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This paper investigates the ways managing directors (MDs) in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) involve employees in strategic conversations. The paper examines how managers interact with employees in strategic conversations, and why the managers do so (or do not), to generate empirically grounded knowledge about the nature of internal openness in SMEs.

This study employs a general inductive approach and is based on in-depth interviews with 60 Swedish MDs with development and growth ambitions.

The paper develops a model of employee involvement in strategic conversations based on the nature and intensity of the MD–employee interaction. A key finding is that SMEs exhibit wide variation in terms of employee involvement, from virtually no employee involvement to, in some cases, far-reaching company democracy. The reasons for this variation are complex, but personal preferences and company size are shown to have an impact, as does, to some degree, ownership structure. In contrast to existing research, the limitations and drawbacks of involving employees in strategic conversations are outlined.

The study provides important insight into MDs' views and practices of internal openness in strategic conversations in SMEs. A model of employee involvement in strategic processes is outlined, and potential limitations of internal openness are highlighted.

This paper aims to assess the tie-in between psychological contract breach (PCB) and job satisfaction (JST) amongst medical doctors (MDs) working in two stress-prone regions of Ghana, and further analyses the moderating effect of openness to experience (OPE) on this tie-in.

Responses from 214 MDs were analysed. Questionnaires were self-administered. Research philosophy was positivism, research approach was quantitative, research design was explanatory and study design was cross-sectional. Test of normality, Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measure of sampling adequacy and Bartlett’s test of sphericity were applied. Both reflective measurement and structural models were assessed. Path coefficients were analysed using partial least squares (PLS) algorithm tool and moderation effect was conducted using the product indicator approach. Control variables were sex (GEN1), age (GEN2), employment type (GEN3) and tenure (GEN1). A significant level was set at 5%. Smart PLS 2.0 M.3 software was used.

The analysts found support for a significant moderating effect of OPE on the tie between PCB and JST, such that the consequences of PCB on JST was minimised for MDs who scored high on OPE trait.

PCB, if not addressed, may lead MDs to be less satisfied with their jobs. In stress-prone health zones where PCB exists, MDs who are inspired, creative, self-sufficient, experimenting and visionary are more likely to be satisfied with their job.

This study offers health-care literature on the moderating role of OPE personality dimension on the bond between PCB and JST, using PLS-structural equations modelling, which is a superior and robust analytical tool.

The purpose of this study is to better understand technology adoption and working from home (WFH) behaviour of micro and small enterprises (MSE) with 4 to 49 employees during the first (2020) and second (2021) COVID-19 lockdowns in Switzerland.

This study uses two data sets gathered using computer-assisted telephone interviewing surveys conducted with 503 managing directors of Swiss MSEs after the first and 506 MDs after the second COVID-19 lockdown period.

The study revealed that during the COVID-19 pandemic, WFH arrangements are related to the adoption of technology by Swiss industry groups. Furthermore, industry characteristics and technology adoption strategies are also associated with the long-term prospect of WFH. The overall result confirms the predominant role of technology pioneers.

The study focuses on MSEs in Switzerland during a specific period. The data set includes mainly quantitative data. Future studies could investigate larger enterprises in international contexts, integrating employees’ viewpoints founded on long-term gathered qualitative data. The implications of this study include predictions about future WFH behaviour in Swiss MSEs.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study collecting data in Swiss MSEs after the two COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020 and 2021. As a result, this study offers a unique perspective on a specific business segment, which accounts for around 70% of global employment.

User-centred intelligent buildings (IBs) should respond to users’ needs holistically and the demand for end user applications is steadily growing. The purpose of this study is to answer: What are end user applications, what should they be called, and what are their key features?

This is a mixed-method study. The authors have used different data sources, such as online research and interviews. In data processing, the authors have used word counting and Latent Dirichlet Allocation topic modeling.

These end user applications can provide the missing user-centered elements of IBs. The authors have found that “smart workplace solution” (SWS) is the best term to describe these applications, and they also describe the key features, which include booking, showing free spaces, occupancy tracking, wayfinding and searching.

As the end user applications are constantly and rapidly evolving, the latest evolving of such applications might not be covered. Furthermore, the authors have relied on companies’ information as given.

IBs have emerged over 20 years ago, and these are the first solutions that can be considered truly user-centered.

The purpose of this study is to examine the different results and the level of success obtained with advertising campaigns developed on Facebook to promote postgraduate programs to create awareness and engagement.

This study combined the data envelopment analysis technique to measure advertising efficiency with multidimensional scaling (MDS) representation, thus offering alternatives for practitioners and organizations on how to evaluate social advertising performance.

Investments on social paid advertising are an affordable and effective way both to promote postgraduate programs and create engagement with prospective students. Facebook advertisements maximize visibility, which improves social and online positioning and encourages student recruitment.

Higher education institutions can efficiently promote their programs with a minimal social investment contributing to dissemination and engagement. Compared to other forms of traditional or digital advertising, social media ads can be efficient and affordable with wider segmentation and targeting options. Moreover, results are immediate and measurable and campaigns can be instantly modified to better suit the audience’s requirements.

This study is unique as it offers a new, alternative way of measuring efficiency, in addition to the classic ratios of payment models in digital advertising that combine clicks and impressions, on a sector where there are few empirical studies. Moreover, it can be easily applied to many other sectors in public and private organizations.

El objetivo de esta investigación es examinar los diferentes resultados y el nivel de éxito obtenido con las campañas publicitarias desarrolladas en Facebook para promover programas de postgrado que aumenten la notoriedad y la participación de los mismos.

Combinamos la técnica de análisis de envolvente de datos (DEA) para medir la eficiencia de la publicidad con la representación de escalado multidimensional (MDS), ofreciendo alternativas tanto a profesionales como a organizaciones sobre cómo evaluar el rendimiento de la publicidad social.

Las inversiones en publicidad social pagada son una forma asequible y efectiva tanto para promover programas de postgrado como para crear un compromiso con los posibles estudiantes. Los anuncios en Facebook maximizan la visibilidad, lo que también mejora el posicionamiento social y en línea, fomentando la captación de estudiantes.

Las instituciones de educación superior pueden promover eficazmente sus programas con una inversión social mínima que contribuya a la difusión y el engagement. En comparación con otras formas de publicidad tradicional o digital, los anuncios de los medios sociales pueden ser eficientes y asequibles, con una segmentación y opciones de orientación más amplias. Además, los resultados son inmediatos y cuantificables y las campañas pueden modificarse instantáneamente para adaptarse mejor a las necesidades del público objetivo.

Esta investigación es única ya que ofrece una nueva y alternativa forma de medir la eficiencia, además de los ratios clásicos de los modelos de pago en la publicidad digital que combinan clics e impresiones, en un sector en el que hay pocos estudios empíricos. Además, puede aplicarse fácilmente a muchos otros sectores en organizaciones públicas y privadas.

The purpose of this paper is to present the results of a critical analysis of the disability models developed to date and of how they function in practice. Furthermore, it aims to answer the following question: which model of disability (MD) will provide the most suitable foundation for any course of action undertaken in the process of planning accessible tourism development in the future?

In the first stage of the study a critical analysis of the MDs described in the literature as well as in selected reports and expert opinions relating to people with disability (PwD) was performer. These findings then became the basis for the second stage of the study which focuses on identifying attitudes within society towards the types of tourism on offer connected to the analysed MDs. The applied research methods include an analysis of a survey (2013, 2014) carried out face-to-face and on the SurveyMonkey web site. The study group consisted of 619 people (from Poland, Russia, Germany, Portugal, Slovakia, Canada, Tunisia and Great Britain).

The great diversity of disabilities makes finding a universal solution in the creation of accessible tourism supply a complex task. This supports the need for a flexible “mix of various models” aimed at finding optimal solutions and the personalisation of tourism. In this context the greatest potential in the development of accessible tourism are models which are a synthesis of many determiners of disability such as the biopsychosocial or the geographical model of disability. The dynamics of accessible tourism development is likely to be increasingly influenced by the economic model, reflecting current trends for the personalisation of tourism supply.

The survey was carried out mainly within the European Community, the exception being respondents from Irkutsk in eastern (Asian) Russia. In order to gain a global view of the development of accessible tourism, research should be performed in countries representing all continents or tourist regions. Additionally, reflecting the definition of accessible tourism its beneficiaries – PwD – should participate in decision-making processes. Tourism service providers who are directly engaged in tourism supply also have a role to play. Their opinions and attitudes towards the development of accessible tourism determine its very nature in reality.

The survey on attitudes in society regarding the organisation of tourist trips for PwD confirmed conclusions from the analysis of the practical implications of various disability models in the creation of tourism supply that a single universal, optimal solution does not exist. All of the described MD can be applied in the development of a diverse tourism supply. The proposed model “diversification of supply […]” is the theoretical basis for the conscious development of accessible tourism in practice which in accordance with changes observed in the tourism market is undergoing increasing diversification and personalisation.

In each of the tourism supply for PwD types the economic model of disability based on the identification of PwD needs and surrounding society is important. The number of PwD and the scope of necessary services, social support (PwD often travel accompanied by one to three people) is determined by income in all the sectors identified in the structure of tourism supply. From the economic point of view, awareness of different types of disability and the diverse models describing it are significant aids in the segmentation of tourism supply and placement of products accessible to PwD on the tourism market.

The paper presents a new, critical perspective on the selected MD, the key to which is the search for optimal solutions in the development of accessible tourism. The analysis performed indicated the need for a synthesis of paradigms at the core of the conceptualisation of particular models, including those often regarded as being contrary (medical and social). The results of studies would give tourism providers important data on an increasingly competitive tourism market, and also affect changes in how PwD, the elderly, are viewed, from the category of “relatively poor” to “attractive, using a wide range of services”.

Recently, decoupling between the US and China has emerged as an important issue in global economics. We propose an analytical framework for trade decoupling analysis, borrowing the idea from the production function in non-competitive input-output tables. Using that methodology, we analyze the mobile phone trade network subject to various measures imposed by the US. A scenario analysis is performed to compare the extent of decoupling after a trade war with worst-cases. In bilateral trade, China’s share of total US imports fell significantly in 2019 compared to 2017. However, China’s indirect exports to the US increased during the same period. A similar pattern is observed in the global trade network visualized via multidimensional scaling (MDS). China’s out-degree centrality decreased slightly, while Vietnam’s role expanded. Actual figures for 2019 show a decreased out-degree centrality for Chinese final good exports, but a much higher one in the scenarios. Also, China’s indirect exports to the US have increased. But China does not appear to play a key role in the network as assumed in the scenario. Throughout the study, intermediate goods were treated homogeneously, and further studies considering the heterogeneity of input-output linkages are needed.

Various barriers discourage small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from entering or expanding their export activities in the international markets, especially SMEs in emerging markets. The purpose of this study is to look at capacity building to accelerate SMEs’ export performance.

This study draws on contingency theory and takes a resource-based and market-based view to provide a holistic understanding of the issue. This study uses primary data collected via extensive surveys from active SMEs in three main industrial regions in Vietnam to undertake confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling for quantitative analysis.

The results confirm and show the significant effects of various determinants on firms’ export performance. These research findings have scientific contribution and significant implications by understanding the effective internal and external export drivers and mediators in an emerging market and enhancing SMEs’ export performance.

This study helps SMEs to improve their export performance by systemizing their decision-making in export activities, improving main export drivers highlighted in this study and developing required training programs for their teams. The outcomes also helps policymakers and regulators to improve the current SME ecosystem in Vietnam through training programs, improving policies, facilitating trades, providing more government assistance etc. The results of this study can be extended to other emerging markets with a similar economic structure and legal system.

Given the need for more work on export performance, this paper develops and tests a holistic conceptual framework that accounts for all aspects of export drivers, and provides a more comprehensive model for examining SMEs’ export drivers. This theoretical framework also incorporates three potential mediators (i.e. innovation strategy, export marketing strategy and business strategy) to investigate the effect of internal and external factors on export performance, highlighting the importance of the mediating effects on SMEs in achieving growth and competing in the international arena.

Recent legislation resulted in an elevation of operating and support (O&S) costs’ relative importance for decision-making in Department of Defense programs. However, a lack of research in O&S hinders a cost analyst’s abilities to provide accurate sustainment estimates. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to investigate when Air Force aircraft O&S costs stabilize and to what degree. Next, a parametric O&S model is developed to predict median O&S costs for use as a new tool for cost analyst practitioners.

Utilizing the Air Force total ownership cost database, 44 programs consisting of 765 observations from 1996 to 2016 are analyzed. First, stability is examined in three areas: total O&S costs, the six O&S cost element structures and by aircraft type. Next, stepwise regression is used to predict median O&S costs per total active inventory (CPTAI) and identify influential variables.

Stability results vary by category but generally are found to occur approximately five years from initial operating capability. The regression model explains 89.01 per cent of the variance in the data set when predicting median O&S CPTAI. Aircraft type, location of lead logistics center and unit cost are the three largest contributing factors.

Results from this research provide insight to cost analysts on when to start using actual O&S costs as a baseline for estimates in lieu of analogous cost program data and also derives a new parametric O&S estimating tool designed as a cross-check to current estimating methodologies.