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1 – 10 of 454Dezhi Li, Huan Zhou, Shenghua Zhou, Guanying Huang, Xiaoming Ma, Yongheng Zhao, Wentao Wang and S. Thomas Ng
The study aims to pioneer an innovative approach for the evaluation of government portal websites (GPWs) by introducing an eye-tracking-based method. The research meticulously…
Abstract
Purpose
The study aims to pioneer an innovative approach for the evaluation of government portal websites (GPWs) by introducing an eye-tracking-based method. The research meticulously pinpoints and analyses the distinct usability issues and challenges that users encounter while navigating and interacting with GPWs.
Design/methodology/approach
This study devises an eye-tracking-based GPW usability evaluation approach, which focuses on the major functions (i.e. government information disclosure, government services and interactive responses) of GPWs. An Entropy Weighted Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution (EW-TOPSIS) method is employed to process eye-tracking indicator results for deriving GPW usability results.
Findings
The proposed approach is demonstrated to assess the usability of 12 GPWs in pilot smart cities in China, and it is found that most GPWs have lower-than-average usability. GPWs with low usability require more cognitive load that exhibit increased fixation and saccade. The comparisons among the GPW usability results from (1) the eye-tracking experiment, (2) questionnaire surveys and (3) the ready-made performance evaluation report validate the effectiveness of eye-tracking-based GPW usability evaluation.
Originality/value
The work contributes to shifting the GPW usability evaluation approach from a subjective judgment paradigm to an objective paradigm, as well as provides implications for enhancing GPW usability, including improving search function, reducing website complexity and prioritizing user needs.
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Cleide Gisele Ribeiro, Antônio Márcio Lima Ferraz Júnior, Fernanda Ribeiro Porto, Fabiana Aparecida Mayrink de Oliveira, Fernando Luiz Hespanhol and Rodrigo Guerra de Oliveira
The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic changed the way in which education was delivered in early 2020, and the impacts of these changes continue to be questionable. The aims of…
Abstract
Purpose
The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic changed the way in which education was delivered in early 2020, and the impacts of these changes continue to be questionable. The aims of this study were to evaluate: (1) the results obtained by students of the Dentistry course in the progress test carried out both before and after the pandemic, (2) the results obtained by a specific group of students who took the test in 2019–2022, and compare their results and (3) subjects that showed a reduction in the percentage of correct answers when the two tests were compared.
Design/methodology/approach
The progress test consisting of 100 multiple choice questions was applied before and after the pandemic to all students in the Dentistry course. The analyses were performed using the IBM SPSS for Statistics v.26 software program. The level of significance of 5% was adopted (<0.05).
Findings
The test was applied to 320 students in 2019 and to 272 in 2022, of whom the sample of this study was composed. The mean score values in 2019 (M = 49.10; SD = 12.03) were significantly (p = 0.026) higher than those in the year 2022 (M = 46.97; SD = 12.15), with the disciplines in the area of specific knowledge showing a greater drop in the percentage of correct answers by students. This study showed that the emergency remote education had a negative effect on the academic performance of students, based on the progress testing as an evaluation method.
Originality/value
Many studies that assessed the impacts of the pandemic on teaching were focused on the opinions of students. However, the great advantage of our study was the use of a theoretical assessment tool to verify student performance. The post-pandemic landscape beckons for comprehensive inquiries into these domains. This type of research would be valuable for gathering evidence relative to the performance of students after the emergency remote education.
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The purpose of this study was to examine the mediating effect of employee well-being on the relationship between a bundle of human resource practices (HR practices) and employee…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to examine the mediating effect of employee well-being on the relationship between a bundle of human resource practices (HR practices) and employee resilience among Thai employees in an insurance company.
Design/methodology/approach
Self-report questionnaires were received from 317 employees. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted, followed by structural equation model (SEM) to test all hypotheses.
Findings
A partial mediator role of employee well-being on the relationship was detected, highlighting the significant consequences of a bundle of HR practices during the recent pandemic.
Research limitations/implications
The study's limitations were its self-report questionnaires and cross-sectional design.
Practical implications
This study highlights the importance of a bundle of HR practices under the unusual situation, i.e. during the data collection process, telecommuting was implemented in the organization to comply with the government regulations. A bundle of HR practices can be perceived as resources that can help individual employees overcome this challenging situation, which supports organizational performance.
Originality/value
High environmental uncertainty requires today's organizations to be aware of the importance of employee resilience since this can contribute to organizational resilience. Additionally, employees rank their well-being as one of the top factors they seek from an organization. Thus, this study empirically extended the benefits of a bundle of HR practices in the context of COVID-19, supporting the mutual gains model.
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Yulong Li, Ziwen Yao, Jing Wu, Saixing Zeng and Guobin Wu
The numerous spoil grounds brought about by mega transportation infrastructure projects which can be influenced by the ecological environment. To achieve better management of…
Abstract
Purpose
The numerous spoil grounds brought about by mega transportation infrastructure projects which can be influenced by the ecological environment. To achieve better management of spoil grounds, this paper aims to assess their comprehensive risk levels and categorize them into different categories based on ecological environmental risks.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on analysis of the environmental characteristics of spoil grounds, this paper first comprehensively identified the ecological environmental risk factors and developed a risk assessment index system to quantitatively describe the comprehensive risk levels. Second, this paper proposed a comprehensive model to determine the risk assessment and categorization of spoil ground group in mega projects integrating improved projection pursuit clustering (PPC) method and K-means clustering algorithm. Finally, a case study of a spoil ground group (includes 50 spoil grounds) in a mega infrastructure project in western China is presented to demonstrate and validate the proposed method.
Findings
The results show that our proposed comprehensive model can efficiently assess and categorize the spoil grounds in the group based on their comprehensive ecological environmental risk. In addition, during the process of risk assessment and categorization of spoil grounds, it is necessary to distinguish between sensitive factors and nonsensitive factors. The differences between different categories of spoil grounds can be recognized based on nonsensitive factors, and high-risk spoil grounds which need to be focused more on can be identified according to sensitive factors.
Originality/value
This paper develops a comprehensive model of risk assessment and categorization of a group of spoil grounds based on their ecological environmental risks, which can provide a reference for the management of spoil grounds in mega projects.
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I Gede Mahatma Yuda Bakti, Sik Sumaedi, Medi Yarmen, Marlina Pandin, Aris Yaman, Rahmi Kartika Jati and Mauludin Hidayat
Recently, autonomous vehicles (AV) acceptance has been studied intensively. This paper aims to map and analyze the bibliometric characteristics of AV acceptance literature…
Abstract
Purpose
Recently, autonomous vehicles (AV) acceptance has been studied intensively. This paper aims to map and analyze the bibliometric characteristics of AV acceptance literature. Furthermore, this research aims to identify research gaps and propose future research opportunities.
Design/methodology/approach
The bibliometric analysis was performed. Scopus database was used as the source of the literature. This study selected and analyzed 297 AV acceptance papers. The performance and science mapping analysis were performed.
Findings
The developed countries tended to dominate the topic. The publication outlet tended to be in transportation or technology journals. There were four research themes in existing literature. Technology acceptance model (TAM) and UTAUT2 tended to be used for explaining AV acceptance. AV acceptance studies tended to use two types of psychological concepts for understanding AV acceptance, namely risk related concepts and functional utilitarian benefit related concepts. In the context of research design, quantitative approach tended to be used. Self-driving feature was the most exploited feature of AV in the existing literature. Three research gaps were mapped and future research opportunities were proposed.
Practical implications
This paper provided a comprehensive information that allowed scientists to develop future research on AV acceptance.
Originality/value
There is lack of paper that discussed the bibliometric characteristics of AV acceptance literature. This paper fulfilled the gap.
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Nitha Siby, Mohammad Ammar, Jolly Bhadra, Elmogiera Fadlallh Elsaye Elawad, Noora Jabor Al-Thani and Zubair Ahmad
Research internships are integral components of undergraduate programs that nurture students' skill sets. However, the current trend of these internships adopting a direct…
Abstract
Purpose
Research internships are integral components of undergraduate programs that nurture students' skill sets. However, the current trend of these internships adopting a direct apprenticeship model, often termed “cookbook” laboratory sessions, falls short of cultivating 21st-century skills. Therefore, this study proposes an innovative Outcomes-directed Research Internship Model (ODRIM) designed to enhance research competencies.
Design/methodology/approach
This study introduces a pioneering research internship model by integrating the course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) framework with principles rooted in outcomes-based education (OBE). To evaluate its effectiveness and compare it with traditional research internship models (TRIMs), a two-group pretest-posttest design was utilized. Statistical analysis was performed on data collected from 66 participants to assess their research competencies.
Findings
The results revealed a significant positive difference in utilizing the tailored innovative ODRIM track (pre-mean = 17.525, post-mean = 19.875; p = 0.009) compared to the TRIM track (pre-mean = 19.769, post-mean = 19.615; p = 1.000) in enhancing overall student research competency. Specifically, this innovative internship model notably enhanced students’ abilities in conducting research, showcasing technical skills, collaborating within teams, and disseminating research outcomes, encompassing the composition of research articles and reports.
Originality/value
This tailored approach to the “Research Internship” encourages a harmonious blend of hands-on, inquiry-based learning and clear, measurable learning goals. It not only cultivates an immersive and thorough research experience to improve students’ research competencies, but also guarantees a concentrated alignment with predetermined research learning objectives.
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A public–private partnership (PPP) is an agreement between the government and private investors to deliver long-term public services. The efficiency of PPP projects depends on PPP…
Abstract
Purpose
A public–private partnership (PPP) is an agreement between the government and private investors to deliver long-term public services. The efficiency of PPP projects depends on PPP contracts stipulating contractual parties' corresponding responsibilities and rights to deal with relational and performance risks. Although more complex contracts provide more remedies for mitigating ex-post transaction costs, they also result in the increased ex ante transaction costs associated with contract writing. Thus, contractual complexity is a design choice that can reduce the overall contract transaction costs.
Design/methodology/approach
Using 365 transportation PPP projects in China from 2010 to 2019, this study applies the Poisson regression model to examine the effects of payment mechanisms, ownership by investors and equity structure on contractual complexity.
Findings
PPP contracts have control and coordination functions with unique determinants. Parties in the government-pay mechanism are more likely to negotiate coordination provisions, which results in greater contractual complexity. PPP projects with state-owned enterprises (SOEs) have less contractual complexity in terms of both two functions of provisions, whereas the equity structure has no impact on contractual complexity.
Originality/value
These findings provide a nuanced understanding of how various contractual provisions are combined to perform control or coordination functions and make managerial recommendations to parties involved in PPP projects.
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Raphael Kanyire Seidu, Shou-xiang Jiang, Benjamin Tawiah, Richard Acquaye and Ebenezer Kofi Howard
The purpose of this study is to present a systematic review of the effects of COVID-19 on the conventional textile production subsector. The emergence of the COVID-19 virus in…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to present a systematic review of the effects of COVID-19 on the conventional textile production subsector. The emergence of the COVID-19 virus in 2019 has subsequently caused many problems, such as unemployment, business closures, economic instability and high volatility in the global capital markets amongst others within the wider manufacturing industry including textile production.
Design/methodology/approach
Relevant secondary data are obtained from the Scopus database and Statista. Based on the data analysis of 21 seed articles, three research themes are identified: challenges in the textile industry, new material innovations or solutions and the textile industry performance.
Findings
The results reveal that the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the textile industry, disrupted the supply chains of this industry, affected profit margins, stopped employment and impacted the retail of products to customers. Aside from the negative repercussions, there are also good sides to the pandemic which, for instance, range from advanced material innovations to textiles with anti-microbial, self-cleaning and anti-bacterial properties that would limit the transfer of the virus.
Practical implications
Findings reinforced the need for effective strategies and investments in the research and development departments of the various firms in the textile industry to innovate operations and novel materials for the next global pandemic.
Originality/value
Many companies have adopted novel strategies and practices that are helping them to survive the pandemic. This study, therefore, recommends further investigation into material innovations and reimagining strategies by companies and the supply chain within the textile industry so that it is protected against future crises.
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Tung-Cheng Lin and Mei-Ling Yeh
The ecosystem concept has attracted attention in information system research to explain business competition, innovation and many other emerging phenomena. Existing studies focus…
Abstract
Purpose
The ecosystem concept has attracted attention in information system research to explain business competition, innovation and many other emerging phenomena. Existing studies focus more on a single ecosystem type or a single ecosystem goal and pay little attention to the ecosystem’s evolution. The objective of the study is to investigate the factors that impact the evolution of the information ecosystem (IE) to gain a better understanding of strategic thinking.
Design/methodology/approach
The IE involves many actors, so the multi-case study approach is conducted with purposeful sampling to recruit all the significant ecosystem actors. The collected qualitative data are analyzed by coding data, exploring data relationships and structuring pattern steps; institutional theory is used as a theoretical framework.
Findings
The results demonstrate that industry practices, laws and regulations, new actors and the mimetic pressure of outsourcers drive the growth of the ecosystem. Strategy intention, cost pressure and normative pressure all contribute to the IE’s evolution.
Originality/value
The concept of ecosystems has attracted attention in information system research. The study investigates the factors contributing to the evolution of the IE from an institutional theory perspective. Our suggestion is that new players can find a niche in offering information technology (IT)/ information services (IS)-related solutions to survive in the ecosystem; however, they need to pay attention to the normative pressure.
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Arunpreet Singh Suali, Jagjit Singh Srai and Naoum Tsolakis
Operational risks can cause considerable, atypical disturbances and impact food supply chain (SC) resilience. Indicatively, the COVID-19 pandemic caused significant disruptions in…
Abstract
Purpose
Operational risks can cause considerable, atypical disturbances and impact food supply chain (SC) resilience. Indicatively, the COVID-19 pandemic caused significant disruptions in the UK food services as nationwide stockouts led to unprecedented discrepancies between retail and home-delivery supply capacity and demand. To this effect, this study aims to examine the emergence of digital platforms as an innovative instrument for food SC resilience in severe market disruptions.
Design/methodology/approach
An interpretive multiple case-study approach was used to unravel how different generations of e-commerce food service providers, i.e. established and emergent, responded to the need for more resilient operations during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Findings
SC disruption management for high-impact low-frequency events requires analysing four research elements: platformisation, structural variety, process flexibility and system resource efficiency. Established e-commerce food operators use partner onboarding and local waste valorisation to enhance resilience. Instead, emergent e-commerce food providers leverage localised rapid upscaling and product personalisation.
Practical implications
Digital food platforms offer a highly customisable, multisided digital marketplace wherein platform members may aggregate product offerings and customers, thus sharing value throughout the network. Platform-induced disintermediation allows bidirectional flows of data and information among SC partners, ensuring compliance and safety in the food retail sector.
Originality/value
The study contributes to the SC configuration and resilience literature by investigating the interrelationship among platformisation, structural variety, process flexibility and system resource efficiency for safe and resilient food provision within exogenously disrupted environments.
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