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1 – 10 of over 10000Contemporary literature reveals that, to date, the poultry livestock sector has not received sufficient research attention. This particular industry suffers from…
Abstract
Contemporary literature reveals that, to date, the poultry livestock sector has not received sufficient research attention. This particular industry suffers from unstructured supply chain practices, lack of awareness of the implications of the sustainability concept and failure to recycle poultry wastes. The current research thus attempts to develop an integrated supply chain model in the context of poultry industry in Bangladesh. The study considers both sustainability and supply chain issues in order to incorporate them in the poultry supply chain. By placing the forward and reverse supply chains in a single framework, existing problems can be resolved to gain economic, social and environmental benefits, which will be more sustainable than the present practices.
The theoretical underpinning of this research is ‘sustainability’ and the ‘supply chain processes’ in order to examine possible improvements in the poultry production process along with waste management. The research adopts the positivist paradigm and ‘design science’ methods with the support of system dynamics (SD) and the case study methods. Initially, a mental model is developed followed by the causal loop diagram based on in-depth interviews, focus group discussions and observation techniques. The causal model helps to understand the linkages between the associated variables for each issue. Finally, the causal loop diagram is transformed into a stock and flow (quantitative) model, which is a prerequisite for SD-based simulation modelling. A decision support system (DSS) is then developed to analyse the complex decision-making process along the supply chains.
The findings reveal that integration of the supply chain can bring economic, social and environmental sustainability along with a structured production process. It is also observed that the poultry industry can apply the model outcomes in the real-life practices with minor adjustments. This present research has both theoretical and practical implications. The proposed model’s unique characteristics in mitigating the existing problems are supported by the sustainability and supply chain theories. As for practical implications, the poultry industry in Bangladesh can follow the proposed supply chain structure (as par the research model) and test various policies via simulation prior to its application. Positive outcomes of the simulation study may provide enough confidence to implement the desired changes within the industry and their supply chain networks.
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Duen-Ren Liu, Yu-Shan Liao and Jun-Yi Lu
Providing online news recommendations to users has become an important trend for online media platforms, enabling them to attract more users. The purpose of this paper is…
Abstract
Purpose
Providing online news recommendations to users has become an important trend for online media platforms, enabling them to attract more users. The purpose of this paper is to propose an online news recommendation system for recommending news articles to users when browsing news on online media platforms.
Design/methodology/approach
A Collaborative Semantic Topic Modeling (CSTM) method and an ensemble model (EM) are proposed to predict user preferences based on the combination of matrix factorization with articles’ semantic latent topics derived from word embedding and latent topic modeling. The proposed EM further integrates an online interest adjustment (OIA) mechanism to adjust users’ online recommendation lists based on their current news browsing.
Findings
This study evaluated the proposed approach using offline experiments, as well as an online evaluation on an existing online media platform. The evaluation shows that the proposed method can improve the recommendation quality and achieve better performance than other recommendation methods can. The online evaluation also shows that integrating the proposed method with OIA can improve the click-through rate for online news recommendation.
Originality/value
The novel CSTM and EM combined with OIA are proposed for news recommendation. The proposed novel recommendation system can improve the click-through rate of online news recommendations, thus increasing online media platforms’ commercial value.
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Katarzyna Wodniak and Anne Holohan
The goal of this chapter was to provide an insight into rules and norms behind generation Y social media presence and inform future research through an exploration of the…
Abstract
The goal of this chapter was to provide an insight into rules and norms behind generation Y social media presence and inform future research through an exploration of the norms underpinning digitally mediated interaction and behavior among college-age students in Ireland.
The authors administered a questionnaire containing both closed- and open-ended questions among 131 first-year college students in Ireland, asking them to identify online behaviors and actions with a purpose of recognizing rules and norms that guided how they handled sharing, interaction, and mediated aspects of relationships in their use of mobile devices and social media platforms.
This study reveals that the driving force is the desire for and implementation of what can be called the norm of “Do No Harm Lest Others Do Harm to You.” This norm, rather than being driven by the Hippocratic Code of principled awareness is an expression of an acute consciousness of audience segregation and the need for self-protection in online interaction. The respondents were asked about the rules and norms that guided how they handled sharing, interaction, and mediated aspects of relationships in their use of mobile devices and social media platforms. Their responses demonstrated that millennials, in their everyday and intensive use of digitally mediated technologies, have begun to observe a new social contract of “Do No Harm Lest Others Do Harm to You” where internet becomes a space of entertainment and private messaging devoid of conflict and exchanges of opinion with others. Millennials seem to be closing down the scope of online interaction which in the long run can limit the function of internet as a social sphere where various issues, including political views, are exchanged and discussed.
The research is exploratory in nature and relied up on a relatively small sample size. For this reason, while the study produces new analytic frameworks, the findings could not be generalized. Additionally, there are certain features that appear to be specifically Irish such as a blurred line between perception of bullying and harmless having the “craic.”
This research makes explicit the harm mitigation and conflict avoidance strategies underpinning the use of social and digital media as it has been deployed and shaped by Irish millennials and discusses the consequences of their reluctance to engage in the public realm of the internet.
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K.C. McCrae, R.A. Shaw, H.H. Mantsch, J.A. Thliveris, R.M. Das, K. Ahmed and J.E. Scott
Lung cancer is the leading cause of death worldwide. Physical and chemical agents such as tobacco smoke are the leading cause of various lung cancers. The intrinsic…
Abstract
Lung cancer is the leading cause of death worldwide. Physical and chemical agents such as tobacco smoke are the leading cause of various lung cancers. The intrinsic heterogeneity of normal lung tissue may be affected in different ways, giving rise to different types of lung cancers classified as either small‐cell lung cancer (SCLC) or non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Adenocarcinoma, a NSCLC, accounts for 40 percent of all lung cancer cases and the incidence is increasing worldwide, especially among women. The survival rate and prognosis is poorest for adenocarcinoma. Therefore, diagnosis at the earliest stage (Stage I, localized) is critical for increasing survival rates of those suffering from lung cancer. However, many factors affect early diagnosis including the variable natural growth of tumors plus technological and human factors associated with manipulation of tissue samples and interpretation of results. This article reviews potential problems associated with diagnosing lung cancer and considers future directions of diagnostic technology.
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Sophie C. Boerman and Eva A. van Reijmersdal
This chapter provides an overview of what is currently known in the scientific literature about the effects of disclosures of sponsored content on consumers’ responses.
Abstract
Purpose
This chapter provides an overview of what is currently known in the scientific literature about the effects of disclosures of sponsored content on consumers’ responses.
Methodology/approach
We provide a qualitative literature review of 21 empirical studies.
Findings
Awareness of disclosures is rather low, but when consumers are aware of a disclosure, it successfully activates persuasion knowledge and can increase brand memory. The literature shows inconclusive findings with respect to the effects of disclosures on attention paid to sponsored content, critical processing, brand attitudes, and purchase intentions. In addition, the literature shows that modality of the disclosure has no significant effects, but the content of the disclosure, its timing, its duration, receivers’ moods, and their perceptions of the sponsored content or the endorser are important moderators.
Research implications
More research is needed on differences in effects of disclosures in different media and on disclosures of online sponsored content online (e.g., sponsored tweets and vlogs).
Practical implications
This chapter provides advertisers with insights on how disclosures affect the persuasiveness of sponsored content in several media.
Social implications
For legislators, explicit guidelines on how to create effective disclosures of sponsored content are provided. For example, to increase persuasion knowledge, disclosures should be portrayed for at least 3 seconds and if logos are used, they should be accompanied by texts explaining the logo.
Originality/value
This overview is a valuable starting point for future academic research in the domain of disclosure effects and provides insights for advertisers and legislators.
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Saroj Kumar, Dayal R. Parhi, Manoj Kumar Muni and Krishna Kant Pandey
This paper aims to incorporate a hybridized advanced sine-cosine algorithm (ASCA) and advanced ant colony optimization (AACO) technique for optimal path search with…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to incorporate a hybridized advanced sine-cosine algorithm (ASCA) and advanced ant colony optimization (AACO) technique for optimal path search with control over multiple mobile robots in static and dynamic unknown environments.
Design/methodology/approach
The controller for ASCA and AACO is designed and implemented through MATLAB simulation coupled with real-time experiments in various environments. Whenever the sensors detect obstacles, ASCA is applied to find their global best positions within the sensing range, following which AACO is activated to choose the next stand-point. This is how the robot travels to the specified target point.
Findings
Navigational analysis is carried out by implementing the technique developed here using single and multiple mobile robots. Its efficiency is authenticated through the comparison between simulation and experimental results. Further, the proposed technique is found to be more efficient when compared with existing methodologies. Significant improvements of about 10.21 per cent in path length are achieved along with better control over these.
Originality/value
Systematic presentation of the proposed technique attracts a wide readership among researchers where AI technique is the application criteria.
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Today, with the introduction of concepts such as big data, social media, corporate social responsibility and e-commerce have become part of our lives, thus the transition…
Abstract
Today, with the introduction of concepts such as big data, social media, corporate social responsibility and e-commerce have become part of our lives, thus the transition to Marketing 4.0 is accelerating. One of the most vital activities that affect consumers’ purchasing decisions is e-commerce. E-commerce plays a decisive role in purchasing stages and processes. For this reason, e-commerce has become an issue that increases the importance of individuals in the purchasing process and decision every day and needs to be emphasized. In line with all this, the concepts of digital marketing and e-commerce will be handled in a broad framework in this study. Moreover, the digitalization of e-commerce sites will be held in the review of literature beside the environment and techniques that can be used within the scope of digital marketing. New approaches and trends that guide modern marketing are changing day by day. The main reason for this change is based on the rapid transformation in information and communication technologies. For this reason, it is important for marketing managers to adapt to these transformations and to use media and techniques in digital marketing.
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The purpose of this study is the empirical measurement and analysis of economic size and performance of dispersed and clustered small‐scale enterprises (SSEs) in India.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is the empirical measurement and analysis of economic size and performance of dispersed and clustered small‐scale enterprises (SSEs) in India.
Design/methodology/approach
Methodology is descriptive and comparative, using a combination of different official databases. Economic size is measured by distribution of SSEs by employment, output, fixed capital investment, and export variables. Measurement of economic performance is focused on output/capital ratio, output/labour ratio, and labour/capital ratio.
Findings
The results offer evidence for economic diversity in the size compositions and performance variations of dispersed and clustered SSEs; and bigger economic size and higher economic performance of clustered than dispersed SSEs.
Research limitations/implications
Subject to the comparability of economic structure, the results and implications for India are of relevance for promotion and development of clustered SSEs in other developing countries.
Practical implications
From the viewpoint of policy formulation, the results offer a strong empirical basis for a cluster approach rather than a dispersed approach for promotion and development of SSEs in India. The cluster approach has implications for establishing linkages between formal and informal SSEs and for elimination of smallness of dispersed SSEs.
Originality/value
The paper provides a comparative analysis of economic size and performance of the dispersed and clustered SSEs by consolidating the diverse databases in India.
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The purpose of this review is to narrate the microbiological quality of variety of street foods which are largely consumed by the Bangladeshi people of all ages. However…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this review is to narrate the microbiological quality of variety of street foods which are largely consumed by the Bangladeshi people of all ages. However, these foods are prone to microbial contamination. Most of the vendors lack the awareness on hygiene during preparing, processing or handling the foods. The insufficiency in regular microbiological analysis further casts the possibility of disease onset. The need of microbial analyses of these foods also remains unclear to the consumers, which, in turn, results in microbial infections and intoxications remaining unnoticed.
Design/methodology/approach
The present review focused on the microbiological quality of the street foods projected from the locally conducted researches on street foods, and pondered on the possible management from a microbiological perspective for ensuring consumer safety.
Findings
This paper provides comprehensive information on the microbiological quality of street foods, requirement of maintenance of hygiene by the vendors and consumers and the necessity of adopting proper management during food preparation.
Originality/value
Demonstration of microbial prevalence in the street foods may bring imperative information on food safety and security. The conclusive message of this review is about the general consciousness on the microbiological aspects of street food contamination.
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