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The intricate and unpredictable nature arising in higher education institutions (HEIs) implementing technology-driven change for e-learning environments demands a much closer examination of individuals’ interpretations and interactions as they undergo these changes. Through a micro-foundational lens, this study aims to examine the micro-level inhibitors and supporting factors of individual’s readiness for change by investigating technology-driven change in HEIs.

A two-phased research design using grounded theory methodology was used to collect and analyse data incorporated within a single-case study in an HEI. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews with 22 participants, followed by a focus group with eight participants centered on factors affecting their readiness for change during technology-driven change in e-learning environments. The data analysis followed an iterative constant comparative approach and its three-phased coding process: open, axial and selective coding.

This study revealed that staff with little awareness of the organisations expectations towards a technology-driven change or who are poorly communicated with can exhibit higher resistance and lower individual readiness for change. While macro-level factors of organisational structure can contribute to the success or failure of technology-driven change, the fundamental features related to individuals’ readiness for change are integral to understanding the micro-level causal behaviours underlying these macro-level phenomena.

The dominant model of change is often focused on drivers that are centered on examining macro-level constructs rather than individuals who are facing the change. This study presents theories on readiness for change and offers a micro-foundational view to bring new perspectives into the current literature on how individual-level micro-foundations enhance understanding of technological change in HEIs.

The process of elaboration of the symbolic universe leads to important insights into the role of symbols in understanding human reasoning. Symbols become explanatory axes of universal global realities. Myths were constructed on these explanatory paths forming a superstructure of all belief systems with paraconsistent logic for the symbolism and a symbolic syntax. Myths and symbols are to be found in all cultures. Some of the most powerful and influential ones occur in popular culture since these often have the greatest immediate social impact.

Semiotic and logical development of the symbols is in mythical systems. The dissolution of the myth and the degradation of the myth's symbols constitute a long-drawn-out process in modern Western society and wherever s influence reaches. Myth is a story that may contain symbolic elements, but compared to the symbols or images of the exceptional, myth is characterized by a “story.”

Starting from a minimal definition to define myths and propose the following definition: Myth is a traditional tale that relates memorable and exemplary actions of extraordinary personages in prestigious and distant times, and myths have various forms and functions, perhaps some more clearly defined with a signifier than others, and different approaches can be combined for a better understanding of the myths. Dispensing with such simplistic assertions, and starting from a minimal definition to define myth, myth is a traditional tale that relates memorable and exemplary actions of extraordinary personages in prestigious and distant times.

Any symbol F originates in a unit that has two aspects and functions when the unit is restored. Thus, the symbol is rather “for something” than “of something” and the symbolic objects express the objects' correspondence in one unit or hendiadys. One semantic characteristic of symbols is “recognition”. The symbol F reveals a reality by means of the homogenous association of the signifier and significance in the symbol's constitution; although reality is separate, there is a homogeneous relation between the symbolizing and symbolized in symbolization.

This paper develops and tests a theoretical framework to explain the effect of guanxi human resource management (HRM), a unique Chinese cultural phenomenon, on employee innovative behavior.

We draw from a sample of 398 employees in 81 teams and test the moderated mediation model using multi-level modeling.

The results show that guanxi HRM can be perceived by employees as being simultaneously an unethical hindrance that stifles innovative behavior and a strategic challenge that is beneficial for innovative behavior. In addition, the results show that these indirect effects are contingent upon the strength of guanxi HRM.

The study advances our understanding of the mechanism and boundary condition underlying the double-edged nature of guanxi HRM practices.

Sustainable consumption has far-reaching implications globally, with promotion of sustainable consumption also identified as one of the sustainable development goals (SDGs). Hence, there is a need for relevant information to guide consumer buying decisions. Eco-labels have been created to serve as one of the key communication platforms for this purpose, but studies indicate low levels of comprehension. Hence this paper proposes a conceptual framework using established neuroscience theories and principles to address this topic of significance.

The “Simplicity Principle” propagates that simpler explanations find place over complex ones. Also, the Dual System Theory focuses on the two systems, intuitive System 1 and cognitive System 2, used by the brain to process information. We spotted a research gap here and leveraged these theories and drew from several earlier studies to propose a framework that presenting information in a “simple” manner on eco-labels would accelerate sustainable consumption.

System 1 works to reduce cognitive process and load on System 2, influencing overall choice and purchase decision. System 2 capacity requires the need to minimize cognitive load through processing simpler messages. Quick processing of information by System 1 generates impressions, attention and attitude. Once accepted by System 2, these often remain unchanged unless necessary and invariably turn into beliefs and voluntary action. Simplicity leverages speed and effortless processing ability of System 1, reducing effort of cognition by System 2 and enabling a decision (to purchase “green”).

Sustainability and sustainable consumption are matters of social and environmental concern and significance. This framework proposes the need for policymakers and businesses to consider adopting the “simplicity” approach in promoting sustainable consumption through bridging the vital gap in the understanding of eco-labels by consumers. There are implications and opportunities for researchers to conduct empirical research across different categories to validate this framework.

While several methods have been explored and implemented, given the significance of sustainability and sustainable consumption, eco-labels suffer from lack of comprehension, thus affecting adoption by consumers. Applying fundamental neuroscience principles of “simplicity” seems to have been overlooked so far toward addressing this gap. This framework proposes that applying “simplicity” to stimuli such as eco-labels and communications be considered to address and correct the situation and help to accelerate sustainable consumption.

The purpose of this paper is to understand how digital interventions are mediating the identity work of community health workers (CHWs) in the context of two African countries.

This paper analyzes the everyday work of CHWs in two low- and middle-income country (LMIC) contexts (Uganda and Malawi) and seeks to understand changes in collective identity and the role of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in mediating this “identity work”. As CHWs conduct their everyday tasks of care giving, data reporting and maintaining social interactions, they play two primary roles. One is the care giving role oriented towards the community, and two, is reporting and administrative work by virtue of them being affiliated with the Ministry of Health, either in formal or voluntary capacity. The ambivalence which they experience as they move back and forth between these two worlds of work is significantly now mediated through ICTs. The paper analyzes these dynamics and identifies three key sets of ambivalence in identity work: (1) role embracing-institutional distancing; (2) conformist-resistant and (3) dramaturgical-transformative. The paper makes unique contributions to information systems (IS) and ICT for development (ICT4D) studies in that it focuses on a nonprofessional group, which plays a fundamental role in providing care to underserved populations and also conducts data work which provides the foundation of the national health information system. This contrasts with dominant research in the field which focuses on professional groups, largely based in Western business organizations.

The paper identifies identity related tensions that emerge with the mediation of digital technologies in the work world of CHWs. These include tensions of conformist-resistant; and (3) dramaturgical-transformative. These findings are relevant and unique to the field of IS and ICT4D studies in that it focuses on a nonprofessional group, which plays a fundamental role in providing care to underserved populations and also conducts data work which provides the foundation of the national health information system.

While acknowledging identity construction and negotiation is a function of both work and social lives, in this paper we could only focus on the work lives.

As digital interventions in the health sector of low and middle income countries is becoming increasingly widespread, often the focus is more on the supply side (the supply of the technology) rather than on the demand side (users experiences and aspirations). Identity becomes a lens to understand these demand side dynamics, which helps provides practical guidance on implementation approaches to ensure that the technology adds value to user work processes and there is a seamless and not a disruptive transition.

CHWs are the most neglected cadre in the health system of low and middle income countries, even though they provide the cutting edge in care provision work to the most marginalized populations, living in rural and underserved areas. By focusing on how technologies can be more effectively implemented to support these care processes, the paper provides important social implications both for practice and research.

Analysis of identity construction and negotiation of informal groups in the unorganized sector of low and middle income countries has not received adequate attention in IS research. The paper seeks to fill this important gap.

This research aims to determine the levels of education quality (EQ), technology usage (TU), students' satisfaction (SS) and the impact of EQ on SS. Also, it seeks to find out how TU as a moderator affects EQ and SS in Pakistani private higher education institutions (HEIs).

A total of 440 postgraduate students at eleven private universities in Lahore, Punjab Province, Pakistan, participated in empirical research and data were obtained through the use of an online questionnaire. Simple random sampling was used to choose participants and partial least square structural equation modeling was employed to analyze the data.

The findings revealed that Pakistani private HEIs have a medium level of EQ, TU and SS. Furthermore, the data reveal the existence of a significant positive relationship between EQ and SS, whereas TU as a moderator was found to negatively affect EQ and SS.

Postgraduate students of private HEIs in Pakistan were considered for this investigation and this study was limited to testing only in Punjab province. Another limitation of this study is that it was based on a research framework from previous research and literature. This study employed questionnaire surveys to conduct evaluations of teachers' teaching quality by university students. Furthermore, the questionnaire employed student self-evaluations to assess the quality of teaching. The research data would be more detailed if it were possible to include teachers' self-evaluations of their teaching quality.

The current study provides key insights for policymakers, higher education commission and HEIs. The results suggest leveraging the identified medium levels of EQ, TU and student satisfaction in Pakistani private HEIs. In an effort to boost the medium levels, policymakers are encouraged to enhance the teaching and learning experience by robustly integrating Web 4.0 technologies. Institutions can intervene strategically by investing in infrastructure and innovative tools aligned with students' technological needs. Likewise, policymakers and institutions can optimize learning management systems (LMS) by developing and implementing policies that encourage their adoption and optimization across HEIs. This may contribute to the accomplishment of the United Nations' sustainable development goal of providing quality education. Moreover, with the help of this research HEIs can establish minimum quality standards regarding academic teaching and learning materials. Implementing the above-mentioned practical implications might boost student satisfaction in HEIs which would benefit not only students but also the institutions.

The novelty of the article lies in the fact that it addresses the gap in the existing literature by exploring the levels of EQ, TU and student satisfaction in the context of private higher education in Pakistan. Furthermore, this study investigated whether TU served as a moderator in the relationship between student satisfaction and UNESCO-recommended EQ. This study elaborates on EQ indicators recommended by UNESCO in Pakistan’s private higher education sector.

The purpose of this study was to investigate a framework for the implementation of freedom of information (FOI) legislation in South Africa, against Article 19’s nine principles of FOI legislation.

This qualitative study used semi-structured interviews to collect data from six experts selected by means of the snowball sampling technique and content analysis. The study used a modified Delphi design consisting of two rounds of interviews.

The results showed that little effort is made by government officials to demonstrate commitment to the implementation of FOI legislation.

The passing of FOI is expected to reduce corruption, increase public participation, reduce the level of secrecy and increase transparency and openness. This is not the case as the implementation of this socioeconomic right in South Africa is faced by numerous challenges, such as a lack of political will, secrecy laws providing for the opposite of what the FOI legislation seeks to achieve, poor legislative interpretation and a lack of clear policies. The study proposes a framework aimed at addressing these challenges.

The study provides a framework for the implementation of FOI legislation. The framework was developed under the guidance of Article 19 principles of freedom of information legislation.

Design of architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) project organizations expose project management practitioners (PMPs) to poor mental health due to the influence of project organization designs on project management activities assigned to the PMPs. The AEC project organization design comprises the integration of permanent organization, project organization and external environment layers. In spite of the link between project organization design and mental health, limited studies have examined the impact of permanent organization factors, project organization factors and external environmental factors on mental health management practices. Therefore, this study aims to examine the interactive relationships between permanent organization factors, project organization factors, external environment factors and mental health management indicators.

Four organizational theories: institutional theory, agency theory and resource-based theory were integrated to develop a theoretical model guiding the aim of the study. Eighty-two survey data were collected from PMPs in AEC firms in Australia. Structural equation modelling was used to test the relationships between the constructs.

The study found that mental health management indicators are predicted by the interactive and direct effects of permanent organizational factors, project organizational factors and external environmental factors. The results of the interactive effects of the factors and mental health management indicators revealed that 20 of 26 proposed hypotheses were supported. Based on the established hypotheses, economic factors, technological factors, environmental factors, legal factors and organizational culture positively correlated with mental health management indicators. Likewise, human resources management (HRM), corporate governance, project governance and integrated project delivery (IPD) positively impact mental health management indicators. However, political factors, social factors, knowledge management and project management skills negatively impact mental health management indicators. Moreover, political factors, economic factors, technological factors, environmental factors, legal factors and organizational culture are positively related to corporate governance. Additionally, organizational culture positively impacts corporate governance, project governance and HRM, whereas project governance positively correlated with IPD and knowledge management.

The findings provide guidelines to AEC firms on achieving positive mental health management indicators through concentration on project organization design.

Despite the importance of emotional variables in shaping individuals' consumption behavior, nature-love still needs to be addressed concerning various aspects of sustainable consumption behavior (SCB). Considering the dimensions of nature-love, this study aims to investigate the effect of passion-for-nature, intimacy-with-nature and commitment-to-nature on SCB. Furthermore, this study aims to incorporate the construal levels of psychological distance (PD) as a moderating variable between the tested variables to add a more in-depth understanding.

Data was collected from a sample of 311 individuals from Egypt using the snowball sampling method and the ten-time rule technique. The data was analyzed using partial least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM).

The findings indicate that passion-for-nature and intimacy-with-nature have a significant positive effect on green purchasing, reusability and recycling. On the other hand, commitment-to-nature has a significant positive effect on both green purchasing and reusability. Additionally, a high PD acts as a moderator between the relationships tested. The findings have been discussed in terms of their theoretical and practical implications.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to integrate PD as a moderator between the relationships tested. Additionally, this paper is the first empirical research investigating these relationships in developing economies.

This study aims to validate a model to assess the level of lean maturity of Brazilian hospitals based on the adaptation of the SAE J4000/2021 standard.

The methodology was divided: (1) adaptation of the standard to the health context, (2) application of the questionnaire through a survey, and (3) comparison of the results of the level of maturity in the standard and by the clustering technique, using Minitab.

The research presents two contributions: (1) validation of a model to assess the level of lean maturity based on the SAE J4000/2021; (2) insights into the level of maturity of Brazilian hospitals. It was observed that only 10% of the sample was classified at maturity level 3 and 75% at level 2. Private and large hospitals showed greater maturity compared to the others.

This includes the limited number of hospitals that participated in the survey, given the difficulty of adherence to due constraints of time and staffing from hospitals, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This article presents a lean maturity assessment proposal, adapting a consolidated standard in the automobile industry to the health context. Insights on the lean maturity of Brazilian hospitals can contribute to the development of policies to encourage the implementation of the lean philosophy directed to each specific environment.

This study serves as a guide for public agents interested in monitoring the quality of hospital indicators through the SAE J4000/2021 standard. From this lean maturity analysis, hospital managers can understand their opportunities for improvement in both human and organizational aspects. This favors the improvement of service delivery to society that depends on health services.

Due to the lack of research that validates lean maturity level assessment models in Brazilian hospitals, this study can be considered a pioneer in this Brazilian research by validating the SAE J4000/2021 standard in its updated version in the health context.