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Drought and salinity intrusion aggravated by climate change threaten agricultural livelihoods in Viet Nan's Mekong Delta. In response, authorities have built water management infrastructure for irrigation and salinity protection. This study assessed the impact of one such project, the Ba Lai dam in Ben Tre province, on the livelihoods of aquaculture farmers.

This study uses the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework to assess the impact of the Ba Lai dam on the livelihood capitals of 18 farming households in four communes, located both upstream and downstream of the dam.

The authors find that, apart from some positive effects, the dam has also brought negative environmental consequences, such as increased water pollution. The authors also find that farmers have responded to the changes by adapting their livelihood practices.

The samples were relatively small, encompassing four communes in Ben Tre province. On the other hand, this case study is instructive to the many ongoing infrastructure projects in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta.

The project have caused an increase in water-related social conflict.

The case of the Ba Lai dam provides a cautionary example for infrastructure-based water management plans, both in Viet Nam and more broadly. The study suggests the need to strengthen community participation and prioritize impacts of farmers' capital assets when constructing water management infrastructure for climate change adaptation.

In 2007, Best Buy was the leading electronics retailer in the United States with more than 941 stores, revenue totaling $31 billion, and a market cap of $21 billion. In 2005, Best Buy had adopted a new business model, culture, and customer-segmentation template called Customer Centricity. This move created volatility in the price of Best Buy stock because of the higher-than-expected employee costs that went with this new way of doing business and the difficulty of executing the old and the new business models simultaneously while the new model was rolled out. Best Buy responded to Wall Street's short-term focus in a myriad of ways. It first asked for investor patience, and stressed the strong operating results achieved in Best Buy stores operating under the new model. But in June 2007, after the stock dropped again, the CEO knew he had to decide whether to open more Best Buy stores, increase the company's dividend, or increase the stock-repurchase program.

The purpose of this paper is to study, a bridged-T topology with inductorless passive network used as a bandpass (BP) negative group delay (NGD) function.

The BP NGD topology under study is composed of an inductorless passive resistive capacitive network. The circuit analysis is elaborated from the equivalent impedance matrix. Then, the analytical model of the C-shunt bridged-T topology voltage transfer function is established. The BP NGD analysis of the considered topology is developed in function of the bridged-T parameters. The NGD properties and characterizations of the proposed topology are analytically expressed. Moreover, the relevance of the BP NGD theory is verified with the design and fabrication of surface mounted device components-based proof-of-concept (PoC).

From measurement results, the BP NGD network with −151 ns at the center frequency of 1 MHz over −6.6 dB attenuation is in very good agreement with the C-shunt bridged-T PoC.

This paper develops a mathematical modeling theory and measurement of a C-shunt bridged-T network circuit.

Sustainable development requires a mental shift that induces behavioral modification. Education is central to sustainable development as it alters an individual's worldview. Egypt is a signatory to Agenda 2030 and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Many Egyptian educational institutions have adopted the universal trend of incorporating sustainability and SDGs into their curricula. A recent UN assessment reports that Egypt faces challenges in meeting most SDGs. Therefore, this article investigates how students' knowledge, attitude and practices reflect their awareness regarding sustainability? Has their education induced any behavioral changes? What is the instructors' role in mainstreaming sustainability?

The article investigates the progression of environmental consciousness among Egyptian architectural students and its relationship to sustainability. There are two sources of data: (1) documents, including study plans and course descriptions, and (2) a questionnaire developed and distributed electronically among students from public, private and international schools. The authors used a variety of data analysis methods. They used SPSS for statistical analysis to determine similarities among the students and correlations between variables. They then used Atlas.ti to analyze curricula, study plans and student replies to open-ended questions.

The interrogated curricula equate sustainability with the environment, as some consider energy conservation equivalent to environmental conservation and protection. Others emphasized environmental control issues as measures of green architecture. The results suggest that students' knowledge and awareness are not conducive to practices expected to yield sustainable designs. The impact of architectural and planning education on altering their attitudes is minimal. Public schools treat students as passive objects, whereas international and some private schools attempt to adhere to the globally accepted architectural pedagogy ideals, transforming the student's mindset.

Education in architecture is crucial to achieving sustainable development because it prepares future professionals who can contribute to sustainability through their practice. The findings show that architectural and planning education has a negligible effect on students' knowledge and attitudes, which influence their practices. Reforming architectural and planning education is a requirement to accomplish the SDGs. The reform requires instructors to introduce students to the theory of knowledge and critical thinking, thus enabling graduates to be competitive in global labor markets. Reforming education will direct the research agenda of staff members and graduate students toward contemporary research problems.

The research method that mixes qualitative and quantitative methods of inquiry is the first aspect of the originality of the research. Linking teaching methods in the studio with instructors' understanding of sustainability can explain why sustainable development is not clear in architectural and planning education in Egypt, which influences both professional practice and scientific research. Finally, the paper highlights the role of universities to be sustainable in embedding the concept and changing students' mindsets, thus improving Egypt's stand on the SDGs index.

An Indian emerging market positioning taxonomy has been developed in response to the literature review's findings that existing positioning typologies/taxonomies are based on managerial perspectives rather than consumer/customer perceptions and are only developed for advanced countries.

This study employs a three-step process for developing and validating a scale in order to conduct its research. In the first phase, items are generated and selected based on a literature review, focus groups and expert opinion. Exploratory factor analysis is used to fine-tune the scale in the second phase. Phase 3 uses CFA to establish convergent, discriminant and nomological validity through the use of CFA.

A consumer-based taxonomy of positioning strategies were developed as a result of the research. Six distinct positioning strategies emerged that was named (1) Value for Money, (2) Functional (3) Premiumisation, (4) Promotional Campaign, (5) Brand Name (6) Visual Aesthetics.

Developing and validating measurement scales will be made easier with the help of this paper. Target populations, industry and geography selection and a cross-sectional time horizon are just a few of the study's drawbacks.

The study's practical implications include six factors/strategies that managers, advertising executives and marketing experts of consumer electronics companies in the Indian emerging market could use to position their products, resulting in the overall success of their organisations.

This study adds to the marketing literature by providing a solid theoretical foundation and a validated instrument for operationalising positioning strategies.

At the end of the case, a successful learner will be able to:▪ develop sound criteria to guide investors entering into hotel management agreements (HMAs);▪ reconcile principal and agent disputes through the lens of an agency framework; and▪ evaluate the impact of the work environment on employee and organisational outcomes.

Muyiwa, Chairman of Fara Ltd., signed a HMA with Aytello Hotel Group to operate his hotel in Nigeria, the Mélange Abuja. Aytello was an international hotel management company based in the USA. It was a renowned operator with several brands in its portfolio. The Mélange brand was contemporary, upscale and targeted young business guests with an appetite for adventure. It was the first Mélange to have opened in West Africa. A management agreement was signed in August 2016, which meant that Aytello was now responsible for operating the hotel on behalf of its Owner, Muyiwa. On his part, Muyiwa provided the funds needed to run the hotel profitably. However, soon after the opening, the operator and owner showed signs of conflict. Muyiwa began to distrust the operator and intervened directly in operations. The frequent clashes between Muyiwa and the operator soon led to an impasse that made productive dialogue difficult. As relationships soured, Muyiwa needed to make a decision soon. This case study is designed to teach agency relationships in organisational behaviour.

This case study is designed for business leaders on executive programmes and postgraduate students.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 12: Tourism and Hospitality.

This paper aims to study the role of foreign direct investment (FDI) channels in improving local firms' productivity. Two transmission channels of knowledge spillovers are empirically investigated. The study focuses on the role of high-growth firms (HGFs) that are assumed to have a higher absorptive capacity.

A threshold regression model that considers country and sector fixed effects is applied to investigate 8525 firms across 50 sectors in 12 developing countries in the East Asia and Pacific (EAP) region.

The author's findings indicate that first, larger firms with external market linkages are more productive. Second, high-growth enterprises are powerful engines of job creation; however, the firms do not outperform other firms in terms of capacity in absorbing FDI spillovers and do not have higher productivity.

The findings highlight the necessity of rethinking public policy priorities to support firm growth. Policies to maximize the gains from FDI spillovers are discussed.

This is the first study to investigate the strength of FDI spillover channels across different sectors, and the channels' impact on the productivity of local enterprises in the EAP region. This study also explores the potential role of high-growth firms (HGFs) in this interaction via job creation and improving output growth rate.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how the power dynamics between the client firm and the supplier firm in the information technology outsourcing (ITO) supplier chain influence the supplier firm's human resource management (HRM) practices, particularly talent retention.

A multi-case study approach was adopted comprising four supplier firms, three client firms and a total of 53 interviews. The transaction cost economics (TCE) is the theoretical lens that guides the interpretation of our findings.

The power dynamics between client and supplier firms in the ITO supply chain is one underpinned by TCE theory, characterised by an asymmetric client-dominated, transactional relationship, with the client firms controlling the “why”, the “what”, and the “how” dimensions of their collaboration. This “three-dimensional control” led to high talent turnover in supplier firms, which boomerangs to perpetuate the power dynamic, forming “vicious cycles of talent turnover” in the ITO supplier chain.

No previous study has analysed power dynamics as an external factor on ITO supplier firms' talent retention. The construct of the “three-dimensional-control” offers a framework to study power dynamics in the ITO supplier chain. The study’s framework of the “vicious cycles of talent turnover” is the first that explains the mechanisms through which the power dynamics in the ITO influences supplier's talent retention.

As cross-cultural mergers and acquisitions (M&A) have learning effects on organisations, assessing their impacts on corporate performance is crucial. This study aims to explore the impact of inter-firm cultural differences on long-term post-M&A stock market performance.

The authors select domestic M&A transactions of Chinese listed companies during 2010–2021 as the sample. Then, the authors use the partial least squares structural equation model (PLS-SEM) to construct the latent variable of cultural differences in four dimensions to explore long-term stock market performance.

Cultural differences first positively and then negatively impact post-M&A performance. Three transmissions mechanisms are identified: investor sentiment, takeover premiums and information disclosure quality. Further analysis reveals that acquirer stock performance improves with higher analyst coverage and non-local shareholders but worsens if there are business affiliations between the acquirer and target firms.

This study can help optimise information disclosure systems in M&A transactions for regulatory authorities and aid investors’ understanding of post-M&A performance changes. Furthermore, it can improve acquirers’ understanding of the risks and opportunities in cross-cultural M&A, thereby facilitating the adaptation of management practices to the im-pacts of cultural differences.

By integrating the theories of resource dependence and transaction costs, this study examines the reversal effect of cultural differences between merging companies on post-M&A performance. The authors use a PLS-SEM to empirically analyse the main effects and reveal three transmission mechanisms.

This paper aims to examine how market globalization orientation (i.e. a firm’s strategic commitment to developing the target markets beyond national borders) influences business-to-business (B2B) practices to achieve competitive performance outcomes.

A conceptual framework shows how to translate strategic orientation into integrated organizational practices for competitive outcomes. A research model defines key variables (drivers, B2B practices and performance outcomes). The research model is tested using an international survey of 439 firms from four continents. And the analysis results are reported.

The results suggest that market globalization orientation influences organizational practices and external B2B network processes to achieve desirable performance outcomes. Integrated product development is a crucial linkage mechanism that enables firms to translate strategic network coordination and product innovation goals into improved manufacturing and firm performance.

First, macro-level factors (e.g. the changing attitudes of domestic stakeholders toward globalization) do not necessarily dictate the critical aspects of the micro-level responses (e.g. firm-level practices). Despite negative narratives of globalization at the macro-level (e.g. economic inequality, unwanted immigration that spreads transmissible diseases, supply chain disruptions), firm-level responses toward global markets are determined by their missional direction and strategic priorities for achieving competitive advantage by expanding their B2B supply chains and market frontiers (Adams et al., 2019; Kobrin, 2020; Witt, 2019; Zinn and Goldsby, 2020). Second, the findings suggest that many firms take globalization orientation as an essential strategic driver that governs critical operational and network practices for achieving desirable performance outcomes. Market globalization orientation motivates B2B firms of all sizes –including small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) – to pursue globalization in their unique paths of differentiation. Globalization orientation expands their spheres of influence beyond their local, regional and domestic fronts. The globalization orientation of business leadership motivates firms to stretch their business frontiers without self-imposed geographical constraints.

Competitive firms choose market globalization orientation in their supply flow and implement strategic and operational practices to pursue global market opportunities. Globalization orientation is imperative to firms that seek new growth engines to achieve competitive performance that appeals to diverse market segments of the world.

Outstanding firms expand their value frontiers to secure a flexible supplier base and reach out to diverse B2B customers in their domestic and global market segments. This study also suggests that firms with a market globalization orientation aim to develop novelty products, offer essential services, support the livelihood goals of people and pursue a shared vision of a sustainable planet.

In the context of conflicting societal attitudes and political priorities toward globalization, this study examines the crucial role of market globalization orientation. Using an empirical study, this paper suggests that globalization efforts succeed as firms deploy their internal and network resources to address people’s essential and timeless needs beyond national boundaries.