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Consumers are increasingly connected to, and make use of, a multitude of technologies in their daily lives. The exponential growth in the use of Internet of Things (IoT)-based services is ushering in a new era of e-services, in which the service experience is becoming autonomous (intelligence), devices are intercommunicating (connectivity) and consumers can access the service anytime, anywhere and using any device (ubiquity). However, a number of challenges have arisen. The purpose of this paper is to investigate factors that reduce consumer resistance to smart services (factors against resistance) and factors that promote this resistance (factors for resistance), by means of a dual-factor approach.

To test this theoretical model, the authors developed a Web-based survey and used structural equation modeling.

Results show that consumer-lifestyle factors (individual “mobiquity” and self-image congruence) reduce consumer resistance to smart services (factors against resistance). Conversely, innovation-related factors (perceived security, perceived complexity) and ecosystem-related factors (perceived government surveillance and general skepticism toward IoT) promote consumer resistance to smart services (factors for resistance). In addition, general skepticism toward IoT has a significant positive effect on perceived complexity, perceived security risk and perceived government surveillance.

This research investigates consumer resistance to smart services using a dual-factor perspective (Cenfetelli, 2004; Claudy et al., 2015): factors reducing resistance versus factors promoting resistance. This paper provides evidence for the importance of consumer lifestyle-related factors, innovation-related factors and ecosystem-related factors in explaining consumer resistance to smart services. This work enriches previous studies of consumer resistance to innovation (Ram and Sheth, 1989; Ram, 1987) by studying original variables (individual mobiquity, technological innovativeness, government surveillance).

Presents over sixty abstracts summarising the 1999 Employment Research Unit annual conference held at the University of Cardiff. Explores the multiple impacts of globalization on work and employment in contemporary organizations. Covers the human resource management implications of organizational responses to globalization. Examines the theoretical, methodological, empirical and comparative issues pertaining to competitiveness and the management of human resources, the impact of organisational strategies and international production on the workplace, the organization of labour markets, human resource development, cultural change in organisations, trade union responses, and trans‐national corporations. Cites many case studies showing how globalization has brought a lot of opportunities together with much change both to the employee and the employer. Considers the threats to existing cultures, structures and systems.

The purpose of this paper is to study a solar thermal system. Solar chimney power plants (SCPPs) produce electrical energy and thermal heat from solar radiation. The thermal study of SCPPs is required, as these solar systems are characterized by high costs.

This study presents a numerical study of unsteady airflow characteristics inside an SCPP. In fact, the generated power of the SCPP depends on environmental conditions. To validate this study, a solar prototype is built in the National School of Engineers of Sfax, University of Sfax, Tunisia, North Africa. The system is mainly composed by a collector, an absorber, a chimney and a turbine. The collector diameter is 2750 mm, the collector roof height is 50 mm, the chimney height is 3,000 mm and the turbine diameter is 150 mm.

The local characteristics of the air flow are presented and analyzed, such as the distribution of the temperature, the magnitude velocity and the total pressure. Analysis confirms that ambient air temperature and solar radiation are important environmental variables for the improvement of solar chimney efficiency.

Although much work has been done to date, it has been noted that the most published works have presented the profiles of air velocity and air temperature in a specific position within the solar setup. However, these profiles could sometimes be misinterpreted. In fact, some researchers did not focus on the distribution of air temperature, air velocity and pressure. These parameters are important to optimize the solar system. Indeed, the most published works deal with a larger prototype, such as the Manzanares prototype. However, it has not found connections between larger and small prototypes of SCPP.

This study examines the impact of agricultural credit on rice farmers' technical efficiency (TE) in Côte d'Ivoire by considering the heterogeneity among credit sources.

A multistage sampling technique was used to collect data from 588 randomly sampled rice farmers in seven rice areas of the country. The authors use the endogenous stochastic frontier production (ESFP) model to account for the endogeneity of access to agricultural credit.

On the one hand, agricultural credit has a significant and positive impact on rice farmers' TE. Rice farmers receiving agricultural credit have an average of 5% increase in their TE, confirming the positive impact of agricultural credit on TE. On the other hand, the study provides evidence that the impact of credit on rice production efficiency differs depending on the source of credit. Borrowing from agricultural cooperatives and paddy rice buyers/processors positively and significantly influences the TE, while borrowing from microfinance institutions (MFIs) negatively and significantly influences the TE. Moreover, borrowing from relatives/friends does not significantly influence TE.

Future research can further explore the contribution of agricultural credit by including several agricultural productions and using panel data.

The study provides evidence that the impact of agricultural credit on agricultural production efficiency depends on the source of credit. This study contributes to the literature on the impact of agricultural credit and enlightens policymakers in the design of agricultural credit models in developing countries, particularly Côte d'Ivoire.

This monograph contains abstracts from the 2005 Employment Research Unit Annual Conference Cardiff Business School, Cardiff University, 6‐7th September 2005

Reviews previous literature regarding quality in order to suggest a framework for a company committed to quality. Outlines the behaviours a quality firm must possess and discusses each in turn, considering all the stakeholders which must be satisfied to achieve total quality. Emphasizes the interdependence of all these factors for success. Briefly covers the problem of satisfying the conflicting demands of different stakeholders.

The study aims to examine the digital competence of young employees (under 30 years of age) who graduated from the technical university. Self-assessment of selected digital competencies was examined along with the determination of a self-efficacy level in the area of using digital competencies.

Quantitative research was conducted using the computer-assisted web interview method on a sample of 4532 respondents.

Young employees' self-assessment of digital competencies and self-efficacy in the area of using them is high, and it can be assumed that they perceive themselves as digitally competent. Both digital self-efficacy and assessed digital competencies have a positive impact on satisfaction with the university.

The research sample consisted only of employees who graduated from the technical university, but the results may provide feedback on the demand for digital competencies sought in the labor market and constitute valuable information useful in university curriculum development and in vocational education and training.

This is the first study that focuses on the Kozanoglu and Abedin approach to the concept of digital literacy in the context of research on self-assessment and self-efficacy in using digital competencies among technical university graduates, adapting the creative self-efficacy scale by Tierney and Farmer, for measuring digital self-efficacy.

1. Young employees' digital competencies self-assessment is high.

2. Young employees' self-efficacy of using digital competencies is high.

3. Graduating from a DT-focused department has a positive impact on satisfaction.

4. Digital self-efficacy has a positive impact on satisfaction with the university.

5. Assessed digital competencies have a positive impact on satisfaction.

Young employees' digital competencies self-assessment is high.

Young employees' self-efficacy of using digital competencies is high.

Graduating from a DT-focused department has a positive impact on satisfaction.

Digital self-efficacy has a positive impact on satisfaction with the university.

Assessed digital competencies have a positive impact on satisfaction.

This paper aims to study the impact of geopolitical uncertainty on corporate cost of debt and the moderating role of information asymmetry between creditors and borrowing firms.

This study uses 5,223 firm-quarter observations on German-listed firms spanning 2010:Q1–2021:Q4. This study regresses the cost of debt financing on the geopolitical risk, accounting quality and other control variables. Information asymmetry is measured using the performance-matched Jones-model discretionary accrual and the stock bid-ask spread. It uses interaction terms to check if information asymmetry moderates the impact of geopolitical uncertainty on the cost of debts and control for the moderating role of business risk. For the sake of robustness check, it uses long-term cost of debt and bond spread as alternative dependent variables. In addition, this study executes instrumental variables regression and propension score matching to control for potential endogeneity problems.

Estimation results show that geopolitical uncertainty exerts a positive impact on the cost of debt. This impact is found to be more important on the cost of long-term debts. Information asymmetry is found to exacerbate the positive impact of geopolitical risk on the cost of debt. These results are robust to the change of the dependent variable and to the mitigation of potential endogeneity. At high levels of information asymmetry, this impact is more important for firms belonging to “Transportation”, “Automobiles and auto parts”, “Chemicals”, “Industrial and commercial services”, “Software and IT services” and “Industrial goods” business sectors.

Geopolitical uncertainty should be seriously considered when setting strategies for corporate financial management in Germany and similar economies that are directly exposed to geopolitical risks. Corporate managers should design a comprehensive set of corporate policies to improve their transparency and accountability during increasing uncertainty. Policymakers are required to implement innovative monetary and fiscal policies that take into consideration the heterogeneous impact of geopolitical uncertainty and information transparency in order to contain their incidence on German business sectors.

Despite its relevance to corporate financing conditions, little is known about the impact of geopolitical uncertainty on the cost of debt financing. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, there is still no empirical evidence on how information asymmetry between creditors and borrowing firms shapes the impact of geopolitical uncertainty on the cost of debt. This paper tries to fill this gap by interacting two measures of information asymmetry with geopolitical uncertainty. In contrast with previous studies, this study shows that the impact of geopolitical uncertainty on the cost of debt is non-linear and heterogeneous. The results show that the impact of geopolitical uncertainty does not exert the same impact on the cost of debt instruments with different maturities. This impact is found to be heterogeneous across business sectors and to depend on the level of information asymmetry.

The paper aims to deal with the exact computation of the Jacobian of a time criteria from a numerical simulation of power electronics structures, for the sizing by gradient-based optimization algorithm.

Runge Kutta 44 is used to solve the state equations. The generic approach combines numerical and symbolic approaches. The modelling of the static converter is based on ideal switches.

The paper extends the state equations to derivate any state variable according a sizing parameter. The integral expressions used for some sizing performances (e.g. average or RMS values) mix symbolic and numerical approaches. Choices are made for the derivatives of the extrema of which the search is not a continuous process. The use of an object-oriented implementation allows to have generic formulation of some design performances.

The paper aims to propose and to test formulations of sizing criteria and their gradients; so, the modelling of the study case is carried out manually. Due to generic modelling approach used for the power electronics, the model is not completely continuous. So, the derivatives according some parameters (e.g. switch controls) must be carried out by finite differences. However, as the global behaviour is continuous, it is not critical.

The proposed formulations can be easily applied on simple static converter applications. For applications with large state equations, it should be possible to use the basic model of switches used in simulation tools of power electronics. The solving process and the sizing criteria formulation (with their derivatives) are generic and can be instantiate for any study.

The approach proposes formulations giving a numerical sizing dynamic model with a Jacobian computed, if possible, by an exact derivation useful for optimization studies. The approach gives fast simulation and fast computation of the derivatives by combining numerical and analytical approaches.