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The purpose of this paper is to present the efficient iterative methods for solving linear complementarity problems (LCP), using a class of pre-conditioners.

By using the concept of solving the fixed-point system of equations associated to the LCP, pre-conditioning techniques and Krylov subspace methods the authors design some projected methods to solve LCP. Furthermore, within the computational framework, some models of pre-conditioners candidates are investigated and evaluated.

The proposed algorithms have a simple and graceful structure and can be applied to other complementarity problems. Asymptotic convergence of the sequence generated by the method to the unique solution of LCP is proved, along with a result regarding the convergence rate of the pre-conditioned methods. Finally, a computational comparison of the standard methods against pre-conditioned methods based on Example 1 is presented which illustrate the merits of simplicity, power and effectiveness of the proposed algorithms.

Comparison between the authors' methods and other similar methods for the studied problem shows a remarkable agreement and reveals that their models are superior in point of view rate of convergence and computing efficiency.

For solving LCP more attention has recently been paid on a class of iterative methods called the matrix-splitting such as AOR, MAOR, GAOR, SSOR, etc. But up to now, no paper has discussed the effect of pre-conditioning technique for matrix-splitting methods in LCP. So, this paper is planning to fill in this gap and the authors use a class of pre-conditioners with iterative methods and analyze the convergence of these methods for LCP.

Based on gender role theory, this study aims to test a moderated mediation model in which gender, mediated by shame, affected salary negotiation initiation and writing pay raise justifications before the negotiation moderated gender effects, by boosting women’s negotiation initiation and lowering their shame.

Mixed-methods approach: in a scenario experiment, participants (N = 172; 92 women) imagined initiating salary negotiations with real employers, and shame and the inclination to actually initiate the negotiation were measured. About half the sample wrote pay raise justifications as part of the task. In the qualitative phase of the study, justifications were analyzed.

The model’s predictions were not supported. Women were neither less inclined to negotiate nor reported higher shame than men. Across gender, shame related to lower negotiation initiation and was alleviated by justifications’ preparation. Writing justifications did not affect men’s negotiation initiation, but lowered women’s. The qualitative analysis revealed that while all participants preferred communal themes in their justifications, women used themes of confidence, entitlement and power less than men.

The study provides original evidence in negotiation literature, on the effects of shame, on the practice of preparing pay raise justifications and on specific patterns in justifications’ content.

Based on the assumption that the identity and self-understanding of an academic discipline determines how it conceptualizes different domains of social reality, including how it imports and/or exports concepts from or to other disciplines, this chapter presents some of the findings of a major ongoing comparative and cross-disciplinary study of how five key concepts within the combined fields of crisis management and reputation management are applied in three different disciplinary contexts. In this chapter, however, the focus is on just one of these concepts: the concept of reputation.

This exploratory study explores usage habits in music streaming applications (MSA) and their influence on various dimensions, such as: changes in personal music management (PMM) and musical information retrieval; sense of ownership over songs being stored on MSA; and privacy concerns when using those applications. It also investigates the potential effect of demographic factors and personal musical preferences on the tested variables.

This is examined by using a mixed methodology that is consisted of two phases – qualitative and quantitative: The qualitative phase includes semistructured interviews with three MSA users, and the quantitative phase includes the distribution of closed-ended questionnaires among 192 users of MSA.

It seems that the musical information management methods have changed dramatically with the introduction of MSA. Also, the findings show that even though users are only moderately concerned about their privacy within MSA, they are willing to pay for premium services that will ensure privacy protection. Interestingly, personal musical preference was found to affect the belief in the potential of using MSA as part of a social activity and on the willingness to pay for premium services within them.

This paper represents an extension of the article by Weinberger and Bouhnik (2019). It appears to be the first academic research to investigate the issue of musical information retrieval and PMM among MSA. In addition, it is the first study that takes into account privacy-related issues among MSA users.

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/OIR-04-2020-0118

The purpose of this paper is to develop an original model and a solution procedure for solving jointly three main strategic fleet management problems (fleet composition, replacement and make-or-buy), taking into account interdependencies between them.

The three main strategic fleet management problems were analyzed in detail to identify interdependencies between them, mathematically modeled in terms of integer nonlinear programing (INLP) and solved using evolutionary based method of a solver compatible with a spreadsheet.

There are no optimization methods combining the analyzed problems, but it is possible to mathematically model them jointly and solve together using a solver compatible with a spreadsheet obtaining a solution/fleet management strategy answering the questions: Keep currently exploited vehicles in a fleet or remove them? If keep, how often to replace them? If remove then when? How many perspective/new vehicles, of what types, brand new or used ones and when should be put into a fleet? The relatively large scale instance of problem (50 vehicles) was solved based on a real-life data. The obtained results occurred to be better/cheaper by 10% than the two reference solutions – random and do-nothing ones.

The methodology of developing optimal fleet management strategy by solving jointly three main strategic fleet management problems is proposed allowing for the reduction of the fleet exploitation costs by adjusting fleet size, types of exploited vehicles and their exploitation periods.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the attitudes and influential factors of users’ knowledge and use of the tools designated for controlling and enhancing online privacy, which are referred to as online privacy literacy (OPL). Particularly, inspired by the protection motivation theory, a motivational factor is defined as comprising several variables which reflect users’ motivation to protect their online privacy.

To this end, a user study was conducted based on the quantitative method with the participation of 169 students from the Israeli academia who were administered closed-ended questionnaires.

Generally low to moderate levels of OPL were obtained. Interestingly, the multivariate linear regression analysis showed that motivational factors, such as users’ concern for personal information protection on the internet and users’ privacy self-efficacy and sense of anonymity when visiting a website, were among the strongest predictive factors of users’ OPL level.

This research has social implications that might contribute to an increase in the OPL among internet users.

The direct influence of the examined factors on users’ OPL was not previously discussed in the literature. As a result of the study, a comprehensive model of user online privacy behavior was constructed.

Technological improvements in broadband and distributed computing are making it possible to distribute live media content cost‐effectively. Because of this, organizations are looking into cost‐effective approaches to implement e‐Learning initiatives. Indeed, computing resources are not enough by themselves to promote better e‐Learning experiences. Hence, our goal is to share preliminary results on testing a holistic evaluation method for e‐Learning environments. To this end, we have built an experience within class dynamics using an open source Learning Virtual Environment integrated with webcast and video archive features. Our proposed evaluation method capyures user feedback by classifying it according to motivation to e‐learn in groups, since we have found this approach simpler than using classic behavioural methods. This helped us to define practical design guidelines to yield faster and more efficient e‐Learning development processes. Our results show that consistent communication both online and offline, translates into efficiency. It also dampens negative perceptions during the transition from traditional to online learning environments. These results will contribute in designing intervention strategies to optimize organizational investments in e‐Learning across user groups and contexts.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of maturation processes – personality change and reflectivity as characterized by greater awareness to self and others – during emerging adulthood in predicting career success.

A sample of 205 of Israeli emerging adults was followed over a 12-year period. Participants completed measures of self-criticism at age 23 and 29, reflectivity at the age of 29 and subjective and objective career outcomes such as satisfaction with work and level of income at the age of 35. Hierarchical regressions determined the extent that decreases in self-criticism as well as greater reflectivity that predicted future career success.

The findings of this paper indicated that greater decreases in self-criticism were longitudinally associated with less frequent negative experiences at work and lesser tendency to have doubts about one’s career. Greater reflective capacity was longitudinally associated with a future higher income, greater career satisfaction and a stronger perception of one’s career as a means to implement inner interests.

The results of this paper suggest that decreasing negative self-perception and enhancing awareness about self and others might facilitate a future career success.

This is among the first studies that demonstrate the role of personality maturation during emerging adulthood for future career success.

The purpose of this paper is to explore experiences with shopping for apparel among mothers of young girls who wear plus sizes.

A qualitative approach was employed to collect data, including in-depth interviews and online observation. Interviews were conducted with mothers because the literature indicates that they typically function as intermediaries between social forces and their children’s developing perceptions of self.

Three primary emergent themes were used to structure the interpretation: the style factor, a good fit and working around the label. Findings of this study reveal the extent to which the mothers face challenges in finding stylish, age appropriate and well-fitting plus-sized clothing for their young daughters, despite the increasing number of retailers offering expanded children’s sizes.

Despite the notable increase in children who wear plus sizes, there has been little research on the needs of this group, and particularly among those of early (3–5 years) and middle childhood (6–11 years). Although research on plus sizes among adolescents is on the increase, the difficulties of conducting research with younger children in general have likely resulted in a gap in knowledge about their plus-size apparel needs. However, this study offers new insight on the topic of plus sizes in apparel from the perspective of parents as household consumption decision makers.