Scholarly Agenda Research Articles

The impacts of climate change on violent conflict risk: a review of causal pathways

Abstract The potential impacts of climate change on violent conflict are high on the agenda of scholars and policy makers. This article reviews existing literature to clarify the relationship between climate change and conflict risk, focusing on the roles of temperature and precipitation. While some debate remains, substantial evidence shows that climate change increases conflict risk under specific conditions. We examine four key pathways through which climate affects conflict: (i) economic shocks, (ii), agricultural decline, (iii) natural resources competition, and (iv) migration. Key gaps include limited long-term data, insufficient integrated studies, and the inadequate understanding of causal mechanisms, necessitating transdisciplinary research that addresses social vulnerability and underlying pathways

The Climate-Changing Context of Inflation: Fossilflation, Climateflation, and the Environmental Politics of Green Central Banks

Abstract In this forum, I seek to demonstrate how the growing confluence of climate change and inflation offers a fruitful research agenda for environmental politics scholars. It develops two independent, yet interrelated, concepts first proposed by Schnabel: first, fossilflation, the legacy cost of the dependency on fossil energy sources, which has not been reduced forcefully enough over the past decades, and second, climateflation, the growing impact of natural disasters and severe weather events on economic activity and prices. With the subject of inflation often considered to be a contextual or descriptive feature of environmental issues, the economic implications of climate change have come to challenge the conventional understanding of the inflationary phenomenon. This article seeks to foster an interdisciplinary dialogue between scholars from different disciplinary backgrounds on the subject of climate change–induced inflation and the questions it presents for notions of “green” central banking.

Migration and Education in the Global South: A Study of South American Origin Children in the Argentinean Educational System

The question of how the children of migrants compare to natives in destination countries has long occupied the research agenda of migration and integration scholars. But, while there are many studies that have explored this issue in the Global North, with special attention to South–North migrants, little is known about integration patterns of South–South migrants, that is, Southern migrants and their children residing in the Global South. This article addresses this concern by studying one of the key indicators of migrant integration—the educational achievement of the children of migrants—in one of the most popular migration corridors in the Global South—that of South Americans who emigrated to Argentina. Using census microdata from 2010, the article explores the educational attainment and educational reproduction of Bolivian-, Paraguayan-, Peruvian-, and Chilean-origin children in comparison with that of their native Argentine counterparts. The analysis distinguishes between 1.5 and second-generation children and focuses on young people between 6 and 21 years old who live with at least one parent. Two dimensions of educational attainment are explored: school attendance and educational level. The results show that the role of parental education tends to be weaker among migrant-origin groups. This has implications for the educational gap. In general, migrant-origin groups are advantaged over native Argentines among those with low-educated parents. Conversely, they present no differences or are disadvantaged among those with middle–high educated parents. This is observed for both 1.5 and second generations, with variations based on the outcome and national origin. Possible explanations are offered.

ChatGPT and service: opportunities, challenges, and research directions

PurposeSince its inception, ChatGPT has been disruptively transforming how businesses operate along the whole value chain. The service sector is no exception from these technological advances. Given its potential and significance, five major areas whereby ChatGPT has great potential in services management are identified and discussed in terms of opportunities, challenges and research agendas: service marketing, customer experience, digital services, cost-effective service excellence, and ethical and corporate digital responsibility.Design/methodology/approachBy adopting an expert-oriented perspective approach, the study leverages the expertise of 11 knowledgeable contributors from the fields of service and information systems to foresee the implications of ChatGPT in services. The article comprehensively examines the current body of literature and practices in ChatGPT and services and proposes a forward-thinking research agenda for service scholars and practitioners.FindingsThe contributors recognize that ChatGPT has the potential to transform service offerings significantly, enrich customer experiences, optimize service costs, and contribute to societal advantages through improved digital services. However, they also acknowledge the disruption ChatGPT may cause to traditional service practices, including the potential loss of human touch in services, challenges to privacy and security, and the potential negative outcomes affecting service consumers and employees in terms of inequality, biases, and misuse of ChatGPT.Originality/valueThis article introduces a groundbreaking investigation into the use of ChatGPT in services management. The originality is demonstrated by examining the potential and obstacles to applying ChatGPT in different service domains. In addition, this research serves as a guiding light for subsequent studies by suggesting an in-depth research agenda, including understanding the design and optimization of ChatGPT in the customer service journey, the role of ChatGPT in assisting service organizations to promote responsible services, and implications of ChatGPT on service stakeholders.

Corporate social innovation: a systematic literature review and research agenda

PurposeThe new concept of corporate social innovation (CSI) has witnessed a steady growth in the business and management academic world over the past 20 years. Yet its adoption by corporations has been notably slow. This paper aims to operationalize the concept and develop a research agenda for CSI.Design/methodology/approachA systematic review of the current literature in the recent past (1999–2020) has been embraced in this research. The review is based on 40 articles and offers a descriptive and a thematic analysis of the literature.FindingsThe authors demonstrate the development of the concept over time and identify 12 themes to assist in the institutionalization of CSI.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to provide an enhanced overview of the current state of CSI. The paper shows how a variety of different definitions of corporate social innovation have been used in the business and management literature. The findings provide a unique conceptual framework and a detailed research agenda for scholars seeking to examine CSI.

Game on: a systematic exploration of gamification in logistics and supply chain management

Purpose This study systematically reviews the existing literature on the application of gamification in logistics and supply chain management (LSCM). This study aims to categorise the literature in various logistics and supply chain domains, to conceptualise the gamification framework pertinent in the context of LSCM and to provide a research agenda for scholars in the area. Design/methodology/approach The study’s methodology adopts the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis framework to conduct a systematic literature review. Forty relevant papers published from 2012 to 2023 are included in the analysis. Findings Augmented reality, blockchain, education, sustainability and warehousing have been identified as the key focus areas in which gamification is applied. Furthermore, the paper highlights different research approaches used to study these domains, maps the literature with gamification constructs (affordances, psychological outcomes and behavioural outcomes) and provides potential research avenues for future scholars. Research limitations/implications This review offers evidence of the impact of gamification on workforce dynamics, employee motivation, job satisfaction, trust, employee engagement and productivity. The study significantly contributes to the academic community by offering a conceptual framework and meaningful avenues for future researchers. Originality/value This research work contributes to the gamification, logistics and supply chain literature by providing a more comprehensive and methodical knowledge of the field. This study adds to the body of knowledge by offering a reference framework for future scholars based on a synthesis of the studies published so far in the area.

Wellbeing in the age of virtual teams and workplace automation – a systematic review and future research agenda

Purpose In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic organisations are adapting to a new environment of global talent shortages, economic uncertainty and geo-political turmoil. As an outcome, the organisational strategies of digital transformation and remote working have been accelerated in the race to boost innovation, competitivity and attract staff. This has led to the rise of two new organisational dynamics: the increase of virtual teams (VTs) and focus on widespread work automation. However, despite the rise of these two related phenomena, literature does not connect them as one research area, and there is a gap in the understanding of the new employee wellbeing needs they form and how to respond to them. This paper aims to bridge this gap through a systematic literature across these areas. Design/methodology/approach This paper conducts a systematic literature review across the areas of leadership, VTs and automation over the past three years. Findings In this review, a number of newly arising employee wellbeing needs are identified such as fear of job displacement, a lack of self-efficacy and social cohesion, poor relationships with leaders and more. In addition, this paper recommends three fundamental research gaps to be addressed by future studies: 1. How to build and cultivate the new leadership skills needed to support VTs and workplace automation? 2. How to design work in a way that caters for employee wellbeing needs when operating in VTs or hybrid teams and working on or with workplace automation? 3. How to design work in a way that builds and emphasises the new employee skillsets to support augmentation and solves for the new employee wellbeing needs experienced by workplace automation? Originality/value This paper provides a novel contribution to literature by centralising current schools of thought across the cross-disciplinary themes and synthesising literature to recommend new wellbeing and leadership skills for organisations to focus on, alongside producing a new research agenda for scholars to focus.

Bibliometric insights into the evolution of digital marketing trends

This bibliometric analysis aims to delineate the progression of research in the domain of digital marketing by examining 513 English-language articles published in Scopus during the period of 2003–2024. An examination of scholarly productivity indicates an upward trend, as evidenced by the increase in publications from one in 2003 to 115 in 2022 and citations from 79 in 2003 to 1131 in 2021, as determined by keyword, citation, and authorship analyses. A review of citation patterns reveals that publications with significant impact are primarily found in prestigious academic journals, such as Industrial Marketing Management and International Journal of Research in Marketing. Prominent contributors hail from Jordan, Finland, Spain, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia; among other regions – the United States, the Middle East, Europe, and Asia. Keyword analysis revealed an emphasis on emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and traditional digital marketing techniques (e.g., social media, content marketing, internet marketing). Co-occurrence theme analysis highlighted digital marketing strategy, digital marketing audiences, the digital transformation of business and marketing, and the acceleration of digital adoption as a result of COVID-19. Further areas of investigation encompass optimizing the utilization of emergent social media platforms, implementing virtual and augmented reality technologies to enhance the customer experience, and capitalizing on the potential of artificial intelligence and machine learning to augment the efficacy of digital marketing. By utilizing data-driven insights, this study offers guidance for curricular enhancements, scholarly agendas, and digital marketing practice. AcknowledgmentThe author thanks everyone who helped make this study possible, but especially those at the Ho Chi Minh University of Banking, Vietnam.

Delving into disengagement as a distinct construct: A proposed research agenda for public relations scholars

Public relations scholars have greatly impacted the understanding of employee engagement in terms of definitions, theory development, antecedents, outcomes, and progressing scholarship to explore changes in the modern workplace. Yet, understanding the nuances around being disengaged is absent from most of the public relations literature. In addition, although much is known about the connection between employee engagement and internal communication, little has been identified about how internal communication contributes to or ameliorates the experience of being disengaged. Therefore, public relations researchers have the chance to move scholarship on disengagement forward by examining it as a unique concept separate from engagement and exploring the function of internal communication with disengagement.

Reimagining the municipal economy: The emancipatory politics of the people’s budget movement

Budgets are often thought of as boring, invoking the tedium of bookkeeping. The summer of 2020 suggested otherwise. As America’s plague of police brutality combined with the death-dealing blows of the COVID-19 pandemic and a wave of urban uprising gripped US cities, activists turned their organising attention to municipal budgeting. From Seattle to Atlanta, demands rang out for cities to #defund the police, rethink public safety and adopt budgets for the people. Since then, the people’s budget movement has grown in strength at the municipal level, including in Los Angeles, Chicago, Louisville, Jacksonville, Minneapolis and Nashville, among other cities. What should urban studies scholars make of these struggles and from the aspirations and visions that impel them? This paper uses a case study of the Nashville People’s Budget Coalition (NPBC) to examine how municipal budgeting processes and public financing have become new sites of theorisation, debate and political intervention. We demonstrate how the people’s budget movement offers a new calculus for municipal budgeting that radically reconceptualises the logics of value and care that underpin economic thought and public accounting practices. We conclude by considering avenues through which a scholarly agenda for economic democracy in solidarity with movement organisers could be expanded.

Running up that hill: a literature review and research agenda proposal on “gazelles” firms

AbstractIn recent years, “gazelles”—a small set of high-growth firms—have attracted considerable interest from researchers for their capacity to contribute significantly to the competitiveness of nations. However, in management literature, the research on this topic is still incomplete, and a broad but focused review is needed to understand the phenomenon fully. Therefore, the paper aims to analyse in depth the literature on “gazelles” published in the Business, Management, and Accounting and Decision Sciences fields, shedding light on opportunities arising from emerging research topics related to the phenomenon. In meeting this aim, the work is built on a systematic literature review, and Elsevier’s Scopus database was selected and scanned to access publications. The analysis identifies in the sample under investigation the quantitative characteristics (temporal distribution of publications, journals included in the sample, and methodological approach adopted by authors), as well as seven main topics resulting from the qualitative coding process (performance, policy and employment, innovation, entrepreneurship, corporate governance and decision-making, human resources, and strategy). Finally, a comprehensive outlook and a critical analysis of the state-of-the-art research on these specific high-growth firms have been provided through the proposal of a conceptual framework. This study also proposes a research agenda for scholars while providing insightful suggestions from a practical point of view.

Family business innovation: an updated bibliometric study to propose future research agenda

Purpose This study aims to identify the updated areas in family business innovation (FBI) and propose a future research agenda for scholars in the domain. Design/methodology/approach Using VOSviewer and Bibliometrix-R, this study conducts a bibliometric analysis on 699 Scopus-indexed journal articles/reviews to analyse FBI’s performance and intellectual structure. Findings This study provides up-to-date assessment through performance analysis. Through the co-citation, co-word and thematic evolution analysis, this study unpacks FBI themes/topics to propose possible future avenues. Practical implications The findings provide insights into resilient innovation-driven family businesses to enlighten the next generation of family business leaders with essential innovation knowledge for sustainable growth. Originality/value This study complements past FBI reviews by offering renewed perspectives that future research can focus on, in turn, enhancing literature on contemporary, relevant topical issues in the FBI post-COVID-19 pandemic.

Civic Education and Lebanon

The purpose of Civic Education in Lebanon includes the structure of the government and the way it functions. Isn’t it civic desert? One should consider then, the meaning of civics. Civics does not focus on a course or a book, but rather on fundamental social learning. It is the need to lay the foundation for communication and critical thinking when encountering traditions in conflict with what one’s own. Yet schools have their role to play, by revealing secular values, for conflict affected areas can easily regress to violence. A menu of civics implement classroom discussion of current critical events. Yet, Lebanese schools are overtaken by the baccalaureate program which hardly gives any time to controversial issues. Teachers are important elements in teaching civics. They have to believe in what they teach, display it verbally, nonverbally and add ‘mindful learning’. Yet, one can visualize an array of socio-personal factors when issues are controversial, knowing that humans are resistant to change. To conclude, teaching quality in civics is to be ranked highly on the scholarly agenda and research is needed to better understand the improvement of civic education.

The Nexus between Land registration and Environmental Hazards in some Urban Centers in Cameroon

The issue of land administration was and is still gaining a lot of traction in contemporary research as scholarly agendas attuned to this issue continue to proliferate because peoples’ attachment to land predates recorded history. That is why development agencies, urban development professionals and academicians in urban management issues now concur that the urban development process in less developed countries is most often than not unsustainable as the polemics in land registration is not responsive for environmental sanity given the fact that environmental hazards are the role rather than the exception. Such a trend is frightening that a pragmatic and timely research is indispensable to diagnose the intriguing situation. This paper unravels and disentangles the polemics in the land registration process in some Cameroons’ urban centers (Bamenda, Yaounde, Douala and Bafoussam) in a bid to establish the nexus between land registration and environmental hazards so as to enshrine sustainable solutions into concrete policy options. Using primary and secondary data sources, the findings aver that the land registration in Cameroons is not responsive for environmental vibrancy due to some inherent stalemates which have obfuscated the procurement process. These stalemates inter-a-lea include; inappropriate regulatory frameworks through procedural difficulties, institutional weaknesses, political exploitation and fraudulent practices. These impasses invariably breed frustration and friction to would be land/home owners who are obliged to bypass such cumbersome processes and construct in off limit terrains which are vulnerable to the caprices of environmental hazards like floods and landslides, casting doubt on government's ability to instill a more sustainable land registration system for enhanced environmental productivity. If the land administration process is well-structured and revolutionized via good governance, this might reconfigure uncontrolled urban development to curtail such vulnerabilities to environmental hazards.

Race and systemic crises in international politics: An agenda for pluralistic scholarship

Abstract In recent years, scholars of global politics have shown that issues of race and white supremacy lie at the centre of international history, the birth of the field of International Relations, and contemporary theory. In this article, I argue that race plays an equally central role in the 21st century’s current and future crises: the set of systemic risks that includes intensifying climate change, deepening inequality, the endemic instabilities of capitalism, and migration. To make this argument, I describe the contours of the current crisis and show how racism amplifies its effects. In short, capitalism’s winners and losers and the effects of climate change fall along racial lines, amplifying both direct and indirect racial discrimination against non-white migrants and states in the Global South. These interdependent crises will shape the next 50 years of international politics and will likely perpetuate the vicious cycle of global racial inequality. Accordingly, this article presents a research agenda for all IR scholars to explore the empirical implications of race in the international system, integrate marginalised perspectives on global politics from the past and present into their scholarship, and address the most pressing political issues of the 21st century.

Who navigates the “elite” of communication journals? The participation of BRICS universities in top-ranked publications

Abstract Purpose Despite the increasing volume of research addressing the relevance of de-Westernizing Media Studies, we lack a comparative evaluation of the performance of Global South universities regarding their presence in the most prestigious domains within the field of Communication. Against this background, the article explores if and to what extent the publication of articles authored by BRICS-based scholars in top-ranked journals is restricted to a handful of academic institutions – making them a national “elite” authorized to engage in the mainstream intellectual debate. Design/methodology/approach We pose three questions: RQ1) To what extent is the academic output of BRICS countries in the field of Communication concentrated within a select few “top-level” institutions? RQ2) How are the research articles from the most productive universities distributed across the journal rankings comprising the SJR database? RQ3) What partnerships do institutions from BRICS countries engage in when producing research articles? Using data from the SciVal (Elsevier) and SJR (SCImago Journal Rank) platforms, the empirical study encompasses a set of articles published between 2012 and 2021. Findings Our findings reveal that South Africa, Russia, and Brazil had the highest concentration of academic production within a select few universities. The disparities among the most and least productive universities can be attributed to a lack of ambitious policies in terms of academic innovation. The contrast becomes more evident when we consider China’s performance – which has implemented a range of strategies to foster international partnerships with Western academic communities. Practical implications/social implications We contend that the demand for “de-Westernization” must go beyond a mere plea for increased numerical representation. The exclusion of perspectives or phenomena from developing regions hinders the progress of knowledge production itself. Once Social and Human Sciences traditionally occupy a peripheral position in terms of funding, it is as if Communication researchers based in the Global South were part of a “periphery of the periphery.” Originality/value The paper is relevant for enabling us to discuss Global South universities’ international insertion and the dynamics influencing the academic contributions of semi-peripheral communities. We also consider to what extent the SciVal and SJR metrics reinforce an academic rationale that upholds the mechanisms of neoliberal globalization and the standardization of the scholarly agenda.

“Mind the Leadership Gap!”

The coronavirus pandemic has acted as a catalyst for organisational change, disrupting historic ways of working, and spearheading organisations towards the next evolution of their working environments. In the aftermath of the largest concurrent work from home experiment in the world, organisations are coming to grips with the new policies and practices they need to implement to remain competitive. But there is one crucial stakeholder who continues to be left out in academic research, leaders. New questions now arise as to how we should remodel leadership in an increasingly remote world. What skills do leaders need to develop and how, in order to maintain employee wellbeing and manage the intergenerational divide? This paper presents a short synthesis of the challenges faced by leaders today specifically around remote team management but also in the context of a multigenerational workforce, alongside a summary of the research gaps we face in post-COVID literature. This paper concludes with the production of a future research agenda for scholars to close this gap, and to help organisations in building their leadership capability in the ‘new normal’.

Redefining banks in the digital era: a typology of banks and their research, managerial and policy implications

PurposeThis study aims to shed light on the evolving nature of banks in the digital era and the implications for bank marketing and management. The research addresses the need for a comprehensive typology of banks that integrates fintech and explores how traditional and app-only banks strategically position their brands. The key argument is that understanding the changing landscape of banking and the impact of technological advancements is crucial for banks to navigate the challenges and opportunities presented by fintech and digital transformation.Design/methodology/approachThis study examines literature and practices to develop a typology of banks, describing their characteristics, strengths, weaknesses and providing examples. It also proposes new research agendas for scholars and practitioners in the field.FindingsThis paper introduces a typology of banks based on their adoption of fintech and digital technologies. Three distinct types of banks are identified: Traditional banks adopting FinTech (TBAF), Traditionally Driven Neo Banks (TDNBs) and Digitally Driven Neo Banks (DDNBs). TBAF are traditional banks that have embraced fintech solutions to enhance their operations and customer experiences. TDNBs represent a hybrid model, combining the trusted brand and infrastructure of traditional banks with the digital capabilities and agility of neo banks. DDNBs are purely digital banks that operate exclusively online, offering innovative and user-friendly banking services.Originality/valueThis study is a pioneering work that classified banks based on their utilization of fintech and digital technologies. The study provides a typology of banks based on fintech adoption, offering valuable insights for bank managers, policymakers and researchers. The research also outlines a research agenda, suggesting future investigations to further enhance understanding of the evolving banking landscape and its implications.

TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP AND CHURCH PERFORMANCE IN KENYA

This paper attempted to investigate the impact of transformational leadership in organizational performance by studying Divine Word Parish in Nairobi, Kenya. The phenomenon of transformational leadership theory, organizational leadership and its association with both personal and organizational outcomes has become one of the topmost agenda and interest of researchers, scholars and practitioners. This paper had three objectives, to: a) investigate the impact of the transformational leadership style on organizational outcomes in the Divine Word Parish in Nairobi b) Determine the impact of the transformational leadership style on the personal outcomes in the Divine Word Parish in Nairobi c) Establish how the transformational leadership style is practiced in the Divine Word Parish in Nairobi. The paper adopted a mixed-method research method as enshrined in the traditional quantitative and qualitative research approaches. Study Findings: organizational innovation has a significant impact on organizational performance; also, transformational leadership and organizational performance has strong relationship. Therefore, TL helps managers to create effective leadership environment and style in their organizations and by thus motivate and encourage the employees to become more motivated, committed, innovative, creative and effective in realizing highest organizational and employee’s performance.

The connected workplace: Characteristics and social consequences of work surveillance in the age of datification, sensorization, and artificial intelligence

Because of COVID-19 lockdowns, managers and administrators have begun to look for new ways to monitor and control their stranded-at-home workforce. Yet long before the pandemic already, advancements in datification, sensorization, and artificial intelligence have given rise to what we call connected workplace surveillance. At the heart of this new mode of employee monitoring and control is the extension of the scope of data collection beyond what is necessary and reasonable for performance appraisals or managerial oversight. This includes treating an employee’s body as a data source, disrespecting the boundaries between business and private life, or using gathered surveillance information for subtle persuasion, manipulation, and coercion. This article provides a new perspective on control theory, examining the characteristics of connected surveillance and comparing it to visual or computerized surveillance. Taking an employee-centric position, it also proposes a research agenda for critical, behavioral, and design-oriented scholars who wish to explore the identified issues.