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This study aims to analyze and synthesize literature on consumer privacy-related behavior and intelligent device-to-device interactions within the Internet of Things (IoT).
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to analyze and synthesize literature on consumer privacy-related behavior and intelligent device-to-device interactions within the Internet of Things (IoT).
Design/methodology/approach
We conducted a systematic review using Elsevier’s Scopus database, focusing on studies published in English from 2000 to 2023. The review targeted articles within selected social sciences and business disciplines, specifically concerning consumer behavior in IoT contexts.
Findings
We categorized the privacy literature into three thematic clusters: legislation and policy, business implications and consumer behavior. Within the consumer behavior cluster, our analysis indicates a shift from general Internet and e-commerce privacy concerns prior to 2016, toward issues related to advertising and policy between 2017 and 2018, and increasingly toward pronounced concerns in technological systems, particularly IoT, from 2019 onwards. We identify eight distinct areas of privacy concern within IoT and propose a framework that links antecedents and privacy concerns to subsequent attitudes and behaviors. This framework highlights varying patterns of information disclosure and bridges theoretical constructs with empirical research in IoT privacy.
Originality/value
Originality lies in enhancing the Antecedents-Privacy Concerns-Outcomes (APCO) macro-model by integrating diverse theoretical perspectives on technological and individual-specific antecedents, alongside privacy concerns and beliefs. This comprehensive integration enriches the framework, enabling it to predict and categorize consumer behavior in IoT environments more effectively. The revised model provides a robust tool for understanding privacy-related behavior within the IoT, significantly enriching its theoretical relevance and practical applicability.
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There has been an explosion of interest in “Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion” (EDI) – also referred to as DEI among other acronyms. On the one hand, this management trend has the…
Abstract
There has been an explosion of interest in “Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion” (EDI) – also referred to as DEI among other acronyms. On the one hand, this management trend has the potential to draw attention to the ways in which organizational practices and climates can be transformed to have a positive impact on the underrepresentation of women and other marginalized and excluded groups in the workplace. On the other hand, there may be real consequences for women as EDI replaces other concepts such as women's rights, gender equality, affirmative action, employment equity, gender discrimination, etc. This chapter applies a gender lens to the EDI concept and management policy and practice. It juxtaposes EDI's emergence with the lack of progress on gender equality that is observed and measured in many regions of the world and highlights several critiques that may explain this lack of progress. It also identifies what EDI policies and practices need to take into consideration to better address gender inequality in the workplace. Legal approaches are discussed along with a list of potential areas of research on EDI and gender equality to determine the best path forward for making concrete progress on true equality for women in the workplace.
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The purpose of this study is to understand how executives in technology companies relate to targets for gender equality, especially pertaining to top management.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to understand how executives in technology companies relate to targets for gender equality, especially pertaining to top management.
Design/methodology/approach
The study draws on 19 interviews of CEOs, senior line managers and HR directors in ten technology companies operating in Finland. The method is (reflexive) thematic analysis.
Findings
Previous studies on the role of executives in promoting gender equality provide somewhat mixed results: while their role is vital, senior leaders may not be inclined to support gender equality targets and measures. Drawing on critical feminist theorizing, this study identifies three ways in which the executives in technology companies related to gender equality targets: endorsing, negotiating and resisting. However, all these responses were constrained by the executives’ assumption that their companies are meritocratic. The study illustrates how executives’ narrow understanding of gender equality and reliance on the presumably well-working systems, combined with underlying doubts about the competence of women, hinder the advancement of women to top management.
Originality/value
While previous studies have evaluated targets to increase the number/percentage of women, both in certain “ideal case” companies and in terms of their effectiveness more broadly, this study discusses how technology company executives navigate these targets in relation to women's assumed “competence”.
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Omar Durrah, Suhail M. Ghouse and Taher Alkhalaf
This study aims to identify both intrinsic and extrinsic factors motivating rural women to participate in entrepreneurial activities in Oman. Specifically, it seeks to clarify…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to identify both intrinsic and extrinsic factors motivating rural women to participate in entrepreneurial activities in Oman. Specifically, it seeks to clarify which pull and push factors influence their decisions to engage in entrepreneurship.
Design/methodology/approach
Quantitative research was conducted with a sample of 183 women entrepreneurs in rural areas of Oman. Structural equation modelling (SEM) using SmartPLS software was employed to test the research hypotheses.
Findings
The results of the research highlight the positive impact of external motivations, such as financial needs and dissatisfaction with current employment, on the entrepreneurial behaviour of rural women in Oman. These external factors play a significant role in prompting women to initiate their own projects. Additionally, the study reveals that attitudes, such as self-efficacy and the perception of social support, significantly influence women entrepreneurs' adoption of self-employment.
Practical implications
These findings offer valuable insights into the concrete incentives driving women’s entrepreneurship in rural Oman. Policymakers can utilize these insights to develop initiatives aimed at promoting the social empowerment of rural Omani women and facilitating their active participation in economic ventures, thereby contributing to Oman’s development.
Originality/value
This study presents a novel framework for enhancing women’s entrepreneurship, offering insights into the motivations and barriers influencing women's participation in rural areas of Oman. By addressing gaps in existing literature, it contributes to a deeper understanding of the entrepreneurial dynamics among rural women in Oman.
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Thalia Anthony, Juanita Sherwood, Harry Blagg and Kieran Tranter
Edicleia Oliveira, Serge Basini and Thomas M. Cooney
This article explores women entrepreneurs' lived experiences in their interactions with government enterprise support agencies. It investigates the relationship between gendering…
Abstract
Purpose
This article explores women entrepreneurs' lived experiences in their interactions with government enterprise support agencies. It investigates the relationship between gendering and Entrepreneurial Orientation (EO), as a normative orientation adopted at the institutional level and justified by an economic rationale. It also explores how women entrepreneurs articulate their experiences through embodied metaphors and image schemas, shedding light on how they navigate the institutional entrepreneurial space.
Design/methodology/approach
This study is framed within the concept of Phenomenological Orientation as conceptualised in feminist phenomenology. It applies Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, a qualitative methodology focused on interpreting accounts of first-person lived experiences of a phenomenon. It combines IPA with Conceptual Metaphor Theory to understand women's articulation of their embodied relationship within the entrepreneurial space.
Findings
Findings reveal that the entrepreneurial orientation functions as a gendering process within entrepreneurial institutions, reinforcing masculine hegemonic ideals and marginalising women entrepreneurs. Women's phenomenological orientations often diverge from the normative entrepreneurial orientation, highlighting the need for a more inclusive framework in institutional entrepreneurial spaces.
Research limitations/implications
This article contributes to women's entrepreneurship literature by underlining the temporal dimension of entrepreneurship and the tension that underpins their interactions with government support bodies. It calls for inclusive policies and procedures to match the heterogeneity of orientations. While highlighting its limitations, it also suggests future research directions to deepen the understanding of entrepreneurship and inform more suitable support structures for all entrepreneurs.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the literature by shedding light on the nuanced interplay between gendering, entrepreneurial orientation, and women entrepreneurs' lived experiences. It extends previous research by framing “orientation” within a temporality framework, offering a novel perspective on the gendering of entrepreneurial spaces.
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Fatemeh Sadrnabavi and Hanieh Daneshvar
This study aims to investigate the entrepreneurial actions of successful Iranian women entrepreneurs. It is an attempt to find the roots, motivations, challenges and strategies of…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the entrepreneurial actions of successful Iranian women entrepreneurs. It is an attempt to find the roots, motivations, challenges and strategies of successful actions of these women, despite the unequal and masculine structure of the society.
Design/methodology/approach
This research was conducted through the theoretical framework of poststructuralist feminism and the qualitative method. By purposive sampling, the researchers selected 10 women entrepreneurs living in Khorasan Razavi province for in-depth interviews. These women have created many jobs based on local potential and become recognized as top entrepreneurs. The narratives of these women were analyzed phenomenologically.
Findings
The actions of these women are fertilized under the influence of family background and early socialization and in the combination of internal motivations and external stimuli. These women resist social barriers such as widespread patriarchy, gender division of labor in society and complex bureaucratic processes through the “strategic cycle” resulting from the interaction of “reliance on intertwined social networks,” “social entrepreneurship,” “gradual formation of social capital” and “reliance on local potentials.”
Social implications
The strategies to overcome gender inequalities at the micro (family) and macro (society) levels introduced in this research can inspire women entrepreneurs who seek success in their businesses.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first qualitative research that, by studying the actions of successful Iranian women entrepreneurs, describes how they overcome structural inequalities and their success strategies.
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This paper aims to identify the values antecedents of women’s social entrepreneurship. It explores where and how these values emerge and how they underpin the perceived…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to identify the values antecedents of women’s social entrepreneurship. It explores where and how these values emerge and how they underpin the perceived desirability and feasibility of social venture creation.
Design/methodology/approach
Values development across the life-course is interrogated through retrospective sense-making by thirty UK-based women social entrepreneurs.
Findings
The findings express values related to empathy, social justice and action-taking, developed, consolidated and challenged in a variety of experiential domains over time. The cumulative effects of these processes result in the perceived desirability and feasibility of social entrepreneurial venture creation as a means of effecting social change and achieving coherence between personal values and paid work, prompting social entrepreneurial action-taking.
Originality/value
This paper offers novel, contextualised insights into the role that personal values play as antecedents to social entrepreneurship. It contributes to the sparse literature focussed on both women’s experiences of social entrepreneurship generally, and on their personal values specifically.
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Hongwei Wang, Chao Li, Wei Liang, Di Wang and Linhu Yao
In response to the navigation challenges faced by coal mine tunnel inspection robots in semistructured underground intersection environments, many current studies rely on…
Abstract
Purpose
In response to the navigation challenges faced by coal mine tunnel inspection robots in semistructured underground intersection environments, many current studies rely on structured map-based planning algorithms and trajectory tracking techniques. However, this approach is highly dependent on the accuracy of the global map, which can lead to deviations from the predetermined route or collisions with obstacles. To improve the environmental adaptability and navigation precision of the robot, this paper aims to propose an adaptive navigation system based on a two-dimensional (2D) LiDAR.
Design/methodology/approach
Leveraging the geometric features of coal mine tunnel environments, the clustering and fitting algorithms are used to construct a geometric model within the navigation system. This not only reduces the complexity of the navigation system but also optimizes local positioning. By constructing a local potential field, there is no need for path-fitting planning, thus enhancing the robot’s adaptability in intersection environments. The feasibility of the algorithm principles is validated through MATLAB and robot operating system simulations in this paper.
Findings
The experiments demonstrate that this method enables autonomous driving and optimized positioning capabilities in harsh environments, with high real-time performance and environmental adaptability, achieving a positioning error rate of less than 3%.
Originality/value
This paper presents an adaptive navigation system for a coal mine tunnel inspection robot using a 2D LiDAR sensor. The system improves robot attitude estimation and motion control accuracy to ensure safe and reliable navigation, especially at tunnel intersections.
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Ping He, Judson Carter Edwards and Ying Schwarte
This paper aims to explore the significance of videoconferencing in blended learning, using the technology acceptance model to investigate students’ perceptions and its impact on…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explore the significance of videoconferencing in blended learning, using the technology acceptance model to investigate students’ perceptions and its impact on course engagement, student satisfaction and future technology use intention. In addition, it examines the role of teacher support in fostering interactive virtual learning experiences.
Design/methodology/approach
This study focuses on a cohort of international students regarding blended courses amid the COVID-19 pandemic when the conventional face-to-face components were substituted with virtual classrooms through videoconferencing. It aims to investigate how to facilitate connectivity between Southeast Asian students and their professors located in a Southern state in the USA.
Findings
This study reveals that the perceived usefulness of videoconferencing predicts future intention to use, emphasizing the vital role of teacher support in engaging students in virtual classrooms and contributing to student satisfaction.
Research limitations/implications
The small sample of international students in blended courses with an American university during the COVID-19 pandemic may limit the generalization of the findings.
Practical implications
Videoconferencing can be a valuable tool to enhance connectedness in digital learning post pandemic.
Social implications
Videoconferencing in blended learning can bridge geographical barriers and provide access to diverse learners who might otherwise have limited educational opportunities.
Originality/value
This study supports the integration of videoconferencing as a mechanism for providing high-quality digital learning experiences.
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