Strong Positive Impact Research Articles

The spatial impact of carbon trading on harmonious economic and environmental development: evidence from China.

This research explores the endogenous influence of carbon trading on economic development, the ecological environment, and the coordinated development of both using panel data from 30 Chinese provinces and cities except Tibet from 2007 to 2017. First, we provide environmental production elements to build an economic model based on the endogenous growth model, and then we employ three-dimensional graphics to conduct theoretical derivation in a more accessible and tangible manner. Secondly, we build a comprehensive index of China's coordinated economic and environmental growth in the context of carbon trading and use the coupled coordination model to determine the coordinated coupling degree of each location. Thirdly, the S-DID model is built to investigate the local and geographical implications of carbon trading. The findings demonstrate that the policy has a local impact that is notably favorable on the economic and environmental levels of each Chinese province and the coordinated growth between them. The degree of environmental optimization and the degree of coordinated development between the economy and the environment are two additional areas where the carbon trading mechanism has a strong positive geographical spillover impact. This study adds to the body of knowledge on China's carbon trading system and advances the endogenous growth hypothesis.

Relationships between Health Education, Health Behaviors, and Health Status among Migrants in China: A Cross-Sectional Study Based on the China Migrant Dynamic Survey.

Managing the health of migrants has become a crucial aspect of promoting social harmony and cohesion in China. This study investigates the impact of public health education on the health status of migrants in China using cross-sectional data from the China Migrants Dynamic Survey 2017. A total of 169,989 migrants in China were selected as samples for empirical test. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, logistic regression, and the structural equation model. The findings show that health education significantly influences the health status of migrants in China. Specifically, health education related to occupational diseases, venereal diseases/AIDS, and self-rescue in public emergencies had a significant positive impact on migrants' health, while health education regarding chronic diseases had a significant negative impact. Health education delivered through lectures and bulletin boards had a significant positive impact on migrants' health, but online education had a significant negative effect on the health status of migrants. The effects of health education differ by gender and age, with a stronger positive impact on female migrants and elderly migrants aged 60 and above. The mediating effect of health behaviors was significant only in the total effect. In conclusion, health education can effectively enhance the health status of migrants in China by modifying their health behaviors.

A systematic review of physical activity: benefits and needs for maintenance of quality of life among adults with intellectual disability.

The inactivity of people with intellectual disabilities (PwID) is a major contributor to ill health. Probably because people with intellectual disabilities are not adequately informed about physical activity and intervention programs required to enhance their fitness. This study critically reviewed physical activity: benefits and needs for maintenance of quality of life among adults with intellectual disability. An extensive search of bibliographic databases such as PubMed, PsycINFO, BioMed Central and Medline identified 735 academic papers. The research rigour was evaluated, and the validity of the findings was established. Based on the inclusion criteria, 15 studies were included in the review. Various forms of physical activity were studied as interventions. The results of a critical review indicate that physical activity has a moderate to strong positive impact on weight loss, sedentary behaviour, and disability-related quality of life. Adults with ID may benefit from physical activity as a non-pharmaceutical method of improving their health needs. However, this study's results may only apply to some adults with intellectual disabilities. The sample size needs to be increased in future studies in order to draw generalizable conclusions.

Does urbanization cause energy consumption amidst globalization and FDI in South Asia? A pooled mean group estimation

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the influence of urbanization on energy consumption, including economic growth, globalization and “foreign direct investment (FDI)” inflow as control variables.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses yearly panel data from 19071 to 2018 on five selected South Asian economies. It applies the “pooled mean group (PMG)” estimator and the “Dumitrescu-Hurlin (D-H)” panel causality test.FindingsThe PMG estimators reveal that urbanization causes energy consumption negatively in the long run because of an unusual and messy urbanization process. At the same time, it has no impact on the latter in the short run. Per capita income has both long- and short-run positive influences on energy use. Globalization causes energy consumption positively in the long run but does not affect it in the short run. FDI inflow has a strong positive impact on energy use in the long run and adverse effects in the short run. The Dumitrescu–Hurlin causality test reveals feedback relationships between “urbanization and energy consumption,” “globalization and energy consumption” and one-way causation from “per capita income to energy consumption.” It validates the findings of the PMG estimators.Practical implicationsThe results of this study indicate that South Asia may focus on enhancing the availability of energy in the region and producing more renewable energy to add to its energy portfolio to meet growing energy demand, particularly among urban dwellers. Moreover, they should raise their real per capita incomes and augment the standard of living of low-income city dwellers to make urbanization more serviceable and comfortable.Originality/valueThis study is original. As far as the author is aware, this is a maiden attempt to investigate urbanization's effects on energy usage in South Asia in the preview of globalization and FDI.

Do economic freedom, innovation, and technology enhance Chinese FDI? A cross-country panel data analysis

This study evaluates the determinants of Economic freedom, innovation and technology concerning Chinese foreign direct investment. The aim of the study is to explore, that how these determinants influence Outward Foreign Direct Investment (OFDI) from China toward different regional economies. The study will enrich the existing literature by providing useful policies to the concerned economies to influence more Chinese FDI to host economies. The panel data set includes 27 (African, European, and Asian) Countries data over the period of 2003 to 2018. Moreover, the study employed panel data analysis and the result reveals that property rights, patents residents (pantentAR), Research & Development (R&D), Inflation, official exchange rate (OER), and Tax Burden (TaxB) have a strong positive and significant impact on Chinese OFDI in the selected sample countries, While Government Expenditures (GovE) has positive, but insignificant impact on Chinese OFDI. On the other hand, Chinese OFDI is negatively and statistically significant association with Business Freedom (BusF). This study will put forth considerable policies to the concerned to induce further inflows of Chinese FDI into the host countries. The policymakers should build policies that provide a comfortable environment for business activities and mostly focus on value-added production i.e., expenditures on R&D to enhance high-technology exports because they efficiently attract FDI into host countries. Another key factor is Tax Burden (TaxB), which significantly influences Chinese FDI along with other factors.

Hi, I’m taking over this account! Leveraging social media takeovers in fostering consumer-brand relationships

Brands’ communications on owned media commonly are managed by social media marketing teams, although some brands have embraced a practice known as social media takeover, in which they temporarily delegate the responsibility for communications to selected employees or consumers. The current research aims to define the roles of two communication approaches (traditional and social media takeover) and two message types (transactional and relational) for developing consumer-brand relationships on owned media. The research results show that brand messages shared through social media takeovers (cf. traditional brand communications) have a stronger positive impact on parasocial interaction. Improved openness and social presence, as sensed by consumers, drive this effect. The outcomes further indicate that the impacts of social media takeover on social presence and, consequently, parasocial interaction, are particularly strong when consumers encounter transactional (cf. relational) messages. For managers, this research offers practical recommendations for leveraging brand communications with consumers on owned media.

Parents' experience of a shared parent-child stay during the first week of hospitalization in a child psychiatry inpatient ward.

Hospitalization of children in an inpatient psychiatric ward is stressful for both the children and their parents, and separation from the parents during hospitalization is probably one major cause of this stress. We designated one room in a closed inpatient unit to enable a parent to stay with his/her child, including overnight, during the 1st week of hospitalization. We then examined the parents' experience of the shared parent-child stay. Thirty parents of 16 children aged 6-12years admitted to our inpatient child psychiatry ward completed in-depth semi-structured interviews after that week's experience. The interviews covered the parents' experiences of the 1st week in the larger context of pre-hospitalization period, which also includes the decision to hospitalize the child. The contents of the interviews were analyzed by means of independent coders that identified the following major themes: (1) ambivalence and confusion of the parents as related to their decision to hospitalize their child in the time period just before admission; (2) gradual process of separation from the child during the joint stay at the ward; (3) building confidence and trust toward the staff. Themes 2 and 3 express benefits from the joint hospitalization that may have a strong positive impact on the child's and the parent's recovery. These themes warrant further evaluation of the proposed shared stay during hospitalization in future studies.

Eco–Environmental Effects of “Production–Living–Ecological” Space Land Use Changes and Recommendations for Ecological Restoration: A Case Study of the Weibei Dryland in Shaanxi Province

As eco–environmental effects have become important considerations in the construction and planning of production, living, and ecological spaces, we used a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods to analyze the eco–environmental effects’ spatiotemporal evolution and present appropriate ideas for ecological restoration based on the land use data. The results show that during the research period both an improvement and degradation of the regional eco–environment occurred simultaneously. In the earlier period, the ecological environment tended to be worse, while in the later period, the eco–environmental quality was dramatically enhanced. Pasture ecological land in the study area had the strongest positive impact on the eco–environmental quality, while the negative effect of agricultural production land was severe. The quality of the regional eco−environment was enhanced (degraded) due to the extension (contraction) of ecological land. The construction of an ecological environment is a complex engineering task. Although the eco−environment in most areas of the study area showed an improving trend, the overall eco–environment remains relatively fragile. In the course of supporting high–quality regional social and economic growth and pursuing high–level environmental preservation strategies, we should take corresponding measures to protect and repair the regional ecological environment.

Evaluating the influence of health literacy and health-promoting COVID-19 protective behaviors on the spread of infection during the COVID-19 pandemic: A meta-analysis.

Health literacy and self-efficacy related to COVID-19 pandemic management are closely linked. Therefore, synthesis of relevant evidence regarding the positive aspects of health literacy and health-promoting protective measures among individuals during COVID-19 pandemic is necessary. To determine the influence of e-health literacy and health-promoting coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) protective behaviors on the spread of infection during the COVID-19 pandemic. Following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, PubMed, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases, as well as PROSPERO and ClinicalTrials.gov registry platforms were searched for eligible literature published from January 2020 to July 2022. Studies were included based on predefined Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcomes and Study design (PICOS) criteria, and a summary of each study was prepared. To estimate the effect size, the standardized mean difference (SMD) of the evaluated parameters, e-health literacy and health-promoting COVID-19 protective behaviors was extracted. Using RevMan and MedCalc software, a meta-analysis was performed. Twelve eligible studies involving a total of 9854 severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-infected individuals were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled SMD for e-health literacy was 40.39 (95% confidence interval (95% CI): 28.14-52.63), with the following heterogeneity values: Tau2 of 396.80, ÷2 of 669.48, degrees of freedom (df) of 11, I2 of 98%, Z value of 6.47, and p < 0.001. Similarly, the pooled SM for COVID-19 protective behaviors was 15.90 (95% CI: 10.96-20.84) with Tau2 of 55.25, ÷2 of 252.92, df of 11, I2 of 98%, Z of 6.31, and p < 0.001. This study confirmed that e-health literacy and health-promoting COVID-19 protective behaviors have a strong positive impact on preventing the spread of COVID-19 infection and on its effective management. We recommend that interventions and applicable policies for promoting such e-literacy programs and preventative measures be given a high level of consideration.

DOES FINANCIAL LITERACY IMPACT RETIREMENT READINESS AND LIVING STANDARDS OF FARMERS? AN EMPIRICAL STUDY BASED ON SELECTED FARMERS IN SRI LANKA

We studied how financial literacy impacts retirement readiness and living standards among farmers in Sri Lanka with a sample of 200 farmers by administering through a structured questionnaire. We selected the farmers on a convenience basis for the study from the Northwestern Province in Sri Lanka. We conducted a preliminary survey among farmers to understand their financial behaviors. By considering financial literacy as the independent variable, and retirement readiness and living standards as the dependent variables, we developed two ordinary least square regression models to test the hypotheses of the study. The findings of the preliminary survey revealed that most farmers maintain savings accounts, but they visit banks occasionally. Moreover, more than 50% of them are not aware of the benefits of retirement plans. However, the results confirmed that financial literacy has a strong positive impact on retirement readiness and living standards among farmers. Thereby, we concluded that improvements in farmers’ financial literacy could uplift their living standards and retirement readiness. As an implication, authorities shall conduct more awareness programs for farmers on financial knowledge, behavior, and attitudes as assistance to enhance their retirement status and living standards.

Supply Chain Integration and Product Performance of Nigeria Bottling Company

This article explored the impact of supply chain integration on the performance of the Nigeria Bottling Company by identifying customer integration, supply chain partner coordination, and information sharing as components of supply chain integration. A descriptive survey was used as a research method. The study population consisted of consumers of Nigeria Bottling Company products in the city of Ibadan. Because of the infinite nature of the population, Godin’s formula was used to determine the sample size of 384 respondents who were randomly selected from the capital city of Ibadan. Primary data for the study were obtained through a survey of respondents. The study used both descriptive and inferential statistics when analyzing data using SPSS version 23. The results showed that supply chain integration has a strong positive impact on performance, with an r value of 0.645 in the hypothesis tested, i.e. an impact of 64.5%. The study concluded that supply chain integration has a significant impact on product performance and therefore recommends that managers at the Nigeria Bottling Company improve their supply chain performance, especially information sharing, to ensure productivity.

ICT AND ECONOMIC GROWTH, ECONOMETRIC STUDY OF MENA SAMPLE OVER 2000-2019

This research aims to study the impact of information and communication technology on economic growth in MENA countries during the period (2000-2019), We measured information and communication technology by bandwidth and internet users in percentage of population. The results showed that ICT has a positive effect on economic growth, but this effect is not significant. The results also proved that human capital has a strong positive impact on economic growth. This indicates the importance of the human resource in advancing economic growth in the MENA countries

Sustainability‐oriented innovations – Enhancing factors and consequences

AbstractThis study aims to explore internal firm factors that enhance sustainability‐oriented product and process innovations. Formulated on resource‐based theories and the Porter hypothesis, it further investigates the impact of these innovations on the economic performance of firms. Adopting a quantitative research methodology, the study uses partial least squares structural equation modelling on data collected from 251 middle to senior management employees working in manufacturing‐based consumer goods firms. Dynamic capabilities, sustainable organisational innovations and smart technologies are concluded as significant factors that enhance sustainability‐oriented innovations. A strong positive impact of sustainability‐oriented innovations on organisation's economic performance is established, with green competitive advantage playing a strong mediating role and green image as a weak mediating variable. Interesting insights are gained in action‐identity‐image relationships. A strong positive relationship is established between sustainability‐oriented innovations and green organisational identity. Green organisational identity further promotes green image through green commitment. The study provides managers insights on internal factors that encourage sustainable innovations and harness right opportunities to ensure economic success. The interplay between action, identity, and image provides policymakers right tools to frame appropriate strategies to create sustainability orientation. The study has limitations as it is cross sectional and hence fails to capture the dynamics over time and it uses subjective measures.

The impact of mindfulness therapy in individuals with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): a systematic review (El impacto de la terapia mindfulness en personas con Trastorno por Déficit de Atención/Hiperactividad (TDAH): una revisión sistemática)

ABSTRACT Taking into account the complementary treatments used today, this study examines the impact of cognitive mindfulness therapy in persons with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). A systematic review was carried out following the PRISMA method, including a total of 34 experimental articles from scholarly journals indexed in Web of Science and Scopus whose year of publication is limited to the last five years (2017–2021). The variables studied the most in the scholarly publications are divided into two categories: cognitive (attention, concentration and emotional regulation) and behavioural (hyperactivity, impulsiveness and inhibitory control). A standard table reflects what variables are used in each publication examined. A strong positive impact was found for both types of variables after the application of this therapy, which produced positive effects in the samples. Mindfulness is a positive complementary treatment in people with ADHD.

Impact of community health interventions on maternal and child health indicators in the upper east region of Ghana

BackgroundThis paper reports on results of a health system strengthening implementation research initiative conducted the Upper East Region of northern Ghana. Transformative interventions to accelerate and strengthen the health delivery were implemented that included empowering community leaders and members to actively participate in health delivery, strengthening the referral systems through the provision of community transport systems, providing basic medical equipment to community clinics, and improving the skills of critical health staff through training.MethodsA mixed method design was used to evaluate the impact of the interventions. A quantitative evaluation employed a flexible research design to test the effects of various component activities of the project. To assess impact, a pre-versus–post randomized cluster survey design was used. Qualitative research was conducted with focus group data and individual in depth interviews to gauge the views of various stakeholders associated with the implementation process.ResultsAfter intervention, significant improvements in key maternal and child health indicators such as antenatal and postnatal care coverage were observed and increases in the proportion of deliveries occurring in health facilities and assisted by skilled health personnel relative to pre-intervention conditions. There was also increased uptake of oral rehydration salts (ORS) for treatment of childhood diarrhoea, as well as marked reductions in the incidence of upper respiratory infections (URI).ConclusionsA pre-and post-evaluation of impact suggests that the programme had a strong positive impact on the functioning of primary health care. Findings are consistent with the proposition that the coverage and content of the Ghana Community-based Health Planning and Services programme was improved by program interventions and induced discernable changes in key indicators of health system performance.

The Impact of Intellectual Capital on Service Firm Financial Performance in Emerging Countries: The Case of Vietnam

This paper evaluates the effect of intellectual capital (IC) on firm financial performance in the service sector in an emerging country, Vietnam. This research is dissimilar from earlier ones for the following reasons: (i) this is the first study of IC’s impact on service firms at different knowledge intensity levels, sizes, and ownerships in an emerging country, Vietnam; (ii) it expresses empirical evidence in details of service activities, particularly the research and development, financial, and technology services that play significant roles for the development of emerging countries; (iii) it examines the effects of the gender issue, firms’ responsiveness to the government and employees, and market concentration. Applying the two-step system GMM model for the period 2005–2014, the results express that IC components generally had significant impacts on firm performance. Human capital efficiency had the strongest positive impact while capital employed efficiency had the second strongest impact. The impact of structural capital efficiency was inconsistent, depending on the knowledge intensity levels and the types of service activities. IC is more efficient for knowledge-intensive sub-sectors than the less knowledge-intensive ones. IC efficiencies differ among knowledge intensity levels, sizes, and ownerships, suggesting that policy makers and firm leaders should implement corresponding solutions.

Research on the Mediate and Moderate Factors between Executive's Attitude and Investment Efficiency -- Taking the Software and IT Service Industry as an Example

Taking China's software and IT service industry from 2018 to 2021 as a sample, this study explores the mediator and moderator of enterprise strategic radicalization in the executive's positive attitude and investment efficiency. The findings show that when the chairman and general manager of a company are in one position, the strong positive impact of management on investment efficiency will have the opposite effect; Furthermore, the degree of enterprise strategic radicalization has a mediating effect between the positive attitude of management and inefficient investment, and this situation is particularly evident when the size of the company's board of directors is small. However, regardless of the size of the board of directors, it will play a positive regulatory role in the degree of strategic radicalization and investment efficiency. That is, when the degree of strategic radicalization is higher, the larger the board of directors will help improve investment efficiency. In addition, the degree of enterprise strategic radicalism has a mediating effect between management attitude and investment efficiency, but this situation is more pronounced when the proportion of male board members is low. Regardless of the proportion of male directors in a company, it will have a positive moderating effect on the degree of strategic radicalization and investment efficiency. Finally, the stronger the positive attitude and the higher the proportion of independent directors, the more likely it is for the enterprise to increase its strategic radicalization. However, this has no impact on investment efficiency.

Predicting the Performance of Retail Market Firms: Regression and Machine Learning Methods

The problem of predicting profitability is exceptionally relevant for investors and company owners. This paper examines the factors affecting firm performance and tests and compares various methods based on linear and non-linear dependencies between variables for predicting firm performance. In this study, the methods include random effects regression, individual machine learning algorithms with optimizers (DNN, LSTM, and Random Forest), and advanced machine learning methods consisting of sets of algorithms (portfolios and ensembles). The training sample includes 551 retail-oriented companies and data for 2017–2019 (panel data, 1653 observations). The test sample contains data for these companies for 2020. This study combines two approaches (stages): an econometric analysis of the influence of factors on the company’s profitability and machine learning methods to predict the company’s profitability. To compare forecasting methods, we used parametric and non-parametric predictive measures and ANOVA. The paper shows that previous profitability has a strong positive impact on a firm’s performance. We also find a non-linear positive effect of sales growth and web traffic on firm profitability. These variables significantly improve the prediction accuracy. Regression is inferior in forecast accuracy to machine learning methods. Advanced methods (portfolios and ensembles) demonstrate better and more steady results compared with individual machine learning methods.

Does Savings Culminate in Economic Growth? An Investigation Using Cointegrating Regression

One of the most controversial areas in macroeconomics is the saving–growth nexus. This study is an attempt to examine this relationship in the case of Nigeria. Time series data over the period 1981 to 2020 were used. The analysis was based on Augmented Dickey–Fuller (ADF) test, Johansen cointegration test, Dynamic Ordinary Least Squares (DOLS) technique, and Pairwise Granger Causality tests. The results of the DOLS estimation techniques for cointegrating regression show a positive relationship between gross domestic savings (InGDS) and gross domestic product growth (InGDP) (economic growth) in the long run. The results supported the neoclassical viewpoint that saving rate is positively or directly related to the Gross Domestic Product. However, the Pairwise Granger Causality Tests showed no causality between InGDS and InGDP. Nonetheless, policy makers in the country need to stimulate savings the more in order to further increase economic growth. They should encourage the integration of the formal and informal sectors as this would have a strong positive impact on domestic savings. This will deepen the financial sector and assist in mobilizing the much needed savings that will engender investment and growth in Nigeria. In the same vein, policies should be pursued to reduce real interest rate so as to increase private sector investment.

A global survey on the current state of practice in Zero Defect Manufacturing and its impact on production performance

To be competitive in dynamic and global markets, manufacturing companies are continuously seeking to apply innovative production strategies and methods combined with advanced digital technologies to improve their flexibility, productivity, quality, environmental impact, and cost performance. Zero Defect Manufacturing is a disruptive concept providing production strategies and methods with underlying advanced digital technologies to fill the gap. While scientific knowledge within this area has increased exponentially, the current practices and impact of Zero Defect Manufacturing on companies over time are still unknown. Therefore, this survey aims to map the current state of practice in Zero Defect Manufacturing and identify its impact on production performance. The results show that although Zero Defect Manufacturing strategies and methods are widely applied and can have a strong positive impact on production performance, this has not always been the case. The findings also indicate that digital technologies are increasingly used, however, the potential of artificial intelligence and extended reality is still less exploited. We contribute to theory by detailing the research needs of Zero Defect Manufacturing from the practitioner’s perspective and suggesting actions to enhance Zero Defect Manufacturing strategies and methods. Further, we provide practical and managerial suggestions to improve production performances and move towards sustainable development and zero waste.