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The International Journal of Logistics Management, vol. 34 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0957-4093

Article
Publication date: 23 February 2024

Pooja Darda, Om Jee Gupta and Susheel Yadav

Alexa’s integration in rural primary schools has improved the pedagogy and has created an engaging and objective learning environment. This study investigates the integration…

Abstract

Purpose

Alexa’s integration in rural primary schools has improved the pedagogy and has created an engaging and objective learning environment. This study investigates the integration, with a specific focus on exploring its various aspects. The impact of Alexa’s on students' English vocabulary, comprehension and public speaking are examined. This study aims to provide insights the teachers and highlight the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in rural education.

Design/methodology/approach

This content analysis study explores the use of Alexa in primary education in rural areas of India. The study focuses on the types of the questions asked by the students and examines the pedagogical implications of these interactions. By analyzing the use of Alexa in rural educational settings, this study aims to contribute to our understanding of how voice assistants are utilized as educational tools in underprivileged areas.

Findings

Alexa significantly improved students' English vocabulary, comprehension and public speaking confidence. Alexa increased school enrollment and retention. Virtual voice assistants like Alexa may improve pedagogy and help India’s rural education. This study shows AI improves rural education.

Research limitations/implications

The study only covers rural India. Self-reported data and observations may bias the study. The small sample size may underrepresent rural educational institutions in India.

Originality/value

Alexa is used to study rural India’s primary education. Voice assistants in rural education are understudied. The study examines Alexa’s classroom use, student questions, and policy and teacher education implications. AI’s education transformation potential addresses UNESCO’s teacher shortage. This novel study examines how AI can improve rural education outcomes and access.

Details

International Journal of Educational Management, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0951-354X

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 1 November 2023

Wen-Hong Chiu, Zong-Jie Dai and Hui-Ru Chi

This study aims to explore how manufacturing firms master customer lock-in through value creation by servitization innovation strategies from the perspective of asset specificity.

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to explore how manufacturing firms master customer lock-in through value creation by servitization innovation strategies from the perspective of asset specificity.

Design/methodology/approach

A multiple case study with triangulation fashion is adopted to identify servitization innovation strategies. Several manufacturing firms were investigated, which are distributed in different positions of the value chain. Content analysis and abductive approaches are adopted to analyze the data. Moreover, an in-depth interview and participatory observation were conducted to refine the analysis results.

Findings

This study identified four different focusing points of servitization operations. Based on these, the paper further induces an innovative servitization strategy matrix of customer lock-in, concerning communion, intellectual, existential and insubstantial strategies. Furthermore, a conceptual model of customer lock-in by servitization innovation from the perspective of asset specificity is elaborated. It is suggested that companies can use tangible or intangible resources by sharing or storing operations to create servitization value.

Originality/value

This study theoretically proposes a conceptual model to extend servitization innovation as an intangible asset and adopt the new perspective of asset specificity to illustrate the value creation in servitization to generate customer lock-in.

Details

Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, vol. 38 no. 13
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0885-8624

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 28 October 2022

Astha Sharma, Dinesh Kumar and Navneet Arora

The purpose of the present work is to improve the industry performance by identifying and quantifying the risks faced by the Indian pharmaceutical industry (IPI). The risk values…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of the present work is to improve the industry performance by identifying and quantifying the risks faced by the Indian pharmaceutical industry (IPI). The risk values for the prominent risks and overall industry are determined based on the four risk parameters, which would help determine the most contributive risks for mitigation.

Design/methodology/approach

An extensive literature survey was done to identify the risks, which were also validated by industry experts. The finalized risks were then evaluated using the fuzzy synthetic evaluation (FSE) method, which is the most suitable approach for the risk assessment with parameters having a set of different risk levels.

Findings

The three most contributive sub-risks are counterfeit drugs, demand fluctuations and loss of customers due to partners' poor service performance, while the main risks obtained are demand, financial and logistics. Also, the overall risk value indicates that the industry faces medium to high risk.

Practical implications

The study identifies the critical risks which need to be mitigated for an efficient industry. The industry is most vulnerable to the demand risk category. Therefore, the managers should minimize this risk by mitigating its sub-risks, like demand fluctuations, bullwhip effect, etc. Another critical sub-risk, the counterfeit risk, should be managed by adopting advanced technologies like blockchain, artificial intelligence, etc.

Originality/value

There is insufficient literature focusing on risk quantification. Therefore, this work addresses this gap and obtains the industry's most critical risks. It also discusses suitable mitigation strategies for better industry performance.

Details

International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, vol. 73 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1741-0401

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 29 June 2022

Robin Hofmeester and Daniel R. Eyers

There is now much emphasis in both research and practice on the principles of circular economies. In this paper remanufacturing is examined as a key enabler of circular practices…

Abstract

Purpose

There is now much emphasis in both research and practice on the principles of circular economies. In this paper remanufacturing is examined as a key enabler of circular practices, and the concept of “Product-Agnostic Manufacturing” (PAR) is proposed. This work differentiates PAR from many traditional approaches to remanufacturing by virtue of PAR's treatment of product variety. Most existing approaches to remanufacturing feature low variety and standardisation; this study instead suggests that the exploitation of flexibilities in both operations and supply chains leads to new competitive strategies for firms to exploit.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a conceptual study that builds on a thorough exploration of contemporary remanufacturing literature in the development of the new PAR concept.

Findings

Through a detailed literature review it is shown that there are a range of benefits, challenges, and critical success factors that underpin the remanufacturing concept. Building on this understanding and bridging literature in operations flexibility and supply chain design, a detailed discussion on the nature of PAR is provided, and an agenda for future research developed.

Originality/value

Whilst there has been much literature on remanufacturing, there is a general tendency to treat supply chain and remanufacturing operations quite distinctly in individual articles. Additionally, there has been little consideration of multi-product remanufacturing, and for the limited studies where this is done, the emphasis is typically on problem avoidance. This study aims to provide a detailed insight into the developed PAR concept, showing how the remanufacture of a wide range of product varieties may be achieved through flexible operations and supply chain design.

Details

The International Journal of Logistics Management, vol. 34 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0957-4093

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 14 December 2022

Yu Zhou, Huaiqian Zhu, Li Zhu, Guangjian Liu and Yufeng Zou

Drawing from social capital theory and resource dependence theory, this paper aims to test the relationship between top management team (TMT) government social capital and firm’s…

Abstract

Purpose

Drawing from social capital theory and resource dependence theory, this paper aims to test the relationship between top management team (TMT) government social capital and firm’s innovation performance via firm’s network prestige, and the moderating effect of TMT academic social capital.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors collected data from the China Stock Market and Accounting Research Database as well as A-share listed firms’ annual reports, and finally generated a sample of 922 firms and 2,464 firm-years from 2008 to 2014. UCINET 6.0 was used to analyze the data.

Findings

The authors find that the government social capital of TMT is positively related to firms’ innovation performance and firms’ network prestige plays a mediating role in this relationship. In addition, TMT academic social capital can strengthen the links between TMT government social capital and innovation performance through firms’ network prestige.

Originality/value

This paper not only contributes to literatures on the mechanism in the relationship between government social capital and firms’ innovation, but also to literatures on the effectiveness of the heterogeneity of firm’s social capital.

Details

Chinese Management Studies, vol. 17 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1750-614X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 25 May 2023

Astha Sanjeev Gupta, Jaydeep Mukherjee and Ruchi Garg

COVID-19 disrupted the lives of consumers across the globe, and the retail sector has been one of the hardest hits. The impact of COVID-19 on consumers' retail choice behaviour…

Abstract

Purpose

COVID-19 disrupted the lives of consumers across the globe, and the retail sector has been one of the hardest hits. The impact of COVID-19 on consumers' retail choice behaviour and retailers' responses has been studied in detail through multiple lenses. Now that the effect of COVID-19 is abating, there is a need to consolidate the learnings during the lifecycle of COVID-19 and set the agenda for research post-COVID-19.

Design/methodology/approach

Scopus database was searched to cull out academic papers published between March 2020 and June 6, 2022, using keywords; shopping behaviour, retailing, consumer behaviour, and retail channel choice along with COVID-19 (171 journals, 357 articles). Bibliometric analysis followed by selective content analysis was conducted.

Findings

COVID-19 was a black swan event that impacted consumers' psychology, leading to reversible and irreversible changes in retail consumer behaviour worldwide. Research on changes in consumer behaviour and consumption patterns has been mapped to the different stages of the COVID-19 lifecycle. Relevant research questions and potential theoretical lenses have been proposed for further studies.

Originality/value

This paper collates, classifies and organizes the extant research in retail from the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. It identifies three retail consumption themes: short-term, long-term reversible and long-term irreversible changes. Research agenda related to the retailer and consumer behaviour is identified; for each of the three categories, facilitating the extraction of pertinent research questions for post-COVID-19 studies.

Details

International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, vol. 51 no. 11
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-0552

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 10 July 2023

Anne Friedrich, Anne Lange and Ralf Elbert

This study identifies and characterizes configurations of generic business models for logistics service providers (LSPs) in the context of industrial additive manufacturing (AM)…

Abstract

Purpose

This study identifies and characterizes configurations of generic business models for logistics service providers (LSPs) in the context of industrial additive manufacturing (AM). A literature-based framework of the AM service supply chain (SC) is developed to embed the generic configurations in their SC context.

Design/methodology/approach

Following an exploratory research design, 17 interviews were conducted with LSPs, LSPs' potential partners and customers for industrial AM services.

Findings

Six generic configurations are identified, the LSP as a Manufacturer, Landlord, Logistician, Connector, Agent and Consultant. The authors outline how these configurations differ in the required locations, partners and targeted customer segments.

Practical implications

The current discussion of reshoring and shorter, decentralized AM SCs confronts LSPs with novel challenges. This study offers guidance for managers of LSPs for designing business models for industrial AM and raises awareness for LSPs' resource and SC implications.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the scarce literature on AM business models for LSPs with in-depth empirical insights. Based on the six identified configurations, this study sets the ground for theorizing about the business models, in particular, the value creation, value proposition and mechanisms for value capture of the business models. In addition, this study suggests how the generic configurations fit the features of specific types of LSPs.

Details

The International Journal of Logistics Management, vol. 35 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0957-4093

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 9 February 2024

Jiapeng Wu, Dayu Gao, Cheng Xu and Yanqi Sun

This paper aims to investigate the influence of the regional business environment on local firm innovation, considering various dimensions such as administrative, financial and…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the influence of the regional business environment on local firm innovation, considering various dimensions such as administrative, financial and legal environments.

Design/methodology/approach

Multiple regression analysis is employed to analyze archival data for firms listed on Chinese stock markets.

Findings

We find that the optimizations of the administrative and financial environments positively affect firm innovation, whereas the legal environment does not exert a similar impact. Our analysis also reveals that the business environment’s optimization significantly influences innovation in firms that are small, non-state-owned and operating in high-tech industries. Furthermore, the business environment acts as a moderating variable in the relationship between firm innovation and firm value.

Research limitations/implications

This study contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of institutional-level determinants of firm innovation, highlighting the nuances of the legal environment and the importance of context-specific analysis, especially in emerging markets like China.

Practical implications

Developing countries can significantly enhance firm innovation by improving the business environment, including the optimization of administrative and financial systems, reducing transaction costs and ensuring capital supply. Tailored legal frameworks and alternative institutional strategies may also be explored.

Social implications

This study explicitly emphasizes the governmental role in promoting firm innovation, shedding light on policy formulation and strategic alignment with local administrative policies.

Originality/value

To the best of our knowledge, this paper is the first to explore the relationship between the business environment and firm innovation using World Bank indicators in an emerging market context, providing novel insights into the unique dynamics of legal, financial and administrative sub-environments.

Details

Kybernetes, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0368-492X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 14 September 2023

Astha Sharma, Dinesh Kumar and Navneet Arora

The pharmaceutical industry faces multiple risks that adversely affect its performance. Within these risks, some dependencies have been observed, which help in streamlining the…

Abstract

Purpose

The pharmaceutical industry faces multiple risks that adversely affect its performance. Within these risks, some dependencies have been observed, which help in streamlining the mitigation efforts. Therefore, the present work identifies and categorizes various risks/sub-risks in cause–effect groups, considering uncertainty in the decision-making process.

Design/methodology/approach

An extensive literature review and experts' opinions were utilized to identify and finalize the risks faced by the pharmaceutical industry. For further analysis, data collection was done using a questionnaire focusing on finalized risks. Based on the data, the causal relation under uncertainty between various risks/sub-risks was identified using a multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) technique, i.e. intuitionistic fuzzy DEMATEL, in a pairwise manner.

Findings

The results show that the three most prominent risk categories are operational, demand/customer/market and financial. Also, out of the seven main risks, only supplier and operational are categorized within the effect group and the rest, i.e. financial, demand, logistics, political and technology within the cause group. The sub-risks within each category have also been categorized into cause–effect groups. The mitigation of cause group risks will help in economize the financial resources and improve the performance and resilience of the industry.

Originality/value

There is insufficient research on identifying the causality among the pharmaceutical industry risks. Additionally, an extensive discussion on the identified cause–effect groups is also missing in the literature. Therefore, in this work, efforts have been made to determine the prominent risks for the Indian pharmaceutical industry that will be helpful for channelizing the resources to mitigate risks for a resilient industry.

Details

Business Process Management Journal, vol. 29 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1463-7154

Keywords

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