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The purpose of the study is to investigate female prisoners’ perspectives on why they gain weight while in prison.

A qualitative design was used with semi-structured interviews with six females currently residing in a prison in the south of England.

Analysis of the data generated three themes relating to the reasons why women gain weight in prison. These were labelled as “The only thing you haven’t got to ask permission for is your food, it’s just handed to you”, “If you’ve been stripped of the things that make you happy, or that you are addicted to, eating can soothe you” and “prison can make you take better care of your health”.

The results identify perceived reasons why women gain weight in prison uniquely from the female prisoner perspective. The implications of the research identify the need for systemic change throughout different prison departments to enable women to maintain a healthy weight during their custodial sentence.

The construction industry is facing an enormous number of challenges due to continuous advancements in construction technologies and techniques. Hence, construction management theories have to confront critical newly issues concerning market globalization and construction innovations. The key factor to address these challenges is to ameliorate the competitive abilities of the competing construction firms. In this context, measuring competitiveness of construction firms is an efficacious approach to amplify their competitive growth and profitability. To this end, the purpose of this research paper is to design a three-tier multi-criteria decision making model for competitiveness assessment and benchmarking of construction companies, meanwhile tackling a wide range of essential factors and attributes that covers broad aspects of the present competitive market.

In the first tier, four new pillars (4P) of competitiveness assessment are introduced for construction firms, namely, organization performance, project performance, environment and client and innovation and development. These pillars are able to aid in construction firms’ management on both long and short term basis. Hence, 21 key competitive factors and eighty key competitive criteria are identified, incorporated and analyzed in this research study. The second tier encapsulates carrying out a questionnaire survey in the Canadian and Vietnamese market to garner two main sets of information. The first set of information incorporates responses of the pairwise comparisons between competitiveness factors and criteria. The second set involves gathering utility scores pertinent to each competitiveness criteria. The developed model then leverages the use of analytical hierarchy process to scrutinize the relative importance priorities of competitiveness factors and criteria. The third tier of the developed model encompasses the use of multi-attribute utility theory to compute competitiveness scores for construction companies through blending criteria’ relative importance weights alongside their respective utility functions. In addition, the third tier comprises conducting a sensitivity analysis to derive the most important criteria influencing the overall competitiveness of construction companies. The developed model is tested and validated using three case studies; one construction company from Canada and two construction companies from Vietnam.

Results demonstrated that the developed model has a potential to render a synthesized and methodical performance evaluation for the competitive ability of a given construction company. Furthermore, it was found that Vietnamese companies are more considerate towards pillars pertaining to environment and client while Canadian companies are more attentive towards innovation and development. The outcome of sensitivity analysis revealed that effectiveness of cost management highly affects the competitive ability of Vietnamese companies while effectiveness of cost management exhibits the most significant influence on the competitive of Canadian companies.

The developed model can benefit construction companies to understand their competitiveness in their market and diagnose their strengths and weaknesses. It is also can be useful in efficient utilization of their limited resources and development of sustainable and long-term strategic plans strategic plans, which consequently leads to maintaining better position in their dynamic business markets.

Literature review manifests that reported competitiveness assessment models and practices are not able to address present challenges, technologies and developments in construction market.

The objective of this research is to identify and prioritize the critical factors that influence the adoption of blockchain technology within the banking sector.

A well-known theoretical framework, the “Technology Organization Environment (TOE),” was chosen to analyze what criteria and sub-criteria affect blockchain adoption in the banking sector after a thorough assessment of the prior literature. Following that, 3 evaluation criteria and 14 sub-criteria were selected and verified using expert opinion. A survey design was created, and data for the study has been collected from various information technology (IT) managers/officers in the banking sector. A fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (Fuzzy-AHP) was then used to meet the purpose of the research.

The study identified that the organizational dimension is the most significant criteria for blockchain adoption in the banking sector, followed by the environmental dimension. In contrast, the technological dimension is the least influential criterion. Clientele pressure, IT resources, financial resources, pressure from competitors and relative advantage are the most influential sub-criteria for blockchain adoption.

This study provides valuable insights to bank managers, blockchain and IT developers, third-party service providers and policymakers. For instance, adopting the same blockchain platform is easier for both large and small banks for banking operations by using third-party service provider. At the same time, banks should have the banks' own core team to implement the blockchain-based systems or to have control over the third-party service providers during the adoption stage.

To the best of the authors' knowledge, no empirical studies have used a holistic organizational context to understand the factors influencing the adoption of blockchain technology from traditional to blockchain-based banking systems.

Blockchain is the fastest-growing technology currently being used in the aviation industry, especially in aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services. This study aims to create an analytic framework to assess the main factors and subfactors that have significantly influence the blockchain used in aviation MRO services. A mixed-methods approach is used to gain a comprehensive understanding of how blockchain is being adopted in aircraft maintenance facilities, Semi-structured interviews and questionnaires are used to gather data. The questionnaire is focused on the present state of the MRO industry.

Based on the literature review, a framework including four factors and 12 subfactors is developed, and the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) is then established. This study explores how these factors influence the implementation of blockchain in aviation MRO services. The five aviation MRO services providers in Taiwan, namely, “Evergreen Aviation Technologies Corporation,” “Taiwan Aircraft Maintenance and Engineering Co., Ltd.,” “Air Asia Company Ltd.,” “Aerospace Industrial Development Corp.” and “GE Evergreen Engine Services Corporation” are considered; furthermore, 55 experts working in these organizations were invited to evaluate the relative importance criteria in the AHP framework.

The results indicate that “inventory management” is the most important criterion, followed by “provisioning, procurement and sales” and “maintenance planning.” In addition, the three most important subfactors are “parts interchangeability,” “customer stock” and “SPEC2K interface for ATA SPEC 2000.”

Asia is ranked as the second most important aviation MRO service market in the world. Taiwan has the shortest flight hours in the western Pacific region, the seven major foreign cities in this area. Aviation MRO service providers located in Taiwan are the best choices for aircraft MRO in the Asia-Pacific region, indicating that Taiwan serves as a promising market development evaluation model for blockchain aviation MRO services. The results offer a comprehensive overview of the relative importance of different criteria for MRO services that use blockchains. In addition, the findings present the market potential for key players in the aviation industry, including aircraft engineers, airline companies, aircraft component manufacturers and aviation MRO service providers.

This study is conducted to understand an emerging public health problem in the garb of polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) that affects about 6–21% of women in reproductive age from a systems perspective.

The research is conducted in two phases. In phase 1, 15 women suffering from PCOS were interviewed to generate a knowledge map using an interpretive phenomenological research approach. The emerging themes were divided into four categories, namely individual, familial, societal, organizational, medical and systemic. In phase 2, five workshops were conducted with six invited actors to generate a causal loop diagram (CLD) of PCOS. The Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research (SRQR) are used in this study.

A CLD from an individual's perspective with implications on organizational, societal and system levels.

Awareness of “lifestyle diseases” is increasing, and this research shall help future studies put PCOS in the larger psychosocial context. The geographical location of respondents can be a limitation, as the causal linkages could only be true for the research site.

The CLD provides a comprehensive understanding of complex emerging phenomenon of PCOS.

The paper draws attention to factors such as frequently changing doctors, withdrawal from work, medication fatigue, inclination to adopt due to infertility, etc.

This is the first such paper laying out the causal relationships between factors at the individual levels and connecting them to societal, organizational and system levels. This mapping can be useful for policymakers and industry leaders to empathize with PCOS sufferers so that their working conditions can be managed better.

There are two main objectives in this study. First, we aim to develop a set of constructs for health task management support (HTMS) features to evaluate which health-related tasks are supported by mobile health application (mHealth app) functions. Second, drawing on innovation resistance theory (IRT), we examine the impacts of the newly developed HTMS dimensions on perceived usefulness, alongside other barrier factors contributing to technology anxiety.

Using a mixed-method research design, this research seeks to develop new measurement scales that reflect how mHealth apps support older adults’ health-related needs based on interviews. Subsequently, data were collected from older adults and exploratory factor analysis was used to confirm the validity of the new scales. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to analyze survey data from 602 older adults.

The PLS-SEM results indicated that medical management task support, dietary task support, and exercise task support were positively associated with perceived usefulness, while perceived complexity and dispositional resistance to change were identified as antecedents of technology anxiety. Perceived usefulness and technology anxiety were found to positively and negatively influence adoption intention, respectively.

This study enriches the information systems literature by developing a multidimensional construct that delineates how older adults’ health-related needs can be supported by features of mHealth apps. Drawing on IRT, we complement the existing literature on resistance to innovation by systematically examining the impact of five types of barriers on technology anxiety.

The role of procurement managers is crucial for diffusing sustainability throughout the supply chain. Whether or not they are willing to pay for sustainability is an important and not yet fully understood question. The authors examine antecedents and consequences of their willingness to pay (WTP) for sustainability.

The authors develop a multi-level framework to examine the WTP for sustainability in a B2B context. The authors test this multi-level framework with 372 procurement managers from multiple sectors and countries using partial least squares structural equation modeling.

The authors find that individual values of procurement managers and institutional pressures directly, while ethical organizational culture indirectly influence WTP for sustainability. Functional and cognitive competencies of procurement managers improve the sustainability of procurement, but not WTP for sustainability. Importantly, WTP for sustainability directly influences the performance of the procurement function which in turn is positively associated with increased organizational performance.

The study, examining the interplay between individual, organizational and contextual factors, provides empirical evidence on the pivotal role of procurement managers in diffusing sustainability throughout the supply chain. The findings of the study, on the one hand, contribute to the literature on operations management and sustainability, and on the other hand, guide policy and managerial actions.

The purpose of this study is to nutritionally evaluate dams exposed to caloric restriction or cafeteria diets during the lactation period.

Twenty-four female Wistar rats (n = 8/group) and their respective litters received during lactation: Control (CTRL) – received standard chow; Caloric restriction (CR) – received 50% of the ratio of the CTRL group; Cafeteria diet (CAF) – received cafeteria diet. Weighing of the mother rats and their respective litters occurred weekly and the diets were daily. At weaning, levels of glucose, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and triglycerides were evaluated. Abdominal adipose tissue was removed and weighed. Liver tissue was removed to determine the lipid profile.

CR dams showed lower food (p < 0.01), caloric (p < 0.01) and all macronutrients (p < 0.01) intake. This group also observed intense weight loss (p < 0.01), in addition to low litter weight (p < 0.01). CAF dams had higher caloric intake (p < 0.05) and increased consumption of lipids (p < 0.01). The CAF group also reported greater accumulation of abdominal adipose tissue (p = 0.01), elevated levels of LDL (p < 0.01) and hepatic lipids (p < 0.01), as well as a litter with higher weaning weight (p < 0.01).

Few studies have evaluated the effects of different models of malnutrition focusing on dams. CR dams showed severe weight loss, which may have caused their pups to be underweight. On the other hand, the CAF diet during lactation led to a higher consumption of lipids and accumulation of adipose tissue, which generated a high weight of the litter.

Based on the knowledge-based view (KBV) and theory of planned behavior (TPB), the study aims to investigate the impact of sustainable leadership (SL) on knowledge management processes (KMPs) and the direct influence of KMPs on sustainable competitive advantage (SCA). Additionally, it aims to explore the mediating role of knowledge worker social responsibility (KWSR) in the relationship between KMPs and SCA. Furthermore, this study aims to evaluate the moderating effect of knowledge sabotage behavior (KSB) on the relationship between KMPs and KWSR.

The sample frame consisted of 354 academic and administrative workers from Pakistan’s higher education institutions. The hypothesized relationships were tested using the PLS-SEM approach.

The study found a significant positive effect of SL on KMPs as well as KMPs on SCA. Partial mediation of knowledge worker social responsibility between knowledge management processes and sustainable competitive advantage was confirmed. Furthermore, our findings indicate the negative moderating effect of knowledge sabotage behavior on the relationship between KMPs and KWSR.

The outcomes of this research strengthen the universities’ experience of Leadership and recommend how academics and administrators of higher education institutes can value knowledge management, which improves competitive advantage.

The originality of the study lies in elucidating the direct relationship of SL & KMPs with the moderating role of KSB in the link between KMPs and KWSR and the mediating effect of KWSR on the relationship between KMPs and SCA in the setting of higher education institutions (HEIs) in Pakistan. Furthermore, this study provides in-depth insights into the existing body of knowledge on the KBV and TPB about SL, KMPs, and SCA.

This study aimed to determine the factors affecting consumers’ perceptions and intention to purchase home meal kit services (HMK), a convenient home-cooked meal option, considering the moderating effects of monetary restriction, through the lens of the theory of planned behaviour (TPB).

This cross-sectional study used an online, self-administered survey to collect data from 374 US adults. Results were tested for variable associations via multiple linear regression and moderation analyses.

HMK adoption intention was positively associated with attitude and subjective norms but negatively associated with perceived behavioural control. Consumers’ HMK attitude demonstrated a significant positive relationship with food safety concerns and perceived time constraints. Income and financial constraints were significant moderators of the associations between TPB determinants and HMK intention. The findings emphasised the possibility of using HMK as a foodservice option for time-challenged consumers with food safety concerns.

This study addressed the limited research on HMK, a competitive meal option that foodservice businesses could implement to boost revenue. The study establishes the contribution in understanding the motivators and barriers that potentially affect consumers’ HMK behaviour through the lens of TPB. The results expand the scope of the TPB application in food-related research, providing a deeper understanding of antecedents and other factors on consumers’ HMK behavioural attitudes. Understanding this information will enable practitioners to develop strategies that meet consumers’ concerns when embracing this service to promote HMK.