Management Research Research Articles

Happiness, Achievement or Money: Testing a Multidimensional Model of Success among Bulgarian Social Media Users

Abstract Some of the biggest challenges in one’s life include self-actualization and achieving success. Feeling successful in turbulent times has become more and more challenging. The goal of this paper is to introduce a multidimensional model of success and test it among a non-representative sample (N = 1063) of digital users in Bulgaria. According to the model, success beliefs are culturally specific and comprise four dimensions: happiness, achievement, material well-being, and social capital. The research method includes non-representative snowball sampling among Bulgarian social media users on Facebook and LinkedIn. A descriptive statistical analysis was used for the validation of data. The results show that participants consider themselves to be moderately successful. Respondents positively associate success with most factors, except for public influence (social capital) and material property (well-being). Digital users associate success the most with happiness and the least with social capital. They perceive success as an intangible and emotional concept, rather than a material one. The participants who feel moderately or completely unsuccessful associate success primarily with material possessions (well-being) and connections (social capital). It is suggested to continue researching this topic in a representative study among Bulgarian and even foreign citizens. The multidimensional model of success is an applicable research tool for future research in business and organizational management.

Machine learning‐based streamflow forecasting using CMIP6 scenarios: Assessing performance and improving hydrological projections and climate change

AbstractWater is essential for humans as well as for all living organisms to sustain their lives. Therefore, any climate‐driven change in available resources has significant impacts on the environment and life. Global climate models (GCMs) are one of the most practical methods to evaluate climate change. Based on this, this research evaluated the capability of GCMs from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project 6 (CMIP6) to reproduce the historical flow of climate prediction centre data for the Konya Closed basin and to project the climate of the basin using the selected GCMs. Global climate models based on the CMIP6 under the scenario of common socioeconomic pathways (SSP245 and SSP 585) were used to analyse the climate change effect on streamflow of the study area by Bias Correction of GCM Models using Long Short‐Term Memory (LSTM), Bidirectional LSTM (BiLSTM), AdaBoost, Gradient Boosting, Regression Tree, and Random Forest methods. The coefficient of determination (R2), mean square error (MSE), mean absolute error (MAE), root mean square error (RMSE) were used to assess the performance of the methods. Findings show that the Random Forest Model consistently outperformed other models in both the testing and training phases. A significant downward in the volume of water flowing through the region's rivers and streams in the next decades. It is critical to enhance climate‐resilient water infrastructure financing, establish an early warning system for drought, introduce best management practices, implement integrated water resource management, public awareness, and support water research to alleviate the negative consequences of drought and increase resilience against the effects of climate change on Turkey's water resources.

Research on the Billing Standard of Highway and Water Transport Test and Inspection in Shandong Province

With the rapid development of China's economy, all sectors of society on the quality and safety of road and water transport projects have gradually increased the importance of road and water transport test, and inspection services market demand and cost share have also increased. Many test and inspection organizations have flooded the market, resulting in malicious competition and price confusion in the test and inspection market. Therefore, providing a set of scientific, reasonable, and standardized test and inspection billing standards is urgently needed to improve the test and inspection management of road and water transport projects and solve the existing problems. Based on this, the project will rely on Shandong Province highway and water transport engineering test and inspection billing standard research project, systematic analysis of Shandong Province highway and water transport engineering test and inspection factors. It is from the cost of scientific management and field research of the characteristics of the system research, for Shandong Province test and inspection charges to provide a more objective, accurate, scientific theoretical basis for calculating, for the further preparation of Shandong Province, highway and water transport engineering test and inspection Billing standards in Shandong Province to lay a solid theoretical foundation.

Look What We Have Here: Exploring Brand-Related Sport Consumer Twitter Conversation Topics

Abstract: As sport organizations leverage social media as a critical component of marketing strategy, tools for exploring the large volume of sport consumer social media conversations are vital. This scholarship demonstrates the value of unsupervised latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA) as a tool for exploring consumers' digital conversations. Specifically, unsupervised LDA was applied to derive latent topics among Women's National Basketball Association-related Twitter conversation over the course of the 2020 season. Quantitative (cv and umass scores) and qualitative (two expert reviews) approaches were utilized to delineate topic configurations. Marginal topic distance established topic importance. Results from 118,518 tweets revealed 18 conversation topics spanning two overarching themes: social justice issues and on-court performance. The range and depth of the results highlight the importance of the unsupervised topic modeling method (without semi-supervised predetermined topic leads) for considering holistic rather than subsampled or snapshot datasets. This empirical investigation extends the conversation surrounding natural language processing to sport management research and practice, delivers a foundation for unsupervised LDA application to sport consumer conversation, and explores social media conversations during a critical moment for the WNBA.

Interaction Between Automation and Humans in Supply Chain Planning

Automation is transforming supply chain planning (SCP) processes, replacing human tasks with technological solutions. While automation offers efficiency gains, the interaction between humans and automated systems presents behavioral challenges. This study investigates how decision-makers in SCP processes learn to correct errors when interacting with automated demand forecasting systems versus human planners. Drawing from psychology and behavioral theories, we examine the effects of interaction type (automated system vs. human) on learning, operationalized as performance improvement over time. Further, we analyze whether this relationship is moderated by cognitive psychological traits (positive attitude towards technology, technology anxiety/dependence) and socio-psychological traits (social influence based on subjective norms, social influence based on image) of the human decision-maker. Our article contributes to supply chain management research by introducing automation-human interaction, providing a temporal learning perspective on performance, and integrating cognitive and socio-psychological moderators. Insights are offered on how to facilitate effective human-automation collaboration by managing socio-psychological influences. Limitations and future research opportunities, including cultural contexts and artificial intelligence, are discussed.

Knowledge sharing between self-initiated expatriates and host country nationals: a dyadic investigation

ABSTRACT We investigate knowledge sharing between self-initiated expatriates (SIEs) and host country nationals (HCNs) based on theoretical insights from social exchange and self-categorisation theories. In particular, we examine the interplay between the quality of the exchange relationship vested in cognition- and affect-based trust, along with intercultural group climate, and evaluate whether differences in the assessments made by participants impact the outcomes of their knowledge sharing. Our findings, derived from a dyadic study of 101 SIEs and 101 HCNs in China, indicate that affect-based trust fully mediates the association between cognition-based trust and knowledge sharing between SIEs and HCNs. Furthermore, intercultural group climate moderates the mediating effects of cognition-based trust on knowledge sharing via affect-based trust, although not in the hypothesised direction. Our contribution to knowledge management research lies in deepening the insights into how the quality of the exchange relationship between SIEs and HCNs affects the knowledge sharing process.

Objectivity interrogation of racial scholarship in psychology and management

Scholars of color remain underrepresented in US institutions in academia. In this paper, we will examine one factor that contributes to their continued marginalization in psychology and management: the scientific method’s commitment to traditional notions of objectivity. We argue that objectivity—defined as practices and policies rooted in the heightened value placed on a research process that is ostensibly free from bias—is central to the prominence of primarily White scholarship in psychology and management research and remains central to knowledge production. To investigate this, we employ a mixed-methods approach, integrating qualitative and quantitative data to codify how scholars of color experience objectivity interrogations, or written and verbal questioning in academic contexts that implicates their scientific rigor. We also identify how scholars of color engage in objectivity armoring, or self-presentational strategies (toning down and stepping up) to contend with these interrogations. Finally, we reveal these toning down processes in language use within publications on racial scholarship. Overall, these studies reveal the unique challenges scholars of color face to legitimize and validate their work on race and racism within predominantly White institutions and disciplines.

Leadership Styles in Management

Leadership plays an increasingly critical role in organizational success, especially in today's rapidly evolving business landscape, where agility and adaptability are paramount. Various leadership styles have garnered considerable attention in management research, reflecting the quest to optimize organizational performance amidst dynamic challenges. Understanding these styles is not merely advantageous but urgent for leaders and management practitioners, as the choice of leadership approach significantly shapes organizational culture, influences employee performance, and ultimately determines the achievement of shared objectives. This study delves into the plethora of leadership styles through an exhaustive examination of management literature, aiming to unveil the multifaceted impact of these styles on organizational performance. The findings of this research endeavour are poised to offer invaluable insights, enriching comprehension of the pivotal role and relevance of leadership styles within management frameworks, while also laying the groundwork for future explorations in the realm of organizational leadership and management.

Surgical training and research in mesh complications

Objective:To review and summarize the peer-reviewed literature for Surgical Training and Research in Mesh Complications. Methods:An international author team reviewed available published literature. Results:This paper reviews the current training situation and recognizes there are no fellowships globally which specifically train in mesh removal/ complications. The UK has recently launched a mesh complications training pathway pilot. New Zealand has recently implemented a credentialing framework for pelvic floor procedures including mesh removal and undertaken national credentialing of surgeons. A proposed training pathway is outlined including training sequence, the training setting, and a modular pathway of training.The authors acknowledge that there is very limited research and evidence for management of mesh complications. Several important research questions are suggested for future research. Future projects for collaborative research are proposed including registries, and development of improved patient education materials for pelvic floor conditions to improve shared decision making.

A Review of Fog Computing Concept, Architecture, Application, Parameters and Challenges

The Internet of Things (IoT) has become an integral part of our daily lives, growing exponentially from a facility to a necessity. IoT has been utilized extensively through cloud computing and has proven an excellent technology for deploying in various fields. The data generated by the IoT devices gets transmitted to the cloud for processing and storage. However, with this approach, there are specific issues like latency, energy, computation resources availability, bandwidth, heterogeneity, storage, and network failure. To overcome these obstacles, fog computing is utilized as a middle tier. Fog computing gathers and processes the generated data closer to the user end before transmitting it to the cloud. This paper aims to conduct a structured review of the current state of fog computing and its architectures deployed across multiple industries. This paper also focuses on the implementation and critical parameters for introducing fog computing in IoT-cloud architecture. A detailed comparative analysis has been carried out for 5 different architectures considering various crucial parameters to identify how the quality of service and quality of experience for end users can be optimized. Finally, this paper looks at the multiple challenges that fog computing faces in a structured six-level approach. These challenges will also lead the way for future research in resource management, green computing, and security.

Firm engagement: Scale development and verification

Stakeholder or actor (e.g., firms, employees, and customers) engagement is critical for value co-creation in the service ecosystem. As a provider of an engagement platform in a service ecosystem, the firm plays a critical role in employee and customer engagement. While customer and employee engagement have received much attention, firm engagement research remains unexplored, nonetheless, is critical for the business development and sustainability. There is no scale that has been developed to measure firm engagement. Development of this scale would provide a holistic picture of engagement from a multi-perspective. Following the conventional scale development process, this study developed and verified a scale to measure firm engagement. First, in-depth interviews with 23 managers of companies in different industries were conducted to establish initial items. Subsequently, item purification (N = 397) and validation (N = 398) were performed. The results show that firm engagement consists of eight dimensions from customer and employee perspectives. Specifically, customer engagement orientation includes empathy, employee participation, customer participation, and resource integration while employee engagement orientation includes management participation, corporate culture, interest alignment, and internal service quality. The scale contributes to the engagement literature and human resource management research and has practical implications for firms to improve employee performance and customer experience.

Analysis of Drug Management at Tegal City Pharmaceutical Installation

Background: Medicine is one of the most essential elements in health service efforts. Good drug management will affect the availability of drugs and improve the degree of health in the community.Objectives: This study aims to determine the effectiveness and efficiency of drug management at the Tegal City Pharmaceutical Installation in 2021 related to compliance with the Indonesian Ministry of Health and WHO indicators.Methods: This research is descriptive research with a quantitative approach. Data was taken retrospectively through document tracing and supplemented with qualitative data through interviews to deepen findings in the field. Data obtained and the results of interviews with the Head of Installation and pharmaceutical personnel, totaling five respondents, will then be compared with standard indicators from the Indonesian Ministry of Health and WHO. Data analysis in this study used indicators of selection, procurement, distribution, and use of drugs. The values of the indicators that have been obtained are subsequently compared with the existing standard values.Results: The results of drug management research at the Tegal City Pharmaceutical Installation are at the selection stage of proposing drugs to Fornas. The procurement stage of drug suitability with Fornas is 96.4%, the fund allocation percentage is 92%, and the planning accuracy is 95.7%. The distribution stage of the level of drug availability 12-18 is 13.92 months, the accuracy of the number of distributions to the Puskesmas is 100%, the percentage of drugs experiencing empty stock, dead stock, and overstock is 0%, the percentage of damaged and expired drugs is 0%. The use stage of drug items per prescription is 3.5 drug items, the percentage of antibiotic use in non-specific patients is 30.7%, the percentage of non-pneumonia Acute Respiratory Infections (ARI) antibiotic use is 34.2%, and myalgia injection use is 0%.Conclusion: The conclusion of drug management at the selection, procurement, distribution, and use stages in 2021 carried out at the Tegal City Pharmaceutical Installation has yet to follow standards. Of the 14 indicators studied, only 8 follow the standard, and 6 other indicators still need compliance to evaluation.

EXPLORING TRENDS IN SOCIAL SECURITY MANAGEMENT: A BIBLIOMETRIC REVIEW

Social security systems worldwide encounter a range of challenges including poverty, inequality, pandemic-induced impacts, non-traditional employment, aging populations, and threats posed by the collaborative economy. These challenges call for various reforms that encompass private sector engagement, expenditure reduction, expanded coverage, improved management practices, decoupling benefits from employment, inclusion of local stakeholders, and support for self-employed workers. Implementing these reforms is imperative for safeguarding the well-being of vulnerable populations. The current bibliometric review aims to analyse research trends related to social security management. This review utilised ScientoPy and VOSviewer to comprehend the nature of collected datasets from Scopus and Web of Science (WoS) databases. The findings of this review revealed that the number of publications in both databases peaked in 2019, suggesting that previous studies continue to be interested in the current topic. The scholarly publication “Social Security Bulletin” is renowned for its extensive coverage of social security management research for empowering employees welfare. The keyword “social security” has significantly impacted the thematic content of scholarly social security management for the past three decades, from 1990 to 2023, as previous researchers have used it most frequently. Based on overlay visualisation mapping, the current review demonstrates that the terms "coverage," "social security legislation," and "atypical work," have been accorded greater significance since 2018. This study provides a thorough and worldwide perspective on the crucial subjects of social security management in order to empowerment of employees welfare. It is aimed at potential readers and researchers interested in better understanding these concepts and conducting more rigorous research on social security management.

MNCs’ Corporate Social Innovation in Emerging Markets: Antecedents, Outcomes, and Boundary Conditions

This study examines (i) the relationship between first social mover multinational corporations (MNCs) and corporate social innovation (CSI); (ii) the impact of MNCs’ CSI on social value creation; and (iii) the moderating role of local embeddedness on the relationship between the first social mover MNCs, CSI, and social value creation. The study builds from the behavioral theory of social entrepreneurship. Primary data was collected from 150 MNCs operating in Nigeria—a social and resource-constrained emerging market in sub-Saharan Africa. Findings show that there is a positive relationship between first social mover MNCs and CSI. The findings also show that CSI has a positive relationship with social value creation. Furthermore, the findings reveal that local embeddedness strengthens the path between first social mover MNCs, CSI, and social value creation path. These findings have important implications for CSI and international management research as well as the growth and management of MNCs operating in emerging markets in sub-Saharan Africa.

Real-Time Estimation of Tree Position, Tree Height, and Tree Diameter at Breast Height Point, Using Smartphones Based on Monocular SLAM

Precisely estimating the position, diameter at breast height (DBH), and height of trees is essential in forest resource inventory. Augmented reality (AR)-based devices help overcome the issue of inconsistent global point cloud data under thick forest canopies with insufficient Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) coverage. Although monocular simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) is one of the current mainstream systems, there is still no monocular SLAM solution for forest resource inventories, particularly for the precise measurement of inclined trees. We developed a forest plot survey system based on monocular SLAM that utilizes array cameras and Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) sensors provided by smartphones, combined with augmented reality technology, to achieve a real-time estimation of the position, DBH, and height of trees within forest plots. Our results from the tested plots showed that the tree position estimation is unbiased, with an RMSE of 0.12 m and 0.11 m in the x-axis and y-axis directions, respectively; the DBH estimation bias is −0.17 cm (−0.65%), with an RMSE of 0.83 cm (3.59%), while the height estimation bias is −0.1 m (−0.95%), with an RMSE of 0.99 m (5.38%). This study will be useful in designing an algorithm to estimate the DBH and position of inclined trees using point clouds constrained by sectional planes at the breast height of the trunk, developing an algorithm to estimate the height of inclined trees utilizing the relationship between rays and plane positions, and providing observers with visual measurement results using augmented reality technology, allowing them to judge the accuracy of the estimates intuitively. Clearly, this system has significant potential applications in forest resource management and ecological research.

The Effectiveness of Verbal Mimicry in Activist Hedge Fund Campaigns

Hedge fund activism frequently has severe consequences for target firms and their management and boards. Yet, we know little about target management and boards’ response to activist attacks. To advance our understanding in this respect, we examine how the style of target management and boards’ written communication with activists influences campaign outcomes. Building on the behavioral mimicry perspective, we propose that language style matching (LSM) and emotional tone mimicry (ETM), which constitute two distinct types of verbal mimicry, are important communication style characteristics of target management and boards’ response letters that can induce activist demand withdrawal. Though LSM and ETM are reflective of different modes of conflict behavior, we further reason based on conflict management research that ETM in conjunction with LSM is particularly effective in inducing activist demand withdrawal. The positive effects of ETM in conjunction with LSM, however, are expected to fade with increasing length of target management and boards’ written response. Results of an empirical analysis of the public communication between activists and target management and boards in 150 U.S. activist hedge fund campaigns between 2002 and 2019 support these predictions. Our study extends research on financial activism by offering a novel theoretical explanation as to why and how target management and boards can avert activist demands. Further, we contribute to behavioral mimicry research by examining the individual and joint effectiveness of distinct types of verbal mimicry in the hostile context of activist hedge fund campaigns.

Conceptual underpinnings: theory selection in strategic management research

PurposeTheories are crucial for addressing research questions and advancing the boundaries of knowledge. However, in the field of strategic management, the existence of diverse schools of thought from various disciplines, including economics, politics, and sociology, poses significant challenges for researchers seeking to develop theories for argumentation and theorization. In this study, we have conceptualized a novel approach to selecting an appropriate theory for addressing specific research questions.Design/methodology/approachThought experiment, disciplined imagination, and a conceptual examination of a diverse set of theories.FindingsBecause the central focus in the field of strategic management revolves around how firms achieve sustainable high performance, a research question should initially clarify the fundamental phenomenological issues it aims to address. Subsequently, the process of problematization should identify the ontological assumptions and premises that establish a connection between the research question and existing theories. Finally, the identification and abstraction of rhetorical concepts derived from these assumptions and premises lead to theory selection criteria, namely connectedness, reliability, parsimoniousness, and falsifiability.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough we believe that our model for theory selection is generalizable to a wide range of management disciplines, we have primarily focused on its application in the field of strategic management. Future work could validate and further explore the applicability and effectiveness of this model in selecting appropriate theories for conceptual development in other domains.Originality/valueWhile many researchers have proposed methods for writing theoretical papers, few have provided suggestions specifically focused on theory selection. This paper stands out as one of the few that not only attempts to address this gap but successfully develops a comprehensive model for theory selection.

Customer satisfaction antecedents in uncertain hospitality conditions: an exploratory data mining approach

PurposeInformed by trait and self-determination theories, the present study aims to extend the knowledge regarding the link between customer satisfaction (CS) and its antecedents, including job autonomy (JA), conscientiousness, customer uncertainty (CU) and extra-role customer service (E-RCS) in the hospitality industry.Design/methodology/approachA total of 306 frontline employees were selected from the hotels in North Cyprus, Turkey. Psychometric properties, including the validity and reliability of study variables, were assessed in the first step using confirmatory factor analysis. Then, the data were analyzed utilizing machine learning methods, mainly three exploratory data mining techniques, including lasso regression, decision trees and random forest, as well as partial dependence plots to visualize the role of suggested predictors on the outcome variable.FindingsData mining analysis shows that employees who can modify their job objectives are better equipped to satisfy customers in uncertain situations (JA8). In addition, the findings reveal that employees who believe they work hard to accomplish their personal and organizational goals (CON7) while also having the freedom to decide how to approach their job (JA1) and choose the procedures to utilize (JA2) are more likely to contribute to CS. In general, CS peaked when JA was high, but conscientiousness was moderate, while CU was low.Practical implicationsThis study bridges the gap among various factors at the employee and customer individual, corporate and macro-environmental levels. Hospitality organizations can cultivate a culture of autonomy and independence by promoting open communication and offering growth and development opportunities. This approach enhances conscientious employees’ engagement, leading to exceptional customer service performance, particularly, in uncertain situations.Originality/valueFrom the methodology perspective, this work proposes an opportunity for prospective scientists to broaden the trait and self-determination theories research model by relying on the riches of exploratory techniques without the limits imposed by traditional analytical techniques. Further, this study advances the current knowledge about service agility under uncertainty by extending organizational and service management research to consumer behavior literature.

How coworker undermining leads justice-sensitive employees to miss deadlines

PurposeThis study examines how employees’ exposure to coworker undermining may lead them to miss work deadlines. It offers a particular focus on the mediating role of diminished organization-based self-esteem and the moderating role of justice sensitivity in this connection.Design/methodology/approachThe research hypotheses are tested with data collected among employees and supervisors who work in various industries.FindingsPurposeful efforts by coworkers to cause harm translate into an increased propensity to fail to complete work on time, because the focal employees consider themselves unworthy organizational members. The extent to which employees feel upset with unfair treatments invigorates this process.Practical implicationsFor employees who are frustrated with coworkers who deliberately compromise their professional functioning, diminished self-worth in relation to work and the subsequent reduced willingness to exhibit timely work efforts might make it more difficult to convince organizational leaders to do something about the negative coworker treatment. Pertinent personal characteristics can serve as a catalyst of this dynamic.Originality/valueThis study contributes to extant human resource management research by detailing the link between coworker undermining and a reduced propensity to finish work on time, pinpointing the roles of two hitherto overlooked factors (organization-based self-esteem and justice sensitivity) in this link.

Applying participatory research in solid waste management: A systematic literature review and evaluation reporting

Applying participatory research in solid waste management: A systematic literature review and evaluation reporting