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We form portfolios based on return and liquidity and examine the effects of liquidity and other risk factors on asset pricing in the Chinese stock market. Our results show that the past loser-and-illiquid stock portfolios tend to outperform the past winner-and-liquid stock portfolios in the 1–12 months holding period. The excess return is significantly associated with the market-wide liquidity factor even when we control the three Fama-French and momentum factors. Cross-sectionally, the liquidity beta significantly affects the excess return even with control of other risk betas and other traditional liquidity proxies.

The existence of a wedding organizer plays an essential role in realizing the dream wedding of the bride and groom and the progression of a family-centred structure. The wedding organizer industry is one of the business sectors that experienced a significant impact during the COVID-19 pandemic due to various policies restricting mobility and interaction. This study aims to answer research questions: What challenges are experienced by wedding organizers in the context of COVID-19? What factors drive entrepreneurial resilience for family business continuity in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic?

This study uses a qualitative research design through semi-structured in-depth interviews with eight wedding organizers in Indonesia with questions centred around the context of the family in the event.

This study found several challenges faced by wedding organizers, including personal barriers and environmental challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The four drivers of entrepreneurial resilience of wedding organizers in dealing with the COVID-19 crisis include entrepreneurial motivations, entrepreneurial characteristics, firm strategies, and environmental support. These factors create a positive interaction effect for the continuity of the wedding event organizers.

This study contributes to the literature by providing valuable insights into the broader entrepreneurial resilience issue and offering practical recommendations for wedding organizers and other entrepreneurs facing similar challenges. This study has both academic and practical implications in providing event management guidance and future avenues of research in this field.

Millennials are a vital generational cohort of the Indian population, and understanding their motivation to participate in the stock market is crucial. This study aims to understand the investment decision-making behavior among millennials in the Indian Stock Market.

Using a cross-sectional research design that entails in-depth personal interviews, this study aims to understand the equity investment behavior of millennials. Verbatim texts from interview transcripts were used to analyze the content and arrive at themes.

The study investigated the motivation to enter the stock market and gained insights into how individuals make equity investment decisions considering economic and behavioral dimensions. The basis for stock selection was predominantly on the self-analysis of investors. Multiple stock selection priorities are also discussed. In addition, informants ensured asset diversification and exercised various strategies to overcome emotions. Furthermore, they suffered from various behavioral biases.

Individual investors are the least informed and most impacted stakeholders in the stock markets; therefore, this study contributes fresh insights to enhance their financial security. The paper also examines some noticeable behavioral tendencies retail investors exhibit and gathers helpful strategies for mitigating behavioral biases.

The uniqueness of the research lies in its adoption of a qualitative methodology that uses the investment experience of millennial investors to reveal the components of decision-making behavior and investor psychology. The findings are thereby unique and have significant managerial implications.

A comprehensive literature review was conducted to identify the lean principles and the challenges of building refurbishment. To have an in-depth investigation of the application of lean principles to address the challenges of refurbishment projects, ten expert interviews following a qualitative research approach were utilised in this research. Data were analysed using manual content analysis to derive the framework.

The refurbishment of buildings has attracted the attention of the present construction industry. However, uncertain project characteristics, information deficiency, limited space for construction activities and less stakeholder involvement make it complex. Since the lean concept effectively deals with complex and uncertain projects, this study focusses to investigate the application of lean principles to overcome the challenges of refurbishment projects in Sri Lanka by developing a framework.

It was found that the five main lean principles of customer value, value stream, value flow, pull and perfection are appropriate for building refurbishment projects in Sri Lanka. Precise identification of clients and end-users, value adding and non-value adding activities, interruptions and stakeholder communication chains, setting scope, examining the possible technologies and taking measures to deliver the exact product to ensure the successful application of lean principles for refurbishment projects. Further, 27 benefits of five lean principles were identified which can be used to address the 13 identified challenges of building refurbishment of projects. Finally, a framework has developed portraying the application of lean principles in building refurbishment.

The framework developed is beneficial for the building refurbishment project team to address the barriers of refurbishment projects by applying lean principles.

This framework can be used as a guideline for the implementation of building refurbishment projects by addressing their challenges with lean principles.

The study directs attention to the psychological conditions experienced and knowledge management practices leveraged by faculty in higher education institutes (HEIs) to cope with the shift to emergency remote teaching caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. By focusing attention on faculty experiences during this transition, this study aims to examine an under-investigated effect of the pandemic in the Indian context.

Interpretative phenomenological analysis is used to analyze the data gathered in two waves through 40 in-depth interviews with 20 faculty members based in India over a year. The data were analyzed deductively using Kahn’s framework of engagement and robust coding protocols.

Eight subthemes across three psychological conditions (meaningfulness, availability and safety) were developed to discourse faculty experiences and challenges with emergency remote teaching related to their learning, identity, leveraged resources and support received from their employing educational institutes. The findings also present the coping strategies and knowledge management-related practices that the faculty used to adjust to each discussed challenge.

The study uses a longitudinal design and phenomenology as the analytical method, which offers a significant methodological contribution to the extant literature. Further, the study’s use of Kahn’s model to examine the faculty members’ transitions to emergency remote teaching in India offers novel insights into the COVID-19 pandemic’s effect on educational institutes in an under-investigated context.

Operationalizing R-imperatives in firms is seen as vital to bolstering circularity through reduce, reuse and recycle and building circular supply chains (CSCs). However, this process introduces various uncertainties to firms within CSCs. This is a gap that still requires an in-depth analysis, particularly to answer the question of how firms align the operationalization of R-imperatives with uncertainty management to improve sustainability performance and accelerate the transition toward CSCs.

This paper fills this gap through a multiple-case study, whereby nine firms from varying structures, regions and manufacturing industries were examined. Qualitative content analysis was employed to examine the collected primary (27 semi-structured interviews) and secondary data (internal management reports, publicly available corporate reports and website content).

The findings support the evidence that the operationalization of R-imperatives is not a straightforward process. Within-firm and SC uncertainties largely emerged and made the building of CSCs complex. Consequently, strategies aimed at reducing uncertainty were paramount to managing uncertainties and enhancing sustainability performance. For instance, implementing durable or modular designs helped firms easily reuse, repair and recycle products. In turn, firms achieved material efficiency and contributed to extending the life cycle of products.

This paper explains how firms can align R-imperatives operationalization with uncertainty management to improve sustainability performance and enhance CSCs. Accordingly, firms should complement R-imperatives operationalization with proactive uncertainty management and an assessment of all environmental, economic and social sustainability dimensions.

This paper fills a critical gap in circular supply chain management literature by unveiling its linkage with uncertainty management and sustainability performance. Empirical insights from nine firms within CSCs are provided to guide scholars and managers interested in implementing R-imperatives.

The shift toward a circular economy (CE) represents a collaborative endeavor necessitating the presence of efficient frameworks, conducive contexts and a common comprehension. This research serves as a pivotal stride towards this goal, presenting an exclusive prospect for the investigation and fusion of these frameworks, with particular emphasis on the Quintuple Helix Model (5HM), into a unified theoretical framework that underscores the core principles of the CE. This study is centered on three pivotal questions aimed at decoding the CE transition in specific regional settings.

Adopting an abductive approach firmly anchored in a two-stage qualitative process, this study specifically merges the foundational principles from institutional theory, entrepreneurship literature and CE frameworks to provide insights into the dynamics of circular ecosystems, with a specific focus on the Huelva region in Spain.

The findings demonstrate significant potential in the CE, ranging from the integration of product and service systems to innovations in eco-industrial practices. Yet, a notable deficiency exists: the absence of institutional entrepreneurs, highlighting the essential role that universities can play. As recognized centers of innovation, universities are suggested to be key contributors to the transformation toward a CE, aligning with their societal and economic responsibilities.

This study highlights the importance of managing relationships with entities like SMEs and policymakers or academia for effective CE adoption. Policymakers can refine strategies based on the research’s insights, while the impact of university-driven circular ecosystems on sustainable societies is another crucial area for research.

The sustainability models cited in CE literature may not be comprehensive enough to prevent problem shifting, and it can be argued that they lack a sound theoretical and conceptual basis. Furthermore, the connections between sustainability objectives and the three levels of the CE operating system remain vague. Additionally, there is insufficient information on how regions foster the involvement of the environment in fivefold helix cooperation and how this impacts the CE.

The purpose of this study is to introduce a new type of sensor which uses microwave metamaterials and direct-coupled split-ring resonators (DC-SRRs) to measure the dielectric properties of solid materials in real time. The sensor uses a transmission line with a bridge-type structure to measure the differential frequency, which can be used to calculate the dielectric constant of the material being tested. The study aims to establish an empirical relationship between the dielectric properties of the material and the frequency measurements obtained from the sensor.

In the proposed design, the opposite arm of the bridge transmission line is loaded by DC-SRRs, and the distance between DC-SRRs is optimized to minimize the mutual coupling between them. The DC-SRRs are loaded with the material under test (MUT) to perform differential permittivity sensing. When identical MUT is placed on both resonators, a single transmission zero (notch) is obtained, but non-identical MUTs exhibit two split notches. For the design of differential sensors and comparators based on symmetry disruption, frequency splitting is highly useful.

The proposed structure is demonstrated using electromagnetic simulation, and a prototype of the proposed sensor is fabricated and experimentally validated to prove the differential sensing principle. Here, the sensor is analyzed for sensitivity by using different MUTs with relative permittivity ranges from 1.006 to 10 and with a fixed dimension of 9 mm × 10 mm ×1.2 mm. It shows a very good average frequency deviation per unit change in permittivity of the MUTs, which is around 743 MHz, and it also exhibits a very high average relative sensitivity and quality factor of around 11.5% and 323, respectively.

The proposed sensor can be used for differential characterization of permittivity and also as a comparator to test the purity of solid dielectric samples. This sensor most importantly strengthens robustness to environmental conditions that cause cross-sensitivity or miscalibration. The accuracy of the measurement is enhanced as compared to conventional single- and double-notch metamaterial-based sensors.

The provision of facilities management (FM) services, facilitated by a well-suited sourcing strategy, significantly influences the optimization of dwelling unit performance, augmentation of occupants’ living experiences and the establishment of a secure and comfortable environment. Consequently, this study aims to examine the sourcing approach used for delivering FM services in social housing within Nigeria’s semi-arid climate and to assess the effectiveness of the chosen sourcing approach in the provision of FM services.

Data collection involved one-on-one interviews conducted with five principal/senior staff members of the Borno State Housing Corporation in Maiduguri, Northern Nigeria. For data analysis, the NVivo R1 software package and Stata 13.0 were used. Thematic analysis was applied to the data, and the findings were presented through narrations and direct quotes from participants. Logistic regression analysis was subsequently used to assess the effectiveness of the adopted in-house approach in providing FM services in the context of social housing.

Administrators of social housing in the semi-arid climate of Nigeria exclusively adopted an in-house sourcing approach for providing FM services. Nevertheless, the in-house approach was conclusively determined to be ineffective in delivering FM services within the specific context of social housing in the semi-arid climate of Nigeria.

This investigation centred on examining the sourcing strategy used by social housing administrators for delivering FM services in social housing within a semi-arid climate of Nigeria. Additionally, the study delved into evaluating the efficacy of the chosen sourcing approach in the actual provision of FM services.

This study aims to examine how governing bodies demonstrated stakeholder engagement during the time of the COVID-19 crisis in South Africa.

This study uses a qualitative approach based on semi-structured interviews with 18 participants, comprising of preparers of financial statements, board members and management consultants/advisors. The study also relied on the analysis of articles on corporate webpages and publications produced by professional bodies on the economic, social and environmental impact of COVID-19.

The results of this study indicated that governing bodies demonstrated stakeholder engagement during times of crisis through transparent reporting, corporate social responsibility initiatives and active stakeholder inclusivity.

This study contributes to the body of research on stakeholder engagement during a crisis and provides evidence of the role stakeholder inclusivity can play in responding to a crisis. The findings will be useful in understanding the importance of stakeholder engagement during times of crisis. The study is one of the first, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, to evaluate how stakeholder engagement principles can be followed by governing bodies during a crisis.