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Virtual professional learning communities provide digital platforms for teachers across the globe to join learning networks and engage in continuous and unrestricted learning. This study aimed to explore the impact of contextual factors on establishing virtual professional learning communities in Maldivian schools.

This quantitative study used a sample of 420 Maldivian in-service teachers chosen using two-stage cluster sampling and a stratified random sampling method.

The findings revealed that all three contextual factors – micro-, meso- and macro-contextual – positively and significantly influenced the virtual professional learning communities.

These findings recommend an integrated framework with micro-, meso- and macro-contextual factors as valuable instruments for educational leaders striving to establish virtual Professional Learning Communities (PLCs).

This study is among the first to examine the association of contextual factors of schools with the establishment of virtual PLCs in a country such as the Maldives, with geographically dispersed islands and limited resources.

This paper aims to answer calls for more research on how contextual factors influence the effectiveness of knowledge reuse.

The findings are based on an in-depth case study conducted in the sales department of a large white goods company in Australia.

Six contextual factors identified include purpose, time pressure, language, accessibility, author and date. A mismatch in purpose between knowledge creation and reuse is most likely to reduce knowledge reuse effectiveness. Time pressures may lead to an increase in errors associated with search question definition as well as knowledge search and selection, while unfamiliar language is likely to lead to misinterpretations of content. Knowledge accessibility issues are of particular concern in time-sensitive situations. Authorship and creation date information may facilitate knowledge reuse by allowing consumers to filter unwanted knowledge.

This study contributes to knowledge management theory by providing an exploration of the ways in which contextual factors influence knowledge and reuse effectiveness, and of the possible relationships between those factors. The paper also provides knowledge management practitioners with tangible guidelines on how to increase the effectiveness of organizational knowledge reuse.

Recent studies have highlighted the importance of adopting a contingency approach to configuring omnichannel warehouses. Nonetheless, research on how various contextual factors influence the selection of warehouse configuration is scarce. This study fills this knowledge gap by exploring how and why certain configurations fit in different omnichannel contexts.

A case study is conducted with six leading Swedish omnichannel retailers. Focusing on outbound warehouse configurations, data are collected through interviews, on-site observations, and secondary sources. A multistep analysis is made, including both pattern matching and explanation building.

The qualitative analysis reveals 16 contextual factors, of which assortment range, requested online order fulfillment times, goods size and total transactions are the most influential. The study shows how contextual factors create different challenges, thereby influencing the choice of the configurations. In addition to market dynamics and task complexity, the study describes four categories of the factors and related challenges that are particularly important in omnichannels: speed, space, economies of scale and tied-up capital.

The findings highlight the importance of understanding context and imply that multiple challenges may require trade-offs when selecting configurations, for example, regarding what storage, processes and resources to integrate or separate. To confirm, extend, challenge and further operationalize the ideas and observations put forward in this paper, an agenda with future research issues is given for this accelerating, contemporary phenomenon.

Managers could leverage the frameworks proposed for the contextual profiling of their current and future positions. The frameworks provide support for understanding the important challenges and potential trade-offs and developing aligned configurations.

This study is original in the way it provides in-depth, case study findings about contextual factors and their influence on omnichannel warehouse configuration.

Empowered by the possibility to automatically identify unique instances, radio frequency identification (RFID) is expected to revolutionize warehouse processes. However, every warehouse differs from each other in several ways. Given such dimensionality, a credible assessment of the true value of RFID requires that the contextual factors that differentiate one warehouse from another are taken into account. The same RFID implementation may generate high productivity in one warehouse but not in another, because the former warehouse may have characteristics that may influence the impact of RFID. As a result, the purpose of this paper is to provide a framework for identifying key contextual factors that appear to be contingent on the link between RFID and warehouse performance.

The framework derived from a two‐phase research design. The first phase incorporated two case studies. This was an exploratory study and, therefore, there was a great deal of iteration between the cases studies and the literature. The objective was to identify important contextual factors that may moderate the impact of RFID. The second phase incorporated simulation modelling. This was a confirmatory study. The objective was to develop two simulation models of the cases from the previous phase, and as a result, verify the effects of particular contextual factors on process performance.

As an outcome of this research, an initial subset of “warehouse contextual factors” is developed that may moderate the impact of RFID on warehouse performance. The framework is not an evaluating technique, but is a useful starting point for examining the value of RFID in the warehouse context.

Further work is required to support the significance of the moderating effects of the proposed contextual factors.

For practicing managers the paper directs attention to key warehouse contextual factors that appear to be contingent on the link between RFID and warehouse performance. It also confirms that the achievement of RFID value is attainable only in combination with the redesign of business processes.

The paper integrates both theoretical and practical considerations regarding formalization of the contextual factors that may moderate the impact of RFID on warehouse performance. Therefore, it represents an initial step in building theory to develop guidelines for understanding the variance in the performance between different RFID‐enabled warehouse settings.

While forward logistics handles and manages the flow of goods downstream in the supply chain from suppliers to customers, reverse logistics (RL) manages the flow of returned goods upstream. A firm can combine RL with forward logistics, keep the flows separated, or choose a position between the two extremes. The purpose of this paper is to identify the contextual factors that determine the most advantageous position, which the paper refers to as the most advantageous degree of combination.

The paper first develops a scale ranging from 0 percent combination to 100 percent combination (i.e. full separation). Second, using the contingency theory the paper identifies the contextual factors described in RL-literature that determine the most advantageous degree of combination. The set of factors is subsequently tested using a case study, which applies a triangulation approach that combines a qualitative and a quantitative method.

The results show six distinct contextual factors that determine the most advantageous degree of combination. Examples of factors are technical product complexity, product portfolio variation, and the loss of product value over time.

For practitioners the scale of possible positions and set of contextual factors constitute a decision-making framework. Using the framework practitioners can determine the most advantageous position of the scale for their firm.

Much RL-research addresses intra-RL issues while the relationship between forward and RL is under-researched. This paper contributes to RL theory by identifying the contextual factors that determine the most advantageous relationship between forward and RL, and proposes a novel decision-making framework for practitioners.

The choice of which country or countries to enter is a critical decision and needs to be made with considerable care and deliberation. Initial market entry decisions have typically focused on country evaluations based on macro‐economic data. While appropriate in providing an initial screening of countries, other factors, notably contextual factors, can provide important insights in assessing international market opportunities. The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of context at four distinct levels.

The literature on the influence of context on consumption and purchase behavior is reviewed to provide a framework to understand contextual factors as a means to refine entry strategy and develop effective segmentation strategies.

A wide range of contextual factors exert influence on consumption choices and contribute to within‐country heterogeneity. These are typically examined at the macro‐level, but also need to be examined at the meso‐level, micro‐level and situational level to fully assess market opportunities and establish viable market segments.

Examination of contextual factors provides a richer and deeper understanding of which international markets to enter and which segments to target. Within‐country cultural diversity, dramatic economic and regional disparities and marked differences in the infrastructure need to be assessed. In particular, examination of contextual factors helps to shed light on heterogeneity within countries not only in customer behavior, but also in the nature of the market infrastructure. This is a key element, not only in formulating entry and segmentation strategies, but also in implementing those strategies.

The effect of context has received little attention to date. The current paper highlights the importance of considering contextual factors and their impact on consumption behavior – an issue which has largely been ignored in previous research.

This paper aims to systematize the contextual factors that influence the intention to use citizens and governments-initiated platforms, presenting them as non-functional requirements (NFRs), to facilitate their understanding to implementers.

A systematic mapping of the literature was done to identify the contextual factors from citizens and governments (C2G) adoption, followed by a survey applied to 938 potential users of this type of technology. The results were analyzed through logistic regression to understand the impact of the contextual factors on the intention to use C2G platforms and then those contextual factors were formalized as NFRs represented by a Softgoal Interdependence Graph.

Among the results, the most prominent factors were the influence of the “users perceived contribution” and the “citizens concern about the city conditions”. Finally, some strategies are suggested to help public managers and developers to optimize the factors that have shown to be significant.

This study can support e-gov policies in the implementation of C2G platforms because several municipalities need assistance in taking actions to foster greater citizens’ engagement. An example of this type of contribution is the indication of the factors of greatest impact in the adoption of use and the indication of paths to be followed if the manager and developers decide to focus on each of them.

The identification of several contextual factors which influence C2G platforms adoption and their systematization with the purpose of jointly visualizing and evaluating them.

This paper aims to theorise and test a causal model of predominantly lean-driven quality improvement (QI) in the context of health-care clinical microsystems, examining the effects contextual factors in this setting have on improvement activity.

QI practitioners at a New Zealand District Health Board were surveyed on a range of contextual factors hypothesised to influence improvement outcomes. Survey responses were analysed via partial least squares path modelling to test the causal model that was designed to be consistent with the “model for understanding success in quality” (MUSIQ) model (Kaplan et al., 2012) adopted in health-care QI.

Defined variables for teamwork, respect for people, lean actions and negative motivating factors all demonstrated significant effects. These findings support the representation of the microsystem layer within the MUSIQ model. The final model predicted and explained perceived success well (adjusted R² = 0.58).

The sample was a non-probability sample and the sample size was small (n = 105), although power analysis indicated that we exceeded the minimum sample size (97 cases). Even though health-care processes have universality, this study was conducted in only one district in New Zealand.

The results support highly functional teamwork as the critical contextual factor in health-care QI outcomes and suggest lean-driven process improvement can be a valid mediating mechanism. The key recommendation for practitioners is to increase focus on human resource capability when initiating and supporting QI.

The originality is testing the robustness of the MUSIQ model specifically in a lean environment, which provides the context for QI. The paper provides a more detailed specification of contextual factors acting as exogenous variables that moderate the cause (lean actions) and the effect (perceived success).

The consumer culture in recent times has evolved into one of the most powerful ingredients shaping individuals and societies. Although the behavioural intentions and purchase decisions related models continue to dominate research and managerial practice, a deeper look indicates that most studies do not take the complete picture in account and study parts of the above mentioned phenomena. Furthermore, consumers operate in a dynamic and ever‐changing environment which in itself demands a re‐examination of their behavioural intentions and purchase decision influences from time to time. This paper aims to focus on these issues.

Using the context of the young adults market, this study looks into how contextual factors vis‐à‐vis loyalty and switching impact consumer purchase intentions. The study involved both qualitative and quantitative research methodology.

The findings suggest that contextual factors have the strongest influence on purchase decisions. Furthermore, contextual factors influence the brand loyalty and switching behaviour.

The findings provide important insights with regards to the factors on which practitioners should focus to better tailor their content and approaches.

The study supplies unique learning to managers and researchers alike, through conceptualising and subsequently empirically verifying the issue of purchase decision, brand loyalty and switching with regard to contextual factors.

This study aims to explore the effect of multiple factors on employee innovative behavior (EIB) and examine the mediating role that thriving at work and organizational commitment play in this relationship, specifically related to the hospitality sector.

Primary data was gathered from 612 employees across 100 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Vietnam. Using covariance-based structural equation modeling and the bootstrapping method, the research estimates ten overarching hypotheses to address the research question: how do job, personal and contextual factors influence EIB?

Job, personal and contextual factors influence EIB significantly and positively. The results uncover the relationship between workplace support and EIB under the mediating effects of thriving at work and organizational commitment. Especially interesting for the hospitality sector is that the authors find these three factors are a strong influence on EIB.

Management can stimulate EIB by designing job control and job demand appropriately to build and maintain workplace social support in the organization, especially in the hospitality sector. Employees’ personal characteristics can also facilitate this behavior. The research adds to theory on EIB and methods to analyze the factors affecting this driver of innovation.

The research enhances our understanding of EIB in the hospitality and the SME context generally. EIB is affected by employee perceptions of job factors (job demand and job control), personal factors (thriving at work and organizational commitment) and contextual factors (supervisor support, coworker support and climate for innovation).