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Article
Publication date: 13 November 2019

Sarah E. Hennelly, Sofia Hussain, Tristan Hale, Martha Cadle, Joanne Brooke and Emma Davies

Half of British university students experience assault and harassment behaviours; few report them. Bystander intervention training has been recommended as a means of reducing…

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Abstract

Purpose

Half of British university students experience assault and harassment behaviours; few report them. Bystander intervention training has been recommended as a means of reducing these behaviours, but there is little evidence about their potential effectiveness in UK contexts. The purpose of this paper is to understand UK students’ attitudes towards reporting and intervening in sexual assault, harassment and hate crimes.

Design/methodology/approach

A mixed methods cross-sectional survey (n=201; 75.6 per cent women) was conducted in one British university. Open text data were analysed using thematic analysis.

Findings

Students considered harassment and assault unacceptable, and were confident to intervene in and likely to report incidents. However, fear of backlash was a barrier to intervening and reporting, and they felt that victims should decide whether to report incidents. Students perceived perpetrators as being ignorant about what constitutes consent, harassment and assault. They identified a need for university community education about this and how to report incidents and support peers.

Research limitations/implications

This cross-sectional survey was conducted at one UK University. The data might not reflect other students’ attitudes, and may be subject to response bias. University community bystander training should be acceptable, report and support systems might be utilised by students. This may have potential to reduce prevalence and increase reporting.

Practical implications

University community bystander training should be acceptable, report and support systems might be utilised by students. This may have potential to reduce prevalence and increase reporting.

Originality/value

This is the first study to investigate UK student attitudes to prosocial bystander behaviours.

Details

Health Education, vol. 119 no. 5/6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0965-4283

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 5 July 2023

Emil Georgiev and Svetoslav Georgiev

The authors extend the literature on decoupling by analyzing the microlevel effects of institutionalized practices within the framework of international standards. This study…

Abstract

Purpose

The authors extend the literature on decoupling by analyzing the microlevel effects of institutionalized practices within the framework of international standards. This study investigates the specific informal management practices that decision-makers embrace in order for organizations to achieve ISO 9001 certification without all regulations being adopted and followed according to the standard's original design and purpose.

Design/methodology/approach

As the basis for its research framework, this paper adopts the neo-institutional theory. The research employs the comparative case study method and draws its data from a sample of 21 ISO 9001:2008 certified organizations in Bulgaria.

Findings

The results show ambivalent behavior toward the ISO 9001 standard's formal requirements. This behavior is expressed through targeted noncompliance with (certain) regulations and procedures regarding top management commitment, as well as documented information which are formally adopted within the organization and certified as complying with the standard.

Research limitations/implications

The study has implications for future research into decoupling, organizational learning, and standardization. In terms of limitations, the authors examined the process of decoupling from a micro perspective in Bulgaria only. Noncompliance with international standards such as the ISO 9000 may exhibit specific regional or national characteristics.

Practical implications

Findings from this research encourage the International Standards Organization to respond to previous calls for revising the formal structure of ISO 9000 and other international management standards by considering a more flexible and liberal point of view.

Originality/value

As opposed to previous studies which have explored decoupling from a macro perspective, this study focuses on how the internal constraints imposed by the standard's universal requirements are being mitigated at a micro level. That is, the authors provide a detailed account of the specific informal management practices which managers (deliberately) adopt in order to achieve certification without fully integrating the formal criteria imposed by international standards (e.g. ISO 9001).

Details

Benchmarking: An International Journal, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1463-5771

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 8 August 2023

Maria Elisabete Duarte Neves, Sofia Reis, Pedro Reis and António Gomes Dias

This paper aims to analyze the impact of the adoption of ISO 14001 and ISO 9001 on the performance of Portuguese companies. The sample includes the companies listed on Euronext…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to analyze the impact of the adoption of ISO 14001 and ISO 9001 on the performance of Portuguese companies. The sample includes the companies listed on Euronext Lisbon, with economic, financial and specific information – the specific being environmental information and quality information – for the period between 2015 and 2019, which corresponds to the post-Troika period when some economic growth started to be witnessed. The specific information of each area is translated into the environmental certification by the ISO 14001 standard, the quality certification by the ISO 9001 standard, and sustainability reports.

Design/methodology/approach

To achieve this aim, four variables were used as a measure of the companies' performance, Return on Assets (ROA), Return on Equity (ROE); Tobin's Q and EBITDA Margin. With this data, different panel models were tested to validate if ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certifications impact Portuguese listed companies performance. Specifically, the authors have used the Generalized Method of Moments, GMM-System, an estimation method proposed by Arellano and Bover (1995) and Blundell and Bond (1998).

Findings

The results show that, in general, the environment and quality variables fail to explain the dependent variables, that is, ISO certifications do not provide positive or negative variations in the performance of companies, suggesting that they are not yet as much for civil society, as well as for current or potential shareholders. When used as an independent variable, certification according to the ISO 14001 or 9001 standards, negative and significant oscillations were verified in the dependent variable, MgEBITDA, suggesting that only for managers this variable is determinant, but with a negative impact, given the high costs, it entails without pressure from other stakeholders.

Originality/value

This study is the first to analyze the impact of the adoption of ISO 14001 and ISO 9001 on Portuguese companies' performance. This empirical study aims to show all investors, managers, regulators and civil society itself the long path that still needs to be taken toward sustainability.

Details

International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1741-0401

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 16 August 2023

Parag S. Shukla and Sofia Devi Shamurailatpam

The connotation of sustainable tourism occupies prime importance in the light of prevalent pandemic situations across the globe. One such deliberation is the construct of…

Abstract

The connotation of sustainable tourism occupies prime importance in the light of prevalent pandemic situations across the globe. One such deliberation is the construct of regenerative travel, a type of “matured tourism” with restoration and rejuvenation of destinations as its pillars. With the COVID-19 pandemic, the tourism rate was dropped by nearly 65% across the world, leaving the countries' economies shattered and communities depending on tourism experiencing massive unemployment. However, regenerative tourism provides a way to secure a future of tourism and allows the communities to coexist with tourist attractions and sustain new models of tourism. This chapter examined the concept of regenerative tourism to build resilience particularly during the post-COVID-19 pandemic. The result shows various strategies for implementation of regenerative tourism, framework approach not recovery of tourism and renewing of tourism. Additionally, implications of regenerative tourism could be foreseen, and a roadmap is provided for the tourism stakeholders.

Details

Resilient and Sustainable Destinations After Disaster
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80382-022-4

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 26 September 2022

Brinda Sampat, Sahil Raj, Abhishek Behl and Sofia Schöbel

This paper examines the influence of facilitators and barriers on employees’ preference to work in a hybrid model. The study uses the theoretical lens of…

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Abstract

Purpose

This paper examines the influence of facilitators and barriers on employees’ preference to work in a hybrid model. The study uses the theoretical lens of stimulus-organism-response (SOR) and dual factor theory (DFT). It examines the influence of health consciousness (stimulus), facilitators (e.g. work flexibility, work–life balance and team building) (organism) and barriers (e.g. pandemic and travel stressor and role overload [organism] on employees’ preference to work in a hybrid model) (response). Further, it tests the moderating influence of organizational culture.

Design/methodology/approach

A questionnaire survey was conducted among employees in India, Sri Lanka and Germany, obtaining 281 usable questionnaires. Structural equation modeling (SEM) using Warp PLS 7.0 was used as the analytical technique to examine the model fit and test hypotheses.

Findings

The findings reveal that health consciousness is essential in enhancing facilitators and motivating employees to prefer a hybrid working model. The study’s findings also prove the positive influence of work flexibility, work–life balance and team building as facilitators. The results suggest that pandemic and travel stressors inhibit employees’ preference for working in a hybrid model.

Research limitations/implications

The study is based on a cross-sectional research design to generalise the findings. Future researchers can utilize longitudinal design to decipher the variation in response over time. The study has developed a model combining SOR with DFT; the authors suggest that future researchers use other theories in combination with SOR, like self-determination theory (SDT), to decipher the influence of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation of employees in the context of the hybrid working model.

Practical implications

This study identifies the need for open communication with the employees to overcome their concerns regarding the hybrid working model. The study also suggests that human resource (HR) managers need to prioritize the task that needs to be accomplished from the office versus working from home. The authors recommend various measures, like water cooler breaks and a buddy system, to motivate employees to work in a hybrid model.

Originality/value

This study is among the first studies focused on the hybrid working model. The current study adds to the limited literature on the facilitators and barriers of working in a hybrid work model.

Article
Publication date: 25 October 2019

Ulf Aagerup, Anna-Sofia Frank and Evelina Hultqvist

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of rational green packaging claims vs emotional green packaging claims on consumers’ purchase propensity for organic coffee.

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of rational green packaging claims vs emotional green packaging claims on consumers’ purchase propensity for organic coffee.

Design/methodology/approach

Three within-subjects experiment were carried out (N=87, N=245, N=60). The experimental design encompasses packaging with rational green claims, emotional green claims, as well as a neutral (control) claim. Measured variables are introduced to assess participants’ environmental commitment and information processing ability. A manipulated between-subjects variable is introduced to test how distraction interacts with preference for the claims.

Findings

Overall, consumers prefer products with green claims over those with neutral (control) claims, and products with emotional green claims to those with rational green claims. The studies also reveal that this effect is moderated by participants’ environmental commitment, information processing ability and by distraction. The findings were statistically significant (p<0.05).

Research limitations/implications

As a lab experiment, the study provides limited generalizability and external validity.

Practical implications

For most organic FMCG products, it is advisable to employ emotional packaging claims.

Social implications

The presented findings provide marketers with tools to influence consumer behavior toward sustainable choices.

Originality/value

The paper validates previous contributions on the effects of product claim types, and extends them by introducing comprehensive empirical data on all the Elaboration Likelihood Model’s criteria for rational decision-making; motivation, opportunity and ability.

Details

British Food Journal, vol. 121 no. 12
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0007-070X

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 20 November 2023

Valentin Vasilev, Dimitrina Stefanova and Catalin Popescu

The development puts the problem under consideration in a strategic light and gains attention with its wide comprehensiveness on the plane of unification of the activity of…

Abstract

The development puts the problem under consideration in a strategic light and gains attention with its wide comprehensiveness on the plane of unification of the activity of several modern scientific fields, which have always had intersections, but in their essence perform rather different roles – human resources management (HRM), public relations (PR), and sustainable development (SD). Examining the possibilities of applying innovative approaches in the research of these areas, in the context of the influence of digital and smart technologies and an entirely new scientific field. In this sense, the theoretical substantiation of the thesis on the synergy between HR, PR, and sustainable development is targeted in the aspect of highlighting contemporary challenges and the relevant response to achieve organizational effectiveness, based on knowledge of the impact of digitization processes and their connection with the development of human capital in the organization.

Emphasis in the present work is placed on the relationship between the management of human capital in the organization and the influence of digital and smart technologies on these processes. Focus in the research is placed in three directions – first of all – the role of digital/smart/technologies on sustainable development. Second, the impact of digital and smart technologies on green human resource management is explored, and third, emphasis is placed on the changed role of strategic communications in the context of the digital revolution.

The development brings out some good practices and ideas in the described areas.

Details

Digitalization, Sustainable Development, and Industry 5.0
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-83753-191-2

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 3 April 2023

Efrosini Siougle, Sophia Dimelis and Nikolaos Malevris

This study explores the link between ISO 9001 certification, personal data protection and firm performance using financial balance sheet and survey data. The security aspect of…

Abstract

Purpose

This study explores the link between ISO 9001 certification, personal data protection and firm performance using financial balance sheet and survey data. The security aspect of data protection is analyzed based on the major requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation and mapped to the relevant controls of the ISO/IEC 27001/27002 standards.

Design/methodology/approach

The research analysis is based on 96 ISO 9001–certified and non-certified publicly traded manufacturing and service firms that responded to a structured questionnaire. The authors develop and empirically test their theoretical model using the structural equation modeling technique and follow a difference-in-differences econometric modeling approach to estimate financial performance differences between certified and non-certified firms accounting for the level of data protection.

Findings

The estimates indicate three core dimensions in the areas of “policies, procedures and responsibilities,” “access control management” and “risk-reduction techniques” as desirable components in establishing the concept of data security. The estimates also suggest that the data protection level has significantly impacted the performance of certified firms relative to the non-certified. Controlling for the effect of industry-level factors reveals a positive relationship between data security and high-technological intensity.

Practical implications

The results imply that improving the level of compliance to data protection enhances the link between certification and firm performance.

Originality/value

This study fills a gap in the literature by empirically testing the influence of data protection on the relationship between quality certification and firm performance.

Details

International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, vol. 73 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1741-0401

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 13 February 2017

Mariam Shahzadi, Muhammad Faraz Riaz, Sofia Anwar and Samia Nasreen

Strengthening the middle class has become a major policy goal in both developed and developing economies due to its social, economic, cultural and political importance. Keeping in…

Abstract

Purpose

Strengthening the middle class has become a major policy goal in both developed and developing economies due to its social, economic, cultural and political importance. Keeping in view the importance of middle class, the purpose of this paper is to measure the size of the middle class in the province of Punjab (the biggest province of Pakistan by population).

Design/methodology/approach

The study calculates a weighted composite index to measure the size of the middle class in the province of Punjab using the microcosmic data set, and the Pakistan Social and Living Standards Measurement 2010-2011 survey data set. The index is composed of five major socioeconomic dimensions, that is, income, occupation, education, lifestyle and housing. The above-mentioned dimensions are weighted through “principal component analysis”.

Findings

The results show that 46 percent of the population of Punjab falls in the middle class. Furthermore, the findings explain that middle class is generally an urban phenomenon in Punjab with relatively high level of education and non-manual occupations.

Originality/value

Only a limited research is available for measuring the middle class in Pakistan. The current research is an attempt to fill this gap by providing some important insight to the research in this area.

Details

International Journal of Social Economics, vol. 44 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0306-8293

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 2 October 2018

Todor Mihaylov, Tsvetomila Mihaylova, Preslav Nakov, Lluís Màrquez, Georgi D. Georgiev and Ivan Kolev Koychev

The purpose of this paper is to explore the dark side of news community forums: the proliferation of opinion manipulation trolls. In particular, it explores the idea that a user…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the dark side of news community forums: the proliferation of opinion manipulation trolls. In particular, it explores the idea that a user who is called a troll by several people is likely to be one. It further demonstrates the utility of this idea for detecting accused and paid opinion manipulation trolls and their comments as well as for predicting the credibility of comments in news community forums.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors are aiming to build a classifier to distinguish trolls vs regular users. Unfortunately, it is not easy to get reliable training data. The authors solve this issue pragmatically: the authors assume that a user who is called a troll by several people is likely to be such, which are called accused trolls. Based on this assumption and on leaked reports about actual paid opinion manipulation trolls, the authors build a classifier to distinguish trolls vs regular users.

Findings

The authors compare the profiles of paid trolls vs accused trolls vs non-trolls, and show that a classifier trained to distinguish accused trolls from non-trolls does quite well also at telling apart paid trolls from non-trolls.

Research limitations/implications

The troll detection works even for users with about 10 comments, but it achieves the best performance for users with a sizable number of comments in the forum, e.g. 100 or more. Yet, there is not such a limitation for troll comment detection.

Practical implications

The approach would help forum moderators in their work, by pointing them to the most suspicious users and comments. It would be also useful to investigative journalists who want to find paid opinion manipulation trolls.

Social implications

The authors can offer a better experience to online users by filtering out opinion manipulation trolls and their comments.

Originality/value

The authors propose a novel approach for finding paid opinion manipulation trolls and their posts.

Details

Internet Research, vol. 28 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1066-2243

Keywords

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