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Open Access
Article
Publication date: 1 January 2024

Salla-Riikka Kuusalu, Päivi Laine, Minna Maijala, Maarit Mutta and Mareen Patzelt

This study aims to explore how university language students evaluate different sustainability themes and examine the overall relevance of ecological, social, cultural and economic…

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Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to explore how university language students evaluate different sustainability themes and examine the overall relevance of ecological, social, cultural and economic sustainability dimensions in language education.

Design/methodology/approach

A questionnaire was designed to study Finnish university language students’ (n = 55) order of priority for sustainability dimensions and their sub-themes and the justifications for the priority orders using a mixed methods design. Qualitative content analysis was conducted using NVivo software, and weighted rankings were used to analyse the quantitative data.

Findings

The findings of the study showed that language students evaluated the social and cultural dimensions as the most relevant in language teaching. In all dimensions, students approached sustainability mainly by prioritising larger issues and advancing towards smaller ones. Most non-directional responses appeared in the economic dimension. In addition, individual prioritising and justification approaches varied between different sustainability dimensions.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, no previous studies have examined language students’ evaluations of and justifications for all four sustainability dimensions. The results highlight the need to use multiple, holistic approaches and systems thinking to incorporate education for sustainable development.

Details

International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, vol. 25 no. 9
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1467-6370

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 18 September 2024

David 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.

Details

Smart and Sustainable Built Environment, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2046-6099

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 13 May 2024

Marcin Roszkowski

The paper addresses the issue of change in Wikidata ontology by exposing the role of the socio-epistemic processes that take place inside the infrastructure. The subject of the…

Abstract

Purpose

The paper addresses the issue of change in Wikidata ontology by exposing the role of the socio-epistemic processes that take place inside the infrastructure. The subject of the study was the process of extending the Wikidata ontology with a new property as an example of the interplay between the social and technical components of the Wikidata infrastructure.

Design/methodology/approach

In this study, an interpretative approach to the evolution of the Wikidata ontology was used. The interpretation framework was a process-centric approach to changes in the Wikidata ontology. The extension of the Wikidata ontology with a new property was considered a socio-epistemic process where multiple agents interact for epistemic purposes. The decomposition of this process into three stages (initiation, knowledge work and closure) allowed us to reveal the role of the institutional structure of Wikidata in the evolution of its ontology.

Findings

This study has shown that the modification of the Wikidata ontology is an institutionalized process where community-accepted regulations and practices must be applied. These regulations come from the institutional structure of the Wikidata community, which sets the normative patterns for both the process and social roles and responsibilities of the involved agents.

Originality/value

The results of this study enhance our understanding of the evolution of the collaboratively developed Wikidata ontology by exposing the role of socio-epistemic processes, division of labor and normative patterns.

Details

Journal of Documentation, vol. 80 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0022-0418

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 19 September 2024

Yaqoub BouAynaya

Abstract

Details

Redefining Irishness in a Globalized World: National Identity and European Integration
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-83797-942-4

Keywords

Abstract

Details

Redefining Irishness in a Globalized World: National Identity and European Integration
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-83797-942-4

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 18 September 2024

Manpreet Arora

The outbreak of COVID-19 endemic forced people not only to think but also to pause and objectively reflect how to deal with the situation that has arisen and how to develop…

Abstract

The outbreak of COVID-19 endemic forced people not only to think but also to pause and objectively reflect how to deal with the situation that has arisen and how to develop well-being and resilience strategies for the welfare of humanity. The endemic brought a global economic shock of enormous magnitude in most of the countries. Policymakers across the globe today have been facing alarming situations and unpredictable challenges as they try to find solutions to problems in the areas of tourism, at macro-economic levels and in socio-cultural arena. People in developing countries are concerned with earning livelihood and supporting their families and find some opportunities to survive by increase in tourist arrivals. Conversely, industralized countries struggle to improve the general psychological and physical health of their citizens. Travelling for well-being appears to be a sensible and uplifting resilience tactic in such a situation. This piece discusses how, in such a situation, cultivating resilience and well-being techniques may enable us to overcome a variety of obstacles in the travel and tourist industry. According to the author, policies aimed at enhancing well-being through travel should give priority to factors like affordability, accessibility, sustainability, safety and education. By promoting an environment where travel is affordable, accessible and sustainable, policymakers can guarantee that more people can take advantage of the positive experiences and enrichment that travel can provide to their lives, while also benefiting the greater community and environment.

Details

The Emerald Handbook of Tourism Economics and Sustainable Development
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-83753-709-9

Keywords

Abstract

Details

Redefining Irishness in a Globalized World: National Identity and European Integration
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-83797-942-4

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 January 2023

Sadia Nazar, Abdul Raheman and Muhammad Anwar ul Haq

This study aims to estimate the amount of money laundering (ML) with multiple proxy approaches and measure the effects of ML on various indicators of the economic and financial…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to estimate the amount of money laundering (ML) with multiple proxy approaches and measure the effects of ML on various indicators of the economic and financial sectors. Theoretical justifications are recruited from the parasite theory of organised crime.

Design/methodology/approach

A quantitative research methodology was used on a balanced panel data set to test the study’s hypothesis through generalised method of moment (GMM). The study sample consisted of 77 countries, and the data was collected for 15 years (2005–2019).

Findings

A study has found that 1.23% of global gross domestic product is laundered yearly, and there is no noticeable decline in ML activities. Further study has also found that ML has devastating effects on countries, government revenue, foreign investment, economic development, political and peace conditions, bank liquidity, interest rate volatility and exchange rate volatility. The study has not witnessed the negative consequence of ML on countries’ inflation rates.

Practical implications

Estimates of the study guide policymakers about the volume of resources fleeing and helps them to decide the level of response needed. Further findings help them prioritise the response system according to the area most affected.

Originality/value

This study is an original contribution by the authors and has studied the effects of ML by computing the amount of ML by four different proxies.

Details

Journal of Money Laundering Control, vol. 27 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1368-5201

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 3 August 2023

S. Balasubrahmanyam and Deepa Sethi

Gillette’s historically successful “razor and blade” business model (RBM) has been a promising benchmark for multiple businesses across diverse industries worldwide in the past…

Abstract

Purpose

Gillette’s historically successful “razor and blade” business model (RBM) has been a promising benchmark for multiple businesses across diverse industries worldwide in the past several decades. The extant literature deals with very few nuances of this business model notwithstanding the fact that there are several variants of this business model being put to practical use by firms in diverse industries in grossly metaphorically equivalent situations.

Design/methodology/approach

This study adopts the 2 × 2 truth table framework from the domains of mathematical logic and combinatorics in fleshing out all possible (four logical possibilities) variants of the razor and blade business model for further analysis. This application presents four mutually exclusive yet collectively exhaustive possibilities on any chosen dimension. Two major dimensions (viz., provision of subsidy and intra- or extra-firm involvement in the making of razors or blades or both) form part of the discussion in this paper. In addition, this study synthesizes and streamlines entrepreneurial wisdom from multiple intra-industry and inter-industry benchmarks in terms of real-time firms explicitly or implicitly adopting several variants of the RBM that suit their unique context and idiosyncratic trajectory of evolution in situations that are grossly reflective of the metaphorically equivalent scenario of razor and recurrent blades. Inductive method of research is carried out with real-time cases from diverse industries with a pivotally common pattern of razor and blade model in some form or the other.

Findings

Several new variants of the razor and blade model (much beyond what the extant literature explicitly projects) have been discovered from the multiple metaphorically equivalent cases of RBM across industries. All of these expand the portfolio of options that relevant entrepreneurial firms can explore and exploit the best possible option chosen from them, given their unique context and idiosyncratic trajectory of growth.

Research limitations/implications

This study has enriched the literature by presenting and analyzing a more inclusive or perhaps comprehensive palette of explicit choices in the form of several variants of the RBM for the relevant entrepreneurial firms to choose from. Future research can undertake the task of comparing these variants of RBM with those of upcoming servitization business models such as guaranteed availability, subscription and performance-based contracting and exploring the prospects of diverse combinations.

Practical implications

Smart entrepreneurial firms identify and adopt inspiring benchmarks (like razor and blade model whenever appropriate) duly tweaked and blended into a gestalt benchmark for optimal profits and attractive market shares. They target diverse market segments for tied-goods with different variants or combinations of the relevant benchmarks in the form of variegated customer value propositions (CVPs) that have unique and enticing appeal to the respective market segments.

Social implications

Value-sensitive customers on the rise globally choose the option that best suits them from among multiple alternatives offered by competing firms in the market. As long as the ratio of utility to price of such an offer is among the highest, even a no-frills CVP may be most appealing to one market segment while a plush CVP may be tempting to yet another market segment simultaneously. While professional business firms embrace resource leverage practices consciously, amateur customers do so subconsciously. Each party subliminally desires to have the maximum bang-to-buck ratio as the optimal return on investment, given their priorities ceteris paribus.

Originality/value

Prior studies on the RBM have explicitly captured only a few variants of the razor and blade model. This study is perhaps the first of its kind that ferrets out many other variants (more than ten) of the razor and blade model with due simplification and exemplification, justification and demystification.

Details

Benchmarking: An International Journal, vol. 31 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1463-5771

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 24 September 2024

Diego Ravenda, Maika Melina Valencia-Silva, Josep Maria Argilés-Bosch and Josep García-Blandón

This study aims to explore the Facebook communication strategies of Spanish hospitals during health emergencies, focusing on their role in crisis management and public information…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to explore the Facebook communication strategies of Spanish hospitals during health emergencies, focusing on their role in crisis management and public information dissemination.

Design/methodology/approach

Automatic topic modelling and deep learning sentiment analysis were applied to analyse 151,738 posts from 274 hospital Facebook pages (March 2020–Feb 2022). Regression analyses were used to explore the relationships between topics, sentiment scores and hospital characteristics.

Findings

The analysis revealed nine main topics, with the three most prevalent related to COVID-19: vaccine information, security measures and situational updates. This indicates that Spanish hospitals significantly relied on Facebook to manage the emergency. The communication strategies dynamically adapted to the intensity of the pandemic and varied across hospital types. Sentiment analysis showed a negative tone for posts about security measures and situational updates. These findings align with the Agenda-Setting Theory, suggesting that hospitals influenced public discourse. Vaccine information posts were more positive, resonating with the Uses and Gratifications Theory by fulfilling the audience’s need for reassurance and guidance.

Originality/value

Using replicable machine learning techniques, this study elucidates the communication strategies employed by Spanish hospitals to manage healthcare emergencies, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. It highlights factors that potentially influence these strategies and provides theoretical justifications for them. The variation in communication strategies on Facebook among different hospital categories underscores the imperative for stricter guidelines and regulations to guarantee consistent and reliable communication during emergencies. This research provides valuable insights for practitioners and policymakers aimed at developing effective health communication strategies on social media.

Details

International Journal of Emergency Services, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2047-0894

Keywords

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