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1 – 10 of 331Silalak Sritima Grove, Suthirat Kittipongvises and Nutta Taneepanichskul
This study aims to assess the status of sustainable performance, given the significance of indoor air quality related to health and the environment. This research focus on the…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to assess the status of sustainable performance, given the significance of indoor air quality related to health and the environment. This research focus on the current status of indoor air quality management in these universities and simplifies its relevance and criticality in safeguarding the well-being of the academic community and the environment.
Design/methodology/approach
This study used the Unit-based Sustainability Assessment Tool (USAT) as a comprehensive instrument to assess sustainability performance across various modules: Operations Management, Research, Education and Social/Community. In-depth interviews were conducted across the 11 public universities in Thailand to gain a comprehensive understanding of the current practices, challenges and initiatives related to indoor air quality and sustainability management. The approach provides a foundation for future research to identify causal factors and potential solutions for the observed indoor air quality management gaps.
Findings
The research outcomes underscore the outstanding efforts in academic research, with many institutions showcasing advanced measures and a solid dedication to mitigating air pollution. However, there is a noticeable disparity in the practical management of indoor air quality, with many universities presenting unsatisfactory conditions for professors, academic staff and students.
Practical implications
Recognizing that proficient indoor air quality (IAQ) management strengthens the practical and scholarly intersection, this document highlights a crucial alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and health implications. It advocates for carefully implementing pragmatic IAQ strategies within academic institutions, guiding the pathway towards sustainable, health-conscious environments.
Social implications
This research addressed indoor air quality (IAQ) within universities. The document intertwines health implications and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), revealing a significant gap between academic research and practical IAQ management. While universities are committed to sustainability and community engagement, inconsistencies in IAQ management practices impact staff and student well-being and productivity. This exploration underscores the universal applicability of IAQ management strategies, driving educational institutions towards cultivating healthier, sustainable indoor environments globally.
Originality/value
This research introduces a new approach integrating air quality assessment and sustainability management in Thai universities. It aims to bridge the gap between environmental health and education. The Unit-based Sustainability Assessment Tool is developed as a part of this research, which provides new insights into improving indoor environments. This tool is fundamental for health and learning. The significance of this research lies in guiding policy and campus management towards sustainable, health-promoting practices, thereby adding value to the discourse on educational sustainability. This work can pave the way for enhanced well-being in academic settings, marking a significant step forward in sustainable educational practices.
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Khoa Nguyen Van, Huyen Pham Thi and Thuy Anh Phan
The research aimed to identify factors influencing customer loyalty in the use of mobile telecommunication services in Vietnam, focusing on two dimensions “attitudinal loyalty”…
Abstract
Purpose
The research aimed to identify factors influencing customer loyalty in the use of mobile telecommunication services in Vietnam, focusing on two dimensions “attitudinal loyalty” and “behavioral loyalty.”
Design/methodology/approach
Based on survey data collected from 820 in two of Vietnam’s major cities users, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, the data were processed using SPSS and AMOS software.
Findings
The study identified four factors affecting customer loyalty to mobile telecommunication services, with perceived service quality directly impacting both attitudinal and behavioral loyalty. Corporate image and perceived switching costs influenced attitudinal loyalty, while trust affected behavioral loyalty. Moreover, perceived service quality indirectly influenced attitudinal loyalty through corporate image and perceived switching costs.
Research limitations/implications
The study only focuses on a limited number of factors influencing mobile telecommunications service user loyalty, its restricted geographical sample from only Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, and the simplification of perceived switching costs without considering their various components, such as psychological, financial and procedural costs, which could provide more comprehensive experimental and theoretical insights.
Practical implications
The study reveals that customer loyalty in Vietnam’s mobile telecommunications sector is linked to the relationship between attitude toward the service provider and continued usage behavior, categorizing customer groups into genuine loyalty, latent loyalty, feigned loyalty and disloyalty. It suggests that service providers should focus on improving service quality and cultivating a positive, transparent corporate image to bolster customer trust, foster stable relationships and remain competitive in the market.
Originality/value
The research model combines Oliver’s (1999) theory of loyalty with Aydin and Özer’s (2005) research model, focusing on perceived service quality, corporate image, trust and perceived switching costs, examining their relationships with both behavioral and attitudinal loyalty simultaneously.
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This study aims to develop a model for readiness measurement and to study readiness levels for online testing of undergraduate students in Thailand’s distance education programs.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to develop a model for readiness measurement and to study readiness levels for online testing of undergraduate students in Thailand’s distance education programs.
Design/methodology/approach
In total, 870 undergraduate students enrolled in the 2022 academic year of a Thai university were sampled for the study. The samples were divided into two groups: Group 1 comprised 432 students who underwent exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and Group 2 comprised 438 students who underwent second-order confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Both were multi-stage random samples. Descriptive statistics, item-total correlations (ITCs), coefficient correlations, EFA and second-order CFA were used.
Findings
The readiness for the online testing model comprised 5 factors and 33 indicators. These included self-efficacy (SE) in utilizing technology (nine indicators), self-directed learning (SL) for readiness testing (six indicators), adequacy of technology (AT) for testing (five indicators), acceptance of online testing (AC) (seven indicators) and readiness training for testing (six indicators). The model was congruent with empirical data, and the survey results indicated that students were highly prepared at the “high” level.
Practical implications
This study disclosed several factors and indicators involved in the readiness for online testing. The university may use these findings in preparing its students for online testing for better achievement.
Originality/value
These findings may serve as a framework for the analysis of the readiness issues for online testing of undergraduate students and also offer guidance to the universities preparing to offer online testing.
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Rojanasak Chomvilailuk and Ken Butcher
The paper aims to investigate how perceived psychological benefits from employee participation in corporate social responsibility activities affect organizational citizenship…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper aims to investigate how perceived psychological benefits from employee participation in corporate social responsibility activities affect organizational citizenship behavior across two Asia–Pacific countries with different national cultures.
Design/methodology/approach
A stakeholder relationship model, based on social exchange theory, underpinned the investigation that also tested the mediating role of organizational pride. In a cross-cultural context, data were collected from 319 full-time employees in Thailand and the US and analyzed with SEM-PLS.
Findings
Anticipated psychological benefits of hedonic value and perceived community value were found to be significant antecedents of organizational citizenship behaviors, operationalized as customer-directed CSR advocacy. Organizational pride played a partial mediating role.
Originality/value
This study addresses a lack of micro-level CSR research into the relationship between psychological benefits of employee participation in CSR and organizational citizenship behavior. Specifically, this is the first study to link CSR drivers with customer-directed employee advocacy of the firms CSR activities. The study is also the first to compare relationships between an Asian and Western context for CSR drivers of organizational citizenship behaviors.
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Thi Trang Giang, Cong-Hoang Nguyen and Yi-Hui Ho
Well-being is an important dimension of human life but plays a controversial role in organizations, especially in different working environments. This study aims to explore the…
Abstract
Purpose
Well-being is an important dimension of human life but plays a controversial role in organizations, especially in different working environments. This study aims to explore the role of well-being in work from home (WFH) context, and its consequence on job outcomes among accountants in a fast-developing country, Vietnam.
Design/methodology/approach
A quantitative study is conducted with the data from Vietnamese accountants who had to work from home during the pandemic time. Partial least squares structural equation modeling method is applied to analyze the data.
Findings
The results show a direct and significant relationship of WFH with the employees’ well-being and job satisfaction (JS). Well-being fully mediates the influence of home-based work and JS on job performance.
Originality/value
This study generates valuable knowledge and practical implication in organizational policies and initiatives that aim to enhance employees’ well-being and promote positive job outcomes in the context of remote work. Organization employers should take their employees’ well-being as a key factor and consider it in personnel policy to enhance their work performance.
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Mark Weeks and Freda Gonot-Schoupinsky
The purpose of this article is to garner insight into positive introversion, meaning experiences of introverted behaviour that may be perceived as positive and perform positive…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this article is to garner insight into positive introversion, meaning experiences of introverted behaviour that may be perceived as positive and perform positive functions in one’s life. The subject is Mark Weeks, whose primary research has been in cultural studies and philosophy, particularly focusing on laughter and humour, during a career spent mostly at Nagoya University in Japan.
Design/methodology/approach
This case study uses positive autoethnography, a methodology that was co-conceived by Weeks. It includes a 10-question interview.
Findings
The authors learn how Weeks has positively embraced his introversion to negotiate challenges in his life, fostering resilience, gratitude and joyful experience. In the process, Weeks foregrounds the importance of solitary laughter and humour in his existential journey.
Research limitations/implications
Introversion is often depicted negatively in the literature. Yet, much introversion is and can be developed as, positive.
Practical implications
The narrative shared here is one of trials, exploration and discovery, offering practical insight for introverts and those interested in understanding introverted behaviour in general.
Social implications
Positively embracing aspects of introversion can be an important step for introverts in finding a healthy and enjoyable balance between the social and the solitary. Indeed, the same may apply to extraverts who fear being alone. Greater social recognition of valuable experiences within solitude could help to produce more tolerant and adaptable societies.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is an original article, narrated by a contributor to the development of positive autoethnography. It focuses on areas of personal experience that are often marginalized and poorly understood, including positive potentials of introversion and of solitary laughter.
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Beyond symptomatic communication barriers between designers and communities, glocal resiliency building (GRB) by intercultural groups often challenges traditional service-learning…
Abstract
Purpose
Beyond symptomatic communication barriers between designers and communities, glocal resiliency building (GRB) by intercultural groups often challenges traditional service-learning trajectories. Without ambitious performance hurdles, two higher education institutions from Australia and Thailand built rapport via their shared love for Bamboo to level hierarchies between groups: architects, both social and professional.
Design/methodology/approach
The author used Basho’s “self” – object nexus, as depicted in “Learn Bamboo from Bamboo” Haiku, as a methodology to structure our observations of stakeholders (Haas, 1994). This reflective account, narrated through a tabulated account of iterative engagements among various stakeholders, narrates the metacognitive process of GRB.
Findings
Amidst intercultural communication tensions that could have alienated efforts, Bamboo’s resourcefulness prompted positive stakeholder interactions. Interculturally relatable Bamboo culture could become an effective mode of communication via a synthesis of craft and construction to cultivate culturally intelligent behaviours.
Research limitations/implications
Bamboo was a technology of community that overcame cultural tensions by completing an architectural product.
Originality/value
Despite different languages, work ethics and uneasiness, this activism project sensitised differentiating perspectives to transform traditional knowledge hierarchies to negotiate local know-how. Hence, it highlights activism as a methodology for figuring out the unknown layered in spatial and aspatial attributes of material cultures.
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Ruijuan Li, Yuanchun Zhou, Hua Wang and Qi Wang
Reusable takeaway food containers (RTFCs) are a newly emerging green packaging choice for the takeaway industry that can effectively reduce campus solid waste but are not yet well…
Abstract
Purpose
Reusable takeaway food containers (RTFCs) are a newly emerging green packaging choice for the takeaway industry that can effectively reduce campus solid waste but are not yet well accepted. Therefore, this study aims to identify the key factors influencing university students’ intention to choose RTFCs, seeking to enhance RTFC project management practices and contribute to developing a sustainable “green university.”
Design/methodology/approach
In total, 316 valid respondents from a Chinese university were surveyed for data collection. A multivariate ordered logistic regression model was used to conduct empirical analysis.
Findings
The results of this study underscore the crucial role of perceived value in the relationship between perceived green attributes and students’ intention to choose RTFCs. The positive impacts of perceived green attributes on intention are direct and indirect, through the lens of perceived value. When the value is substantial, it significantly boosts the student’s intention to choose RTFCs. Conversely, the perception of lower hygienic quality or higher returning time cost dampens this intention, with a more pronounced effect than perceived green attributes. Notably, perceived publicity activities have the most significant impact on student’s intention to choose RTFCs.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the understanding of promoting RTFCs, a key strategy for reducing plastic waste on campuses. The findings provide actionable recommendations for the project company and the university, offering practical ways to encourage students to use RTFCs and contribute to plastic waste reduction.
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Hawa Ahmad, Suhaiza Ismail and Zamzulaila Zakaria
Drawing on institutional work (Lawrence and Suddaby, 2006; Lawrence et al., 2011), this study aims to explore how the concept of value for money (VFM) is understood in terms of…
Abstract
Purpose
Drawing on institutional work (Lawrence and Suddaby, 2006; Lawrence et al., 2011), this study aims to explore how the concept of value for money (VFM) is understood in terms of the private finance initiative (PFI) implementation in Malaysia.
Design/methodology/approach
In-depth interviews with 25 actors involved in the implementation of PFI projects at two public universities in Malaysia were conducted. The interviews focused on the ways in which participants in the projects make sense of VFM in their ongoing involvement with the projects. In addition, a review of publicly available documents was conducted to understand the ways in which the notion of VFM is reflected in the policies and procedures of the government. Data from the interviews and documents were analysed using thematic analysis.
Findings
It is found that the advocacy work of macro-level actors, as well as micro-level actors, has promoted PFI implementation to achieve VFM. However, to the micro-level actors, VFM is just a concept that carries different interpretations, depending on how PFI fits their everyday functional discourses. In addition, direct negotiation and lack of commercial appreciation are disruptive not only to the achievement of VFM but also to the public sector reform agenda of the country.
Originality/value
The present study contributes to the discourses on the concept of VFM that is assumed to be inherent in PFI. The findings are based on micro- and macro-level actors and cover both advocacy and disruption of VFM achievement.
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This paper aims to investigate the variables that could contribute to facilitating or hindering FinTech adoption in Jordan and how that will affect human well-being (quality of…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to investigate the variables that could contribute to facilitating or hindering FinTech adoption in Jordan and how that will affect human well-being (quality of life [QoL]).
Design/methodology/approach
A conceptual framework was formulated through the integration of “the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology” (UTAUT), “task-technology fit” (TTF) model and two additional factors, namely, “financial literacy” (FL) and “quality of life” (QoL). A cross-sectional online survey was used to obtain data from 378 FinTech users employing a quantitative method. AMOS 26.0 was utilized to analyse the data based on “structural equation modelling” (SEM).
Findings
The analysis of the structural path found that UTAUT constructs including “performance expectancy (PE), effort expectancy (EE), facilitating conditions (FC), social influence (SI)”, and TTF were significant determinants of FinTech adoption. Only technology characteristics (TECH) was a significant predictor of TTF. Also, the analysis of empirical data revealed a significant mediating impact of FinTech adoption on the association between FL and QoL, underlining the important role of digital FL in digitalizing societies. Likewise, FL affected the QoL directly.
Practical implications
This research will be beneficial for “FinTech service providers” (FSPs) and policymakers to offer thorough insights regarding the current relatively low acceptance rates of FinTech, contributing to strategies’ formulation that could promote FinTech usage by Jordanian customers, where FinTech is still considered an innovative technology. In addition, FL needs to integrate digital literacy to utilize state-of-the-art technologies for more effective financial management. This is with being able to make decisions facilitating the management of life outcomes which could result in better QoL.
Originality/value
To the best of the author’s knowledge, this research is the first research paper that integrates the UTAUT and TTF models and also adds two additional constructs, namely, FL and QoL, to investigate the FinTech in the Jordanian setting. This study could contribute to the literature on IT adoption by considering FinTech usage and incorporation into individuals’ life in Jordan.
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