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This paper is a commentary that aims to address themes arising from the article by Morgan titled “Wales and Autism: The Impact of Philanthropy Matched with Ambition”.

This opinion piece considers the broader impact of stakeholder engagement in the field of autism, including how the dissemination of evidence-based support could be made more accessible for autistic people, their families and carers and philanthropists.

This paper highlights the link between stakeholder engagement and meaningful change in policy and practice in the field of autism. It highlights the need for philanthropists to invest in evidence-based support but highlights the difficulty in identifying and accessing such support. This piece supports the use of evidence and gap maps (EGMs) to increase the accessibility of autism research and evidence.

While stakeholder engagement is encouragingly rising in this field, most of the evidence is held in academic journals, which are behind paywalls and, therefore, inaccessible to many autistic people, their families, carers and associated professionals. Displaying evidence using EGMs provides an accessible way for autistic people and those who support them to identify possible avenues of support quickly and allows philanthropists to direct research funding to areas of high priority.

The concept of interestingness has been investigated in several management disciplines but studies mobilizing such concept in supply chain management (SCM) to develop strategies for the field's advancement are relatively scarce. This research paper aims to investigate how SCM scholars rank attributes of interestingness and the strategies to harness interestingness in the field of SCM.

The authors adopt a mixed methods research design in which a survey on SCM researchers' ranking of interestingness' attributes and qualitative interviews with selected academics are conducted.

The findings highlight the importance given by SCM scholars to attributes such as rigor, relevance, novelty and communication and how they are interrelated. Also, other interestingness attributes are underlined by scholars during the qualitative interviews including inquisitiveness, engaging the reader, imaginativeness and entertainment. Furthermore, a research agenda to synthesize the propositions to develop interesting research is also proposed.

Interestingness attributes such as rigor, relevance and novelty are discussed. Recommendations for interesting research are suggested which can be useful to scholars and journal editors. The findings of this research are also relevant for practitioners for a better understanding of academic/practice relationships to develop high impact collaboration.

This paper is among the few studies that focus on interestingness in SCM research from the perspective of scholars. In doing so, the authors seek to contribute to the classic debate in SCM field about “relevance-rigour” duality by providing a broader outlook based on interestingness and proposing a research agenda for prospective studies in the field.

This study aims to offer empirical evidence on how integrated thinking affects the integrated reporting (IR) practice and how integrated thinking originates from board and management involvement, cross-functional integration and integral link between capitals and strategies.

This study is cross-sectional and uses a mixed-method approach. The empirical data for the quantitative approach were collected from the 129 public companies listed on Colombo Stock Exchange in Sri Lanka. The personale responsible for preparing the annual report are selected as the respondents of this study. This study used partial least square modelling to test the hypotheses. The quantitative approach results are triangulated across a qualitative research approach in semi-structural interviews with ten responsible officers of integrated reporting practices.

The central finding of this study is the significant positive relationship between integrated thinking and integrated reporting practice. The qualitative results supported the quantitative findings and show that board and management involvement, cross-functional integration and integral link between capital and strategy enhance the integrated reporting practice. Top management and board management have positive beliefs about the integrated reporting practice; they initiate, encourage, influence, involve and support it. Furthermore, all company departments are involved with the integrated reporting led by the finance department and practice good coordination, communication and collaboration between departments. Moreover, it also evidenced their concern about the linkage between capital and strategy and how they do it in their organisation when practising integrated reporting.

The firms which intend to practice or enhance integrated reporting will be benefited from this study. Hence, this research assists in constructing IT through the direct role of the board and senior leadership, breaking down silos to diffuse IR throughout structures and processes, and concentrating on strategies while managing their capitals and relationships over the long term.

This study provides the initial quantitative empirical evidence on the impact of integrated thinking on integrated reporting practice. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to operationalise both integrated thinking and integrated reporting based on a questionnaire that developed and tested both constructs as higher-order reflective formative and on the relationship between integrated thinking and integrated reporting. The mixed-method approach to examine the relationship between integrated thinking and integrated reporting provides additional insights into the existing literature.

District-university partners increasingly rely on “grow-your-own” licensure programs to address teacher shortages. Because vacancies in special education represent a chronic issue, our district-university partnership developed LEAP – the Licensed Educators’ Accelerated Pathway, successfully preparing 26 paraprofessionals as special education teachers (SEs). We describe a model university-district partnership in which we collaborated to design and implement paraprofessionals’ SE licensure program.

In this general review, we describe a district-university partnership collaboration that resolved barriers experienced by paraprofessionals working toward licensure in special education (Essential #4, Reflection and Innovation). The specialized design and partnership solutions were grounded in SE preparation research literature.

25 (28 entered the program and 25 completed) paraprofessionals from one large urban and several regional districts completed special education licensure through LEAP. Slightly more than half of LEAP participants were Black or Hispanic (see Table 1), contributing to the diversification of SE workforce. University-district partnership was successful in designing and delivering a program that allowed participants: a) to remain employed, b) attend evening classes in their geographic region or online, c) complete all field experiences in sponsoring districts (Essential #2) and d) receive concierge advising from a “completion coach.” We describe solutions to barriers experienced by paraprofessionals and advocate for district-university collaboration to address chronic teacher shortages.

Limitations include lack of data on success of program completers during their first year of teaching as they began this work in Fall 2023. Further, because the participating district was large and urban, generalization of program details for small and rural districts is difficult.

Practical tips for developing grow-your-own special education licensure programs are providing. Detailed descriptions of barriers candidates experienced and ways the district-university partners resolved these issues are included. Programs like the one described has the potential to positively impact teacher pipeline issues.

The program described provided highly-trained teachers to fill chronic vacancies in special education in three participating districts/agencies. Because students receiving special education services are at risk for school failure and are disproportionately impacted by teacher turnover, addressing this area through grow-your-own licensure programs represents a diversity, equity and inclusion initiative. Further, upskilling diverse paraprofessionals to licensed teacher roles represent an economic boost, which they might not otherwise have achieved.

Available research literature signals alarm over persistent teacher shortages in hard-to-staff districts and lack of diversity in the teacher workforce, but few published accounts describe successful programs. Partner collaboration fostered a re-imagining of course formatting and delivery to accommodate adult learners, avoiding problems often reported with alternative programs.

This study aims to present a bibliometric overview of the academic research on export performance (EP) in the business and management areas.

A bibliometric overview of 1,463 papers from 1968 to 2021, including performance analysis, science mapping analysis and graphical mapping, was conducted using the Scopus database. SciMAT software was used for thematic analysis and conceptual evolution mapping of the EP domain, and VOSviewer software was used for graphical visualization.

This study shows that EP research experienced spectacular growth, especially between 1998 and 2003, and the interest in this field continues to increase. Also, the USA and the UK appear to be the absolute leaders in EP research, with the best indicators of productivity and influence in all dimensions analyzed. The findings from the analysis through SciMAT indicate that “capabilities” and “R&D” are the main Motor themes that have contributed the most to the EP literature, whereas “global value chain” and “start-up” are emerging themes as new areas of interest.

This study develops a baseline for representing certain and exhaustive insights in the EP field and specifies trends over a period. Using a single database and excluding book chapters/conference papers are limitations of this study.

EP is a research field that has gained wide acceptance in the academic community and international marketing literature. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, no bibliometric overview has analyzed the EP literature. This study presents the first systematic quantitative analysis of academic research on EP in the business and management areas.

Waiting time, as an important predictor of queue abandonment and patient satisfaction, is important for resource utilization and patient experience management. Medical institutions have given top priority to reforming the appointment system for many years; however, whether the increased information transparency brought about by the appointment scheduling mechanism could improve patient waiting time is not well understood. In this study, the authors examine the effects of information transparency in reducing patient waiting time from an uncertainty perspective.

Leveraging a quasi-natural experiment in a tertiary academic hospital, the authors analyze over one million observational patient visit records and design the propensity score matching plus the difference in difference (PSM-DID) model and hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) to address this issue.

The authors confirm that, on average, improved information transparency significantly reduces the waiting time for patients by approximately 6.43 min, a 4.90% reduction. The authors identify three types of uncertainties (resource, process and outcome uncertainty) in the patient visit process that affect patients' waiting time. Moreover, information transparency moderates the relationship between three sources of uncertainties and waiting time.

The authors’ work not only provides important theoretical explanations for the patient-level factors of in-clinic waiting time and the reasons for information technology (IT)-enabled appointment scheduling by time slot (ITASS) to shorten patient waiting time and improve patient experience but also provides potential solutions for further exploration of measures to reduce patient waiting time.

This study aims to evaluate how the criteria of sustainability standards (SS) ensure the social dimension of corporate sustainability (CS) in rural entrepreneurships using the case of banana agribusinesses in Magdalena (Colombia).

The methodological design was quantitative, explanatory and cross-sectional, where a sample of banana producers from Magdalena (Colombia) was selected. A structural equation model (SEM) was developed to evaluate the hypotheses. The SEM goodness-of-fit and fit indices were all acceptable.

There is a strong and statistically significant correlation between SS criteria and the social dimension of CS. In particular, local development is the most influential factor in shaping CS in the context of banana agribusinesses in Magdalena, Colombia, operating as rural entrepreneurship. Meanwhile, working conditions and human rights show moderate effects, while labor rights do not have a perceptible impact.

Only the SS criteria that ensure the social dimension of CS in the banana agribusinesses of Magdalena (Colombia) were considered. It is important to note that other variables may be involved in ensuring CS. Future research to identify these possible variables is recommended.

This investigation explores an understudied issue within the CS sphere, explicitly focusing on rural entrepreneurship in developing countries, notably Colombia. The study scrutinizes the impact of SS on the social dimension of CS in rural environments, using banana cooperatives as a case study and highlighting the value of developing strategies to help improve the CS performance of this type of organization.

El objetivo de esta investigación es evaluar cómo los criterios de los Estándares de Sostenibilidad (SS) aseguran la dimensión social de la Sostenibilidad Corporativa (CS) en los emprendimientos rurales utilizando el caso de los agronegocios bananeros en Magdalena (Colombia).

El diseño metodológico fue cuantitativo, explicativo y transversal, donde se seleccionó una muestra de productores bananeros del Magdalena (Colombia). Se desarrolló un modelo de ecuaciones estructurales (SEM) para evaluar las hipótesis. Los índices de bondad de ajuste y ajuste del SEM fueron aceptables.

existe una correlación fuerte y estadísticamente significativa entre los criterios de SS y la dimensión social de la SC. En particular, el desarrollo local aparece como el factor más influyente en la conformación de la SC en el contexto de las agroempresas bananeras de Magdalena, Colombia, que operan como empresas rurales. Mientras tanto, las condiciones de trabajo y los derechos humanos muestran efectos moderados, mientras que los derechos laborales no parecen tener un impacto perceptible.

sólo se consideraron los criterios de SS que aseguran la dimensión social de la SC en los agronegocios bananeros de Magdalena (Colombia). Es importante señalar que otras variables pueden estar involucradas en el aseguramiento de la CS. Se recomiendan futuras investigaciones para identificar estas posibles variables.

Esta investigación explora un tema poco estudiado dentro de la esfera de la Sostenibilidad Corporativa (SC), centrándose explícitamente en el empresariado rural en los países en desarrollo, en particular Colombia. El estudio analiza el impacto de los Estándares de Sostenibilidad (SS) en la dimensión social de la SC en entornos rurales, utilizando las cooperativas bananeras como caso de estudio y resaltando el valor de desarrollar estrategias que ayuden a mejorar el desempeño en SC de este tipo de organizaciones.

O objetivo desta pesquisa é avaliar como os critérios dos Padrões de Sustentabilidade (SS) garantem a dimensão social da Sustentabilidade Corporativa (SC) em empreendimentos rurais usando o caso das agroindústrias de banana em Magdalena (Colômbia).

O desenho metodológico foi quantitativo, explicativo e transversal, onde foi selecionada uma amostra de produtores de banana de Magdalena (Colômbia). Foi desenvolvido um modelo de equação estrutural (SEM) para avaliar as hipóteses. Os índices de adequação e de ajuste do SEM foram todos aceitáveis.

existe uma correlação forte e estatisticamente significativa entre os critérios de SS e a dimensão social da SC. Em particular, o desenvolvimento local aparece como o fator mais influente na formação da SC no contexto dos agronegócios da banana em Magdalena, Colômbia, que operam como empresas rurais. Entretanto, as condições de trabalho e os direitos humanos apresentam efeitos moderados, enquanto os direitos laborais não parecem ter um impacto percetível.

apenas foram considerados os critérios de SS que garantem a dimensão social da SC nas agroindústrias da banana de Magdalena (Colômbia). É importante notar que outras variáveis podem estar envolvidas na garantia da SC. Recomenda-se a realização de investigação futura para identificar estas possíveis variáveis.

Esta investigação explora uma questão pouco estudada no âmbito da Sustentabilidade Empresarial (SC), focando explicitamente o empreendedorismo rural nos países em desenvolvimento, nomeadamente na Colômbia. O estudo examina o impacto dos Padrões de Sustentabilidade (SS) na dimensão social da SC em ambientes rurais, utilizando cooperativas de banana como estudo de caso e destacando o valor do desenvolvimento de estratégias para ajudar a melhorar o desempenho da SC deste tipo de organização.

Total risk score (TRS) is considered one of the main indicators for risk evaluation. Several studies attempted to employ different types of risk indices for the evaluation of cost overrun causes. Hence, this study aims at performing a comparative analysis to evaluate the efficiency of three different approaches for TRS calculation.

Thirty-eight unique causes of cost overrun in urban-related construction projects were identified and a survey was conducted among construction professionals in Iran. The TRS for each cost overrun cause is calculated using single-attribute (SA), double-attribute (DA), and multiple-attribute (MA) approaches, and eventually, causes were ranked. Furthermore, principal component analysis (PCA), logistic regression analysis (LRA), and K-means clustering are utilized to compare the differences in the generated TRS using different approaches.

The results revealed that the TRS generated through the MA approach demonstrated the highest efficiency in terms of generating correlation between causes and their identified latent constructs, prediction capability, and classification of the influential causes in the same group.

The originality of this study primarily stems from the adoption of statistical approaches in the evaluation of the recently introduced TRS calculation approach in comparison to traditional ones. Additionally, this study proposed a modified application of the relative importance index (RII) for risk prioritization. The results from this study are expected to fulfill the gap in previous literature toward exploring the most efficient TRS calculation approach for those researchers and practitioners who seek to utilize them as a measure to identify the influential cost overrun causes.

Previous students' housing studies have neglected the need to study all-inclusive student housing and quality of services delivery among students with disability. This study explores the expectations in students' housing among university students living with disabilities (SWDs) in Ghana.

The study adopted a mixed-methods approach, involving 423 SWD selected from five public and three private universities across Ghana. Grounded on the Gap Model, the study employed exploratory factor analysis to extract factors of service quality delivery and universal building design for SWD living in off-campus students' housing.

The study uncovered that, expectations of SWD regarding building design specifications hinges more on inbuilt universal design than external building environment designs. SWD are more interested in safety, health, managerial assurances and security. In all, five factors provided a huge gap in services quality delivered by off-campus students' housing.

The Gap Model technique offers a framework that provides an insight for students' housing investors, managers, researchers and local authorities that provides an insight on the needs of SWD in student housing, thus making it possible to attain satisfactions amongst SWD.

Unlike health-related studies that deals with expectations of all-inclusive buildings for persons with disability in hospitals, this study uniquely uncovered the expectations of services delivery and building design support to SWD in the Ghanaian context.

Drawing on the dynamic capability view (DCV), the current study aims to examine the mediating effects of entrepreneurial orientation (EO), in terms of innovativeness, proactiveness and risk taking, on the relationships between big data analytics (BDA) capability and sustainable supply chain performance (SSCP).

Data were collected by questionnaire survey from 300 manufacturing organizations. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test the hypotheses.

The findings showed that innovativeness and proactiveness fully mediated the link between BDA capability and SSCP. However, risk taking only partially mediated the relationship between BDA capability and SSCP. There was also a negative relationship between BDA and risk taking.

Given that the current study focused on the manufacturing sector, future research is needed to compare different sectors and cultural contexts. Further exploration is also needed into the dimension of risk taking in terms of the role of risk taking in linking BDA capability with SSCP in different cultural settings.

Technology may not increase the risk taking capability. Organizations may be creative and proactive but may remain risk averse despite having access to big data. Organizations need a more balanced approach to dynamically integrate and reconfigure the organizations' BDA and EO capabilities in order to enhance SSCP.

The role of EO in mediating the relationship between BDA capability and SSCP has not been studied before. The current study aimed to address the gap and contribute to the existing debate on better understanding the factors that are needed by organizations to effectively employ technology to enhance SSCP. Untapped areas for future research are also identified.