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1 – 10 of 30Juan Carlos Archila-Godínez, Han Chen, Gloria Cheng, Sanjana Sanjay Manjrekar and Yaohua Feng
In 2020, an outbreak of Salmonella Stanley linked to imported dried wood ear mushrooms affected 55 individuals in the United States of America. These mushrooms, commonly used in…
Abstract
Purpose
In 2020, an outbreak of Salmonella Stanley linked to imported dried wood ear mushrooms affected 55 individuals in the United States of America. These mushrooms, commonly used in Asian cuisine, require processing, like rehydration and cutting, before serving. The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention advise food preparers to use boiling water for rehydration to inactivate vegetative bacterial pathogens. Little is known about how food handlers prepare this ethnic ingredient and which handling procedures could enable Salmonella proliferation.
Design/methodology/approach
This study used content analysis to investigate handling practices for dried wood ear mushrooms as demonstrated in YouTube recipe videos and to identify food safety implications during handling of the product. A total of 125 Chinese- and English-language YouTube videos were analysed.
Findings
Major steps in handling procedures were identified, including rehydration, cutting/tearing and blanching. Around 62% of the videos failed to specify the water temperature for rehydration. Only three videos specified a water temperature of 100 °C for rehydrating the mushrooms, and 36% of the videos did not specify the soaking duration. Only one video showed handwashing, cleaning and sanitising of surfaces when handling the dried wood ear mushrooms.
Practical implications
This study found that most YouTube videos provided vague and inconsistent descriptions of the rehydration procedure, including water temperature and soaking duration. Food preparers were advised to use boiling water for rehydration to inactivate vegetative bacterial pathogens. However, boiling water alone is insufficient to inactivate all bacterial spores. Extended periods of soaking and storage could be of concern for spore germination and bacterial growth. More validation studies need to be conducted to provide guidance on how to safely handle the mushrooms.
Originality/value
This study will make a distinctive contribution to the field of food safety by being the first to investigate the handling procedure of a unique ethnic food ingredient, dried wood ear mushrooms, which has been linked to a previous outbreak and multiple recalls in the United States of America. The valuable data collected from this study can help target food handling education as well as influence future microbial validation study design and risk assessment.
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Michele Stasa Ouzký and Ondřej Machek
The goal of this paper is to examine the mediating role of organizational social capital between family firms' organizational culture, characterized by their group vs individual…
Abstract
Purpose
The goal of this paper is to examine the mediating role of organizational social capital between family firms' organizational culture, characterized by their group vs individual orientation and external vs internal orientation, and their performance.
Design/methodology/approach
A structural equation model is developed and tested in a sample of 176 US family firms recruited through Prolific Academic.
Findings
The authors show that group vs individual cultural orientation fosters bonding social capital, while external vs internal cultural orientation fosters bridging social capital. In turn, family firm performance is only enhanced by bridging social capital, not bonding social capital, which appears to have neutral to negative direct performance effects. Nevertheless, it is noteworthy that bonding social capital facilitates the establishment of bridging ties, leading to overall positive performance outcomes.
Originality/value
The understanding of how organizational culture influences family business heterogeneity and performance, along with the clarification of how bonding social capital fosters or hinders performance, provides novel insights for researchers and practitioners seeking to understand the complexities within the unique context of family businesses.
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Yanhong Chen, Luning Liu and Mingxi Zhou
Although much attention has been paid to understanding employee resistance to reform, little study has been done to explore the effect of employee resistance to public service…
Abstract
Purpose
Although much attention has been paid to understanding employee resistance to reform, little study has been done to explore the effect of employee resistance to public service units' (PSUs) reform in China. To address this need, this work aims to investigate the antecedents of employee resistance to PSUs' reform, especially from the perspective of the heterogeneity of the employees' age.
Design/methodology/approach
This study considers the PSUs in Harbin, China, as an example and uses survey questionnaires to analyze the factors influencing employees' resistance when PSUs reform. Besides, the authors developed a research model based on the status quo bias theory, the equity-implementation model.
Findings
According to the applied research model, employee resistance to PSU change is primarily influenced by perceived switching costs and benefits. According to their age, this survey also confirms how the employees responded to the reform implementation.
Research limitations/implications
The results of this empirical study inform suggestions for the sustainable development of PSUs and organizational transformations. Overall, this work advances the theoretical understanding of employees' resistance to PSUs’ reform, thereby offering practical insights for managing employee resistance during organizational change.
Originality/value
Overall, given that employee resistance emotion exists in an organization, this study offers theoretical and practical implications for change management strategies.
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As the application of artificial intelligence (AI) becomes more prevalent, many high-tech firms have employed AI applications to deal with emerging societal, technological and…
Abstract
Purpose
As the application of artificial intelligence (AI) becomes more prevalent, many high-tech firms have employed AI applications to deal with emerging societal, technological and environmental challenges. Big data analytical capability (BDAC) has become increasingly important in the AI application processes. Drawing upon the resource-based view and the theory of planned behavior, this study aims to investigate how BDAC and collaboration affect new product performance (NPP). Practically, a harmonic working team is particularly important for creating management synergies, this empirical analysis demonstrates the importance of BDAC and collaboration for NPP.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper focuses on the performance of firms that applied AI in their operations. This study collected data from firms in Greater China, including China and Taiwan, as Greater China is currently the leading manufacturer of semiconductor, electronic and electric products for AI applications in the manufacturing process. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling is employed for statistical analysis.
Findings
The analytical results indicate that BDAC positively relates to collaboration capability (CC) in AI applications but not to team collaboration (TC). CC positively correlates with TC, and both CC and TC positively correlate with NPP. Further, the mediating effect was examined using the Sobel t-test, which reveals that CC is a significant mediator in the influence of BDAC on NPP.
Practical implications
The strategic implementation of BDAC and collaboration can allow an enterprise to improve its NPP when driven by the external environment to use AI, which further enhances NPP. These processes indicate that AI and BDAC are both crucial for the success of a company’s collaboration and for effective management to improve NPP in the face of global competition.
Originality/value
This study introduces the concept of BDAC to explain the relationship between CC and TC, as they pertain to NPP. This study presented a discussion of the theoretical and practical implications of the research findings and could provide a framework for managing BDAC.
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Neringa Gerulaitiene, Asta Pundziene and Audrius Kabasinskas
While previous studies have proved the significance of family firm innovativeness (FFI), the question of how the emotion-regulation capabilities of family business managers affect…
Abstract
Purpose
While previous studies have proved the significance of family firm innovativeness (FFI), the question of how the emotion-regulation capabilities of family business managers affect FFI still remains open. This paper aims to examine the impact of the emotion-regulation capabilities of family business managers on FFI moderated by the family involvement in business management.
Design/methodology/approach
The present study is based on a quantitative research design. Data were collected with the help of a telephone survey. Overall, 192 family firms were surveyed, and the results were analysed using structural equation modelling (SEM).
Findings
The findings indicate that managers' emotion-regulation capabilities (independent variable) positively impact FFI (dependent variable). The research results also indicate that having more family members involved in the business (moderating variable) can lead to better innovation outcomes, assuming these family managers have sufficient emotion-regulating capabilities.
Research limitations/implications
The research context could be broadened by differentiating between the industries in which family firms operate. This could aid a better understanding of the challenges, opportunities and market trends in different sectors. Future research might also include more diverse countries with deep family business traditions, strengthening the robustness of the findings across more varied contexts.
Originality/value
Using a multi-level perspective, this study contributes to the dynamic managerial capabilities and family business literature by showing that, in an environment where familial relationships can affect working relationships, the ability of managers to control their emotions and others' emotions can be a critical managerial resource that impacts FFI.
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The broader analytical framing of systematically distorted communication (SDC) helps extract value out of the enormous amount of scholarship on fake news.
Abstract
Purpose
The broader analytical framing of systematically distorted communication (SDC) helps extract value out of the enormous amount of scholarship on fake news.
Design/methodology/approach
The massive literature on fake news has been the subject of handbook overviews, systematic literature reviews, summaries, taxonomies, citation studies and so on. Deploying these tools, the approaches that the literature takes can be characterized, Habermas' concept of systematically distorted communication (SDC) will then be presented in its context, reviewed and put to work to frame fake news research to tell us new things that individual pieces of specific analysis and research do not. Conclusions will be offered from this analysis.
Findings
Fake news research has become repetitive, revolving around themes such as the fate of journalism, the role of technology, remediating its effects and deep dives into definitional components (disinformation, misinformation, lies and so on). A broader framing of systematically distorted communication allows us to arrive at some conclusions about contemporary fake news: that it is a power strategy with a particular right-wing slant and it creates a sociology – that is, its own interpretive environment – hostile to democratic functioning. It answers the question: what is fake news for?
Originality/value
A perspective on fake news research is much needed and Habermas' concept is a useful framing mechanism for the large corpus of research. Systematically distorted communication asks – and answers – different questions of the research. Meanwhile, SDC itself is modified by its application to fake news research and contemporary conditions.
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Ayuba Jerry Likita, Mostafa Babaeian Jelodar, V Vishnupriya and James Olabode Bamidele Rotimi
The construction industry is inefficient in terms of quality products, productivity and performance worldwide, including in Australia and New Zealand. The construction industry is…
Abstract
Purpose
The construction industry is inefficient in terms of quality products, productivity and performance worldwide, including in Australia and New Zealand. The construction industry is becoming more innovative, competitive and complex; and more participants are involved in construction projects. There are new attempts to implement the Lean construction philosophy, integrated project delivery method and building information modelling (BIM) technology in construction industry to improve productivity and efficiency. This paper aims to identify Lean and BIM integration benefits in construction industry globally and in the New Zealand.
Design/methodology/approach
A systematic literature review and case studies were used to identify various benefits of the integrating Lean and BIM in construction industry. It focused on articles published between 1995 and 2021.
Findings
Lean and BIM benefits identified in the study were documented such as benefits over the traditional approach, critically increased efficiency and visualization, better building process, better building performance, mitigating risk and reduce cost. Also, several factors were identified as major benefits such as improved onsite collaboration, better coordination, improve onsite communication, increase productivity, mitigating risk, reducing waste and reduced cost. The study showed integrating Lean and BIM in construction management practice will help reduce several challenges which affect expected goals and customer anticipation. The research outcome ultimately will assist different stakeholders in applying Lean and BIM in construction management practice.
Originality/value
This study practically focused on using the integration of BIM and Lean principles to improve the construction industry productivity and performance.
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Thi-Thao-Nguyen Nguyen, Sy Tien Do, Viet Thanh Nguyen and Thu Anh Nguyen
This study aims to identify the enabling factors for Building Information Modeling (BIM) adoption in Vietnamese construction enterprises and uncover their interrelationships. This…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to identify the enabling factors for Building Information Modeling (BIM) adoption in Vietnamese construction enterprises and uncover their interrelationships. This will help stakeholders focus on controlling and allocating resources (time, personnel, and costs) appropriately to adopt BIM and differentiate themselves from fierce competition in the architectural, engineering, construction and operations (AECO) industry.
Design/methodology/approach
This study first identifies and evaluates 32 enabling factors for applying BIM in the Vietnamese construction industry according to the TOE extended framework. Afterwards, a hybrid questionnaire survey using a convenient sampling method is conducted to capture stakeholders' views. The exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and the partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) technique are then applied to identify the constructs of the enabling factors and their interrelationships.
Findings
The study extracts six constructs that could have a significant impact on the adoption of BIM in construction enterprises, namely: technical feasibility (TF), human resources and management (HRM), company business vision (CBV), political environment (PE), economic viability (EV), and legal aspects (LA). Based on eleven proposed hypotheses, the analysis results confirm nine hypotheses and show that the HRM, TF, and CBV have the strongest effects on managers in evaluating the factors for BIM.
Originality/value
The results of the study fill the gap in knowledge by discovering the interrelationships among the enabling factors for BIM adoption in construction enterprises. The results might support the construction enterprises and their stakeholders in increasing the application of BIM, and digital transformation in construction industry.
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Francesco Aiello, Paola Cardamone, Lidia Mannarino and Valeria Pupo
The purpose of this study is to investigate whether and how inter-firm cooperation and firm age moderate the relationship between family ownership and productivity.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to investigate whether and how inter-firm cooperation and firm age moderate the relationship between family ownership and productivity.
Design/methodology/approach
We first estimate the total factor productivity (TFP) of a large sample of Italian firms observed over the period 2010–2018 and then apply a Poisson random effects model.
Findings
TFP is, on average, higher for non-family firms (non-FFs) than for FF. Furthermore, inter-organizational cooperation and firm age mitigate the negative effect of family ownership. In detail, it is found that belonging to a network acts as a moderator in different ways according to firm age. Indeed, young FFs underperform non-FF peers, although the TFP gap decreases with age. In contrast, the benefits of a formal network are high for older FFs, suggesting that an age-related learning process is at work.
Practical implications
The study provides evidence that FFs can outperform non-FFs when they move away from Socio-Emotional Wealth-centered reference points and exploit knowledge flows arising from high levels of social capital. In the case of mature FFs, networking is a driver of TFP, allowing them to acquire external resources. Since FFs often do not have sufficient in-house knowledge and resources, they must be aware of the value of business cooperation. While preserving the familiar identity of small companies, networks grant FFs the competitive and scale advantages of being large.
Originality/value
Despite the wide but ambiguous body of research on the performance gap between FFs and non-FFs, little is known about the role of FFs’ heterogeneity. This study has proven successful in detecting age as a factor in heterogeneity, specifically to explain the network effect on the link between ownership and TFP. Based on a representative sample, the study provides a solid framework for FFs, policymakers and academic research on family-owned companies.
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Ali Raza, Muhammad Ishtiaq Ishaq, Dima R. Jamali, Haleema Zia and Narjes Haj-Salem
This study aims to assess the direct impact of workplace hazing and the indirect impact via moral disengagement on organizational deviance behavior and negative word-of-mouth…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to assess the direct impact of workplace hazing and the indirect impact via moral disengagement on organizational deviance behavior and negative word-of-mouth (WOM) communication in the hospitality industry of Pakistan. This research also addresses the significance of psychological (resilience) and social factors (friendship prevalence) as moderators of the relationship between workplace hazing and moral disengagement.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a multirespondent strategy, the data was collected from 319 newcomers employed in the Pakistani hospitality industry and analyzed using structural equation modeling.
Findings
The results reveal that workplace hazing increases moral disengagement, organizational deviance and negative WOM communication. Moreover, various psychological factors can significantly decrease and mediate the negative influence of workplace hazing on moral disengagement.
Practical implications
The managers should explicitly and formally handle the workplace hazing issues like harassment and bullying to build a positive working environment for newcomers.
Originality/value
This study addresses a gap in determining the significance of workplace hazing and its impact on moral disengagement, organizational deviance and negative WOM communication. Also, this study contributes to the literature by examining either social or psychological factors that play an important role in dampening the negative impact of workplace hazing.
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