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This study aims to facilitate the understanding of brand building among owners/managers of SMEs by highlighting the relationships among the multidimensionality of brand orientation, brand-building behavior and brand identity.

In addressing the research issue, the study uses responses from 158 domesticated SMEs in North Macedonia, afterwards relying on structural equation modeling to test the research propositions.

This study validates brand orientation as a multidimensional term that is underlined by brand artefacts, norms and values. This study also validates the assumptions that brand orientation, brand-building behavior and brand identity are significantly related.

While it is possible that our evidence base is limited to the context studied, the research findings nevertheless contribute primarily to the emergent scholarship on SMEs' brand building.

This study has practical consequences for SMEs' brand building. More specifically, it enriches the understanding of the interrelationships between brand orientation, brand-building behavior and brand identity.

This study provides an advanced perspective of brand orientation as a complex phenomenon and further provides understanding of its relations to brand-building behavior and brand identity of the domesticated SMEs.

This paper aims to compare job satisfaction in public and private sectors and the mediating role of several job demands and resources on the relationship between the employment sector and job satisfaction.

Drawing on the job demands-resources model, this study argued that differences in job satisfaction were explained largely by the job characteristics provided in each sector. Data comes from the quality of working life survey, a representative sample of 6,024 Spanish public and private employees.

This study revealed that public employees were more satisfied than private ones. This relationship was partially mediated by job demands and job resources, meaning that the public and private employment sectors provided different working conditions. Public employees, in general, had fewer demands and more job resources than private ones, which resulted in different levels of job satisfaction. Additionally, partial mediation indicated that public employees are more satisfied than private ones, despite accounting for several job demands and job resources.

While the findings of this study highlighted the relative importance of job demands and job resources in affecting job satisfaction of public and private employees, the generalizability of the results to other countries should be limited as the study only used data from a single country.

A significant portion of the positive effect on job satisfaction of public employees is channeled through the lower levels of routine work and lower number of required working hours and through better job resources such as higher salary, more telework, greater prospects at work and more training utility. To improve job satisfaction, it is apparent that managers should pay special attention to things such as routine work, working hours, training and telework.

This paper contributes to the comprehension of how several job demands and resources simultaneously play a mediating role in explaining the relationship between the employment sector and job satisfaction.

Este artículo compara la satisfacción laboral en los sectores público y privado y el papel mediador de varias demandas y recursos laborales en la relación entre el sector laboral y la satisfacción laboral.

Basándonos en el modelo Demandas del Trabajo-Recursos (JD-R), argumentamos que las diferencias en la satisfacción laboral se explican en gran medida por las características del trabajo que se ofrece en cada sector. Los datos proceden de la Encuesta de Calidad de Vida Laboral (ECVT), una muestra representativa de 6.024 empleados públicos y privados españoles.

El estudio reveló que los empleados públicos estaban más satisfechos que los privados. Esta relación estaba parcialmente mediada por las exigencias del trabajo y los recursos laborales, lo que significa que los sectores de empleo público y privado ofrecían condiciones de trabajo diferentes. Los empleados públicos, en general, tenían menos exigencias y más recursos laborales que los privados, lo que dio lugar a diferentes niveles de satisfacción laboral. Además, la mediación parcial indicó que los empleados públicos están más satisfechos que los privados, a pesar de tener en cuenta varias demandas y recursos laborales.

Si bien los resultados de este estudio ponen de manifiesto la importancia relativa de las exigencias y los recursos del puesto de trabajo a la hora de afectar a la satisfacción laboral de los empleados públicos y privados, la generalización de los resultados a otros países debería ser limitada, ya que el estudio sólo utilizó datos de un único país.

Una parte importante del efecto positivo sobre la satisfacción laboral de los empleados públicos se canaliza a través de los niveles más bajos de trabajo rutinario y el menor número de horas de trabajo exigidas y a través de mejores recursos laborales como un salario más alto, más teletrabajo, mayores perspectivas en el trabajo y más utilidad de la formación. Para mejorar la satisfacción laboral, es evidente que los directivos deben prestar especial atención a aspectos como el trabajo rutinario, el horario laboral, la formación y el teletrabajo.

Este artículo contribuye a la comprensión de cómo varias exigencias y recursos del trabajo desempeñan simultáneamente un papel mediador en la explicación de la relación entre el sector del empleo y la satisfacción laboral.

Este artigo compara a satisfação profissional nos sectores público e privado e o papel mediador de várias exigências e recursos de emprego na relação entre o sector do emprego e a satisfação profissional.

Com base no modelo Job Demands-Resources (JD-R), defendemos que as diferenças na satisfação no emprego eram em grande parte explicadas pelas características do emprego fornecidas em cada sector. Os dados provêm do Inquérito à Qualidade da Vida Profissional (QWLS), uma amostra representativa de 6.024 funcionários públicos e privados espanhóis.

O estudo revelou que os funcionários públicos estavam mais satisfeitos do que os privados. Esta relação foi parcialmente mediada por exigências e recursos de emprego, o que significa que os sectores público e privado de emprego proporcionavam condições de trabalho diferentes. Os funcionários públicos, em geral, tinham menos exigências e mais recursos de emprego do que os privados, o que resultou em diferentes níveis de satisfação no emprego. Além disso, a mediação parcial indicou que os funcionários públicos estão mais satisfeitos do que os privados, apesar de contabilizarem várias exigências de emprego e recursos laborais.

Embora os resultados deste estudo tenham salientado a importância relativa das exigências e dos recursos do emprego para a satisfação dos trabalhadores públicos e privados, a generalização dos resultados para outros países deve ser limitada, uma vez que o estudo apenas utilizou dados de um único país.

Uma parte significativa do efeito positivo na satisfação profissional dos funcionários públicos é canalizada através dos níveis mais baixos de trabalho de rotina e do menor número de horas de trabalho necessárias e através de melhores recursos laborais, tais como salários mais elevados, mais teletrabalho, maiores perspectivas no trabalho, e mais utilidade na formação. Para melhorar a satisfação profissional, é evidente que os gestores devem prestar especial atenção a coisas como o trabalho de rotina, horas de trabalho, formação, e teletrabalho.

Este artigo contribui para a compreensão de como várias exigências e recursos laborais desempenham simultaneamente um papel de mediação na explicação da relação entre o sector do emprego e a satisfação profissional.

Although the use of online authentication systems in banking services is expanding globally, little is known about cultural differences in forming consumers' responses to these services. This paper examines how the usability of an online security service and culture impact consumers' behaviour.

The authors conduct a 2 (usability: high vs low) × 2 (culture: US vs Korea) between-subjects, full factorial design.

The results indicate a differential influence of the usability of a security system by culture. In particular, US consumers exhibit greater behavioural intention in a high (vs low) usability condition, whereas Korean consumers showed more favourable responses in a low-usability condition. Moreover, perceived effort is confirmed as a crucial mediator that explains the psychological mechanism of the proposed effect.

This research contributes to the literature on online banking where security is an important determinant of success. Especially for managers involved in international banking services, the findings of cultural differences offer insights about the importance of local understanding and differentiation of bank services for specific target markets which can enhance consumers' response towards an online security service.

The current study is one of a very few attempts to examine the role of usability of an online security system in forming consumers' behavioural intention. More importantly, this study integrates the concept of culture to explain how usability influences positive or negative behavioural intention in an international market.

Usage of learning management systems (LMSs) has become widespread with the disruption of face-to-face educations after the COVID-19 pandemic. There are several software products, usually named as LMS to enable and support distance education. However, selection of a suitable LMS is a complex multiple criteria decision making (MCDM) problem that requires consideration of many criteria and inputs from different parties like students, academicians, education managers, etc. Usability evaluation of LMS is one of the critical steps in deciding which LMS system to be adapted. There are several studies related to usability evaluation of LMS in the literature, but utilization of MCDM methods and real life case studies are very rare. Based on this motivation, perceived usability evaluation of SAKAI-LMS that is in use at an academic department is performed by employing axiomatic design procedure (ADP). This paper aims to discuss the aforementioned issues.

ADP is considered as a suitable MCDM method for perceived usability evaluation as it allows an easy approach to data fusion and setting performance targets for decision makers. A questionnaire is developed to collect data from three types of system users about predetermined usability criteria and their importance. After detailed statistical analyses and weighting criteria via analytical hierarch process (AHP), ADP is carried out to evaluate usability of the LMS.

It is found that the proposed ADP based approach is easy to apply in practical circumstances and able to quantify perceived usability of the LMSs.

The proposed approach provides an easy and practical evaluation of perceived usability of the LMSs for decision makers who are responsible for the implementation of LMSs. The developed novel and practical MCDM-based perceived usability approach for LMS in this study has been verified through a real life case study at an academic department. Perceived usability results, therefore, reflects only the views of this focus group and are not generalizable.

First time in the literature, a comprehensive ADP based MCDM approach is proposed based on the analyses of the related literature and information gathered from the system users.

This study aims to develop a moderated mediation model that enables the examination of the direct relationship between brand orientation (BO) and export performance, the mediating effects of external and internal branding capabilities on the BO-export performance link, and the moderating influence of institutional environment, i.e. regulatory turbulence and policy support.

A time-lag primary data was collected from two-wave survey of 684 cross-industry exporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) using an online-email based survey technique, and the research model was validated using ordinary least squares regression analysis in SPSSV.27 and Hayes’ PROCESS macroV.2.13.

Regression findings indicate that the relationship between BO and export performance is not direct, but rather mediated by means of both external and internal branding capabilities. It further helps to uncover the dual role of institutional environment, with regulatory turbulence weakening and policy support strengthening the indirect influences of BO on export performance via external and internal branding capabilities.

This study advances branding literature by conceptualizing and empirically testing the role of BO associated with internal and external branding capabilities and, subsequently, with export performance.

The research findings indicate that brand-oriented SMEs must actively engage in the development of branding capabilities to improve their export performance.

While brand creation is essential for the success and growth of SMEs competing in the worldwide marketplaces, there is a dearth of research explaining the underlying mechanisms and boundary conditions through which BO influences export performance.

This paper aims to present findings of a study that was carried out to identify strategies of enabling learners in developing countries to fully exploit the potential of learning management systems (LMSs). The study set out to: identify the services of learning management systems that are most needed and desired by university learners in developing countries; and identify appropriate access strategies that would guide design decisions on how to effectively and satisfactorily deliver such services to the university students in developing countries.

A total of 144 students from two African universities participated in the study by responding to an online survey questionnaire. The questionnaire asked students: how often they accessed LMSs to obtain, create and exchange information and knowledge; their preference for the different devices used for accessing the LMS; the LMS services they are most often required to access; and the services they most desire to use.

The findings of the survey indicate that the most desired and most accessed LMS services by the students include: assignments, announcements, resources, course outlines and the chat room. At the same time, mobile phones are rated the least used devices for accessing the LMS services, mainly due to inadequate design of LMSs for mobile interaction.

The paper also presents mobile LMS interface designs and ideas achieved through a participatory design process for enhancing the accessibility of the most needed and desired LMS services on mobile phones.

Both Hungary and Germany belong to the old-world wine-producing countries and have long winemaking traditions. This paper aims at exploring and comparing online branding strategies of family SME (small and medium sized enterprises) wineries at Lake Balaton (Hungary) and Lake Constance (Germany), as two wine regions with similar geographic characteristics.

This paper, based on a total sample of 37 family wineries, 15 at Lake Balaton and 22 at Lake Constance, investigates the differences in brand identity on the website, brand image in social media and online communication channels deployed in both wine regions. The study applies a qualitative methodology using MaxQDA software for conducting content analysis of texts in websites and social media. Descriptive statistics and t-test were conducted to compare the usage of different communication channels and determine statistical significance.

At Lake Balaton, the vineyard, the winery and the family, while at Lake Constance, the lake itself and the grape are highlighted regarding family winery brand identity. The customer-based brand image of Hungarian family wineries emphasizes wine, food and service, with the predominant use of Facebook. In the German family wineries, the focus of brand identity is on wine, friendliness and taste and includes more extensive usage of websites.

The paper deploys a novel methodology, both in terms of tools used as well as geographic focus to uncover online branding patterns of family wineries, thereby providing implications for wine and tourism industries at lake regions. It compares the share of selected most-used words in the overall text in websites and in social media, and presents the key findings from this innovative approach.

Using a sense making approach, the purpose of this paper is to examine the role that virtual health communities play as a source of informational and social support for pregnant diabetic women. The paper helps to understand how women suffering from a critical medical condition (i.e. diabetes during pregnancy and birth) manage a complex health situation.

The data sample consisted of 507 posts collected from a virtual health community for diabetic pregnant women. Data were analysed deductively looking for different expressions of normality and different types of health information about diabetes.

Content analysis revealed four themes that reflect the process that diabetic women go through from their attempts to conceive through pregnancy and birth. The findings show that for women dealing with a chronic illness such as diabetes, the breakdown of normal was the beginning of the pregnancy that prompted a new range of informational and emotional needs. The members of the community negotiated a socially constructed sense of normality and tried to empower other members with a new sense of normal by sharing information about their births. The findings also showed that members of the community disclosed personal health information to elicit medical information, advice and social support from other members.

The study highlighted the significance of sense-making processes in managing complex health situations and the value of virtual communities as sources of information and social support as to resolve discontinuities in the management of their illnesses.