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1 – 10 of 16Teck Lee Yap, Rajkishore Nayak, Nhung T.H. Vu, Duy Tung Bui, Thi Thu Tra Pham and Darcy W.E. Allen
Blockchain-based traceability technology (BTT) is an emerging digital technology that claims to have the potential to fulfil the demand for traceability to safeguard fruit safety…
Abstract
Purpose
Blockchain-based traceability technology (BTT) is an emerging digital technology that claims to have the potential to fulfil the demand for traceability to safeguard fruit safety. Drawing on the technological, organisational and environmental (TOE) framework, this study aims to investigate the perceived facilitators and barriers that influence the behavioural intentions of multiple stakeholders in the Vietnamese fruit supply chain (i.e., farmers, trading enterprises and consumers) to adopt BTT.
Design/methodology/approach
This study utilised a qualitative approach of semi-structured in-depth interviews with 60 stakeholders in the Vietnamese fruit supply chain to achieve the research objectives. NVivo 12 was employed to analyse the collected data using content and thematic analysis.
Findings
The findings identify several perceived facilitators that motivate BTT adoption. These include trust, transparency, business performance, the formation of alliances, consumer awareness of food safety and ethical agricultural practices, fruit branding and the pivotal role of farmers' cooperatives. Meanwhile, the perceived barriers to BTT adoption include a lack of digital literacy amongst the stakeholders, poor organisational culture, the high cost of traceability-enabled products and data privacy and security governance.
Practical implications
This study suggests that technology awareness and perceived facilitators and barriers should be incorporated into the design and deployment of blockchain-based traceability technology in the agri-food supply chain in developing countries.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors' knowledge, this study is the first qualitative paper that attempts to fill the research gap of understanding the perceived facilitators and barriers that influence the intentions of multiple stakeholders in the fruit supply chain to adopt BTT in the context of a developing economy.
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Noel Scott, Brent Moyle, Ana Cláudia Campos, Liubov Skavronskaya and Biqiang Liu
George Okechukwu Onatu, Wellington Didibhuku Thwala and Clinton Ohis Aigbavboa
Eugenia Lima Devile, Celeste Eusébio and Andreia Moura
The aim of this study is to identify the travel constraints of people with special needs (PwSN) and the strategies used to overcome them. The article also intends to analyze the…
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this study is to identify the travel constraints of people with special needs (PwSN) and the strategies used to overcome them. The article also intends to analyze the differences in travel constraints and negotiation strategies according to the type of disability and/or special need.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative study was conducted in which a sample of PwSN (people with disabilities – mobility, sensory and cognitive – seniors and people with food allergies) were interviewed in depth.
Findings
PwSN face a wide range of constraints when engaging in tourism activities. These constraints are very diverse and influence people with different intensity and have to be overcome using different negotiation strategies. However, differences in the constraints were observed according to the type of special needs.
Practical implications
One of the most significant practical implications of this research is the need for raising awareness regarding human diversity among tourism stakeholders. It is critical to link sectoral policies that are reflected in the social and business reality, creating public–private partnerships to raise the sharing of knowledge, equipment and services. By addressing the constraints that prevent PwSN from traveling, the tourism sector can create more opportunities for them to participate in social activities, improving their quality of life and contributing to a more sustainable and inclusive industry.
Originality/value
Traveling can present significant challenges for people with special needs, which affect the quality of their tourism experience. Despite growing academic attention to this issue in recent years, research in this field has primarily focused on specific aspects of disability. This study seeks not only to identify the barriers to travel faced by people with different special needs but also to explore the negotiation strategies used to overcome these barriers and the differences according to the type of special need.
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Bahram Jalili, Milad Sadinezhad Fard, Yasir Khan, Payam Jalili and D.D. Ganji
The current analysis produces the fractional sample of non-Newtonian Casson and Williamson boundary layer flow considering the heat flux and the slip velocity. An extended sheet…
Abstract
Purpose
The current analysis produces the fractional sample of non-Newtonian Casson and Williamson boundary layer flow considering the heat flux and the slip velocity. An extended sheet with a nonuniform thickness causes the steady boundary layer flow’s temperature and velocity fields. Our purpose in this research is to use Akbari Ganji method (AGM) to solve equations and compare the accuracy of this method with the spectral collocation method.
Design/methodology/approach
The trial polynomials that will be utilized to carry out the AGM are then used to solve the nonlinear governing system of the PDEs, which has been transformed into a nonlinear collection of linked ODEs.
Findings
The profile of temperature and dimensionless velocity for different parameters were displayed graphically. Also, the effect of two different parameters simultaneously on the temperature is displayed in three dimensions. The results demonstrate that the skin-friction coefficient rises with growing magnetic numbers, whereas the Casson and the local Williamson parameters show reverse manners.
Originality/value
Moreover, the usefulness and precision of the presented approach are pleasing, as can be seen by comparing the results with previous research. Also, the calculated solutions utilizing the provided procedure were physically sufficient and precise.
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Innocent Chigozie Osuizugbo, Olalekan Shamsideen Oshodi, Patricia Omega Kukoyi, Amos Okemukoko Lawani and Anthony Ogochukwu Onokwai
The current study seeks to investigate and determine the principal barriers to the adoption of work–life balance (WLB) practices amongst construction companies operating in the…
Abstract
Purpose
The current study seeks to investigate and determine the principal barriers to the adoption of work–life balance (WLB) practices amongst construction companies operating in the developing countries using Lagos, Nigeria as a case study.
Design/methodology/approach
This study adopts a survey research technique. Snowball sampling technique was adopted to identify the target respondents for the administration of questionnaire. A total of 156 questionnaires were distributed and a response rate of 66% (103 questionnaires were completely filled and returned) was attained. Data elicited were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics.
Findings
The results from the exploratory factors analysis show that the principal barriers to the adoption of WLB practices amongst construction companies in Lagos, Nigeria are categorised into four components: nature of construction job and limited evidence on impact of WLB, support, awareness and culture, lack of involvement of management staff and organisational factors.
Originality/value
This study contributed to more effective WLB studies by highlighting the barriers to the adoption of WLB practices in the construction sector. An understanding of these barriers can aid policy makers and management personnel in construction organisations as well as facilitate development of strategies required to reduce the barriers to WLB practices in the construction sector.
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Dorine Maurice Mattar, Joy Haddad and Celine Nammour
This study aims to assess the effect of job insecurity, customer incivility and work–life imbalance on Lebanese bank employee workplace well-being (EWW), while investigating the…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to assess the effect of job insecurity, customer incivility and work–life imbalance on Lebanese bank employee workplace well-being (EWW), while investigating the moderating role that positive and negative affect might have.
Design/methodology/approach
Quantitative data was collected from 202 respondents and analyzed using structural equation modeling system through IBM SPSS and AMOS.
Findings
Results revealed that each of the independent variables has a negative, statistically significant effect on Lebanese bank EWW. The positive affect and the negative one are shown to have a moderating effect that lessens and boosts, respectively, these negative effects.
Theoretical implications
The study adds to the literature on EWW while highlighting the high-power distance and collectivist society that the research took place in.
Research limitations/implications
Limitations include the sample size that was hoped to be larger, in addition to the self-reporting issue and what it entails in the data collection process.
Practical implications
The study has many practical implications, including the validation of a questionnaire in a developing Arab country, hence providing a reliable tool for researchers. HR specialists should lean toward applicants with positive affect, ensuring that their workplace is occupied by members with enhanced resilience. Furthermore, employers should support their employees’ professional growth, thus, boosting their employability during turmoil and consequently making them less vulnerable in times of economic recession.
Originality/value
The study’s unique context, depicted in the harsh economic and financial crisis, makes the findings on EWW of a high value.
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Rosa M. Muñoz, Silvia M. Andrade, Isidro Peña and Mario J. Donate
Innovation is one of the most important foundations on which to create and sustain competitive advantages in companies, but at the individual level, employee innovative behavior…
Abstract
Purpose
Innovation is one of the most important foundations on which to create and sustain competitive advantages in companies, but at the individual level, employee innovative behavior has recently been jeopardized by the situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic (e.g. changes in workplaces, employee interaction, motivation). This study analyzes wellness programs and actions through which organizations have tried to adapt to the new situation caused by COVID-19 and their effect on employee innovation behavior.
Design/methodology/approach
Structural equation modeling by means of the partial least squares technique was used to test the study's hypotheses after collecting survey data from Spanish companies, providing evidence that wellness programs and measures to deal with COVID-19 through perceived organizational support and affective commitment encourage employee innovation behavior.
Findings
The results suggest that efforts developed by firms focused on employee well-being to overcome difficulties caused by the pandemic strengthen innovative behaviors by means of intrinsic motivation based essentially on personal commitment. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed by the paper's authors.
Originality/value
This paper corroborates and extends previous research regarding wellness programs, perceived organization support and affective commitment. It provides a comprehensive model of relationships that predicts employee innovative behavior. It analyzes the influence of enterprise wellness programs based on protective COVID-19 measures.
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This study focuses on owner-managers’ paternalism and its effects on human resource management (HRM) in micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) during COVID-19 pandemic. It…
Abstract
Purpose
This study focuses on owner-managers’ paternalism and its effects on human resource management (HRM) in micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) during COVID-19 pandemic. It aims to describe and discuss how owner-managers paternalism enhanced the sustainability of exemplary MSMEs.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative approach employing Heideggerian interpretive phenomenological methodology was used. Data were collected from 30 exemplary MSME restaurants using non-participant observation, document analysis and in-depth interviews with a purposive sample of 75 key informants: 30 owner-managers and 45 of their employees in 10 Thai tourist provinces over three time periods. Verbatim transcripts were coded using template analysis to generate distilled data summaries.
Findings
Four HRM themes were identified: (1) staffing, (2) development, (3) performance management and (4) compensation. A proposed model was suggested to understand how owner-managers’ paternalism affects four HRM practices. Owner-managers use their authority, combined with high levels of benevolence and morality, through supportiveness and kindness for employees to meet both their work and personal needs. Specifically, their employees repay them through performance and loyalty. This reciprocal relationship positively impacts employers, employees and MSMEs.
Research limitations/implications
The generalization of the study's outcomes is limited by the sample size and study methodology. The findings propose alternative HRM practices for Thai restaurants, therefore, generalization to all types of MSMEs and all areas of the world is not possible. In future research, it would be useful to consider a mixed-methods approach using large samples of MSMEs across the country or in other countries. Some small HR issues that were noted in this study, such as using the horoscope, astrology and zodiac as hiring tools, could be studied further. Future studies should explore the main thrust and relationship established between owner-managers and employees to drive MSMEs' performance.
Practical implications
The findings may be used as guidelines for creating a deep bond between employers and employees to strengthen MSMEs and foster sustainability.
Social implications
Important for instilling HRM practices in MSMEs. This paper provides policy implications for governments, relevant public agencies and other developing countries. They need to put forward for consideration of new strategies for migrant policy, in order to solve the shortage of labor in MSMEs. A well-considered policy could increase employee well-being during crises by bringing supportive strategies together.
Originality/value
This study expands knowledge of the effects of paternalism on HRM practices in shaping employer and employee relationships through social exchange theory (SET).
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Yousery Nabil M.K. Elsayed, Sawsan Haider Khreis, Abuelhassan Elshazly Abuelhassan and Mohamed Abdelgawwad Aly Abdelgawwad
This study aims to provide a new vision for investigating the different human resources management (HRM) practices in hotels after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to provide a new vision for investigating the different human resources management (HRM) practices in hotels after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Design/methodology/approach
A quantitative research approach was adopted using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling to reveal updated priorities and relations as stated by 504 hospitality employees.
Findings
The research approach contributed to highlighting exciting findings, as training and development (T&D) had an insignificant effect on turnover intention (IT) or affective organizational commitment (AOC) following the COVID-19 pandemic; job security (JS) had the highest impact on AOC and compensation had the highest effect on TI.
Practical implications
Individual HRM practices have different strong impacts on employee outcomes. This paper provides human resource directors with realistic and practical implications to boost individuals' AOC and reduces their intention to quit their job in conditions of uncertainty and ambiguity.
Originality/value
This pioneering study reveals the influence of HRM practices in the hospitality HRM systems regarding employee attitudes and behaviors, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. It provides novel theoretical and practical contributions.
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