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As the application of crowdsourcing contests grows, leveraging the participation of superstars (i.e. solvers who have outstanding performance records in a crowdsourcing platform) becomes an emergent approach for managers to solve crowdsourced problems. Although much is known about superstars’ performance implications, it remains unclear whether and how their participation affects the size of a contest crowd for a crowdsourcing contest. Based on social contagion theory, this paper aims to examine the impact of superstars’ participation on the crowd size and studies how this impact varies across solvers with different heterogeneity in terms of skills, exposure and cultural proximity with superstars in crowdsourcing contests.

This paper uses secondary data from one crowdsourcing platform that includes 6,587 innovation contests to examine superstars’ main and contextual effects on the crowd size of a contest.

Our results reveal that superstars’ participation positively affects the crowd size of a contest in general. This finding suggests that social contagion is a fundamental mechanism underlying crowd formation in crowdsourcing contests. Our results also indicate that in contests that involve multiple superstars, superstars’ effect on crowd size becomes negative when we simultaneously consider other solvers’ heterogeneity in terms of skills, exposure and cultural background, and this negative effect will be intensified by increases in the skill gap, extent of exposure and cultural proximity between superstars and other solvers in the same contest.

Our research enhances the understanding of the influence of superstars and the mechanism underlying the emergence of contest crowds in crowdsourcing contests and contributes knowledge to better understand social contagion in a competitive setting. The results are meaningful for sourcing managers and platform supervisors to design contests and supervise crowd size in crowdsourcing contests.

Warehouse receipt-based financing (WRF), an innovative instrument with its structure embedded in the agricultural value chain can potentially address farmers' concerns about timely credit access and accessible remunerative markets. However, studies indicate farmers' exclusion from currently practiced WRF mechanisms across developing countries. Transaction cost and lack of assured remunerative markets post storage are the challenges thwarting farmers' participation. The study explores how these challenges can be addressed by analyzing a case study. The finding will help in coming up with a farmer-inclusive WRF mechanism.

The study uses a case study as an analysis tool. Primary data is gathered through farmers. Descriptive statistics and partial least squares (PLS) approach to structural equation modeling methodology has been adopted for empirical testing of the hypothesis of the study. The study uses SMART PLS 3.0 for analysis of data.

Single window offering of multiple value chain operations and technological intervention in physical handling substantially reduces transaction costs for farmers. Sustained farmers' participation in the case supports this finding. The presence of an assured market (PAM) is found to have a positive and significant relationship with WRF in the case of beneficiary farmers. The PAM is found to have a negative yet significant relationship with WRF in the case of nonbeneficiary farmers. Critical success factors of the entity KisanMitra stated in the case substantiates a farmer-inclusive WRF mechanism.

The study analyzes a case study of specific geography. However, similarities enlisted across developing countries in the introduction section provide a scope of generalization of findings across developing countries. The identified factors for a farmer-inclusive WRF mechanism will enable the governments, policymakers and development institutions to ascertain and align their WRF implementation measures to inculcate and upgrade these factors to the prospective WRF agents. Future studies can explore the replication of farmer-inclusive WRF mechanisms across other geographies. The studies also explores the role of technological interventions in further reducing the transaction cost and suitable policy modifications to encourage replication of the study in other geopgraphical context.

The study on WRF and the methodology adopted is first of its kind to identify factors for a farmer-inclusive WRF mechanism.

This paper aims to provide a systematic literature review (SLR) on contemporary cardinal money mule issues.

This paper reviews the most common money mule themes in perpetrating financial crime activities, especially its roles, recruitment and awareness. A systematic review protocol called preferred reporting items for systematic review and meta-analysis protocols is adopted for this study.

Money mules are used by organized criminal groups (OCG) or fraudster to launder illicit funds from outrageous criminal activities. They allow their accounts to be used for money laundering by OCG. The attacker, OCG or fraudsters would layer the stolen funds using money mule accounts. These money mules are recruited using various approaches, oftentimes deceived by opulent lifestyles to captivate the interest of potential money mules.

This paper presents money mule awareness needed by accountant, bank employees and the society. It is an unprecedented SLR on money mule. This paper will be beneficial for future money mule researchers, enforcement agencies and practitioners in banking industry.

The zero-waste lifestyle (ZWL) is considered a reasonable step towards controlling waste generation and minimizing the consequences of human activities on the environment. The main aim of this study is to examine the behavioral antecedents of ZWL.

The study draws on the theoretical underpinnings of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and the norm activation model (NAM) to develop a conceptual framework to understand the antecedents to ZWL. A cross-sectional survey among 349 randomly-selected consumers provided data analyzed with the partial least square-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) methodology.

The results demonstrate that personal norms, attitude, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control positively influenced the intention to adopt ZWL. Additionally, the study showed that the awareness of consequences influenced personal norms, attitudes and subjective norms. However, the study identified an intention–behavior gap in adopting ZWL.

This study serves as a pioneering exploration of the behavioral factors that impact the adoption of ZWL. Additionally, the paper endeavors to elucidate the underlying reasons behind the intention–behavior gap within this particular context. Consequently, the study offers substantial theoretical and practical implications aimed at promoting and fostering greater adoption of ZWL practices.