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Article
Publication date: 26 December 2023

Hiral Patel and Gabriela Zapata-Lancaster

This paper aims to highlight a broader definition of good building performance that goes beyond the traditional emphasis on technical aspects, only adopting the lens of the social…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to highlight a broader definition of good building performance that goes beyond the traditional emphasis on technical aspects, only adopting the lens of the social construction of technology (SCOT) in the empirical space of the workplace sector. Several building performance evaluation (BPE) methods focus on technical aspects such as energy consumption, indoor environmental conditions and compliance with building regulations and standards. Technical aspects, albeit important goals, only embed a partial component of what buildings are expected to deliver. There is growing interest in considering the organisational and experiential expectations of building performance, particularly integrating various views of performance as expected by different user groups.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper adopts an archival research method to analyse the archive of the workplace consultants DEGW, particularly focusing on their work on London’s Broadgate development in the 1980s and the 1990s.

Findings

The findings reveal how voices from a pluralistic client organisation can be addressed to articulate a broad definition of building performance that integrates different viewpoints encompassing technical, organisational and experiential expectations. In DEGW’s work, the views on building performance of various stakeholders involved in the everyday use and management of buildings are identified without imposing predetermined agendas or research notions of performance. Particular emphasis is given to understanding clients as not a homogenous entity but consisting of different interest groups, which implies multiple conceptualisations of building performance and the building itself.

Research limitations/implications

The performance expectations of a building vary between organisations and even within any organisation. Moreover, the needs of an organisation will change over time, and the BPE criteria need to be changed to ensure better alignment between organisations and the physical spaces they occupy. A critical reflection on the conceptualisation of “users” and “building” in BPE methods is required to create an integrated approach towards building performance.

Originality/value

The paper offers insights by adopting the theoretical lens of SCOT to explore an integrated approach to building performance that captures the varied needs of building users through the example of London’s Broadgate development.

Details

Journal of Corporate Real Estate , vol. 26 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1463-001X

Keywords

Abstract

Details

Data Curation and Information Systems Design from Australasia: Implications for Cataloguing of Vernacular Knowledge in Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80455-615-3

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 5 June 2023

Tadhg O’Mahony, Jyrki Luukkanen, Jarmo Vehmas and Jari Roy Lee Kaivo-oja

The literature on economic forecasting, is showing an increase in criticism, of the inaccuracy of forecasts, with major implications for economic, and fiscal policymaking…

Abstract

Purpose

The literature on economic forecasting, is showing an increase in criticism, of the inaccuracy of forecasts, with major implications for economic, and fiscal policymaking. Forecasts are subject to the systemic uncertainty of human systems, considerable event-driven uncertainty, and show biases towards optimistic growth paths. The purpose of this study is to consider approaches to improve economic foresight.

Design/methodology/approach

This study describes the practice of economic foresight as evolving in two separate, non-overlapping branches, short-term economic forecasting, and long-term scenario analysis of development, the latter found in studies of climate change and sustainability. The unique case of Ireland is considered, a country that has experienced both steep growth and deep troughs, with uncertainty that has confounded forecasting. The challenges facing forecasts are discussed, with brief review of the drivers of growth, and of long-term economic scenarios in the global literature.

Findings

Economic forecasting seeks to manage uncertainty by improving the accuracy of quantitative point forecasts, and related models. Yet, systematic forecast failures remain, and the economy defies prediction, even in the near-term. In contrast, long-term scenario analysis eschews forecasts in favour of a set of plausible or possible alternative scenarios. Using alternative scenarios is a response to the irreducible uncertainty of complex systems, with sophisticated approaches employed to integrate qualitative and quantitative insights.

Research limitations/implications

To support economic and fiscal policymaking, it is necessary support advancement in approaches to economic foresight, to improve handling of uncertainty and related risk.

Practical implications

While European Union Regulation (EC) 1466/97 mandates pursuit of improved accuracy, in short-term economic forecasts, there is now a case for implementing advanced foresight approaches, for improved analysis, and more robust decision-making.

Social implications

Building economic resilience and adaptability, as part of a sustainable future, requires both long-term strategic planning, and short-term policy. A 21st century policymaking process can be better supported by analysis of alternative scenarios.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the article is original in considering the application of scenario foresight approaches, in economic forecasting. The study has value in improving the baseline forecast methods, that are fundamental to contemporary economics, and in bringing the field of economics into the heart of foresight.

Details

foresight, vol. 26 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1463-6689

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 20 March 2024

Abigail Newton, Megan Robson and Darren Johnson

Young offender mentoring programmes aim to support young people’s desistance from offending, but despite the importance, there remains limited exploration into mentor experiences…

Abstract

Purpose

Young offender mentoring programmes aim to support young people’s desistance from offending, but despite the importance, there remains limited exploration into mentor experiences of supporting the young people. This study aims to explore how a community-based mentoring intervention supports desistance in young offenders by understanding the mentor's experiences, with a specific reflective focus on facilitators and barriers to their work.

Design/methodology/approach

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven mentors from Northumbria Coalition against Crime, a youth and community service. Interview transcripts were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis, with external auditing conducted by the research supervisor.

Findings

Two superordinate themes resulted: “Factors for engagement” and “Personal experiences”, with participant disclosures reflecting professional reward and a sense of success. This was interwoven with “burnout”, emotional investment and challenges linked to barriers to effectiveness. Challenges included the young people having external negative influences, multiple individuals involved in a person’s care and the barrier of in person activities during the coronavirus pandemic. The clinical importance of mentoring programmes, implications for future working practice and research limitations are considered.

Practical implications

The clinical importance of mentoring programmes, implications for future working practice and research limitations are considered.

Originality/value

These findings contribute to understanding mentors’ experiences of working with young people in the community, offering critical insight into the mentorship and wider service dynamics. Furthermore, it provides an inaugural evaluation of the Northumbria Coalition against Crime services.

Details

Journal of Criminological Research, Policy and Practice, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2056-3841

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 21 July 2023

Serap Ergün

The purpose of this study is to propose a decentralized multi-party cross-trading scheme based on a certificate transaction mechanism for the transaction of excess consumption…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to propose a decentralized multi-party cross-trading scheme based on a certificate transaction mechanism for the transaction of excess consumption certificates (ECCs) of renewable energy. The aim is to address the problems associated with the existing centralized transaction mode and to promote the development of the green electricity industry.

Design/methodology/approach

The proposed scheme involves calculating the quotation difference for the same type of certificate transaction based on the quotations of all users of both buyers and sellers. The transaction volume is then determined based on the order of quotation difference from large to small, and the total interests of cooperation are calculated. The nucleolus method is adopted to allocate the total interests to each member of the alliance and calculate the final transaction price. The blockchain technology is used for the transaction to achieve accurate traceability and efficient supervision, and a corresponding smart contract is designed and simulated in the Ethereum consortium chain.

Findings

The results of the simulation show the rationality and effectiveness of the proposed scheme. The decentralized multi-party cross-trading scheme can overcome the problems associated with the existing centralized transaction mode, such as low transaction efficiency, difficulty in obtaining the optimal transaction strategy and efficient supervision. The proposed scheme can promote the development of the green electricity industry by stimulating users' demand potential for green electricity.

Originality/value

The proposed scheme is original in its use of a certificate transaction mechanism to facilitate the trading of ECCs of renewable energy. The scheme adopts a decentralized multi-party cross-trading approach that overcomes the problems associated with the existing centralized transaction mode. The use of the nucleolus method for the allocation of total interests to each member of the alliance is also original. Finally, the use of blockchain technology for accurate traceability and efficient supervision of the transaction is an original contribution to the field.

Article
Publication date: 15 July 2022

Shafaq Aftab, Irfan Saleem and Rakesh Belwal

This study aims to invoke social comparison theory and researches mainly on leaders’ downward envy at workplaces in a collectivist culture. The study also aims to infer and…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to invoke social comparison theory and researches mainly on leaders’ downward envy at workplaces in a collectivist culture. The study also aims to infer and explain the constructive and destructive behaviour of benign envy (BE) and malicious envy (ME) in the workplace by studying supervisor-subordinate dyads.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey was conducted to test the proposed hypotheses. The sample included 352 randomly chosen supervisor-subordinate dyads from registered software houses in Pakistan. Partial least square SEM was used to test the proposed model and hypotheses.

Findings

This research identified that the leaders' gratitude and workplace friendship encourage leaders to adopt a levelling-up strategy to encounter benign envy (BE). In contrast, subordinates’ low level of loyalty and affect towards supervisors cause ME. The study also found that BE motivates frustrated supervisors to behave positively, whereas ME triggers the envious supervisor to threaten their aides with abusive supervision. However, envious supervisors with high core self-evaluation and gratitude are more likely to reflect self-improvement.

Practical implications

This study gives key insights to organisations on recognising the potential of downward envy, using it purposefully, and managing the consequences constructively. For instance, organizations could train leaders to understand the holistic view of downward envy to help them focus on self-improvement instead of abusing employees. In addition, training employees on envy could help them demonstrate warmth and competence.

Originality/value

The study is original and valuable in three aspects. Theoretically, this study develops a generic framework for dealing with downward envy. Contextually, the study brings a piece of evidence from software houses in Asia to study downward envy. Practically, this study suggests tactics to deal with downward envy in family-owned tech firms operating in emerging markets.

Details

Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Administration, vol. 16 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1757-4323

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 15 December 2023

Yuhong Peng, Jianwei Ding and Yueyan Zhang

This study examines the relationship between streamers' product descriptions, customer comments and online sales and focuses on the moderating effect of streamer–viewer…

Abstract

Purpose

This study examines the relationship between streamers' product descriptions, customer comments and online sales and focuses on the moderating effect of streamer–viewer relationship strength.

Design/methodology/approach

Between June 2021 and April 2022, the structured data of 965 livestreaming and unstructured text data of 42,956,147 characters from two major live-streaming platforms were collected for the study. Text analysis and regression analysis methods were employed for data analysis.

Findings

First, the authors' analysis reveals an inverted U-shaped relationship between comment length and product sales. Notably, comment volume and comment emotion positively influence product sales. Furthermore, the semantic richness, emotion and readability of streamers' product descriptions also positively influence product sales. Secondly, the authors find that the strength of streamer–viewer relationship weakens the positive effects of comment volume and comment emotion without moderating the inverted U-shaped effect of comment length. Lastly, the strength of streamer–viewer relationship also diminishes the positive effects of emotion, semantics and readability of streamers' product descriptions on product sales.

Originality/value

This study is the first to concurrently examine the direct and interactive effects of user-generated content (UGC) and marketer-generated content (MGC) on consumer purchase behaviors in livestreaming e-commerce, offering a novel perspective on individual decision-making and cue utilization in the social retail context.

Details

Marketing Intelligence & Planning, vol. 42 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0263-4503

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 3 November 2023

Efe Imiren, Paul Lassalle, Samuel Mwaura and Katerina Nicolopoulou

This paper, through empirical evidence, presents a framework for exploring how entrepreneurs navigate the challenges of building legitimacy in a digital context. In so doing, this…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper, through empirical evidence, presents a framework for exploring how entrepreneurs navigate the challenges of building legitimacy in a digital context. In so doing, this paper goes beyond the seemingly forgone conclusion that legitimacy is important for the entrepreneur's success by focusing on the contextualised mechanisms through which digital legitimacy is built.

Design/methodology/approach

Empirical findings are drawn from semi-structured interviews conducted with 21 digital entrepreneurs in Nigeria, a leading example of the West African context and analysed using a phenomenological approach.

Findings

The paper shows how digital entrepreneurs in a non-Western context draw on an aspect of legitimation in the digital space, and in particular, highlights three mechanisms via which this takes place, namely: digital shielding, digital curating and digital networking. Presented via an inductive approach, the three mechanisms described in the paper provide a scaffold for thinking about and understanding entrepreneurial legitimacy within a contextual framework, which incorporates institutional, cultural and digital dimensions.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to the literature on digital entrepreneurship by empirically identifying and theoretically elaborating themes that are important for understanding how entrepreneurs navigate the challenges of digital entrepreneurship and build entrepreneurial legitimacy in complex contexts.

Details

International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, vol. 30 no. 2/3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-2554

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 December 2023

Mahesh Subramony and Mark S. Rosenbaum

The purpose of this study is to address United Nations’ sustainable development goals (SDGs) 8 and 9 from a service perspective. SDG 8 is a call to improve the dignity of service…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to address United Nations’ sustainable development goals (SDGs) 8 and 9 from a service perspective. SDG 8 is a call to improve the dignity of service work by enhancing wages, working conditions and development opportunities while SDG 9 calls upon nations to construct resilient infrastructures, promote inclusivity and sustainability and foster innovation.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses a bibliometric review to extract important themes from a variety of scholarly journals.

Findings

Researchers tend to investigate policy-level topics, such as national and international standards related to working conditions, while ignoring the experiences or well-being of workers occupying marginalized and low-opportunity roles in service organizations. Service researchers, educators and practitioners must collaborate to improve the state of service industries by conducting participatory action research, promoting grassroots organizing/advocacy, implementing digitized customer service and addressing workforce soft skills deficiencies.

Research limitations/implications

The authors consider how service work can be transformed into respectable employment and present four specific ways nations can enhance their service industries.

Practical implications

Economic planners can view SDGs 8 and 9 as a framework for understanding and promoting the well-being of service employees and accelerating the productivity and innovation levels of the service sector.

Originality/value

The United Nations’ SDGs are examined from a services perspective, which increases their significance in service-dominated economies.

Article
Publication date: 8 January 2024

Shalini Srivastava, Muskan Khan, Arpana Kumari and Ajay Kumar Jain

Taking the support of social capital theory and conservation of resource theory, the present study explores the mediating role of rumination and moderating role of mindfulness in…

Abstract

Purpose

Taking the support of social capital theory and conservation of resource theory, the present study explores the mediating role of rumination and moderating role of mindfulness in the relationship of workplace ostracism (WO) and workplace withdrawal (WW).

Design/methodology/approach

The data were collected in two waves from 467 employees working in hotels located in Delhi NCR region of India. The hypothesised relationships were investigated by macro-PROCESS (Hayes, 2013).

Findings

The results found a mediating impact of rumination on WO and WW relationship. It further supported the moderating effect of mindfulness in weakening the association between WO and WW via rumination.

Practical implications

This study identified mindfulness as an essential mechanism by which WO may be regulated to control employee's tendency to ruminate. Rumination may initially be prevented in organisations by regulating the primary effect of WO on employees' decisions for WW.

Originality/value

By linking the research model with the social capital theory, the study has contributed to the existing body of knowledge. The study is the first of its kind in India to examine the impact of hypothesised associations on the hotel industry. The findings of the study would help the industry in understanding the role of mindfulness in reducing aberrant behaviours at workplace.

Details

Journal of Organizational Effectiveness: People and Performance, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2051-6614

Keywords

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