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1 – 7 of 7Noemi Sinkovics, Rudolf R. Sinkovics, Samia Ferdous Hoque and Laszlo Czaban
The purpose of this paper includes two interconnected objectives. The first is to provide a reconceptualisation of social value creation as social constraint alleviation. The…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper includes two interconnected objectives. The first is to provide a reconceptualisation of social value creation as social constraint alleviation. The second is to respond to the call put forward by Giuliani and Macchi (2014) to produce synergies between bodies of literature exploring the development impact of businesses. The paper focuses on ideas from the global value chain/global production networks (GVC/GPN), business and human rights, corporate social responsibility (CSR), international business (IB) and (social) entrepreneurship literatures.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper offers a reconceptualisation of social value creation by building on the synergies, complementarities and limitations of existing concepts identified through the literature review.
Findings
The reconceptualisation of social value creation put forward in this paper contributes to the literature in the following way. It offers a useful and clear definition of the term “social” (Devinney, 2009), and it attends to the limitations of the constraint concept as put forward by Ted London and his collaborators (London, 2011). Furthermore, it sketches out the basic ideas of a two-system approach to allow for the differentiation between symptom treatment and root cause alleviation. Finally, it offers a refinement of Wettstein’s (2012) proposed capability-based remedial action concept. The paper furthermore proposes that there are three distinct ways in which businesses generally respond to social constraints.
Originality/value
The paper illustrates how the redefined concept of social value creation can connect different bodies of literature and help make sense of existing empirical results, without engaging in definitional debates.
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Lavuri Rambabu and Ramlal Porika
Packaging is a mantra for encountering a period of immense potential. It keeps on being seen as a key component in the buying decision, and also it is exhibited as a brand…
Abstract
Purpose
Packaging is a mantra for encountering a period of immense potential. It keeps on being seen as a key component in the buying decision, and also it is exhibited as a brand communication gadget that goes past the products and can interface with customers in both the physical and virtual forms. The research aspiration is to establish that the speculation of packaging approaches will influence on buyers’ purchasing mode. An attempt has been made to examine and present the results. This research facilitates to discern the perception of consumer in the direction of packaging strategies and to spot the power of packaging factors, elements and strategies of product packaging on purchasing mode of buyers.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from 836 respondents from the four major cities of two states in India through structure questionnaire. Every age of the respondents was targeted in the this study to get their perception and buying mode of them, and the analysis was done by using analysis of variance, correlation and regression analysis by using 23.0 version of SPSS.
Findings
The consequence of research reveals that media exposures, packaging strategies and elements have better influence on the buyers’ buying mode. Business people must produce innovative bundling designs for their items to market. These allow the keeping and catching the new and existed customers, because packaging has superior influence and also helps in acquiring and retaining the new consumers for their new products.
Research limitations/implications
This study being at micro level considered that the city customers may not be similar to the rural customers. Hence, the perception of rural and urban may not be much different. A sample size is 836 drawn from the four major cities of two states in India; therefore, the sample may not represent the whole population of India. Hence, the limitation of generalization will be there. The elicited opinion of consumers may not be reliable all the times, and study considered only some of FMCG products.
Originality/value
The study theme is to establish the theory as stated earlier, and it's proved consumers are considering the packaging styles and designs while purchasing the products, which promotes to meet the expectations of the present and potential customers.
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Tim Gruchmann, Sara Elgazzar and Ahmed Hussein Ali
Adopting new technologies to improve supply chain activities and processes is essential due to increasingly complex and dynamic business environments. Particularly in the…
Abstract
Purpose
Adopting new technologies to improve supply chain activities and processes is essential due to increasingly complex and dynamic business environments. Particularly in the pharmaceutical industry, high-quality standards must be met, requiring transparency and visibility in the supply chain. This research aims at investigating the implementation of blockchain technology in the supply chain of an Egyptian pharmaceutical company.
Design/methodology/approach
The research applies a single case-study approach building on the theoretical underpinnings of transaction cost economics. Twenty-five semistructured interviews were conducted with pharmacies and employees of the case company to identify the blockchain technologies' potential for pharmaceutical supply in Egypt. Further analyzing the frequencies of the codes, the authors elaborate on specific relationships between the observed practices.
Findings
The research revealed the potential benefits of adopting blockchain technology. Transaction costs are indeed positively impacted by reduced contracting costs, processing costs and lead times, also ensuring the safe delivery of medications. However, the findings also highlight obstacles related to running costs, awareness and company culture. Regarding supply chain governance, blockchain technology can enhance collaboration within the supply chain as well as with important stakeholders.
Practical implications
Insufficient management of pharmaceutical supply chains (PSC) may affect a company's reputation but also disrupt the patient's healing process due to temperature damage and counterfeit medicines. Blockchain governance, in this vein, can ensure a safer and more reliable supply of pharmaceutical products. For intraorganizational purposes, however, cloud solutions, barcoding and generally digital platforms are rated more frequently than blockchain solutions.
Originality/value
The present study contributes to an advanced understanding how blockchain technology supports PSC, particularly in an emerging country context like Egypt. It thereby confirms and extends previous research as well as adds to the theoretical underpinnings of digitalized supply chains.
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This paper aims to depict the ethical dilemma of an employee in an insurance company who analyzed the group health policy of a major private telecommunication company. He noticed…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to depict the ethical dilemma of an employee in an insurance company who analyzed the group health policy of a major private telecommunication company. He noticed striking discrepancies and reported the findings to his superior.
Design/methodology/approach
Case study methodology is used for this study.
Findings
This paper reported the ethical dilemma faced by the employee.
Originality/value
This is an original work to the best of the author’s knowledge.
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Valentina De Marchi, Maria A. Pineda-Escobar, Rachel Howell, Michelle Verheij and Peter Knorringa
Advance the state-of-the-art on how frugal innovation links to sustainability outcomes and based on content analysis of empirical publications in the field of frugal innovation…
Abstract
Purpose
Advance the state-of-the-art on how frugal innovation links to sustainability outcomes and based on content analysis of empirical publications in the field of frugal innovation, analyzing when and how FI is connected with social, environmental and economic outcomes.
Design/methodology/approach
Quantitative content analysis on empirical papers published on frugal innovation, using data visualization techniques to disclose relationships among the constructs adopted. Materials were collected following a step-wise methodology. In total, 130 articles were identified, read in depth and coded according to five main categories: context; development; implementation, adoption, diffusion; characteristics; and impacts.
Findings
The potential of frugal innovation to drive sustainability outcomes is influenced by the type of actors developing the innovation, regarding their organizational form (large firms, small firms, non-firm actors), their geographical origin (foreign or local) or motivations (mostly profit-motivated or socially-oriented). Collaboration plays a key role along the various stages of the frugal innovation cycle and is thus relevant for its potential to drive sustainability outcomes. The results reaffirm the need for greater attention to where and when sustainability-enhancing outcomes of frugal innovation are more likely to occur.
Originality/value
This study provides a qualitative study based on content analysis of empirical studies to explore the associations between frugal innovations and improved economic, environmental and social sustainability outcomes. The key novelty of this study lies in the systematic coding of each paper regarding the features of the innovation, the innovators, and the outcomes achieved. This allows taking stock of the evidence emerging in such a scattered literature, quantifying the extent to which insights take place in the empirical literature, looking for correlations, and highlight research gaps to understand to what extent frugal innovation can contribute to sustainable development.
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Aishwariya Madhavan, Meher Unnati, K. Rachana, Prateek Jain, K. Bhashasaraswathi and Apurva Kumar Joshi
The purpose of the study was to develop a powder shampoo with antioxidant attributes.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of the study was to develop a powder shampoo with antioxidant attributes.
Design/methodology/approach
Dry shampoo compositions were formulated containing alpha olefin sulfonate (AOS), sodium cocoyl isethionate (SCI), microcrystalline cellulose, mannitol, carboxymethyl cellulose, maltodextrin and sodium benzoate with or without extract of Cinnamomum zeylanicum bark. Cinnamon extract was chosen for this study owing to its ubiquitously known antioxidant attributes. The formulations were tested for detergency action and antioxidant potential in vitro.
Findings
Cinnamomum zeylanicum extract exhibited noticeable antioxidant activity in vitro. The authors observed that addition of the bark extract to the shampoo formulation was associated with remarkable increase in total phenolic content, total antioxidant activity and radical scavenging activity without any effect on detergency action.
Research limitations/implications
This preliminary study provides a powder shampoo formulation which exhibits antioxidant attributes as a result of incorporation of cinnamon bark extract. Clinical efficacy of the formulation remains to be tested.
Practical implications
Owing to the powder format of the shampoo, the formulation can be manufactured with ease and economically. Functionalizing the formulation with enhancement of antioxidant activity by incorporation of cinnamon bark extract may be associated with beneficial clinical outcomes, which remains to be tested.
Social implications
The proposed formulation may be stored and sold in eco-friendly packing material, thus could pave the way for reducing the burden of plastic consumption by the shampoo industry.
Originality/value
The present work demonstrates that incorporation of cinnamon bark extract to a powder shampoo formulation, containing AOS and SCI as principle surfactants, significantly enhances its antioxidant attributes.
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Rose Chalo Nabirye and Adriane Kamulegeya
The purpose of this paper is to assess the levels of awareness and knowledge about oral cancer, its causes and or risk factors among Ugandan patients seeking oral healthcare.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to assess the levels of awareness and knowledge about oral cancer, its causes and or risk factors among Ugandan patients seeking oral healthcare.
Design/methodology/approach
This was a cross-sectional study on adult patients who attended a free dental camp. An assistant-administered questionnaire either in English or Luganda was provided to every even-numbered registered adult who consented to participate in the study. Information on demographics and known risk factors for oral cancer were captured. The two knowledge questions on oral cancers were scored by adding up all the correctly identified causes, non-causes and risk factors then scored out of the total. Data analysis was done by calculating proportions, Student’s’ t-tests and χ2 tests with significant p-value set at 0.05.
Findings
The results showed a low level of awareness/knowledge about oral cancer in studied population. In total, 60 percent and less than 50 percent of respondents identified smoking and alcohol use as risk factors for oral cancer, respectively. Majority of respondents (88.8 percent) would seek help from medical personnel if diagnosed with oral cancer. Screening for cancer was low despite awareness and knowledge that it improves the chances of successful treatment.
Research limitations/implications
Emphasis on risk factors including alcohol use in public health messages, use of mass media, religious and community leaders to disseminate messages to the communities and further research were recommended.
Practical implications
We need to emphasize the role of alcohol in oral cancer causation just as we do for tobacco consumption.
Originality/value
No study has been conducted in Uganda on the level of awareness yet the incidence of the disease and use of high-risk products are rising.
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