European Perspective Research Articles

“How” and “What” Service Quality Influence Passenger’s Satisfaction in Grab, Ride-hailing Service, Malaysia

This research integrated the SERVQUAL model into European perspective of two-dimensional service quality concept focusing on “how” and “what” service quality influence the passenger satisfaction in Grab, ride-hailing services in Malaysia. A second-order model approach was developed to conceptualize the functional quality “how” dimension and outcome quality “what” dimension. Functional quality dimension is measured by the first-orders construct of assurance, empathy, responsiveness and reliability, while the Outcome quality dimension is measured by tangible, waiting time and valence. A non-probability judgmental sampling method via questionnaire was conducted and collect from 242 Grab-ride healing passenger in Malaysia. Partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) and Statistical Programmers for Social Science software (SPSS) were employed for data analysis. From the PLS-SEM measurement model analysis, all the construct reliability and validity are met and the structural model shows a substantial explanatory power and predictive accuracy for this study. The results show all the hypotheses were supported. Therefore, it validated the European perspective of understanding “how” and “what” service quality on passenger satisfaction in Grab, ride-hailing service in Malaysia. It further confirmed the service quality in ride-hailing service is multi-dimensional which both of the functional and outcome quality brings significant influence on passenger satisfaction. The model and result provide practical guideline and theoretical insight for service providers and researchers to understand how service should be delivered and what service outcome that passenger expected for future quality and strategy improvement in order to sustain and for long term success.

The good, the bad, and the nobody: Exploring diversity of perceptions of anaerobic digestion plants in Central and Eastern Europe

Anaerobic digestion (AD) plants fed by agricultural biowastes are highly relevant renewable energy producers supporting the transition towards sustainable waste management. However, local support for the operation of individual AD plants seems to be highly diverse, case specific and generally insufficient. Following this challenge visible especially in Central and Eastern Europe, our research aims to detect and explain commonalities and discordances in the perception of AD plants in their host communities in Slovakia. Three types of rural communities in the western part of the country were selected for a set of comparative surveys as the illustrative case studies. We have selected: (i) the community where planning, building, and operation of AD plant did not cause any significant issues, (ii) the community, where significant controversies around operating AD plant occurred, and (iii) the community, where the AD plant project was stopped during the planning phase due to community resistance. We ascertained that in all three types of host communities, respondents claimed that AD plants worsen the local quality of life. In communities with the issues-free planning and operation of AD plants or where the project was stopped, the attitudes towards AD plants are rather constant. However, if community experienced issues with the AD plant operation, the overall support for biogas energy significantly worsened. Interestingly, a positive local experience with biogas supports further development of AD plants, however, only if these are located out of the host communities. Thus our findings enrich knowledge about the NIMBY effect with an Eastern European perspective.

A commentary on the “new” institutional actors in sustainability reporting standard-setting: a European perspective

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to discuss the progress and future prospects of two relatively “new” institutions in this field: the European Commission (EC), together with the European Financial Reporting Advisory Group (EFRAG), and the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) Foundation.Design/methodology/approachThis paper reflexively analyses the recent events that characterise the European Union (EU) regulatory standard-setting landscape in the sustainability field. It is mainly based on publicly available documents.FindingsAfter analysing the different routes followed to enter the field, this paper shows how the EC/EFRAG takes a wider view than the IFRS Foundation on certain key reporting aspects, that is, target audience, materiality and reporting boundary. As for the reporting scope, although it seems that the IFRS Foundation has a more restrictive vision, it is working to broaden it.Practical implicationsThis paper provides some ideas about the potential cooperation between the two institutions. This paper also highlights some potential problems stemming not only from their intrinsic characteristics but also from the routes they have taken to enter the field.Social implicationsBy envisioning how the EU sustainability reporting standard-setting landscape might evolve, this paper sheds light on how companies might need to approach sustainability reporting to adapt to the new institutional demands. Suggestions for collaboration between the two institutions could help them reach common ground and, thus, prevent misunderstandings for companies and stakeholders.Originality/valueThe reflections and takeaways benefit from the authors’ first-hand information, as both are involved in the EU process. The authors could, therefore, feed into further discussions on the developments and challenges facing the EU in this domain.

Are ‘we’ European? We and us in British EU-related newspaper articles in 1975–2015

This study contributes to current research on the representation of the European Union in British public discourses. Employing the methods of corpus-assisted discourse studies, the paper examines the use of the pronouns we and us in British EU-related newspaper articles and aims at finding out in which contexts the EU has been included in or excluded from ‘us’. The data consist of 940 EU-related newspaper articles published in the Guardian, the Daily Telegraph, Daily Mirror and Daily Mail in the years 1975, 1985, 1995, 2005 and 2015. The findings suggest that, in the left-wing papers, EU-related issues were more often reported from the European perspective than in the right-wing papers, especially in 2005 and 2015. In addition, when EU-related issues were reported from the national perspective, the tone was usually more evaluative and critical of the EU, whereas with the European perspective more focus was given to the EU’s future and processes.

Smart Property and Smart Contracts Under Spanish Law in the European Context

This article analyses the civil and registry implementation of smart property in real estate in Spain from a European perspective. To this end, a general theory is developed for smart property in real estate and transactional smart contracts, paying particular attention to remedies and property acquisition. Based on the remedies suggested by Nick Szabo in his formulation of smart contracts and smart property, such as the smart lien and the property club, other remedies adapted to our Law will be proposed, due to the ineffectiveness of Szabo’s remedies in the Spanish context. In this regard, attention will be paid to the types of acquisition of real rights, the validity and effectiveness of transactional smart contracts, the remedies for breach of contract, and the modifications to registration that these remedies require. Smart real estate requires the tokenization of property and the linking of the digital asset with the real asset. For this purpose, the functions of tokens and the remote control of real estate, the tokenization of real tradition, and the implementation of property technology (PropTech), in particular, the Internet of Things, will be addressed. Finally, blockchainization of the registry will be examined from the perspective of the Land Registry Interconnection and the Interoperability Model for Land Registers (IMOLA) platform in the EU and Alastria Blockchain Ecosystem in Spain, as well as its legal adaptations regarding registry qualification and registry effects in terms of adverse possession.

Viewpoint: applying pragmatism to stimulate service research and practice – a European perspective

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to apply pragmatism – a philosophy of science on the interplay of human actions and meaning – as a perspective for studying service research and practice, emphasizing the need to deal with dynamics and diversity to cope with service marketplace disruptions. This work focuses on customers (individuals or groups of individuals) as key marketplace stakeholders.Design/methodology/approachPragmatism provides a foundation for theorizing about change by connecting human actors’ cognitive belief structures and their actions through a continuous learning process. This paper outlines how the key principles of pragmatism can advance service research and practice.FindingsAdopting the key principles of pragmatism in service management directs attention to service market dynamics. Understanding customers’ everyday lives as the interplay of experiencing, knowing and acting reveals insights about the role of service in dynamic markets for the benefit of service research and practice.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper is a viewpoint to stimulate researchers’ reflections on often hidden core assumptions about service. Pragmatism provides a perspective on actors’ practical rationality and problem solving in dynamic settings. Along with its emphasis on a holistic understanding of customers’ lives, this perspective provides direction for future service research and practice. Further, conceptual development and empirical substantiation are encouraged.Practical implicationsBy focusing on marketplace changes, this paper addresses management concerns for commercial and non-commercial organizations. Pragmatism encourages critical reflections on what companies are doing and why (the connection between actions and beliefs), revealing underlying beliefs and institutionalized industry practices that require modifications.Social implicationsPragmatism is an approach to service research and practice, irrespective of aggregation level and sector. Therefore, it can help stimulate societal welfare.Originality/valuePragmatism advances service research by delineating a holistic perspective on customers’ lives and providing a perspective for exploring and understanding dynamics and diversity in service markets.

Ethylene oxide in foods: current approach to the risk assessment and practical considerations based on the European food business operator perspective

Ethylene oxide in foods: current approach to the risk assessment and practical considerations based on the European food business operator perspective

Benchmarking the Middle Ages: fifteenth century Tuscany in European perspective

AbstractThe article presents GDP estimates for fifteenth century Tuscany, based on the 1427 Florentine Catasto. In per capita GDP, Tuscany was only slightly above England and Holland. Furthermore, when compared to England and Holland, Tuscany was characterized by high extractive rates in favor of Florence, to the detriment of the subdued cities and the countryside, and by subsequent market blockades. This may explain why previous estimates, partly based on the construction wages in Florence, can lead to an overestimate of GDP. It may also explain the exceptional artistic blossoming of fifteenth century Florence, despite only a small lead in average GDP.

Migration narrative: Towards a possible alternative for Africa in the 21st century

In her relations with Africa, Europe advances a major migration claim about a “migration crisis” or “refugee crisis” in the era of globalisation. Although human mobility is a fact of human history, the search for greener pastures is ever expanding in a globalising world. Europe has insisted on the view that Africa-to-Europe migration attained a “crisis” point in 2015. Rather than this prevalent migration narrative, which privileges the European Union’s (EU) border surveillance measures, using sophisticated arrays of digital security gadgets that are gulping billions of euros, and the reports about some African governments’ lack of political will to police migration, and EU-AU anti-migration partnerships, etc. – all narratives being constructed from the European perspective – I advance the view for the need for a principal African migration narrative that focuses on the regeneration of Africa. Though this may be underappreciated, this narrative from the African perspective portrays the African embrace of pan-African philosophy emerging from African culture. Moreover, an alternative migration narrative offers a nobler conception of African migrants.

Ethical principles in the use of Artificial Intelligence in the financial sector from a European perspective

Artificial intelligence (AI) has become part of our daily lives and is a fundamental tool for developing private and professional operations. In this sense, one of the sectors where AI has had the greatest impact has been the financial sector, where it is necessary to establish a regulatory framework to address two fundamental issues to ensure its proper functioning, specifically those aspects that affect digital transparency and neutral algorithms. To address both aspects, the European Union, through its various institutions, has established guidelines for Member States to apply ethical principles that align financial digitalisation with sustainability and the Sustainable Development Goals set out in the 2030 Agenda. These ethical values have been regrouped in a series of principles that must be present in the legislation that regulates future financial operations, ensuring their application within the territory of the European Union. In this regard, financial digitalisation must ensure principles that control risks, creating technologically applicable rules for all sectors that guarantee a level playing field between States without fragmenting the internal market. To this end, they must carry out a prior impartial and external assessment for each operation, based on specific and defined criteria that do not violate fundamental rights or the security standards established in EU law. The methodology used in this article is descriptive, compiling European regulatory projects, taking into account academic studies on ethics in the financial sector.

Babesia gibsoni Infection in Dogs-A European Perspective.

Simple SummaryCanine babesiosis is a tick-borne, protozoal, hemoparasitic disease caused by infection by parasites of the genus Babesia. Numerous species of Babesia exist worldwide. These protozoa are classified as either large forms (e.g., Babesia canis) or small forms (e.g., Babesia gibsoni). Reports of infections with small protozoan species are far less numerous. In most European countries where B. gibsoni has been reported, the percentage of infected dogs is around 1%. The literature review suggests that B. gibsoni should not only be considered a random and imported pathogen, but also a possible emerging parasite in Europe. The disease is much more severe than B. canis infections in most cases. Accurate molecular detection and species identification are important for selecting the correct therapy and predicting the course of the disease in dogs with babesiosis. In the future, it is expected that B. gibsoni infections may appear in other non-endemic regions in Europe, which may pose significant diagnostic and therapeutic challenges for veterinary practitioners.Canine babesiosis is a disease caused by infection with parasites of the genus Babesia. These protozoa are classified as either large (e.g., Babesia canis) or small (e.g., Babesia gibsoni). So far, only three small Babesia species of clinical importance, able to infect dogs, have been described: B. gibsoni, B. conradae, and B. vulpes. This review presents the current epidemiological situation of Babesia gibsoni infections in dogs in Europe. In most European countries where B. gibsoni has been reported, the percentage of infected dogs is around 1%. The higher prevalence of the B. gibsoni infection among American Pit Bull Terriers suggests breed susceptibility. An analysis of the available data makes it possible to conclude that B. gibsoni infections may appear in the future in other non-endemic regions of Europe, which may pose significant diagnostic and therapeutic challenges for veterinary practitioners.

The effect of business ethics and governance score on tax avoidance: a European perspective

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the effect of business ethics and governance score on tax avoidance.Design/methodology/approachThe sample used consists of 432 European companies belonging to the STOXX600 index during the period ranging from 2010 to 2019. The authors use the linear regression with a panel data.FindingsThe results show a negative and significant relationship between business ethics and tax avoidance. In addition, the governance is negatively and significantly correlated with tax avoidance. Similarly, this paper finds a negative and significant joint impact of business ethics and governance score on tax avoidance.Practical implicationsThe findings of this paper could help firms consider their future growth opportunities in a context where the approach of business ethics occupies a central position in the business valuation.Originality/valueThis study is motivated by the low number of works in the context of the tax avoidance. It makes an important contribution to the academic literature through adding to the limited body of research on business ethics and governance score in a company setting. The firms strongly focusing on ethics and governance score are more likely to reduce their tax avoidance activities. Thus, these corporations aim to preserve their reputation and image. In this regard, it is worth saying that a positive reputation can increase the shareholder value. Accordingly, companies find a powerful strategy in their commitment and their ethical and responsible behavior, allowing them to maintain their good image and reputation.

Advanced Battery Materials and Interfaces: A European Perspective

Advanced Battery Materials and Interfaces: A European Perspective

Why Curate Live Arts?

To Discover Meaningful Ways to Be Together by Bertie FerdmanIn the Era of Context by Ken TakiguchiThe Cultural Industries in Africa by Funmi AdewoleSome Observations on Terminology by Gordana VnukNational Dance Platforms: Building Danceland or Curating the Nation? by Gustavo FijalkowA Reflection on the Start of It All: Festival Curation as the Artist’s Liberation of Divulgation by Lieven BertelsWhen Curatorial Practice in the Performing Arts Meets Production by Ashley Ferro-MurrayToward the End of Innocence in Programming Live Arts by Brandon FarnsworthCuratorial Practice as a Claim to Public-ness by Gurur ErtemSome Aspects from a European Perspective by Sigrid Gareis and Nicole Haitzinger

Moquis and Kastiilam: Hopis, Spaniards, and the Trauma of History Volume II, 1680–1781 ed. by Thomas E. Sheridan et al.

Reviewed by: Moquis and Kastiilam: Hopis, Spaniards, and the Trauma of History Volume II, 1680–1781 ed. by Thomas E. Sheridan et al. Rose Miron (bio) Moquis and Kastiilam: Hopis, Spaniards, and the Trauma of History Volume II, 1680–1781 edited by Thomas E. Sheridan, Stewart B. Koyiyumptewa, Anton Daughters, Dale S. Brenneman, T. J. Ferguson, Leigh Kuwanwisiwma, and Lee Wayne Lomayestewa University of Arizona Press, 2020 AS MANY WITHIN THE DISCIPLINE of history debate the extent to which tribal consultation is necessary and ethical, others are simply doing the work—showing us that collaboration is not only ethical but that it produces better results. Moquis and Kastiilam: Hopis, Spaniards, and the Trauma of History Volume II, 1680–1781 is an example of one such project. The volume is the second book within the Hopi History Project—a collaborative initiative between the Hopi Cultural Preservation Office and the University of Arizona that aims to reinterpret early Hopi history by prioritizing Hopi knowledge and sources. Using newly recorded Hopi oral histories as its starting point, the project revisits the documentary record produced by Spanish colonists to compare those accounts with Hopi traditional knowledge. Adding Hopi voices to the analysis of this period recaptures stories that have long been erased and sheds new light on a history that has virtually always been told from a European perspective. To accomplish this, the volume quite literally places Spanish documentary sources alongside Hopi knowledge and oral histories and directly interrogates the validity of various Spanish claims. Almost every historical text reprinted within this volume is prefaced by an introduction that provides context and calls attention to certain details that are either missing, incorrect, or could benefit from reinterpretation. For example, before inviting readers to examine excerpts from seventeenth-century Spanish leader don Diego de Vargas's journal and a letter he wrote to the king of Spain, the authors point to the stark embellishment present in Vargas's public account of his journey to Hopi pueblos, as well as his potential misunderstanding of one Hopi person's level of leadership based on his ignorance of matrilineal clan structures. Printed interviews with staff from the Hopi Cultural Preservation Office also shed light on issues that stretch across multiple sources, [End Page 183] illuminating the larger problems with the way Hopi history has been historically represented. This allows the collaborators to both "re-write, and re-right" history, directly addressing inaccuracies in the documentary record while also commenting directly on the process by which Hopi history has historically been constructed by primarily non-Hopi people and without Hopi voices (see Linda Tuhiwai Smith's 2012 book, Decolonizing Methodologies: Research and Indigenous Peoples, 2nd ed. [London: Zed], 29). In this vein, several sections of the book feature direct commentary on research methods that provide context for this project and advice for future collaborations. The authors comment generally on problems with the Spanish documentary record that Hopi perspectives can shed light on and emphasize the importance of Hopi people being able to confront historical trauma on their own terms, rather than whenever a non-Hopi writer decides they want to research it. Perhaps most effectively, the authors aptly highlight positionality not just as an academic term but as a Hopi value. Whether a story is being told from a Hopi or non-Hopi perspective, what narratives an individual is likely to know and what details they are likely to understand are directly impacted by their clan, lineage, and their relationships within a community. Ultimately, the editors make a strong case for all future research on Hopi history, and Native history more broadly, to include consultation with Hopi/Native people. Rather than being organized as a cohesive narrative or typical monograph, the volume is set up as a sourcebook that includes reprints of many Spanish historical texts, new oral histories and recorded conversations, and a new analysis of Hopi history from Hopi perspectives. It will be less appealing to those who are unfamiliar with Hopi history and are looking for a more generalized narrative account. Yet, for those studying and researching Hopi history specifically, or history in the Southwest more broadly, it is an essential guide. Anyone who consults the...

The Propensity to Patent Digital Technology: Mirroring Digitalization Processes in Germany with Intellectual Property in a European Perspective

Digitalization processes are main drivers of innovation activities, so promoting digital technology is priority of economic and industrial policy. Examining digital technology patent surge, the article analyzes German innovation positions in digital technology filings at European Patent Office in 2010–2019. Germany belongs to largest originations with computer technology as major field. Compared with USA and China, it finds in second innovation league and loses ground. Chinese strengths derive from specialization advantages in digital technologies. However, analysis of entire digital technology filings at EPO reveals no evidence for innovation advantages of increased specializations in European perspective.

Is Social Inequality in School-Age Achievement Generated before or during Schooling? A European Perspective

Abstract Social gaps in children’s educational achievement emerge early in life and remain stable over schooling. Does social origin constantly shape achievement or is social inequality in school just an echo of inequality settled before schooling? We extend the previous research by studying the origins of social gaps in language achievement among primary-school students in Germany, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. Based on dynamic accounts of skill development, we expected social origin to shape school-age achievement not only directly but also indirectly via before-school achievement. Using longitudinal data (Cohort Study on Educational Careers, Millennium Cohort Study, and National Educational Panel Study) and applying an instrumental variable approach, we estimated the extent to which achievement gaps by parental education in school were generated before and during schooling. About 50–80 per cent of language gaps observed at end of primary school were explained by gaps settled before formal schooling in all three countries. Conversely, at most 20–50 per cent of school-age gaps were generated during schooling. These findings suggest that the roots of social inequality in school-age achievement must be sought primarily in processes transpiring before school life starts.

The Challenges of Reconstructing Citizen-Driven EU Contestation in the Digital Media Sphere

This article reflects on the discursive representation, legal, and practical challenges of locating, classifying, and publishing citizens’ views of the EU in digital media discourse. We start with the discursive representation challenge of locating and identifying citizens’ voices in social and news media discourse. The second set of challenges pertains to the legal, regulatory framework guiding research ethics on personal data but also cuts across the academic debate on what constitutes “public” discourse in the digital public sphere. The third set of challenges are practical but of no less consequence. Here we bring in the issue of marketisation of the public sphere and of the digital commons, and how these processes affect the ethics but also the feasibility and reliability of digital public sphere analysis. Thereby we illustrate that barriers to content analysis can make data collection practically challenging, feeding dilemmas with data reliability and research ethics. These methodological and empirical challenges are illustrated and unpacked with examples from the Benchmark project, which analysed the extent to which citizens drive EU contestation on social and digital news media. Our study focuses on UK public discourse on a possible European Economic Area solution, and the reactions such discourse may have triggered in two EU-associated countries, Norway and Switzerland, in the post-Brexit referendum period 2016–2019. We thus take a broad European perspective of EU contestation that is not strictly confined within the EU public sphere(s). The case study illustrates the research process and the emerging empirical challenges and concludes with reflections and practical suggestions for future research projects.

Aux origines d’un militantisme transnational ? Bouleversements politiques en Allemagne et réseaux intellectuels entre 1806 et 1849

Sidney Tarrow used the term “Transnational Activism” to deal with a contemporary phenomenon to which he also ascribed historical roots. The aim of the article is to check the relevance of this concept for the intellectual networks that claimed political changes in the German-speaking area in the first half of the 19th century. Did these individuals succeed in combining local and regional interests with a larger European or transatlantic perspective in order to realize cross-border ideas? Or did the transnational approach prove to be an illusion?These questions are examined through three case studies which highlight the specificity of the period between 1806 and 1849: the support for Napoleon’s policy, the striving for a Europe-wide solidarity in the 1830s and 1840s and the political mobilization of German emigrants in the USA during the revolution of 1848/1849.

Sustainable Building Policies in Central Europe: Insights and Future Perspectives

Achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 is one of the European Union’s key priorities. Yet, the attitude of numerous politicians, of the professional community, and of society in general towards the threat posed by climate change is ambivalent. Arguments are frequently heard about the transition to a low-carbon economy that will be very costly, with increased unemployment, and that in reality climate change may not even be that severe. Added to this, there are human rights and freedoms, and in the case of architects and designers, the right to freedom of creation, to choice of materials, etc. The present article seeks to show that the issue of sustainable architecture and construction is not a whim, but an absolute necessity, and that true freedom lies in recognizing this fact and adapting our actions accordingly. However, even if we have the good intentions to adapt the needed actions, there is still the question of how to react in the right way, without causing myriad unwanted side-effects or being completely counterproductive. As there is not yet any comprehensive account of the history of energy-efficient and sustainable building and architecture, this paper has attempted to give a brief overview of developments in this field from a Central European perspective. Furthermore, the aim was to point out some conceptual mistakes that have been made in the past and that should be avoided.