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The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of online customer reviews (OCRs) and electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) on customers’ purchase intention (PUI). This study also investigates the cultural differences between the customers in India and UK as regards the influence of OCR and customers’ PUIs.

This study has used socialisation theory, theory of reasoned action, congruity theory and expectation value theory, along with the existing literature to develop the conceptual model. The theoretical model has been validated using the PLS-SEM technique on a survey involving 305 and 280 respondents for India and UK, respectively.

The findings highlight that gender has no effect on UK customers’ PUIs, whereas age and gender have considerable impacts on Indian customers’ PUIs.

The study only examines the cross-cultural difference between a European country (UK) and an Asian country (India). Also, since the sample size is low, the findings did not represent a generic view.

The proposed model has provided important inputs to the organisations to understand consumer behaviour particularly the study would help marketing departments to formulate their marketing strategies regarding OCR and customers’ PUI.

This study is unique in understanding the implications of OCR and their influence on customer purchase decisions of UK customers and India’s customers. This study also helps to understand the impact of age and gender on OCR and PUIs.

This study aims to investigate the insights on how international customer behavior is impacted toward online customer review (OCR) by the mediating effects of social and personal norms in the varied cultural context. The study also investigates how support of peer influence could moderate the effect of OCR.

This study has used socialization theory, congruity theory and theory of planned behavior along with studies of different literature to develop a conceptual model. The conceptual model has been validated using PLS-SEM analysis with survey considering 306 usable respondents. The mediating effects and moderating impacts have been analyzed by mediating analysis process (process tool) and multi group analysis, respectively.

The results of the model, with 62% explanative power, highlight that social norm acts as a strong mediating variable to impact OCR intention while peer influence acts as a vital moderator to impact OCR intention.

The theoretical model provides a solid foundation to future researchers for further study in this field. This study also provides the practitioners a unique opportunity towards understanding customer motivation for OCR intention. Accordingly, practitioners could bring some transformational changes in their organizations for getting better reviews from the customers.

This study develops a unique theoretical model with high explanative power. Very few studies have ventured in this field. This study has added value to the body of literature on consumer behavior as well as individualism. Furthermore, this study has developed some of the novel relationships between different factors such as individualism, peer influence, international consumers, social norm and so on in the context of OCR which is one of the unique contributions of this study.

This research paper reports a novel genetic algorithm (GA)‐based approach for reconfiguration of radial distribution networks for real loss minimization and power quality improvement.

A fuzzy controlled GA has been used for efficient reconfiguration of radial distribution systems for loss minimization and power quality improvement. The special features of the proposed algorithm are: an improved chromosome coding/decoding for network representation so as to preserve the radial property without islanding any load after reconfiguration and an efficient convergence characteristics attributed to fuzzy controlled mutation.

The proposed network reconfiguration algorithm is very much effective in arriving at the global optimal solution (minimum loss network structure) because of efficient search of the solution space. Also, no invalid chromosomes are generated in the genetic evolution because of appropriate coding/decoding. The algorithm is found to be very much suitable for real time implementations.

This research paper provides the power distribution engineers with a computationally efficient approach for optimal operation of distribution systems.

The algorithm proposed in this paper is computationally much faster compared to most of the present day mathematical programming approaches for distribution system operation. This makes it very much attractive for online implementations in any radial distribution network.

This paper has proposed a novel chromosome coding/decoding technique for radial distribution system and a fuzzy logic‐based mutation probability controller for efficient search of global solution space to be used in GA‐based optimal operation of radial distribution systems.

Purpose: The global financial services business has been transformed by Blockchain technology, making it safer and more efficient. Keeping this fact in mind, the authors will study how Blockchain technology improves financial services, including the banking and insurance sectors. The risks and roadblocks in the path of Blockchain adoption in financial services will also be discussed.

Need of the Study: Blockchain operates without any central authority. Instead, it could be understood as a transaction-containing ledger shared among many users. The adoption of Blockchain is gaining traction in every field, but still, a sense of doubt about its reliability can be observed among ordinary people. Thus, an investigation of the operational intricacies and technicalities could assist in clarifying the confusion associated with this technology.

Methodology: To achieve the aims mentioned above, an exploratory research design involving a review of the secondary data linked with the implementation and impact of Blockchain technology in the domain of finance is conducted.

Findings: The mode of operation of Blockchain technology is thoroughly explained, along with the influence it has exercised in the financial domain in recent years.

Practical Implications: The findings of this study can mainly assist global investors and users worldwide by clarifying the concept and operations of Blockchain technology. Also, it could guide future studies assessing the role of Blockchain in the financial domain.

This study aims to investigate the antecedents of the internationalisation strategy i.e., effectuation, causation and bricolage on the international performance of the firm.

In total, the study uses 138 peer-reviewed articles on effectuation, causation, effectual/causal decision-making logics and related issues such as the impact of antecedent factors of international strategy (i.e. effectuation, causation and bricolage) on the international performance of the firm.

Even though the theory of effectuation was formulated in 2001, to a large extent it has still not moved away from the realm of small entrepreneurial firms. The development of effectuation logic has accelerated in recent years, but the bulk of the research still focusses on small entrepreneurial firms rather than on the application of the theory in larger, non-entrepreneurial firms. Furthermore, effectuation theory would benefit from being developed into the realm of psychology and sociology.

This study offers a conceptual model on how effectuation, causation and bricolage influence internationalisation strategy, which, in turn, impacts the international performance of the firm. Furthermore, the study discusses the effectual logic for larger firms. The exponential growth of studies on effectuation during recent years, i.e. 2017 to the first quarter of 2020, shows that researchers have responded to calls by leading authors stating that effectuation theory is a field with great potential for further theoretical developments. This study presents a literature review of the critical issue of the engagement of internationalisation strategies with effectuation, causation, bricolage and the international performance of the firm compared to the earlier literature review for the period 2001–2016 by Matalamäki (2017) and Karami et al. (2019) on effectuation and internationalisation.

This paper aims to explore how the establishment modes used by emerging economy multinational corporations (EE-MNCs) influence their subsequent experiences of liability of origin (LOO) in developed economies based on the causal-model theory of categorization.

Taking Chinese listed firms' direct investments in developed economies as the sample, this paper utilizes Heckman (1979)'s self-selection model to examine the effect of establishment modes. Besides, when checking the robustness, subsample analyses and 2SLS regressions are used to rule out the alternative explanation associated with LOO mitigation.

EE-MNCs that enter a developed economy by greenfield investment experience heightened LOO while entries using M&A are associated with the mitigated liability. When EEMNCs enter a more institutionally distant developed country, the establishment modes will be more determinant of their subsequent experiences of this liability. Moreover, the effect of establishment modes can recede when EE-MNCs have established their presence in a developed country for a longer time.

This paper utilizes the causal-model theory of categorization to articulate the underlying mechanisms through which the country-of-origin cue is weakened by the cue transmitted by M&A. It further considers the context-saliency of the cue of M&A and clarifies boundary conditions for the effectiveness of this establishment mode to mitigate LOO.

We wanted to find out how infant multinationals originating from Poland enact opportunities in Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries.

We conducted a comparative case study of four Polish firms operating in SSA.

We found that when entering SSA, studied firms employed effectual decision-making logic. Thus, their internationalization was means-driven, serendipitous, partnership-oriented, based on the “affordable loss” principle and focused on shaping opportunities in SSA, rather than predicting, analyzing and planning any firm-specific assets or capabilities.

We illuminated the nature of the means employed in effectual internationalization and the role of partners (“effectual stakeholders”) in this process. Thus, we contribute to a deeper understanding of how infant multinationals navigate extreme uncertainty in the emerging SSA markets.

The aim of this study is to advance knowledge on family firms' entry mode choices by examining the linkage between target market context, especially in the emerging economies of China and India, and the dominant family firm logic of keeping ownership and control in the family.

We use an exploratory multiple case study analysis approach based on nine German family firms' internationalization endeavors. We use both primary and secondary data.

Traditionally, extant research concludes that family principals prefer foreign direct investments (FDIs) in order to exert maximum control when entering international markets. In contrast, our study finds a clear preference for international joint ventures (IJVs) as an initial entry mode of choice into unfamiliar markets. Our findings propose this decision to be rooted in cultural unfamiliarity and the complexity of the target markets' legal environment. The effect of these two factors is amplified by prior IJVs experiences.

This article offers several original insights. First, we identify the triggers of the paradoxical IJVs’ entry mode choice among family firms and thus explain the motivation for breaking with the dominant family firm logic of maximizing control. Second, we account for factors in China's and India's particular emerging market environments. In the light of family control, the unfamiliarity with these markets triggers the decision to compensate for the high level of uncertainty by engaging in an IJV partnership. Third, our study shows that family firms are indeed willing to share control if it serves the long-term survival of the firm.

This study aims to investigate how the dynamics of compliance, internal controls and ethics can generate tensions in the domain of project governance. Moreover, it investigates the tensions between these constructs and the search for project success from a practice-based perspective.

A methodological approach is taken, with a case-based research carried out in a large European multinational company. Data were gathered through 21 interviews, between project managers and other key stakeholders, and documentary data from 64 projects for triangulation and critical analysis.

As a result, four patterns of tensions were identified: Tension A between compliance and project success, Tension B between internal controls and project success, Tension C between compliance and internal controls and Tension D between compliance and ethics.

Some limitations should be acknowledged. The first, ontological, is inherent in the post-positivist perspective, accepting human subjectivity and the complexity of social reality intrinsic to research applied to the social sciences, respectively implying interpretive bias and incompleteness in the comprehension of the facts. The second limitation comes from the use of a single case study, in which singular contextual characteristics make it difficult to generalise the results.

This study has implications for practice, as it highlights weaknesses that may occur in organisations owing to tensions between the elements of compliance, internal controls and ethics. This, therefore, implies ways of strengthening the consistency of project governance. The project governance domain and its tensions affect the project-success holistic view in both efficiency and effectiveness, since the elements of internal control and compliance can create tensions that favour one project success perspective to detriment of the others. Understanding the nature of tensions, their implications and the long-term holistic perspective can lead to better decisions by managers.

The results suggest that a formal code of ethics, a project management methodology, internal controls and a well-established training programme are not sufficient, because, in the practical context, the interaction between these elements creates tensions that impact their logical consistency lost when interacting with each other.

This paper aims to provide a wide picture of studies on heuristics for international decision-making with a focus on foreign market entry. This paper systematically reviews studies published in the international business and international marketing domain to examine heuristically based decisions for foreign market entry.

This paper proposes a systematic literature review and an in-depth analysis of 32 papers published between 1997 and 2021 dealing with foreign market entry and the use of heuristics for international decision-making.

Even if the marketing and management literature is in many ways permeable to the debate around heuristics developed in experimental psychology and cognitive science, international business and international marketing studies on the one hand recognize that international decision-making, especially when dealing with foreign market entry, is strongly characterized by uncertainty, on the other hand, there isn’t a developed and systematized literature about it. This paper shows key topics and areas fundamental to foreign market entry in which heuristics are applied by decision makers and their effectiveness.

A systematic review of the use of heuristics for foreign market entry decision-making can represent a useful step for a more organic development of knowledge about the more general use of heuristics for international decision-making. Understanding the decision-making process on the modes of entry in foreign markets is a key topic for international marketing and international business scholars and practitioners.