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1 – 10 of 729David Díaz Jiménez, José Luis López Ruiz, Jesús González Lama and Ángeles Verdejo Espinosa
The main objective of the study is to address the lack of sustainability assessments of smart connected health systems in the academic literature by presenting an assessment model…
Abstract
Purpose
The main objective of the study is to address the lack of sustainability assessments of smart connected health systems in the academic literature by presenting an assessment model to determine the alignment of these systems with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) proposed in the 2030 Agenda.
Design/methodology/approach
An evaluation model based on decision analysis is proposed that includes three phases: alignment framework, information gathering and assessment. This model measures the alignment of the connected health system with each of the 17 SDGs, identifying the goals and criteria associated with each SDG that the system achieves to satisfy.
Findings
The analysis reveals that the system has achieved more than 24% of the targets among the 17 SDGs. In addition, it identifies four sustainability challenges that the system potentially addresses in relation to the SDGs, providing valuable guidance for researchers and practitioners interested in sustainable health technology development.
Practical implications
The study's results have significant implications for policymakers and stakeholders in the health and technology sectors.
Originality/value
The originality of this study lies in its comprehensive approach to assessing the sustainability of connected health systems in the context of the SDGs, filling an important gap in the existing literature.
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Edicleia Oliveira, Serge Basini and Thomas M. Cooney
This article explores women entrepreneurs' lived experiences in their interactions with government enterprise support agencies. It investigates the relationship between gendering…
Abstract
Purpose
This article explores women entrepreneurs' lived experiences in their interactions with government enterprise support agencies. It investigates the relationship between gendering and Entrepreneurial Orientation (EO), as a normative orientation adopted at the institutional level and justified by an economic rationale. It also explores how women entrepreneurs articulate their experiences through embodied metaphors and image schemas, shedding light on how they navigate the institutional entrepreneurial space.
Design/methodology/approach
This study is framed within the concept of Phenomenological Orientation as conceptualised in feminist phenomenology. It applies Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, a qualitative methodology focused on interpreting accounts of first-person lived experiences of a phenomenon. It combines IPA with Conceptual Metaphor Theory to understand women's articulation of their embodied relationship within the entrepreneurial space.
Findings
Findings reveal that the entrepreneurial orientation functions as a gendering process within entrepreneurial institutions, reinforcing masculine hegemonic ideals and marginalising women entrepreneurs. Women's phenomenological orientations often diverge from the normative entrepreneurial orientation, highlighting the need for a more inclusive framework in institutional entrepreneurial spaces.
Research limitations/implications
This article contributes to women's entrepreneurship literature by underlining the temporal dimension of entrepreneurship and the tension that underpins their interactions with government support bodies. It calls for inclusive policies and procedures to match the heterogeneity of orientations. While highlighting its limitations, it also suggests future research directions to deepen the understanding of entrepreneurship and inform more suitable support structures for all entrepreneurs.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the literature by shedding light on the nuanced interplay between gendering, entrepreneurial orientation, and women entrepreneurs' lived experiences. It extends previous research by framing “orientation” within a temporality framework, offering a novel perspective on the gendering of entrepreneurial spaces.
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This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.
Design/methodology/approach
This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.
Findings
This paper identified that certain characteristics such as having a shared goal can promote inter-organizational learning within an integrated care system.
Originality/value
The briefing saves busy executives, strategists and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.
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Muhammad Asfund Khalid, Muhammad Usman Hassan, Fahim Ullah and Khursheed Ahmed
The debate around automation through digital technologies has gathered traction in line with the advancement of Industry 4.0. Blockchain-powered construction progress payment has…
Abstract
Purpose
The debate around automation through digital technologies has gathered traction in line with the advancement of Industry 4.0. Blockchain-powered construction progress payment has emerged as an area that can benefit from such automation. However, the challenges inherent in real-time construction payment processes cannot be solely mitigated by blockchain. Including building information modeling (BIM)-based schedule information stored in decentralized storage linked with a smart contract (SC) can allow the efficient administration of payments. Accordingly, this study aims to present an integrated BIM-blockchain system (BBS) to administer decentralized progress payments in construction projects.
Design/methodology/approach
A mixed-method approach is adopted, including an extensive literature review, development of the integrated BBS, and a case study with 13 respondents to test and validate the BBS. This study proposes a BBS that extracts the invoices from BIM and pushes them to the decentralized app (dApp) for digital payment to the contractor through the Ethereum blockchain. The Solc npm package was used to compile the backend SC. Next.js was used to create the front end of the dApp. The Web3 npm package is paramount in developing a dApp. A total of 13 construction professionals working on the case study project were engaged through a questionnaire survey to comment on and validate the proposed BBS. A descriptive analysis was conducted on the case study data to apprehend the responses of expert professionals.
Findings
The proposed BBS creates an SC, enables sender verification, checks contract complaints, verifies bills, and processes the currency flow based on a coded payment logic. After passing the initial checks, the bill amount is processed and made available for the contractor to claim. Every activity on dApp leaves its trace on the blockchain ledger. A control mechanism for accepting or rejecting the invoice is also incorporated into the system. The case study-based validation confirmed that the proposed BBS could increase payment efficiency (92.3%), tackle financial misconduct (84.6%), ensure transparency and audibility (92.4%), and ensure payment security (61%) in construction projects. A total of 46.2% of respondents were skeptical of the BBS because of its dependency on cryptocurrencies. A further 23.1% of respondents indicated that the price fluctuation of cryptocurrencies is a major barrier to BBS adoption. Others highlighted the absence of legal frameworks for cryptocurrencies’ usage.
Originality/value
This study opens the avenue for the application of dApp for autonomous contract management and progress payments, which is flexible with applications across various construction processes. Overall, it is a potential solution to the endemic problem of cash flow that has devastating consequences for all project stakeholders. This is also aligned with the goals of Industry 4.0, where process automation is a key focus. The study provides a practice application for automated progress payments that can be leveraged in construction projects across the globe.
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Kristine E. Larson, Stephanie L. Savick, Patrice M. Silver and Rosemary E. Poling
This manuscript examines how university coaches can use the Classroom Check-Up (CCU; Reinke et al., 2008) to support continuous school improvement efforts around teacher practice…
Abstract
Purpose
This manuscript examines how university coaches can use the Classroom Check-Up (CCU; Reinke et al., 2008) to support continuous school improvement efforts around teacher practice within a PDS model and how collaboration between university faculty can increase their coaching self-efficacy.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper is conceptual in that it presents an innovative idea to stimulate discussion, generate new ideas, and advance thinking about supporting educator coaching efficacy in school-university partnerships.
Findings
The paper provides insights and ideas for using a collaborative faculty coaching model based on the CCU (Reinke et al., 2008). Each coach provides insight about adapting the model to fit teacher, school, and district needs. Moreover, coaches report on how collaborating impacted their coaching self-efficacy.
Originality/value
This paper fulfills an identified need to support continuous school improvement efforts amid a teaching shortage using a collaborative faculty coaching model. Moreover, the authors explore “coaching self-efficacy” as a rare but valuable construct that is impacted by peer feedback.
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Sedigheh Karimpour, Majid Elahi Shirvan and Mojdeh Shahnama
The present study explores five Iranian English language teachers’ hopes by drawing on an ecological approach as its conceptual underpinning.
Abstract
Purpose
The present study explores five Iranian English language teachers’ hopes by drawing on an ecological approach as its conceptual underpinning.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from narrative frames and semi-structured interviews.
Findings
Analyses of our data highlighted how teacher- and student-related factors caused fluctuations in teachers’ hopes. In addition, our findings indicated that while teachers’ past teaching experiences increased their hope, teachers’ lack of agency and economic inflation were among the most significant factors that decreased teachers’ hope in their profession.
Originality/value
This study is one of the first studies in the field of language studies with an ecological perspective on language teachers' hope.
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The study aims to analyse the race towards green development and United Nations sustainable development goals (SDGs) in the cases of Huawei and Shell. Both companies are the…
Abstract
Purpose
The study aims to analyse the race towards green development and United Nations sustainable development goals (SDGs) in the cases of Huawei and Shell. Both companies are the leaders in their respective industries. Huawei is an example case study representing the information and communications technology (ICT) industry whereas Shell is an example case study representing the oil and gas industry. The research analyses of the races in achieving UN SDGs were undertaken based on the innovation diffusion framework with the use of machine learning algorithms trained to extract data on sustainability activities and initiatives.
Design/methodology/approach
The research analyses the two case studies of Huawei and Shell. The research was undertaken through the steps of training machine learning algorithms, industry benchmarking and evaluating the performance of the race. The analyses regarding the activities and initiatives of Huawei and Shell in contributing towards SDGs are based on the data in the past 10 years (Years 2010–2019) using machine learning to extract data on sustainability activities and initiatives. In the case of Huawei, 313 sustainability reports were fed to the unsupervised machine learning algorithms revealing 15,101 sustainability actions and initiatives related to UN SDGs in the ICT industry. In the case of Shell, 2,015 sustainability reports were fed to the unsupervised machine learning algorithms revealing 47,365 sustainability actions and initiatives related to UN SDGs in the oil and gas industry.
Findings
The analyses of findings revealed that Huawei and Shell performed very well in progressing towards the UN SDGs. Huawei had strong performance in the ICT industry with regard to SDGs No. 3, 4, 7, 8, 11, 12 and 16 while Shell had strong performance in the oil and gas industry with regard to SDGs No. 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 12 and 16. Both companies had placed a focus on achieving SDG 12 responsible consumption and production, SDG 7 affordable and clean energy and SDG 4 quality education. The synthesised business model innovations of Huawei and Shell had shown their environmental, social and governance strategies – Huawei’s 2030 vision for green development and Shell’s 2050 vision for net zero emissions.
Practical implications
The five pillars of people, planet, prosperity, peace and partnership according to the UN 2030 agenda for sustainable development have shown the way a company operates to promote sustainable eco-systems. The extent to which both Huawei and Shell link corporate strategies to the UN SDGs has reflected their implementation progress. Furthermore, the business model innovations of Huawei and Shell provides a useful framework which can be applied to encourage other companies/organisations in various industries to undertake ESG activities in practice.
Originality/value
The main contribution of this research is the application of machine learning algorithms and the innovation diffusion model in analysing the SDGs performance. The study applies the innovation diffusion framework to explore strategic actions and initiatives of Huawei and Shell in transitioning towards sustainability. The use of machine learning algorithms has identified their sustainability approach in achieving the UN SDGs.
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Alpa Dhanani, Penny Chaidali, Nina Sharma and Evangelia Varoutsa
This paper examines the efforts of National Health Service (England) (NHSE) to respond to employee-based racial inequalities via its Workforce Race Equality Standard (WRES). The…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper examines the efforts of National Health Service (England) (NHSE) to respond to employee-based racial inequalities via its Workforce Race Equality Standard (WRES). The WRES constitutes a hybridised accountability initiative with characteristics of the moral and imposed regimes of accountability.
Design/methodology/approach
The study conceptualises the notion of responsive race accountability with recourse to Favotto et al.’s (2022) moral accountability model and critical race theory (CRT), and through it, examines the enactment of WRES at 40 NHSE trusts using qualitative content analysis.
Findings
Despite the progressive nature of the WRES that seeks to nurture corrective actions, results suggest that trusts tend to adopt an instrumental approach to the exercise. Whilst there is some evidence of good practice, the instrumental approach prevails across both the metric reporting that trusts engage in to guide their actions, and the planned actions for progress. These planned actions not only often fail to coalesce with the trust-specific data but also include generic NHSE or equality, diversity and inclusion initiatives and mimetic adoptions of best practice guidance that only superficially address racial concerns.
Social implications
Whilst the WRES is a laudable voluntary achievement, its moral imperative does not appear to have translated into a moral accountability within individual trusts.
Originality/value
Responding to calls for more research at the accounting-race nexus, this study uniquely draws on CRT to conceptualise and examine race accountability.
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Sachin Wijayasinghe and Vilani Sachitra
The rise in the urban population has led to an increase in the magnitude of inequalities within the community. Smart city is an evolution of cities with technology trying to…
Abstract
Purpose
The rise in the urban population has led to an increase in the magnitude of inequalities within the community. Smart city is an evolution of cities with technology trying to facilitate modern urbanization complexities. Success of establishing smart city initiatives can be considered as a social transforming quest with technology reaching goals at individual and collective levels, thus citizen engagement is critical in heavy technological-reliant projects. This study aims to investigate the potential of improving quality of life through a citizen-centric approach to smart city development in urban cities of Sri Lanka.
Design/methodology/approach
The study was based on qualitative methods where information was gathered from 20 citizens residing across 9 provinces of the smart city initiatives based on the City Competitive Index rankings. Six-dimensional smart city model was used as a theoretical lens.
Findings
Time management issues, well-being and bleak atmosphere were identified as key challenges; Citizen-centric approaches in Sri Lanka were not satisfactory, and there was room left for improvement of quality of life. Cultural integration and socio-cultural readiness were unique findings, whereas the need for smart education was dominant to overcome challenges in progressing in citizen-centric smart city initiatives.
Practical implications
The results of the study would provide comprehensive knowledge through theoretical and academic contributions in developing countries. At the same time, policymakers, the community at large, government and service providers will primarily benefit from the practical implications of the study.
Originality/value
The study recommends focusing on a tailored smart educational approach, feedback mechanisms and sustainable policies to facilitate the progression of smart cities. Novel findings of cultural integration, socio-cultural readiness and safety should be focused more to ensure the success of smart cities in the South Asian context.
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Sue Malthus, Carolyn Fowler and Carolyn J. Cordery
Prior research finds that early-career professional accountants (early PAs) are generally dissatisfied with the learning and training opportunities offered during their early…
Abstract
Purpose
Prior research finds that early-career professional accountants (early PAs) are generally dissatisfied with the learning and training opportunities offered during their early employment years, which impacts their career progression. This paper aims to examine whether different learning styles between these early PAs and their qualified accounting employers and trainers diverge.
Design/methodology/approach
Using Kolb’s learning styles inventory and interviews, this study explores the learning styles of early PAs and their employers, examining changes in these learning styles over time.
Findings
This research shows the necessity for different learning styles to be integrated into early PA training and learning, as research participants’ learning styles tend to prefer active experimentation requiring practical examples and self-learning opportunities. In contrast, their senior, qualified accounting employers prefer conceptualisation-based learning styles. As early PAs’ career progression requires them to succeed in employer-supported training, some early PAs change their learning style preferences to progress, whereas others with incompatible learning styles either moved to different employers or reassessed their choice of profession.
Practical implications
To reduce career dissatisfaction, develop and retain competent accountants, early PAs must be supported to learn effectively. By reducing early PAs’ dissatisfaction early PA educators and employers will potentially increase the attractiveness of accounting as a profession.
Originality/value
Few studies interrogate how accounting professionals utilise learning and training post-graduation nor do they examine the learning styles of workplace trainers and learners. This exploratory study uniquely analyses the learning styles of both early PAs and their employers.
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