Research Streams Research Articles

Investigating Returns Management across E-Commerce Sectors and Countries: Trends, Perspectives, and Future Research

Background: The systematic literature review with additional descriptive analysis at hand focuses on analysing returns management in e-commerce, which is an increasingly critical issue as the volume of online shopping is rising. Methods: Drawing from a comprehensive search of academic databases and a manual review of Google Scholar, 54 articles dating from 2007 onwards were collected and fully read. Results: The review reveals a main research effort emerging mainly from Germany and other countries, with a notable focus on fashion retail. The bulk of these studies aim to understand and reduce the frequency of customer returns, addressing a substantial operational challenge for online retailers. The findings provide multiple research streams extracted from the collected literature and combined to an overview. Conclusions: Through this, there are tendencies which can be interpreted to derive the evolution of the research field. The illustrated results in this review paint a detailed picture of the existing research landscape. This highlights the importance of ongoing research, which, e.g., holds potential benefits for customer satisfaction and environmental sustainability. The review also lists future research directions, recommending the continued investigation of areas such as predictive analytics and customer behaviour to further refine returns management practices.

Trust in interaction studies

Trust is argued to be essential in fostering cooperative communication, whereas a lack of trust is seen as detrimental to these aims. Over the years, there has been a slow but steady stream of research that has aimed to shed light on how trust is accomplished or broken down through discursive-interactional practices. In this mini review, we examine existing studies that take trust as a topic of investigation using micro-analytic, interactional methods, in order to provide readers with an up-to-date overview on new developments in this important field of research. From this review, we conclude that there exist two different, yet complementary, views on trust: Trust as an interactional principle and trust as a discursively accomplished phenomenon. We not only summarize important discursive work that provides a unique lens on how trust may be established and maintained through verbal and non-verbal resources, but also suggest some of the challenges interactional trust research still faces and some important areas for further investigation in which trust is a major concern.

Electronic Monitoring at Work

Employers’ electronic monitoring of employees’ actions, also known as employee surveillance, has become a common phenomenon in contemporary workplaces, enabled by advancements in technology. This comprehensive review synthesizes current knowledge across multiple research streams regarding electronic monitoring. While the overall impact of monitoring on performance appears neutral, a small positive correlation can be observed with strain, and a small negative correlation can be observed with job attitudes. These modest effect sizes may stem from paradoxical effects that counterbalance each other, a phenomenon known as suppression. Moreover, these relationships are likely contingent upon various moderating factors, including individual traits, job characteristics, and national differences, particularly in legal regulations. To foster a more nuanced understanding of electronic monitoring's implications, future research should prioritize methodological rigor, embrace open science practices, and use validated measures and longitudinal designs. Additionally, adopting a process-oriented approach delineating the phases of decision-making, preparation, start, continuation, and discontinuation of electronic monitoring implementation could offer valuable insights.

Exploring the nexus between influencers and brand evangelism

PurposeThis study investigates the antecedents that nudge followers of social media (SM) influencers into brand evangelism (BE). In doing so, we study how influencer-related attributes such as their homophily, trust, and popularity impact their followers’ BE. Additional interlinkages pertaining to popularity, content, warmth, and prestige are examined, impacting BE.Design/methodology/approachA cross-sectional survey obtained information about the focal constructs from 206 participants. Quantitative procedures using partial least square-based structural equation modeling were implemented to analyze the collected data and the proposed relationships.FindingsThe findings indicate homophily’s role in influencing trust, content, and prestige. BE is developed through warmth and content, whereas trust and prestige inspire warmth. Further, an influencer’s popularity impacts homophily and content. Lastly, the mediating role of warmth, homophile, trust, exciting content, and prestige advances the understanding of influencers and BE.Research limitations/implicationsWe converge literature from branding, influencer marketing, and social psychology to understand consumers' facets of promoting BE on SM. This work is a primary attempt to interlink and tie these crucial research streams together.Practical implicationsThe study offers managers helpful guidance on strategically assessing influencers' traits to build BE. Additionally, recommendations for tactically assessing and engaging influencers for brands are offered.Originality/valueThis is the first study to identify influencer-related parameters contributing to BE. Secondly, we study unique drivers such as homophily, trust, and warmth, which are important yet remain unexplored as far as BE in influencer marketing is concerned. Furthermore, this study also highlights the mediating role of key constructs that possess a potential to strengthen consumer brand relationships.

Raison d'Etre of Organization Design Arrangements in Project-Based Organizations

Why are certain organization design arrangements enacted in a project-based organization? Building on extant literature, this article addresses this fundamental question by explicating three distinct explanations of the raison d'etre of salient organization design arrangements: Functional, Legitimacy, and Agency. Conceiving these explanations as coexisting, interacting logics of organizing, the article argues to draw upon the powerful concept of logic multiplicity to pave the way for integrating diverse theoretical perspectives. Thus, the article contributes to the organization design stream of research in project studies by developing a typology of organization design logics and proposing a way forward for pursuing pluralistic theorizing.

Within‐ and between‐person effects of causal attributions on relationship improvement following perceived incivility

AbstractWorkplace incivility research has grown considerably over recent decades. However, this stream of research still has not adequately explained targets' attributions for experienced incivility or their potential positive responses to incivility. The present study longitudinally investigates the relationship between attributions for workplace incivility and relationship improvement responses with data from 1871 person‐month observations. In contrast to expectations, we found targets' beliefs that their relationship with the uncivil coworker was the cause of the incivility (i.e., relational locus of causality) were negatively related to relationship improvement behaviours. The results also indicated that this negative relationship was attenuated by belief that the target had control over the cause of incivility (i.e., internal controllability) and task interdependence at the between‐person level, and by belief that the uncivil coworker had control over the cause of incivility (i.e., external controllability) at the within‐person level. Direct effects analysis indicated that internal and external controllability attributions for incivility had significant positive between‐person effects on relationship improvement efforts. Frequency of interaction and task interdependence were both significant positive predictors of relationship improvement efforts at both the between‐ and within‐person levels. Implications for research and future directions are discussed.

(Invited) Mie Resonant Silicon Nanosphere Nanoantenna for Fluorescence Enhancement

A nanoantenna is a device that manipulates light propagation and enhances light-matter interaction at the nanoscale. Integration of an emitter into a nanoantenna capable of increasing local density of photonic states at the emission wavelength results in the enhancement of the spontaneous emission rate (Purcell effect) and modifies the emission spectrum. A nanoantenna can also control the directionality and radiation pattern of an emitter. Traditionally, plasmonic nanoantennas made from gold or silver nanostructures supporting localized surface plasmon resonances had been the main stream of the nanoantenna research. Recently, high refractive index nanoparticles having low-order Mie resonances have been attracting attention as a new type of dielectric nanoantennas. Advantages of a dielectric nanoantenna compared to a plasmonic one are the smaller loss and the possession of magnetic type Mie resonances arising from light-induced displacement current. By properly controlling the overlap of the magnetic and electric multipole resonances, radiation patters of an emitter placed nearby can be tailored with high degree of freedom. Furthermore, magnetic-type Mie resonances can couple with higher-order optical transitions of an emitter such as a magnetic-dipole transition, and thus can enhance and control radiation from otherwise weak forbidden transitions.Recently, we have succeeded in producing perfectly spherical nanoparticles of crystalline silicon (Si) in 100-300 nm in diameters. These Si nanospheres exhibit the electric and magnetic multipole resonances at the optical frequency [1]. In this presentation, we first show scattering and absorption properties of the Mie resonant Si nanospheres. Especially, we show that solutions of size-purified Si nanospheres exhibit vivid structural color and the solutions can be used as structural color inks. We then show that the solutions can preserve helicity of incoming circularly-polarized light and can enhance local chiral fields around nanospheres [2, 3]. This property can be used to improve the sensitivity of enantiomer-selective chiral molecular sensing. We then show some examples of enhanced light-matter interaction by Si nanoparticles. These include enhancement of magnetic dipole transitions of an emitter by magnetic-type Mie resonances of Si nanospheres (magnetic Purcell effect) [4, 5], enhancement of excitation and emission processes of in-plane dipoles of monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDC) [6], and enhancement of a spin forbidden singlet-to-triplet absorption transition of a molecule by Si nanodisks [7, 8].

Fair value and investment property in accounting literature: a review

Purpose This study aims to provide a timely review concerning the determinants and economic consequences of fair value reporting in real estate industry, as these topics have been gaining momentum in accounting literature recently. Design/methodology/approach Diverse editorial sources (e.g. Elsevier, Emerald, Meridian Allenpress, Springer, Sage, Taylor & Francis and Wiley-Blackwell) were consulted to identify relevant studies for this review. Keywords used to collect studies include “fair value” and “IAS 40” or “investment property” and “fair value or “fair value and real estate.” This search yields 33 studies published between 2009 and 2023. Findings The synthesis of reviewed papers suggests that studies were mainly conducted in the European countries after the mandatory adoption of international financial reporting standards (IFRS) in 2005 and the Australian setting. The first stream of research deals with the choice of fair value approach. Reported empirical findings suggest that corporate size and market-to-book ratio are negatively associated with fair value choice, whereas ownership dispersion increases the likelihood of choosing fair value approach. The empirical evidence concerning the determinants of fair value magnitude suggests the type of appraiser represents a key predictor of the extent of fair value use. The second stream of research examines the impact of fair value reporting in real estate industry. Findings suggest that empirical evidence is still limited with respect to creditors, managers and financial analysts; fair value reporting is generally associated with higher level of value relevance for investors; and the use of Level 3 inputs in fair value estimates for investment properties is associated with high degree of estimation uncertainty for external auditors leading to increased audit risk and fees. Practical implications With respect to regulators, this review emphasizes that the beneficial impacts of fair value reporting are linked to institutional characteristics (e.g. legal system, the degree of market development), the reliability concerns regarding fair value estimates and the independence of appraiser. Because real estate industry is generally characterized by the lack of active market, regulators may adopt regulations requiring the independence external appraiser. Originality/value This literature review represents a historical record and an introduction for accounting scholars, in emerging economies and other settings, where fair value accounting has gained wide acceptance among the investment community. It also offers guidance for future research avenues.

Within-Person Dynamics of Job Boredom and Counterproductive Work Behavior: A Latent Change Score Modeling Approach

Job boredom is one of the most common negative affective states experienced in the workplace, yet also among the least well-understood. One stream of research suggests that employees frequently react to job boredom by engaging in counterproductive work behaviors (CWB). However, recent studies show the converse—that engaging in CWB relates to job boredom. As studies on the job boredom-CWB relationship primarily have been cross-sectional and at the between-person level of analysis, the directionality between these constructs remains in question. Therefore, research examining the within-person dynamics of job boredom and CWB within a short timeframe is needed. In the current study, we explore whether job boredom influences subsequent changes in CWB and vice versa. We examined these relationships using latent change score (LCS) modeling with 10-day experience sampling data (N = 120 individuals providing 1,161 observations). Findings supported a reciprocal relationship. Employees’ level of job boredom on a given day was associated with a subsequent increase in CWB on the next day, and the level of CWB on a given day was associated with a subsequent increase in job boredom on the next day. We discuss the implications of our findings, study limitations, and future research directions.

Investigating the impact of fuel price shocks on bicycle sharing usage in Budapest

The creation of sustainable urban communities is contingent upon the establishment of a sustainable, efficient, and fast transportation system. Bicycle sharing systems (BSS) are one of the most sustainable and inclusive ways of transportation in cities. An important question is how to increase BSS ridership and whether it can effectively replace cars in cities, hence contributing to achieving the 11th Sustainable Development Goal and creating sustainable urban communities. This paper aims to contribute to this stream of research by investigating the effect of fuel prices on BSS ridership. We exploit a natural experiment from Budapest, Hungary, where fuel prices were capped between November 15, 2021, and December 6, 2022. Once the price cap was suddenly eliminated, fuel prices increased by around one-third immediately leading to a very substantial and rarely observable one-time price increase. The difference-in-difference regression results indicate a 2–6% increase in BSS ridership after the elimination of the fuel price cap. The geographical pattern of the change shows that BSS usage mainly increased in the outer part of the city; however, some areas observed a decline. The regression results are also reinforced by survey findings. Understanding these dynamics is crucial for effective urban planning and transportation policymaking.

Understanding collaboration beyond contracting: the relationship between inter-organizational collaboration and hard/soft control

PurposeThis paper aims to extend insights about the relationship between inter-organizational collaboration and approaches to control from the perspective of decision-makers. We investigate the relationship between approaches to control and intended forms of integration between actors responsible for solving the complex problem of integrated person-centered care for elderly with diverse and significant needs.Design/methodology/approachThe empirical study is based on a content analysis of contractual agreements. We have analyzed a total of 118 collaboration agreements and associative documents between all Swedish regions and municipalities.FindingsThe study shows that intended integration is subject to remarkable variation in intended forms of inter-organizational collaboration in this Swedish case. The paper illustrates that decision-makers’ intentions with proposed collaboration in each given context are important for the chosen approach to control. Regardless of intended forms of integration, our study suggests that an imminent soft approach to control is expressed alongside limited signs of hard control. Various forms of intended integration can be managed by the two approaches simultaneously insofar as the agreements appear to have a two-sided purpose.Originality/valueOur paper proposes an empirically driven taxonomy of intended forms of integration initiatives. The taxonomy provides resources for studies about how collaboration can be managed when it is stipulated by national legislation but local self-governance gives actors considerable freedom to decide on how to organize and manage services. By presenting the taxonomy and relating this to approaches of control, our iterative study builds on and adds to a recent stream of research arguing that the relationship between collaboration and approaches to control may by fuzzier and more complex than originally thought.

Linking supply chains to ecosystems in the era of supply chain management 4.0

Industry 4.0 is revolutionizing supply chain management, prompting a significant shift toward Supply Chain Management 4.0 (SCM 4.0). This transformation facilitates traditional supply chains evolving into platform-based ecosystems, thereby fundamentally redefining the processes of value creation, delivery, and capture. This study recognizes the divergence in empirical research between supply chains and ecosystems and aims to integrate these research streams by focusing on technological platforms. The study offers a comprehensive theoretical framework designed to dissect the evolutionary trajectories of supply chains into ecosystems in the SCM 4.0 context. By doing so, this research unveils the profound strategic implications of digital transformation, paving the way for groundbreaking research in SCM 4.0.

The Effects of the Introduction of Volume-Based Liquidity Constraints in Portfolio Optimization with Alternative Investments

Recently, liquidity issues in financial markets and portfolio asset management have attracted much attention among investors and scholars, fuelling a stream of research devoted to exploring the role of liquidity in investment decisions. In this paper, we aim to investigate the effects of introducing liquidity in portfolio optimization problems. For this purpose, first we consider three volume-based liquidity measures proposed in the literature and we build a new one particularly suited to portfolio optimization. Secondly, we formulate an extended version of the Markowitz portfolio selection problem, named mean–variance–liquidity, wherein the goal is to minimize the portfolio variance subject to the usual constraint on the expected portfolio return and an additional constraint on the portfolio liquidity. Thirdly, we consider a sensitivity analysis, with the aim to assess the trade-offs between liquidity and return, on the one hand, and between liquidity and risk, on the other hand. In the second part of the paper, the portfolio optimization framework is applied to a dataset of US ETFs comprising both standard and alternative, often illiquid, investments. The analysis is carried out with all the liquidity measures considered, allowing us to shed light on the relationships among risk, return and liquidity. Finally, we study the effects of the introduction of a Bitcoin ETF, as an asset with an extremely high expected return and risk.

Balanced Scorecards and sustainability Balanced Scorecards for corporate social responsibility strategic alignment: A systematic literature review

The integration of social and environmental issues into their business model is today a major issue for companies facing the challenge of sustainability. This is leading them to redefine their models of performance measurement. In this perspective, integrated and multi-dimensional frameworks such as Balanced Scorecards (BSCs) and Sustainability Balanced Scorecards (SBSCs) offer attractive opportunities. Drawing on a systematic literature review (SRL), this article provides an analysis of the literature to identify the main trends in research on (S)BSCs and their contribution to CSR and sustainability issues. While the SLR reveals a major stream of instrumentalist and functionalist research aimed at demonstrating the relevance of SBSC in the strategic alignment of CSR, more critical approaches question the foundations, purposes and architecture of these instruments regarding the macroscopic challenges of sustainability. More precisely, focused on an organizational performance measurement, these tools would struggle to embrace the full complexity of sustainability issues. The article contributes novel insights to expand current models of SBSC from the perspective of a real contribution to strong sustainability challenges.

The journey from bench to bedside-it takes a science village.

I was fortunate enough to start my career at what was the dawn of modern-day molecular biology and to apply it to an important health problem. While my early work focused on fundamental science, the desire to understand human disease better and to find practical applications for research discoveries resulted, over the following decades, in creating a stream of translational research directed specifically toward epithelial cancers. This could only have been possible through multiple collaborations. This type of team science would eventually become a hallmark of my career. With the development of higher throughput molecular techniques, the pace of research and discovery has quickened, and the concept of personalized medicine based on genomics is now coming to fruition. I hope my legacy will not just reflect my published works, but will also include the impact I have had on the development of the next generation of scientists and clinician scientists who inspired me with their dedication, knowledge, and enthusiasm.

Behavioral finance in a hundred keywords

We analyze leading journals in behavioral finance to identify the most-used keywords in the area and how they have evolved. Using keyword analysis of data between 2000 and 2020 as well as data mapping and visualization tools, a dynamic map of the discipline was constructed. This study assesses the state-of-the-art of the field, main topics of discussion, relationships that arise between the concepts discussed, and emerging issues of interest. The sample comprises 3876 pieces, including 15859 keywords from journals responsible for the growth of the discipline, namely the Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics, Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Finance, Journal of Economic Psychology, Journal of Behavioral Finance, and Review of Behavioral Finance. During the period analyzed, our results depict a lively area and highlight the prominent role that experiments play in the field. Two related but different streams of behavioral finance research are revealed.

Does non-financial information matter? Mapping and clustering literature on the value relevance of comprehensive disclosure

The paper aims to contribute to understanding the value relevance of compre-hensive disclosure, covering different types of information provided in addi-tion to traditional financial reporting. This research is based on an initial sam-ple of 361 documents available on the Scopus database as of December 2022. The study adopts a bibliometric analysis based on the similarity visualization technique on a final sample of 179 articles using the VOSViewer software, and it also performs a content analysis on a subsample of 49 articles. The study mapped and clustered research networks, providing a systematic literature overview. A steady increase of interest in the topic investigated has been observed in re-cent years, driven by the growing attention investors and other users deserve on the role of extended information in disclosing how the firm creates value. The network analysis reveals the existence of four main research streams re-ferring to the following topics: Intangibles, Intellectual Capital Disclosure (ICD) and corporate reputation; ESG and Sustainability disclosure; Environ-mental disclosure and capital market effects; Integrated Reporting and Value Creation. Results highlight prominent research fields and emerging trends, which calls for in-depth consideration of the value relevance of comprehen-sive disclosure within the academic and political space. This article adds to prior research on the topic investigated, combining quantitative and qualita-tive methods to systematize literature. In contrast to other review publications that rely primarily on specific reporting tools, our study refers to different types of reports, providing a systematic picture of the state of the art and fu-ture directions of literature on the value relevance of non-financial infor-mation.

Organisation design in megaprojects: A systematic literature review and research agenda

Megaprojects have a complex and evolving web of organisations arranged in a multilevel and multiphase structure, with intra- and inter-organisational boundaries evolving during the life cycle. This systematic review explores organisation design in megaprojects, identifying the processes for designing temporary megaproject organisational systems. The review analyses 141 full articles from a sample of 10,078 papers and presents three main contributions: the main theoretical lenses used to develop organisation design research in megaprojects, eight decision dimensions influencing organisation design choices, and the most common organisational capabilities. We present the Megaproject Organisation Design (MegaOD) Framework, as a structure to design organisational boundaries, and to identify the organisational dynamics (design, development, and redesign). We suggest four research streams to advance the design of complex organisations: 1. Design of megaproject ecosystems, 2. Degree of organisational interdependence, 3. Design for integration of product and organisational architectures, and 4. The role of organisational designers.

Experiencia y satisfacción del cliente: evaluación de vínculos y temas en la industria hotelera

Hotel industry provides several services simultaneously to customers and plays a relevant role within the tourist sector and overall economic development. This study seeks to explore the interaction between customer experience and customer satisfaction in the hotel industry and to analyse factors affecting customer satisfaction and purchasing intentions. To conduct the analysis, a thematic and a co-citation analysis have been applied to scientific literature output. Results show that word-of-mouth has been mostly replaced by electronic word-of-mouth and online reviews gained relevance in influencing customer behaviour. Purchasing decisions, determinants of service quality, particularly those related with physical settings and environments, are critical to customer experience and customer satisfaction, and employees and job-satisfaction are among the most relevant themes within the research stream. This study also provides several relevant implications and guidance to academics and practitioners and some hints for further research.

Arsenic induces hepatotoxicity in chickens via PANoptosis pathway

Environmental pollution caused by arsenic or its compounds is called arsenic pollution. Arsenic pollution mainly comes from people's mining and smelting of arsenic compounds. In addition, the widespread use of arsenic compounds, such as the use and production of arsenic-containing pesticides, is also a source of arsenic contamination. Arsenic contamination leads to an increased risk of arsenic exposure, and the multi-organ toxicity induced by arsenic exposure is a global health problem. As a non-mammalian vertebrate with high nutrient levels, chickens readily absorb and accumulate arsenic from their food. Relevant studies have shown that arsenic exposure induces hepatotoxicity in chickens, and there has been a steady stream of research into the specific mechanisms involved. PANoptosis, a newly discovered and unique mode of programmed cell death (PCD) characterized by both apoptosis, cellular pyroptosis, and necroptosis. There are no studies to indicate whether chicken liver toxicity due to arsenic is associated with PANoptosis. Therefore, we established chicken animal models and chicken primary hepatocyte models exposed to different arsenic concentrations to dissect the role and mechanism of PANoptosis in arsenic exposure-induced hepatotoxicity in chickens. Our histopathological results showed that arsenic treatment caused dose-dependent damage to chicken liver structure. Meanwhile, different doses of arsenic treatment groups caused significant up-regulation of the protein level of ZBP1, a key factor of PANoptosis. And then consequently triggered the abnormal gene and protein expression levels of apoptosis-associated factors (Caspase-8, Caspase-7, Caspase-3), cellular pyroptosis-associated factors (NLRP3, ASC, GSDMD) and necroptosis-associated factors (RIPK1, RIPK3, MLKL). In conclusion, our study revealed that PANoptosis is involved in arsenic-induced chicken hepatotoxicity. Our findings provide a new perspective on the pathogenesis of arsenic exposure-induced hepatotoxicity in chickens.