the theoretical and practical implications.