Fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis Research Articles

Identifying Key Success Factors for Industry 4.0 Implementation: An Empirical Analysis Using SEM and fsQCA

Industry 4.0 technologies have been gaining significant momentum in recent years. Despite widespread adoption, many companies struggle with the successful implementation of these technologies. This study aims to identify the critical success factors for implementing Industry 4.0 technologies and to examine the effects of various factor combinations. Using the technology–organization–environment framework and the practice-based view, this paper proposes a comprehensive research model. This study employs a hybrid approach combining structural equation modeling (SEM) and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to analyze survey data collected from 202 Chinese manufacturing firms. The SEM results indicate that top management support, technology competence, supplier support, and pilot projects are significantly associated with successful implementation. However, the fsQCA results reveal that individual factors alone are insufficient for success; rather, it is the combinations of these factors that drive successful implementation. Specifically, three key combinations lead to success: (1) top management support and technology competence; (2) top management support and supplier support; and (3) technology competence, supplier support, and pilot projects. By recognizing these combinations, manufacturing firms can develop more effective implementation strategies for Industry 4.0 technologies.

An fsQCA analysis of service quality for hotel customer satisfaction

Managing customer satisfaction (CS) by adapting to market changes is essential for achieving customer loyalty. This study analyzes the asymmetric relationship between service quality (SQ) and CS in the hotel sector by applying the fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) method to a five-star hotel in Cuba. Results of customer SQ perception analysis as configurations of conditions that explain the outcome of CS identify the individual contribution made by each of the services. In this specific case, when combined with other conditions in three different configurations, the quality of food in specialized restaurants is shown to be the determinant of the studied hotel’s CS outcomes. This research shows that fsQCA is useful for managing the causal complexity of hotel processes and activities. Additionally, it helps managers optimize CS by determining which attributes they need to focus on and which they do not, thus responding to the need to determine how SQ dimensions influence CS.

Financial and non-financial factors for the success of hybrid offerings: evidence from multinational enterprises in an emerging market

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to identify the financial and non-financial factors contributing to the success of hybrid offerings among Pakistani multinational enterprises (MNEs).Design/methodology/approachTo capture the complexity and interdependence of success factors, this study employed fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). Data were collected from 213 chief executive officers (CEOs) of Pakistani MNEs.FindingsThe findings indicate that organizational support for service plays a vital role in hybrid offerings. Specific paths, such as a service-oriented corporate culture and management commitment to service, are necessary conditions for successful hybrid offerings.Originality/valueThe study sheds new light on the causal relationship underlying hybrid offerings in Pakistan, one of the Next Eleven countries, which is among the fastest-developing economies. We identified various paths to the financial and non-financial success of hybrid offerings within the Pakistani manufacturing MNE sector, which, to the best of our knowledge, has been underexplored. Additionally, we considered the digitalization dimension, which integrates and strengthens previous configurational models.

Hybrid Democratic Innovations: If and When They Impact Decision-Making

ABSTRACT Increased citizen participation through democratic innovation is an increasingly popular response to the dual challenges of complex global problems and democratic malaise. Hybrid democratic innovations (HDIs), which combine deliberative and plebiscitary elements, could potentially realise the benefits of both forms, including improving the impact on decision-making. This paper explores the conditions under which a range of hybrid democratic innovations impact decision-making on policy. Using fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis, two sufficient pathways where HDIs achieve impact on decision-making are identified. Strikingly, an active public engagement strategy is present in both of these routes to impact on decision-making, highlighting its importance – although always in combination with other design and contextual conditions. In regional or national-level cases with impact, we find an active public engagement strategy occurs in combination with a tight connection to representative institutions and on issues of low complexity. In local-level cases with impact, an active public engagement strategy occurs in combination with low rates of citizen participation, a finding which downplays the importance of the rate of participation on impact on decision-making. By assembling a comparative mapping of the field of HDIs, this paper helps us better understand when they (can) have an impact.

WeChat Adoption among Older Adults and Urban-Rural Differences in China

At the intersection of social digitization and population aging, the challenge of older adults fitting into digital life is becoming more prominent. To understand how to help older adults adopt digital life, this study builds upon the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and developed the Digital Technology Motivation Interaction Model (DTMIM) to study the complex effects of autonomous motivation (perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, perceived enjoyment), controlled motivation, and digital feedback on WeChat adoption among older adults, as well as the urban-rural differences. The results of the questionnaire survey and Fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) show that: First, no single construct is a necessary condition for a high (non-high) attitude toward using (ATU) or high (non-high) actual using (AU). Second, we identified two configurations that trigger high ATU including the autonomy-motivation type and digital feedback under motivational synergy, and three configurations that enable high AU including motivational synergy type, digital feedback under autonomous extrinsic motivation, and digital feedback under motivational synergy. Third, the configurations of high ATU and high AU show significant differences between urban and rural areas. Autonomy motivation plays a universal role in urban older adults’ WeChat adoption, while digital feedback is critical for rural older adults. The configuration analysis of DTMIM and urban-rural differences is not only an adaptive improvement of TAM but also provides new methods and perspectives for future research on the adoption of digital technology.

How does enterprise social media use affect employees’ psychological well-being and innovative work performance? Findings from hybrid approaches

PurposeRecent studies have suggested that the workplace fear of missing out (Workplace FoMO) harms employees' health and performance. Thus, the present study examines the impact of workplace FoMO and organisational support (OSP) on innovative work performance (IP) using dual theoretical lenses based on the conservation of resource theory (COR) and self-determination theory (SDT). Furthermore, this study investigates the mediating role of enterprise social media (ESM) use and psychological well-being (PW).Design/methodology/approachThe present study uses a rigorous methodology using structural equation modelling (SEM) and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). The author has conducted a cross-sectional survey to collect data on working professionals in India’s service industries (i.e. IT & ITeS; information technology enables services). Moreover, SEM was employed to analyse the data based on (n = 240) responses. Furthermore, fsQCA was used to reveal configurational models.FindingsThe SEM results revealed that workplace FoMO harms PW and stimulates ESM use. OSP has a positive impact on ESM use and PW. Furthermore, ESM use is positively associated with PW and enriches IP. The ESM use partially and significantly mediates (a) workplace FoMO and PW, and (b) OSP and PW. The fsQCA results revealed that two configurational models, (a) “ESM” and (b) “OSP*PW”, are vital in enhancing IP.Originality/valueThe present study utilises symmetric and asymmetric modelling approaches considering a separate prediction-oriented pioneer method. This study provides a novel perspective and adds new insights to the literature on ESM use, workplace FoMO and employee-related outcomes.

Drivers and constraints of students’ entrepreneurial intentions across cultural contexts: A neo-configurational perspective

Even though there is evidence of interconnectedness among antecedents of entrepreneurial intentions, emphasizing the need for understanding their joint effects, cross-cultural studies focused on students' entrepreneurial intentions have primarily looked into the isolated effects of these factors, neglecting their complex interplay. Drawing upon complexity theory, we aim to fill this gap by exploring how various factors mutually influence students' entrepreneurial intentions across diverse cultural settings. We employ the fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis on a sample of 144 students to generate novel insights about drivers and constraints of entrepreneurial intentions in two distant cultural clusters, i.e., Confucian Asia and Eastern Europe. Our findings shed light on how attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control and barriers intertwine to shape students' entrepreneurial intentions in different cultural settings, thereby affirming the principles of the neo-configurational perspective adopted in this study—multiple conjunctural causation, causal equifinality, and causal asymmetry. While enriching our understanding of the role of national culture in shaping entrepreneurial intentions, this study provides unique insights to management education scholars and practitioners about the need for tailoring entrepreneurial curricula based on the complexity and cultural sensitivity of antecedents of students’ entrepreneurial intentions.

Inner struggle or identity fit – control configurations that improve management accountants’ sense of their identity

PurposeThis study aims to investigate which configurations of organizational-level and group-level management controls support an identity fit for management accountants in the management accounting profession. It aims to complement recent qualitative management accounting research. This stream just begun to use role and identity theory to investigate role expectations, conflicts and coping strategies of management accountants when they struggle with their work identity.Design/methodology/approachBased on configuration theory, this study uses a fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis to indicate all possible configurations of formal and informal management controls that improve management accountants’ sense of their identity in an organization. The analyses are based on the results of a cross-sectional survey of 277 management accountants from Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Liechtenstein.FindingsThe results show that a strong group culture and high psychological safety at the group level are relevant conditions for a high identity fit. Further, the configurations differ regarding the career stages of management accountants.Originality/valueThis study contributes to work identity research of management accountants and to research on formal and informal control configurations as a control package. It is of particular importance for various professions that are affected by role change, as from the findings on management accountants’ identity fit, implications can also be made for other organizational functions that need to engage in identity work.

Examining Human Interactions with Smart Retail Technology: A Hybrid SEM- fsQCA Investigation

As technologies evolve, businesses have focused on enhancing human interactions beyond simple satisfaction. This new research builds on recent exploratory work, responding to calls for testing antecedents and consequences of Smart Retail Technology (SRT) interactions. An online survey was administered to 338 respondents. In addition to structural equation modelling (SEM), fuzzy set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) was employed to identify value outcomes. Results demonstrate that the more individuals perceive a business’s technologies to be distinctive, the more likely they are to interact with those technologies. Respondents’ innovativeness was positively associated with their intentions to interact with SRT. The fsQCA outcomes offer an understanding of the types of individuals who perceive value through SRT interaction. Findings offer managerial implications and extend current knowledge about adopting interactive technologies. This is the first study to contribute a comprehensive SRT model that examines the inter-relationships between antecedents and consequences of interacting with SRT.

Getting the Recipe Right: How Content Combinations Drive Social Media Engagement Behaviors

Social media has become a key touchpoint in contemporary customer journeys. Consequently, prior studies have investigated how social media content drives outcomes. However, much of this research has focused on the design of individual, isolated content elements, paying limited attention to how individuals respond to their holistic combinations. Drawing on multimodality, this study investigates how combinations of content elements drive social media engagement behaviors (SMEBs), a critical social media outcome. Through a fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis with 516 Instagram stories, the findings reveal four content element configurations that can drive high SMEBs: the loud, the informative, the affective, and the relational. These findings contribute to the literature by demonstrating that multiple configurations of content elements can simultaneously drive SMEBs, thus challenging the dominant view in the literature, which has focused on the effectiveness of isolated elements on diverse outcomes.

Mindsets, resilience and student engagement as predictors of L2 achievement among Chinese English learners: Insights from fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis

English learning is a long-term and continuous process that is permeated with various learning challenges, which requires learners to maintain active mindsets, robust resilience and deep learning engagement to attain a desirable achievement. Nevertheless, a detailed exploration of how mindsets, resilience, and engagement contribute to L2 achievement jointly has not been thoroughly investigated. This study hence aimed to address this issue by surveying 479 Chinese college English learners, all of whom were first-year students enrolled in the Comprehensive English Course. Through path analysis and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis(fsQCA), three major findings were obtained. Firstly, growth mindsets and resilience predicted L2 achievement significantly, whereas fixed mindsets and engagement did not have statistically significant predictive effects on language achievement. Secondly, none of the individual factors of mindsets, resilience and engagement determined the level of L2 achievement unless being configured to function jointly. Thirdly, growth and fixed mindsets, resilience, and three sub-components of student engagement are interrelated and can be dynamically combined in different ways to influence L2 achievement. The findings highlight the multifaceted nature of the language learning process, implying that language programs must attend to the complexity of student experiences. The study underscores the need for educators to be aware of the various configurations that lead to L2 achievement, advocating for a flexible and adaptive teaching style that can accommodate the diverse needs of students.

The digitalization of Chinese fisheries and its configuration path to empower fishery sustainable development

The green and sustainable development of fisheries is a crucial way to safeguard the environment, guarantee food security, and promote social and economic development. In the rapidly evolving era of digitalization, how to fully leverage the advantages of digitalization to motivate fishery sustainable development has become a worthy research question. Based on combing the development stage and characteristics of Chinese fishery digitalization, this paper selects six fishery digitalization factors from the perspective of configuration based on the technology-organization-environment (TOE) theoretical framework, and uses the panel fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) method to explore the configurational path of how digitalization empowered the sustainable development of fisheries in China from 2011 to 2021. This paper found that: (1) Fishery digitalization can significantly enhance the level of fishery sustainable development, but individual elements of fishery digitalization are not necessary conditions for realizing a high degree of fishery sustainable development. However, strengthening digitalization talent support plays a more universal role. (2) Four types of fishery digital ecology can generate a high level of fishery sustainable development, demonstrating the multiple paths and complex mechanisms of fishery digitalization empowering fishery sustainable development. (3) In underdeveloped areas such as Jilin, Hunan, and Qinghai, the empowering effect of digitalization on the sustainable development of fisheries is relatively limited. The research findings open the "black box" of how digitalization empowers the sustainable development of fisheries, providing theoretical reference for various types of provinces to utilize digitalization to drive the sustainable development of fisheries.

Pension Reform Policy in Latin America: A Fuzzy-Set Qualitative Comparative Analysis

Latin American countries have been at the forefront of pension privatization and since 2008 they have also pioneered reform reversals. Previous studies have focused on single cases or a small number of them, given that pension reform is a complex phenomenon arising from the combination of different causes. Using fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA), the article analyzes a set of 32 pension reform cases in eight countries from the early 1990s until 2021. It finds four different pathways that combine institutional, structural and policy legacy conditions. It demonstrates that fsQCA is a useful tool for broader comparative policy work.

How to achieve high-quality development of SRDI enterprises-A study of the TOE framework-based configuration.

The high-quality development of SRDI enterprises is crucial for China to overcome critical technological bottlenecks and thereby achieve technological independence and strength. However, the factors driving the high-quality development of SRDI enterprises are not isolated elements, but rather a complex system of interconnected antecedents. This study employs the TOE framework and fuzzy set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) with 141 Chinese SRDI "little giant" listed companies as samples to explore how various factors contribute to their high-quality development. The findings indicate: (1) No single factor is necessary for SRDI enterprises' high-quality development. (2) It is the synergy of multiple factors, in various combinations, that drives their high-quality development. (3) Technological innovation plays a key role in these pathways; SRDI enterprises should leverage their resources and capabilities for a synergistic technology-organization-environment match, selecting the most suitable development path. The results of this study not only enrich our understanding of the factors influencing SRDI enterprises' high-quality development but also offer insights for both the enterprises and government policy-making.

Forecasting Urban Housing Land Needs: A Comparative Analysis of Chinese Cities

In urban centers across China, the actual annual land supply frequently fails to meet government projections, significantly impacting local economic and social development. This study bridges the gap in prospective analyses of governmental decision-making concerning urban housing land supply. Employing fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis, this research examines the housing land supply in 50 Chinese cities, including 16 first-tier and 34 non-first-tier cities. The goal is to explore the decision-making combinations that influence the supply of housing land, thereby aiding in the formulation of governmental policies. Our findings indicate that in first-tier cities, forward-looking decisions rely on low fiscal pressure, with purchase restrictions and land supply restructuring acting in tandem. In contrast, in non-first-tier cities, high population density or significant fiscal pressure necessitate enhancements in land supply structures without implementing purchase restrictions to sustain forward-looking governance. Additionally, while forward-looking decisions depend on numerous conditions, it is generally simpler to circumvent non-forward-looking decisions. This investigation integrates forward-looking theory into real estate research, offering valuable insights for the formulation of governmental land supply strategies.

Greening Emerging Economies: Enhancing Environmental, Social, and Governance Performance through Environmental Management Accounting and Green Financing

Given the rising interest in sustainability globally, this paper investigates whether the environmental management accounting (EMA) and green financing of a firm are associated with superior environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance, considering manufacturing firms from emerging economies like Bangladesh to address a gap in relevant research. Drawing on the perspective of contingency theory, this study is one of the first to analyze how EMA and green financing enable sustainable production to enhance ESG performance, as well as the mediation that sustainable production exerts on this relationship. This study entails an analysis of ESG performance in sensitive industries, i.e., those that are more likely to cause social and environmental damage. To test our hypotheses, we applied partial least squares path modeling to analyze data from 467 responses. Further, we used fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to check the robustness. The results suggest that sensitive industries present superior ESG performance through integrating EMA and green financing. Further, empirical evidence demonstrates that sustainable production fully mediates the relationship between EMA and ESG performance. Meanwhile, sustainable production does not moderate green financing and ESG performance. For managers, this study demonstrates how embedding green financing and EMA into the organizational process for transitioning to a sustainable production model can present superior ESG performance. Our study contributes to research on both the impact of EMA and green financing on ESG performance, mediation effects of sustainable production, and integrated analysis using PLS-SEM and fsQCA, and the practice of sustainability management in firms in developing countries.

The roles of entrepreneurial university and regional conditions for graduate entrepreneurship: a configurational approach

ABSTRACT This study conceptualizes graduate entrepreneurship as a spatial phenomenon. Specifically, we explore how combinations of university-related (knowledge exchange intensity and entrepreneurship support) as well as regional conditions (economic prosperity and entrepreneurial culture) might explain the presence or absence of high graduate entrepreneurship as possible (or likely) explanations based on a configurational approach. We applied fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to a dataset using HE-BCIS (Higher Education-Business Community Interaction Survey) survey and the UK’s ONS (Office for National Statistics) data for England covering a five-year period, combined with map-based analysis to identify distinct pathways that explain the presence or absence of graduate entrepreneurship across different regions. Findings demonstrate that university-related and regional conditions can complement each other in different ways to explain high levels of graduate entrepreneurship, but absence of one can also suppress the effect of the other, resulting in the absence of high graduate entrepreneurship.

Multiple realization pathways of county-level medical alliances to improve service capacity:A fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis

Multiple realization pathways of county-level medical alliances to improve service capacity:A fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis

Green Marketing and the Path to Realizing Local Sustainable Development—Joint Dynamic Analysis of Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and Fuzzy Set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) Based on China’s Provincial Panel Data

Understanding the mechanisms by which the combination of green marketing components fosters local sustainable development is crucial for global regions in achieving the United Nations’ sustainable development goals. Utilizing panel data from China’s provinces from 2011 to 2022, this study employs the DEA model to assess both the static and dynamic efficiencies of sustainable development across China’s 31 provinces. Subsequently, drawing on the 6P theory of marketing element combination, this study selects human input, capital input, energy input, technological output, economic output, and ecological output as causal variables, with the local sustainable development index serving as the outcome variable. By integrating the fsQCA method, the study identifies four distinct configurations: a “single input–multiple output” model, a “multiple input–single output” model, an “input–output” linkage model, and an “input-driven” model. This conclusion can enhance the comprehension of the dynamics through which various combinations of green marketing components contribute to local sustainable development from a regional macroeconomic perspective, offering a theoretical foundation for achieving sustainable development globally.

The Pursuit of Subjective Well-Being Through Financial Well-Being, Relationship Quality, and Spiritual Well-Being: A Configuration Approach with Fuzzy-Set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA)

The Pursuit of Subjective Well-Being Through Financial Well-Being, Relationship Quality, and Spiritual Well-Being: A Configuration Approach with Fuzzy-Set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA)