Strong Positive Impact Research Articles

Testing green fiscal policies for green investment, innovation and green productivity amid the COVID-19 era

This article measures renewable energy firm-level pure innovation efficiency, green productivity, technical efficiency, scale efficiency and total investment efficiency from micro input–output factors using Banker, Charnes and Cooper’s (BCC) data envelopment analysis (DEA) approach. Its main novelty is that it clearly explores the effective impacts of government subsidies and tax rebate policies on renewable energy firms’ investment efficiency using China’s renewable energy firm-level panel data. Our observational findings indicate that between 2001 and 2018, the aggregate degree of total investment performance from renewable energy firms rose steadily before declining. Renewable energy firms had larger ranges of total investment efficiency and size efficiency, and their levels of pure technological efficiency were both greater than 0.457%. At the 16% trust mark, current government subsidies and taxation rebates had dramatically positive effects on pure technological efficiency and total investment efficiency; additionally, government subsidies have a stronger positive impact on total investment efficiency and pure technical efficiency than taxation rebates. Furthermore, the ownership concentrations of renewable energy companies greatly encourage pure technological efficiency, size efficiency and total investment efficiency, and asset returns will significantly increase their average degree of total investment efficiency and pure technical efficiency.

Effective desalination of brackish groundwater using zeolitized diatomite/kaolinite geopolymer as low-cost inorganic membrane; Siwa Oasis in Egypt as a realistic case study

The salinization of the groundwater wells in Siwa oasis, Egypt represents a critical environmental and economic issue. Developing low-cost, effective, and self-supported inorganic membranes were suggested as suitable desalination techniques. Zeolite/geopolymer (Z/GP) membrane was synthesized as a potential low-cost membrane for effective desalination of brackish groundwater in Siwa Oasis, Egypt. The membrane was synthesized by simple geopolymerization for natural kaolinite and diatomite at room temperature. This was followed by hydrothermal growth of zeolite at 100 °C for 24 h to produce zeolitized geopolymer as potential inorganic membrane. After that, the prepared membrane was incorporated in the pervaporation desalination system considering the effect of the membrane thickness and the temperature. The results demonstrated water flux values of 8.34 kg.m−2.h−1, 7.63 kg.m−2.h−1, and 7.05 kg.m−2.h−1 for the tested membrane at thicknesses of 1 mm, 2 mm, and 3 mm, respectively. This associated with significant salt rejection prearranges 95.8% (1 mm), 97.6% (2 mm), and 99.4% (3 mm). Moreover, the high-temperature value (90 °C) is of strong positive impact on the water flux (7.82 kg.m−2.h−1) and a slight impact on the salt rejection (99.6%). The membrane is of significant stability considering the obtained water flux (7.51 kg.m−2.h−1) and salt rejection (99.57%) after 130 h. The reusability properties of the Z/GP membrane demonstrated its suitability to be used in the desalination process for five runs. Therefore, the synthetic Z/GP membrane is a highly recommended product for simple, effective, low cost, and available desalination technique brackish groundwater in Siwa Oasis.

Have China's Pilot Free Trade Zones Improved Green Total Factor Productivity?

Free trade zones (FTZ) are designated areas for promoting trade openness and investment facilitation. In China, FTZs are also regarded as “green areas” in which planning actions and institutional innovations are implemented, and there is a commitment to promoting urban green and healthy development. Given that green total factor productivity (GTFP) is an important measure of a city’s health and green performance, this study exploits the difference-in-differences method to explore the impact of pilot FTZs on urban GTFP in 280 cities in China for the period between 2005 and 2017. The results show that the green areas positively contributed to the growth of GTFP. Moreover, the outcome holds with robustness tests. Statistically, the positive effect emerged in cities during the first three years after introducing the initiative, with the effect disappearing afterward. It also had a strong positive impact in the central and western regions and in large and medium-sized cities, while the influence remained insignificant in the remaining areas in China. Furthermore, the paper also reveals that the promotion of foreign direct investment and industrial structure upgrading are the primary channels through which the positive relationship between pilot FTZs and GTFP is established.

The role of senior managers’ positive self-image in supporting MIS implementation

PurposeResearchers have long been interested in how the psychology of senior managers affects their behaviours. This paper aims to present the results of a questionnaire into how positive self-image influences how well senior managers in UK manufacturing organisations support the implementation of management information system (MIS). This study developed two scales, one to measure senior managers’ attitudes and the other to measure support of MIS implementation. It also sought to investigate the impact of senior managers’ positive self-image on their support of MIS implementation in UK manufacturing organisations.Design/methodology/approachThe authors tested the hypotheses on a data set of 400 senior managers from UK manufacturing organisations. Two unidimensional scales to measure senior managers’ attitude and support level towards MIS implementation were developed. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was used to validate the scales. The study also examined the impact of senior managers’ positive self-image on their attitude and support from the perspective of UK manufacturing organisations by using structural equation modelling.FindingsThe study found that senior managers’ positive self-image is a significant contributing factor to their attitude. Also, senior managers’ attitude has a strong positive impact on their support in the MIS implementation process. A strong mediating relationship was found to exist between senior managers’ positive self-image and support through their attitude towards MIS implementation.Originality/valueAlthough past literature has examined the importance of senior managers’ attitude and support in successful MIS implementation, there has been no specific scale around management support and attitude towards MIS implementation developed to date. Thus, a contribution of this study is its development of two new scales based on a survey of senior managers of UK manufacturing organisations. The scales can be used to evaluate senior managers’ perception towards MIS implementation and the support they are willing to give whilst implementing MIS. Another contribution of this study is the analysis of positive self-image via item-parcelling which improves model efficiency and provides more stable estimates of the construct.

Soil initial bacterial diversity and nutrient availability determine the rate of xenobiotic biodegradation.

SummaryUnderstanding the relative importance of soil microbial diversity, plants and nutrient management is crucial to implement an effective bioremediation approach to xenobiotics‐contaminated soils. To date, knowledge on the interactive effects of soil microbiome, plant and nutrient supply on influencing biodegradation potential of soils remains limited. In this study, we evaluated the individual and interactive effects of soil initial bacterial diversity, nutrient amendments (organic and inorganic) and plant presence on the biodegradation rate of pyrene, a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon. Initial bacterial diversity had a strong positive impact on soil biodegradation potential, with soil harbouring higher bacterial diversity showing ~ 2 times higher degradation rates than soils with lower bacterial diversity. Both organic and inorganic nutrient amendments consistently improved the degradation rate in lower diversity soils and had negative (inorganic) to neutral (organic) effect in higher diversity soils. Interestingly, plant presence/type did not show any significant effect on the degradation rate in most of the treatments. Structural equation modelling demonstrated that initial bacterial diversity had a prominent role in driving pyrene biodegradation rates. We provide novel evidence that suggests that soil initial microbial diversity, and nutrient amendments should be explicitly considered in the design and employment of bioremediation management strategies for restoring natural habitats disturbed by organic pollutants.

Building Evidence for the Impact of Older Adult Learning on Active Ageing

Lifelong learning constitutes one of the pillars of active ageing on the basis that learning reinforces wellbeing and enables older people to stay healthy and engaged in society. This paper reports on a pretest-posttest study carried out at the University of the Third Age in Malta that measured the impact of late-life learning on levels of active ageing. The findings demonstrated that participation in older adult learning has a strong positive impact on the participants’ levels of active ageing and constitutes a resilient source of social capital in later life, and that people who presumably have had positive early experiences of education are more motivated to engage in late-life learning. The paper concludes that lifelong learning in later life acts as a possible mitigation to the social isolation, cognitive impairment, and age discrimination that people tend to experience in later life.

Anticipation and adaptation of subjective well-being to marriage in South Africa

Orientation: The subjective well-being (SWB) of individuals depend inter alia on their personality and life events that occur like marriage. Studies show that individuals exhibit anticipation and adaptation effects before and after a marriage takes place.Research purpose: The study determined if males and females in South Africa exhibit anticipation and adaptation effects in SWB before and after a marriage takes place.Motivation for the study: Married individuals generally have higher levels of life satisfaction. Yet four out of 10 marriages in South Africa end in divorce before their 10th anniversary.Research design, approach and method: The study employed panel estimation methods and used the first five waves of the National Income Dynamic Study (NIDS) to test for the existence of anticipation and adaptation to marriage in South Africa.Main findings: There is a strong positive impact on SWB when a marriage takes place. This contemporaneous effect of marriage is slightly larger for men than for women. Men exhibit longer anticipation effects before and both genders adapt immediately after the event.Practical implications: South Africans generally react positively to marriage but then quickly adapt back to hedonic neutrality.Contribution: Very few studies have investigated adaptation and anticipation trends in a panel setting. Moreover, many of the studies have been conducted in developed countries, implying that the estimates derived from these studies might be influenced by the norms and values of the countries in question.

Relationship of Proactive Personality with Organizational Citizenship Behavior: Mediating Role of Employee Job Engagement

Recent past studies discussed personality has a strong positive impact on workplace behavior. The present research investigated the mediating role of job engagement in the relationship between proactive personality and organizational citizenship behavior. Data was collected by using a convenient sampling technique from 310 employees of the textile sector of Lahore, Pakistan. Three structured, reliable, and valid scales/measures along with demographic form were used to assess proactive personality, organizational citizenship behavior, and job engagement. The results indicated that there was a significant positive relationship among proactive personality, organizational citizenship behavior, and job engagement. The findings showed that job engagement partially organizational mediated the relationship between proactive personality and organizational citizenship behavior. The findings are discussed in the light of existing literature. Future implications in a cultural context were discussed.

Hallyu tourism: The effects of broadcast and music

Limited studies have empirically shown that the inbound tourism of South Korea (hereafter Korea) is positively influenced by Hallyu, a Korean popular culture. Conceptually, some studies have suggested that in recent years, the popularity of Korean popular music is greater than Korean dramas, which spread Hallyu beyond the boundary of Korea since the late 1990s. This research note is the first attempt to analyse the effects of the two main aspects of Hallyu: broadcast, inclusive of Korean dramas and variety shows, and Korean popular music, on Korea’s inbound tourism. The findings suggest that broadcast has a stronger positive impact than Korean popular music on Korea’s inbound tourism because broadcast improves the destination image by featuring locations.

Trade and urbanisation

Insights from economics of geography suggest that greater urbanisation should lead to an increased level of trade. Larger exporting markets should also provide incentives for agglomeration. Using a novel instrumental variables approach, this paper provides empirical evidence that suggests that within country urbanisation has a strong positive impact on exports of the modern sector, whilst the exports too have a positive impact on urbanisation. Consistent with model predictions, urbanisation is also associated with a decline in exports and increase in imports in the primary sector.

Impact of an Anti-Microbial Stewardship Program on Targeted Antimicrobial Therapy in a Tertiary Care Health Care Institute in Central India.

IntroductionAntimicrobial resistance (AMR) has become a global pandemic. In order to identify this menace, World Health Organisation (WHO) has developed the Global Action Plan on AMR (GAP AMR). Antimicrobial stewardship programs (AMSP) have been identified as a decisive tool for combating AMR. One of the most efficient measures of these programs has been the implementation of point prevalence surveys (PPS) of antibiotic usage and subsequent audit feedback. The present study was undertaken to identify the impact of AMSP on curtailing of empirical usage of antibiotics and the augmentation of targeted therapy. MethodsIt is an observational, cross-sectional study comprising 1396 patients. The microbiology culture details and anti-microbial-sensitivity results were recorded. Antibiotic prescriptions were recorded in each patient during their hospital stay.ResultOut of 1396 patients treated over four quarters (Q1-Q4), 711 (50.9%) patients were on antibiotics, and among them, only 415 patients were subjected to any microbiological cultures with an overall bacterial culture rate (BCR) of 58.3%, and 296 patients (41.6%) were treated with antibiotics empirically without sending any samples for bacterial culture. There was a statistically significant rise in BCR from 47.3% in the first quarter to 77.6% in the fourth quarter. Sending specimens for blood culture increased significantly from 29.2% in Q1 to 37.6% in Q4. After receiving culture reports, 72.3% of cases continued with the same antibiotic, the antibiotic was changed in 19.9% of cases, and the antibiotic was stopped in 7.8% of cases.ConclusionThere was a strong positive impact of AMSP in curtailment of empirical usage of antibiotics and augmenting targeted therapy as evidenced by the significant rise in BCR over Q1-Q4 PPS as well as a significant rise in ordering for blood culture over the same time period.

Assessing the Impact of System Quality, Information Quality, and Service Quality on Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Systems

Globally, governments are taking steps to help them increase their income generation margin by implementing tax administrative ERP systems. However, the impacts on the internal system users of these ERP system quality features have not drawn the attention needed. This study, therefore, examines the relationship between the information systems' (IS) quality and individual impact using the theoretical foundation of the DeLone and McLean IS success model and, secondly, addresses the interrelationships between the quality constructs of information systems (IS). The authors also used the structural equation modeling technique of partial least squares to evaluate and analyze the data. The results show that system quality, the information quality, and the service quality characteristics of the tax administrative ERP system have a strong positive impact on the success of the IS at the individual level. There is also a positive relationship between the information systems' (IS) quality construction. The results provide additional empirical observations and consequences for management.

Impact of Leadership Styles on Job Performance; from Nurse’s Points of View at Benghazi Medical Centre

Background and objectives. The relationship between leadership styles and job performance draws considerable attention from recent researchers. The main objective of this study was to determine the impact of leadership style (autocratic, democratic, and laissez-faire) on job performance from nurse’s points of view at Benghazi Medical Centre. Method. This study was a descriptive questionnaire-based study conducted on 100 nurses working at Benghazi Medical Centre, Libya. To analyze the data (mean, standard deviation, ANOVA test were used. Furthermore, multiple regressions and Pearson correlation were used to determine whether a relationship exists between the independent and dependent variables. Result. Of 100, only 60 questionnaires were completed, giving a response rate of 60%. The findings of this study indicated that democratic was the most dominantly used in the hospital, followed by the autocratic and laissez-faire leadership styles. Whereas, the laissez-faire leadership style had a strong positive and significant impact on performance (R2= .333; P < 0.01). Conclusion. Laissez-faire leadership style positively affected nurses’ performance. Future research that might be relevant to be further explored are worth.

Impact of Workplace Surveillance on Employee - Employer Bond

Workplace surveillance has drawn the attention of many organizations during the past decades. Previous research investigated the impact of workplace surveillance on different constructs such as job satisfaction, employee loyalty, trust in management, employee creativity and employee privacy. However, there was a dearth of research on the impact of workplace surveillance on employee – employer bond as it has not been tested previously in any organizational context. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of workplace surveillance on employee – employer bond and to identify the role of trust in the impact of workplace surveillance on employee – employer bond. Further, this study used social bond theory which has not been used before to investigate the impact of workplace surveillance on employee – employer bond. The model was empirically tested by collecting data from two hundred and eight operational level employees working in commercial banks in Sri Lanka. In selecting the sample, convenience sampling was used due to time constraints. The survey questionnaire method was used to collect data. The study focused on three constructs, namely, workplace surveillance, trust, and employee – employer bond. This study used Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to analyze the data. Before the statistical analysis, data was screened for its appropriateness for use in the main analysis. According to the findings of the study, workplace surveillance had a weak positive impact on employee – employer bond and a moderate, positive impact on trust. Trust, on the other hand, had a strong positive impact on employee – employer bond. Further, trust had an indirect effect on the relationship between workplace surveillance and employee – employer bond. Hence, managers should identify strategies to enhance their employees’ trust levels as they directly enhance employee – employer bond and increase organizational performance.
 Keywords: Employee – Employer Bond, Trust, Workplace Surveillance

Promoting active sports tourism through technology and evaluating its economic impact: experiences from Cyprus

ABSTRACT While the economic impact of major passive sport events is well documented, the contribution of active sports events is scarcely examined. This reflective practice paper contributes towards bridging the gap by examining, in a case study, the economic impact of one of the first big active sport events in Cyprus, organised using the state-of-the-art technology. The paper presents the first commercial web platform and recommender system dedicated to active sports events, which provide all necessary services to customers and thus simplify, and ultimately increase participation in the event. We find strong evidence in support of the idea that active sport events have a strong positive impact on the local and countrywide economy, while the technology can contribute and enable further promotion and better organisation of such events.

Is self-determination good for your effectiveness? A study of factors which influence performance within self-determination theory.

Despite the vast body of studies within self-determination theory, the impact of factors which influence performance in experimental paradigm is still underresearched. The aim of the two studies presented in this paper was to investigate the impact of basic psychological needs on performance with the simultaneous presence of external incentives. Study 1 tested whether the satisfaction of competence and relatedness during task performance (while external incentives were present) can impact individual’s performance. Study 2, on the other hand, investigated whether the basic psychological needs and provision of external incentives can impact an individual’s performance. Moreover, in both studies the mechanisms behind the need–performance relationship was checked. Our results showed that out of the three basic needs, competence had the strongest positive impact on performance, which was partially mediated by the subjective evaluation of the levels of difficulty and intrinsic motivation. The weak relationship between relatedness and task performance was fully mediated by the level of intrinsic motivation.

The role of institutional environment in building communication professionals' trust and satisfaction: a moderated multiple-mediation analysis

PurposeAs an important group of internal stakeholders, communication professionals carry the responsibilities to communicate with multiple groups of audience and foster trusted and satisfied relationships, both internally and externally. However, while busy with taking care of various stakeholders, the trust–satisfaction perception of communication professionals is underrated. Therefore, this paper aims to shift the investigation of the trust–satisfaction relationship from general employees to this unique group of communicators. By incorporating three key factors in an institutional environment (i.e. job engagement, leadership performance and organizational culture and support), the authors further investigate the moderated mediating effects of those factors on the trust–satisfaction relationship.Design/methodology/approachA national online survey of communication professionals working and living in the USA was designed to test the trust–satisfaction relationship. Surveyed communication professionals were asked to evaluate their own perceptions on various institutional factors. A conceptual moderated multiple-mediation structural model was proposed and tested to identify the impact of a complicated institutional environment on the perceived trust–satisfaction relationship.FindingsResults confirmed a strong positive impact of trust in organization on communication professionals' perceived job satisfaction. Results also confirmed the mediating effects of job engagement and communication leaders' performance on such a trust–satisfaction relationship. The authors' moderated mediation analysis indicated the important role of organizational culture in this complicated institutional environment and its indirect impact on the trust–satisfaction relationship.Originality/valueThe research explored several important factors within a complicated institutional environment and their potential impact on trust–satisfaction relationship. More significantly, the authors focused on one unique group of internal stakeholders, communication professionals, by analyzing how these institutional factors affect their very own perceptions. Even though communication professionals carry the responsibilities of acting as the communication and strategy facilitators on behalf of their organization, their perceptions on trust and satisfaction are equally important and deserve more attention. Results of our research promote the understanding of the complicated mechanisms within corporate communication for an enhanced trust–satisfaction relationship between communication professionals and their organization.

An engineering design approach in implementing contemporary furnishings using patchwork technology in accordance with the sustainable development strategy of Egypt Vision 2030

An engineering design approach in implementing contemporary furnishings using patchwork technology in accordance with the sustainable development strategy of Egypt Vision 2030

The possible role of Ziziphus lotus as an ecosystem engineer in semiarid landscapes

Positive interactions between nurse plants and their facilitated species are most notable in dry/high-elevation habitats. Plants that modify limiting resources or constraining variables creating an even stronger positive impact on the community are considered ecosystem engineers. Ziziphus lotus, a dominant deep-rooted shrub of arid/semi-arid Mediterranean habitats, can create fertile islets; most likely acting as a nurse plant. To further investigate its role as an ecosystem engineer, we assessed for Thymbra capitata the density of 1377 individuals and the night time-dehydration of 66 individuals, growing around 11 Z.lotus plants for three successive zones (0–5m, 5–10m and 10–15m) and for wetter and drier habitats created by topography in Cyprus. We discovered that T. capitata significantly increases in density (by c. 2.5 times) and can improve its night-time rehydration in mid-summer (by c. 60 times) when growing up to 5m around Z.lotus compared to thymes growing 10–15m away. Density and stem moisture for thymes growing near Z.lotus do not seem to be significantly affected by topography. Hence, Z.lotus may have properties to be classified as an ecosystem engineer and the potential to boost semiarid ecosystem productivity in the battle against desertification under global climatic change.

Social media and entrepreneurship: exploring the impact of social media use of start-ups on their entrepreneurial orientation and opportunities

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to investigate how social media use (SMU) affects the entrepreneurial orientation (EO) and entrepreneurial opportunities (EOP) of start-ups.Design/methodology/approachThe hypothesis testing and analysis were conducted using the partial least squares approach to structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM).FindingsThe research shows that SMU has a strong positive impact on EOP, while it has no impact on start-ups' EO. Interestingly, the impact of SMU on EOP is stronger than the impact of EO on EOP.Originality/valueThe findings add new knowledge to the emerging research stream that focuses on SMU in the context of entrepreneurship and provides useful insights for both scholars and practitioners. In particular, the evidence suggests implications for stakeholders with regard to their firms' entrepreneurial activities. This research offers several possible avenues for future research.