Research Debate Research Articles

Bridging the Gap Between the Source of Innovation and the Implementation of Circular Economy Principles in SMEs Within Emerging Economies: The Mediating Role of Frugal Innovation

ABSTRACTSmall and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) in emerging economies encounter various challenges when it comes to adopting circular economy (CE) principles due to their resource‐constrained contexts. Consequently, they often rely on innovation to facilitate the implementation of these principles. In this study, we explore the effect of source of innovation, generation or adoption, on the implementation of CE principles within SMEs in emerging economies. We also go one step further and examine the mechanism through which the source of innovation affects the implementation of CE principles. We argue that in resource‐constrained contexts, firm may use frugal innovation as a mediator in the relationship between the source of innovation and the implementation of CE principles. We collected 306 survey responses from SMEs in India and Pakistan and analyzed the data through PLS‐SEM using SMARTPLS4 software. The findings indicate that both innovation generation and innovation adoption have a positive effect on implementing CE principles, with innovation adoption showing the most significant effect. Additionally, we discovered that frugal innovation plays a partial mediator role in the relationship between innovation generation/innovation adoption and implementing CE principles. These results suggest that SMEs in emerging economies can leverage both innovation generation and adoption to advance the adoption of CE principles, fostering the development of frugal innovations in the process, which further drive the implementation of CE principles. Moreover, our findings contribute to the ongoing research debate regarding the relationship between frugal innovation and sustainability, highlighting the impact of frugal innovation on environmental sustainability.

Beyond technique: The role of the multidimensional nature of energy accounting in shaping a better world

AbstractAdopting the “multidimensional nature of accounting” framework, this study aims to identify what factors hinder the adoption of energy accounting as a practice that shapes a better world. This paper wants to highlight that the social and moral dimensions of accounting cannot be taken for granted, since they can provide insights to the professional and research debate. The case study methodology is used to investigate energy accounting in the first Italian Renewable Energy Community (REC). Data were collected through open interview and focus group and processed with a qualitative content analysis. The findings highlight some specific technical, social, and moral factors that hinder the adoption of energy accounting in practice. Key propositions are provided to help organizations understand how to adopt energy accounting, going beyond its mere technical nature. Ways forward are proposed to cultivate more significant levels of aspiration to reduce the disconnection between accounting theory and practice.

Diagnosis and management of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: European vs. American guidelines.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the most common genetic heart disease, affecting 1:200 to 1:500 individuals worldwide. Guidelines on the diagnosis and management of HCM have been recently published by the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and American societies. The ESC guidelines cover a broad range of cardiomyopathies, including HCM, with 119 recommendations, whereas the American guidelines focus exclusively on HCM with 141 specific recommendations. Both guidelines emphasize a comprehensive diagnostic approach, including imaging and genetic testing, but differ in some specific aspects. For example, sudden cardiac death (SCD) risk assessment is a primary point of divergence. The ESC guidelines advocate for the use of a validated Risk-SCD calculator, while the American guidelines rely on specific risk markers for individualized risk evaluation. Management strategies also vary: both guidelines prioritize beta-blockers and calcium channel blockers in patients with resting or provocable left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) obstruction. If beta-blockers (or verapamil/diltiazem) are ineffective, either disopyramide or the myosin inhibitor mavacamten may be an option with slightly different indications among the two guidelines. Septal reduction therapy is recommended in ESC guidelines for symptomatic patients with significant LVOT gradients, while American guidelines suggest earlier myectomy for certain clinical factors and emphasize shared decision-making. The ESC guidelines recommend sequential atrioventricular pacing and dual-chamber defibrillators for reducing LVOT gradients. The American guidelines focus on genetic testing for risk assessment and suggest periodic cardiac magnetic resonance imaging. This paper provides a detailed comparison of these guidelines, highlighting key differences and areas needing further research and expert debate.

Studying Narratives in International Relations

Abstract Many scholars in international relations (IR) share an interest in narratives. With few, notable exceptions, IR scholars seem to lack clear methodological guidelines on how to conceptualize and study narratives in IR. We therefore develop a minimal definition of narratives and introduce a conceptual framework that shows how narrative analysis can be applied to questions and concepts within IR. We introduce narrative analysis as a multi-modal approach, which also draws on methodological insights from visual analysis, discourse analysis, and practice theory. The aim of the article is pedagogical, namely to translate insights from narratology to studies in IR and to show how everyday sources of the political, such as pop culture or social media, can be meaningfully analyzed. We argue that such an interpretive analysis implies adopting a critical and reflective stance to explore how narratives are shaped, how they appeal to specific political audiences, and whose interests are served by dominant political narratives. Such a perspective strongly resonates with current research debates in IR on practices, discourse, visuality, and emotions and puts a strong emphasis on power relations.

The recipe to sweet success: competitive advantages for a Spanish chocolatier, 1874–1910

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to unravel the success story of a family business, while engaging with debates in business and management research through the application of corporate strategy frameworks. Implement a structured methodology to evaluate a company’s strategic efforts and explore how businesses historically achieved competitive advantages over time. Design/methodology/approach This company analysis adopts a longitudinal approach on competitive advantages, moving beyond traditional cross-sectional business to transform static models into dynamic ones. It adheres to Michael Porter’s Value Chain model (1985) and his subsequent revisions (1996, 2001) to explore how competitive advantages emerge and are sustained. Data exploration leverages an extensive archival corporate collection comprising approximately 100,000 documents, enabling a thorough examination of value chain activities through primary and secondary sources. Findings Chocolates Amatller effectively channelled its competitive advantages through strategic operational areas, including purchasing cocoa at prices below market value, using strong marketing tools such as illustrative collectible cards and posters and implementing skilful financial strategies. Originality/value Examine why, when and how a Spanish chocolatier achieved a position of prominence among Spain’s foremost industrial figures by constructing Barcelona’s iconic Casa Amatller.

Deep brain stimulation for Tourette's syndrome.

Tourette's syndrome is a neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by formidable motor and vocal tics. Many individuals also present with comorbid neuropsychiatric conditions. Though patients often benefit from pharmacological and behavioral therapies, a subset of individuals develop severe, treatment-resistant symptoms that might necessitate more invasive interventions, such as Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS). DBS, particularly targeting regions like the globus pallidus internus (GPi) and the centromedian-parafascicular complex (CM-Pf) of the thalamus, has demonstrated effectiveness in reducing tic severity and improving quality of life. This review outlines the mechanism, clinical efficacy, and long-term outcome of DBS in TS. Results from clinical studies reveal significant reductions in tics. However, success with DBS is variable depending on a number of factors, including target selection and electrode placement. The use of DBS has ethical considerations, which include risks to the surgical procedure, the need for full and complete informed consent, and questions about the implications of such treatment on cognitive and emotional growth. Long-term follow-up will be required to ensure appropriate patient outcomes and complication management. Additional research and ethical debate will be needed with advancing DBS technology to ensure responsible and equitable treatment. This paper narratively summarizes the surgical options available for TS, with a focus on the current status of DBS in the management of the disease.

Determinants of Bilateral Cooperation of Small States in Contemporary International Relations: From the Neorealist Perspective of Politics and Security – A Case Study: Serbia and North Macedonia

Bilateral relations of small states represent a very limited field in academic debates and research within the science of international relations. In fact, there is a lack of research and relevant debates on what the determinants and factors of bilateral relations are between small states and how much those factors contribute to promoting it on one hand, while, on the other, how much same factors condition that cooperation, and, finally, how much small states independently determine and define their bilateral relations in their foreign policy activities. In this paper, using the example of bilateral relations between Serbia and North Macedonia in the period of the last ten years, the authors will try to answer the following main research question: What is the basis of the bilateral cooperation between Serbia and North Macedonia and what is its perspective? On those grounds, they will also answer the following questions: To what extent is this cooperation conditioned by internal political circumstances in either country; to what extent is this cooperation determined by regional circumstances; how much is it influenced by the so-called “major actors” in international relations; and, finally, to what extent is it actually a consequence of the sovereign decisions of the authorities in Belgrade and Skopje? With this methodological order of research questions, from the general to the individual in the theoretical sense through the prism of realists and structural realists, the authors will establish the perspective of bilateral relations between small states within the framework of the actual circumstances of international relations.

How bureaucratic competition shapes foreign aid allocation: The case of South Korea's aid agencies

AbstractWhat explains aid allocation–donor interests or recipient needs? This research debate has generated a number of studies, which generally conclude that both motivations matter. One limitation of this literature is that donor governments are conceptualized as unitary actors with coherent preferences. In this study, we relax this assumption and focus on the interests and interactions of bureaucratic agencies within a donor government. We argue that these agencies compete as they seek to control a larger share of the foreign aid budget because foreign aid is a valuable policy instrument for bureaucratic agencies. This competition results in emulation: the agency that leads the government's development cooperation policy emulates other agencies' provision of domestic benefits, while the lead agency's competitors mimic its aid allocation patterns. We test our expectations using data on bilateral aid disbursed by four bureaucratic agencies of the South Korean government and find evidence of both types of emulation strategies. Our results point to the role played by a mostly overlooked group of domestic‐level actors in donor countries and the importance of bureaucratic politics and competition.

Multi-criteria analysis of EU paper-producing companies concerning emissions trading and economic aspects

Industrial firms in the EU have had to adapt over the past decades to face the increasing pressure of becoming more environmentally responsible. The European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) has played a crucial role in this process, and its impact on participating firms is a matter of debate for researchers, corporate managers, and policy makers alike. Unfortunately, there are only a minimum of models that assess the impact of the EU ETS on individual firms, especially in the context of overall firm performance and dependencies on other (economic and social) factors. For the paper industry, such a study is completely lacking. The authors use the well-established framework of the CSR model and the DC-PROMETHEE method to explore the ranking of paper producing firms in the EU. DC-PROMETHEE considers the effect of the dependencies between criteria that can potentially distort the results. The study revealed that both the EU ETS itself and the links between the evaluating criteria have an impact on the final CSR ranking of the paper producing companies.

Temporal dynamics of coarticulatory cues to prediction.

The temporal dynamics of the perception of within-word coarticulatory cues remain a subject of ongoing debate in speech perception research. This behavioral gating study sheds light on the unfolding predictive use of anticipatory coarticulation in onset fricatives. Word onset fricatives (/f/ and /s/) were split into four gates (15, 35, 75 and 135 milliseconds). Listeners made a forced choice about the word they were listening to, based on the stimulus gates. The results showed fast predictive use of coarticulatory lip rounding during /s/ word onsets, as early as 15 ms from word onset. For /f/ onsets, coarticulatory backness and height began to be used predictively after 75 ms. These findings indicate that onset times of the occurrence and use of coarticulatory cues can be extremely fast and have a time course that differs depending on fricative type.

Response to an article in issue 50.1 of this Journal by Elizabeth Edginton: ‘Country house poetry of the English Civil War: a metaphorical exploration of contemporary debates in UK child and adolescent psychoanalytic psychotherapy research and an update on TIGA-CUB’

Response to an article in issue 50.1 of this Journal by Elizabeth Edginton: ‘Country house poetry of the English Civil War: a metaphorical exploration of contemporary debates in UK child and adolescent psychoanalytic psychotherapy research and an update on TIGA-CUB’

A Comparative Analysis of Gain-of-Function Research and Future Perspectives

Gain-of-function (GOF) research is both impactful and controversial, as it involves genetically altering a pathogen to enhance its biological functions. One side believes that GOF research can offer knowledge about deadly pathogens and allow scientists to prevent future outbreaks. However, the other side argues that GOF research risks causing pandemics, making it too dangerous. There is clear disagreement in the scientific community regarding GOF research. This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of the GOF research debate by comparing the arguments and presenting the common grounds between them, as well as the limitations of current literature. Both sides prioritize protecting humankind yet emphasize the need for public involvement in the GOF research debate. Due to the pressing and significant need to make a decision regarding the future of GOF research, more objective papers with updated arguments and data are needed for both sides of the debate, and more effort should be put forward to inform the public so they can be involved in the discussions.

Pedagogical innovation in the context of higher education 4.0: A systematic literature review

Higher education is experiencing a revolution in teaching practices. At the same time, the problem of improving learning has become a debate for many researchers, especially in the context of the industrial revolution. This period of revolution requires a new form of education—education 4.0—based on innovative new approaches. Research on innovation in the academic world has also undergone some evolution since the 2000s. Previously, pedagogical innovations in higher education were not well received. This article proposes a systematic analysis of the literature published between 2013 and 2023 using PRISMA guidelines to ensure the reliability of our results. Content analysis of the 30 selected articles. The results of our study indicate that the adoption of innovations in the academic field remains a crucial issue. Education 4.0 has facilitated innovation, and this observation presents promising prospects for enhancing the quality of education by focusing on the implementation of these innovations, adaptation and resilience to change, the development of skills necessary for Industry 4.0, creative thinking, and digital literacy for future students.

A Monetary and Fiscal History of the United States, 1961–2021 – Alan S. Blinder’s reviewed by James L. Caton

In the realm of economics, fostering debates and embracing diverse opinions is paramount for driving innovation and achieving optimal outcomes. Alan S. Blinder’s seminal work, “A Monetary and Fiscal History of the United States, 1961-2021,” published in October 2022, exemplifies this ethos. Blinder, a renowned economist and Professor at Princeton University, draws from his extensive experience, including roles as Vice Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board and a member of President Clinton’s Council of Economic Advisers, to offer a unique perspective rooted in Keynesian economics. Through his book, Blinder not only enhances our comprehension of various economic concepts but also underscores the significance of critical thinking and vigorous debate in shaping public research.

Students’ structured conceptualizations of teamwork in multidisciplinary student teams using concept maps

The design of effective teamwork teaching and learning for multidisciplinary student teams is subject to debate both in research as well as in practice. As researchers and educators, we need to understand the context in which students learn by understanding their experiences and their own conceptualizations of teamwork in multidisciplinary student teams, because that is the frame of reference in which they operate. Using a concept mapping method we aggregated student concept maps of their own teamwork, to understand student conceptualizations of teamwork. The results show that students identify four distinct clusters, the ‘interaction’ cluster, the ‘trust’ cluster, the ‘conflict/divergence’ cluster and the ‘innovation’ cluster. These clusters are strongly connected within themselves, but very weakly connected between clusters. What may be gathered from this is that students see four distinct aspects of teamwork, that have their own inner dynamics, but that is less clear to them how these different clusters influence or mediate each other.

Neurophenomenology in Action: Integrating the First-Person Perspective into the Libet Experiment

In this conceptual contribution, we argue that experimental investigations of phenomena in the cognitive sciences and consciousness research may benefit from a thorough integration of data acquired from the first-person perspective. We present a line of research from our lab applying this approach to the Libet task on voluntary action. In this well-known experimental paradigm, participants perform a movement at a moment of their own choice. Previous research has shown that this voluntary decision to perform the action is preceded by a specific pattern in the electroencephalogram, the so-called readiness potential. This finding that the decision is preceded (and presumably determined) by an action-related brain processes puts the neuroscientific account at odds with our subjective intuition and challenges the notion of free will. This discrepancy exemplifies the gap between neuro-cognitive models of the mind and the accounts of our conscious experience. The aim of our theoretical proposal is to enrich the study of volitional action by integrating reports from the first-person perspective with the Libet paradigm to develop a more coherent account. This provides an example of implementing the research program of neurophenomenology developed by Francisco Varela to overcome the gap between scientific accounts of the mind and subjective experience. Specifically, we show how this can be achieved by interweaving three methodological approaches: (i) adapting common neuro-cognitive paradigms (i.e., the Libet task); (ii) employing refined first-person methods such as the micro-phenomenological interview; and (iii) collaborating with experienced meditators as research participants. Our contribution demonstrates how the neurophenomenological framework can be used to shed new light on long-standing and fundamental debates in consciousness research. We show that this approach not only addresses questions of intellectual curiosity but also has concrete ethical implications for the practice of science itself, self-determination, and the accountability of the conscious subject. On the basis of our approach, meditation can be seen as a method for enhancing self-regulation and self-determination, which allows for more deliberate decisions and thus more ethical behavior.

The nexus between porn and psychosocial/psychosexual well-being among gay and bisexual men

ABSTRACT The digital age has amplified exposure to pornography, particularly among gay and bisexual men, intensifying the ongoing research debate surrounding its impact on well-being. We recruited 632 Australian gay and bisexual men to participate in an online survey to examine the relationship between porn use and their psychosocial/psychosexual well-being. Data on demographics, psychosocial well-being, understandings of sexuality, sexual self-esteem, connectedness to the LGBT community, and porn use, including porn use statements developed for this study, were collected. Most participants reported viewing porn a few times per week or once a day. Associations were identified between frequency, length of porn use, and other concepts. Older participants used porn less frequently, while those with higher psychological distress tended to be at opposite ends/poles of porn use frequency. Higher connectedness to the LGBT community was associated with less frequent porn use. Certain beliefs about porn were correlated with the frequency and length of porn use; for example, participants engaging with ‘kinkier’ porn and considering themselves ‘kinkier’ had longer viewing sessions. The findings offer insights into the interplay between individual characteristics, well-being, and patterns of porn usage in this population, contributing to a deeper understanding of the relationships between these concepts.

Reconciling Rigor Versus Relevance: Lessons from Humanitarian Fleet Management

This position paper reframes the ongoing relevance versus rigor debate in operations research (OR) as a Kuhnian epistemological crisis, in which the dominant paradigm of quantitative modeling shows signs of exhaustion. Humanitarian fleet management is presented as an empirical case of extensive operations theory, which has not been implemented by the stakeholders who paid for its production. We propose a possible way out of the crisis by combining “hard” and “soft” OR, illustrating the potential with a selected problem structuring method. Optimization solutions can become more productive by first surfacing the organizational context of decision-making. The illustration emphasizes that hard and soft OR are not binary opposites but interlocking, mutually empowering components which expand the evidence base. Shifting the current paradigm toward more engaged scholarship could counteract the ongoing theoretical drift, for more strategic impact on the pressing problems of today.

Osteoarthritis and hypertension: observational and Mendelian randomization analyses

BackgroundThe association between osteoarthritis (OA) and hypertension is a subject of ongoing debate in observational research, and the underlying causal relationship between them remains elusive.MethodsThis study retrospectively included 24,871 participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2013 to 2020. Weighted logistic regression was performed to investigate the connection between OA and hypertension. Additionally, Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis was conducted to explore the potential causal relationship between OA and hypertension.ResultsIn the NHANES data, after adjusting for multiple confounding factors, there was no significant relationship between OA and hypertension (OR 1.30, 95% CI, 0.97–1.73, P = 0.089). However, among males, OA appeared to be associated with a higher risk of hypertension (OR 2.25, 95% CI, 1.17–4.32, P = 0.019). Furthermore, MR results indicate no relationship between multiple OA phenotypes and hypertension: knee OA (IVW, OR 1.024, 95% CI: 0.931–1.126, P = 0.626), hip OA (IVW, OR 0.990, 95% CI: 0.941–1.042, P = 0.704), knee or hip OA (IVW, OR 1.005, 95% CI: 0.915–1.105, P = 0.911), and OA from UK Biobank (IVW, OR 0.796, 95% CI: 0.233–2.714, P = 0.715). Importantly, these findings remained consistent across different genders and in reverse MR.ConclusionsOur study found that OA patients had a higher risk of hypertension only among males in the observational study. However, MR analysis did not uncover any causal relationship between OA and hypertension.

The Effects of Dividend Policy On the Price of Shares of Microfinance Companies In Developing Countries

The strategy of dividend policy implementation in the context of business value growth is the subject of debates in theoretical and empirical research. Dividends and retained earnings are two alternatives that investors have when deciding how to distribute their income. According to the bird-in-the-hand theory, a company’s value is maximized by paying large dividends, because investors consider the payouts less risky than capital gains, regular high dividend payments serve as an information signal to market participations about the current and future financial stability, which attracts new investors and allows attracting more external resources. Instead, according to Miller and Modigliani’s dividend irrelevancy theory, corporate value is influenced not by the division of income into dividends and retained earnings, but by investment policy and income from assets. There is a lack of research in the literature that examines the relationship between dividend payouts and stock prices in developing countries (especially in Nepal) and there is no empirical evidence that profitability can moderate this relationship. The article examines the influence of dividend yield, retention ratio and dividend payout ratio on share price both in general and directly, and indirectly-through return on assets and return on equity. The information base is data for the 2017-2021 financial years on 61 Nepalese microfinance institutions (10 of which were the direct object of the study) registered on the Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE), obtained from the official websites of the relevant institutions, ShareSansar and NEPSE statistics. SPSS software (PROCESS v4.3) was used for data analysis. Descriptive statistics, the correlation and regression analysis were used for the analysis. The article analyzes three types of effects: total, direct and indirect. The overall effect of dividend yield on share price is negative, the retention ratio is positive and significant, and the dividend payout ratio is negative and significant. The direct effect of the dividend yield on the stock price is negative, the retention ratio and the dividend payout ratio are positive and insignificant. The indirect effect of dividend yield and retention ratio on share price through return on assets is negative and insignificant, and through return on equity it is positive and significant. The indirect effect of the dividend payout ratio through the return on assets is positive and significant. However, the return on shareholders’ capital has a negative and insignificant effect on the share price.