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The purpose of this paper is to deal with an optimal consolidation problem for fresh agricultural products (e.g. fruits and vegetables) in a multi-temperature joint distribution (MTJD) system that is developed to resolve the challenge of timely delivery of small and diverse shipments in food cold chains.

An integer programming optimization model is developed to consolidate a set of agricultural shipments with different storage requirements into a number of distinct containers according to the classification criteria. The formulated model for consolidating fresh agricultural products is evaluated using numerical examples.

Critical factors that affect the quality or shelf life of fresh agricultural products are examined to form the criteria for classifying the storage requirements of these products. The formulated model can minimize the consolidation cost and the loss of product value due to a reduction in shelf life after consolidation.

Although the decision model for product consolidation developed in this paper takes into account practical concerns as much as possible, some additional conditions in the cold chain of fresh fruits and vegetables can be included to further enhance the application of the proposed consolidation model.

Provided that the container environment is appropriately controlled, the shelf life of fresh fruits and vegetables can be maintained during the logistics process. As a result, product quality can be managed to reduce product loss.

This paper adopts temperature, relative humidity and ethylene production, which generally affect the quality and shelf life of fresh agricultural products, as the main factors for determining the product consolidation. It is among the first to deal with the optimal consolidation of fresh agricultural products in the MTJD system with the consideration of product shelf life.

The review aims to demonstrate a broader perspective of human capital and employee well-being concept. Moreover, the study attempts to analyse theoretical notions underlying human capital and well-being relationship and thus to guide the integration of two distinct concepts.

This review followed the systematic literature search protocols from the Academic Journal Guide 2018 generated by the Chartered Association of Business Schools. Sixty-nine quantitative research papers were selected for the review.

Human capital is not only about individual competence but includes acquisition, utilization and development of competence in a broader sense. Employee well-being has been discussed from subjective and objective viewpoints and categorized into happiness, health and financial aspects. The review results suggest that various organizational theories, workplace learning and learning organization perspectives underlie human capital and well-being relationship. The review guides that the high involvement working model encapsulates well-being as part of human capital development.

This review discusses practical implications for human resource management practitioners.

This review is a unique attempt to assess the human capital and well-being literature systematically.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of an exercise education intervention on exercise behavior, depression and fatigue status of chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients.

This was a pilot study using an exercise education program as an intervention for CKD patients. The authors used the transtheoretical model (TTM) to design the exercise education programs. A total of 94 subjects diagnosed with CKD at a medical center in Taiwan participated in this quasi‐experimental study. Subjects were randomly divided into the experimental group (n=45) and the control group (n=49). The education program included written materials and teaching activities designed to encourage participants to initiate and continue regular exercise. Both groups took the pre‐test and post‐test containing a depression inventory, a fatigue scale and an exercise behavior inventory.

The findings indicated that changes in the exercise behavior, depression and fatigue status of the experimental group were statistically significant after the exercise education intervention compared with the control group.

The paper demonstrates that exercise education intervention can be administered by nursing staff, or a health educator, to encourage patients to exercise in order to enhance their quality of care.

Individualism collectivism measures, along with decision styles, are examined in Taiwan. About 600 questionnaires were distributed directly to employees with managerial positions in private, public, and mixed enter prises in the capital, Taipei. In general, Taiwanese were found to be more collectivist than individualistic. Participants displayed a strong preference for consultative and participative styles and determined that these two styles were the most effective in practice. Further more, participants indicated that their immediate supervisors were mostly consultative and autocratic.

The purpose of this study is to determine how and when choice variety influences consumers’ willingness to purchase, according to a personal emotion perspective. The choice paradox indicates that although having many choices can be beneficial, it can also cause customer decision paralysis and unhappiness. This article proposes that the desire and motivation to process information vary from person to person, and emotional factors are relevant.

With a 2 × 2 experimental design, this study examines the influence of the interaction of choice variety with need for cognition (NFC) on positive and negative emotions, and then tests the mediating effects on purchase intentions. The sample includes 214 college students, assigned randomly to self-assessment questionnaires.

Both high NFC respondents in the high variety condition and low NFC respondents in the low variety condition exhibit more positive emotions than low NFC respondents in the high variety condition but not more than high NFC respondents in the low variety condition. Positive (negative) emotions increase (decrease) consumers’ purchase intentions.

The experiment was conducted in a virtual store, which may not match real-life store environments or reflect participants’ actual purchase behaviours, so additional research should consider the influence of involvement further.

The results offer suggestions for developing more effective communication with emotions, increasing involvement to maintain consumers’ positive emotions and relieve their confusion, and managing product variety.

This article meets the identified need to study how choice variety influences consumers’ willingness to purchase from a personal emotion perspective.

The purpose of this paper is to attempt to reconcile previous views of the relationship between organizational slack and performance by examining the influences of heterogeneous corporate strategy and different slack resources. Differences in performance resulting from variations in slack can also be moderated by strategy.

The proposed model was tested by examining operating and financial information from 529 Taiwan high‐tech companies during the period 1997‐2005. Owing to the study, data were both cross‐sectional (across firms) and time series (over years), a panel data approach were applied for hypothesis testing.

The results broadly demonstrate that relationships differ based on strategy and organizational slack. Additionally, this study is the first to empirically identify a U‐shaped relationship between slack and performance, indicating that, in certain circumstances, either more or less slack is better for performance.

The results support a dynamic perspective regarding the slack‐performance relationship was proposed for different strategy and different types of slack resources. Moreover, the authors argue that not only resource heterogeneity, but also firm strategic orientation, should be considered when performing change activities. Restated, the authors believe the best interest for a firm aspiring to conduct organizational change behaviors is to maintain the “fitness” among the environment, strategy orientation, and slack resources will induce higher performance. This study, thus demonstrates how organizational change behaviors are influenced by slack resources and strategy heterogeneity.

The purpose of this study is to propose a model to evaluate the performance of organizational units considering intellectual capital (IC) and employee loyalty approach applying principal component analysis and data envelopment analysis (PCA-DEA) method.

Organization units are considered as decision-making units, IC components including human capital (HC), structural capital (SC) and customer capital are inputs and employee loyalty is output. The principal component analysis was used to converts inputs and outputs into the independent variables. As a return to scale is variable, a modified envelopment input-oriented BCC model applied to obtain the efficiency of organization units. Also, all units of organization are ranked. Eventually, sensitivity analysis performed to show how input variables influence on output variable.

Operation, design and construction, production planning, internal affairs, quality control and security were recognized as efficient units. Also, units of operation, internal affairs and quality control ranked first to third, and the human resource unit earned the last rank. In addition, results of sensitivity analysis on input variables showed that the order of impact intensity is: customer capital, HC and SC, respectively.

Existence a framework for the development of human resource strategies and prioritization in the allocation of organizational resources to improve the performance of the organization considering human resources is vital. Most of the previous studies, just have examined the impact of IC on different dimensions of organizational performance. Meanwhile, evaluating the performance of IC with employee loyalty approach, using PCA-DEA simultaneously can evaluate and measure the impact of IC on the performance of the organization and its units regarding employee loyalty, which has a significant impact on improving the organization’s level of IC and human resource management.

This article focusses on the hybrid strategy, a simultaneous combination of cost leadership and differentiation strategy. The study aims to examine the impact of hybrid strategy on firm performance through its anticipated positive effects on process and product innovation. In addition, we study the moderating role of adaptive capacity in the direct relationships of hybrid strategy with process and product innovation.

Structural equation modelling was used to analyse 1,842 Spanish firms with fewer than 250 employees. We randomly selected small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) operating in Spain from the Spanish Central Business Directory (2021) database. The overall sample design was based on stratified sampling.

We found that hybrid strategy is positively related to firm performance and to process and product innovation. Additionally, in firms implementing hybrid strategies, process innovation fostered firm performance. Finally, adaptive capacity strengthened the relationships of hybrid strategy with process and product innovation. This sheds light on how and when hybrid strategy is most effective in fostering SME performance.

We highlight that SMEs need to establish strategies that use diverse resources and capabilities and not just generate competitive advantage using one strategy (cost leadership or differentiation strategy). This requires an agile and flexible systems and structures.

Our research provides novel results by proposing the adoption of hybrid strategies instead of pure strategies (cost leadership and differentiation strategy) as a way for SMEs to survive during crises. Unlike “stuck in the middle” strategies, our study demonstrates the importance of hybrid strategies in a comprehensive model that links them to innovation and firm performance, with adaptive capacity being a determining factor.

This paper aims to discuss the mediating effects of innovation on the relationship between knowledge management and firm competitiveness.

A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from small construction firms in the Eastern Region of Peninsular Malaysia. Out of the 190 construction firms surveyed, 153 (80.5%) respondents returned their completed questionnaire. These were used for data analysis. The data were then analyzed using the covariance-based structural equation modeling (SEM).

Knowledge management had a direct and significant positive effect on firm competitiveness. Nonetheless, the effect of knowledge management on firm competitiveness was mediated by innovation. This indicates that knowledge management should be supported by technical and administrative innovations in the firm.

The data collected were from a limited sample of construction firms. In addition, conducting a study on a region of Malaysia may limit the generalizability of the model.

While knowledge management is crucial for a firm’s competitiveness, technical and administrative innovations must be concurrently improved for a stronger firm competitiveness. This is especially true in terms of financial strength and core competence.

This paper provides some empirical evidence that technical and administrative innovations fully mediated the relationship between knowledge management and firm competitiveness. The results consolidate the resource-based view on the importance of internal resource and capability of the firm and improve KM research area. It also strengthens the view that KM is a critical factor for firm competitiveness, but a good KM without strong innovation will not increase the competitiveness of small construction firms.

This paper aims to identify key factors driving auditors’ adoption of Generalized Audit Software (GAS) in a large developing country, Indonesia, through the lens of the technology, organization and environment (TOE) framework.

Results of this study are based on semi-structured in-depth interviews conducted in Indonesia with audit firms of varying sizes.

Key study findings included the identification of highly influential adoption factors, especially environmental factors, such as availability of information technology-skilled auditors in the local market, client needs and expectations and client size. This study has also identified factors, not identified in previous research, as being influential including the importance of GAS availability in a range of languages and the necessity of a supportive professional and regulatory environment.

This study makes several contributions to the literature including that it identifies new influential factors in the TOE framework. This framework has not been widely applied in auditing research and looks beyond the individual perspective to that of the organization as a whole. Moreover, the present study takes a developing country perspective and examines a range of audit firms. In contrast, most studies to date in the area have taken a Western focus and have concentrated on large audit firms. Additionally, this study provides an in-depth analysis through the use of semi-structured interviews, whereas prior studies have relied on surveys.