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1 – 10 of 31Hadi Farid, Fatemeh Hakimian, Vikneswaran Nair, Pradeep Kumar Nair and Nazari Ismail
Climate change is one of the greatest challenges for policymakers at both the international and national levels in the twenty-first century; there is no exception for the tourism…
Abstract
Purpose
Climate change is one of the greatest challenges for policymakers at both the international and national levels in the twenty-first century; there is no exception for the tourism industry, which is one of the most highly climate sensitive sectors. Tourism researchers have continued to explore the relationship between sustainable tourism and climate change to develop a range of effective strategies for policymakers. This paper aims to review published literature in the areas of sustainable tourism and climate change.
Design/methodology/approach
The review maps sustainable tourism and climate change domains between 1996 and 8 January 2016. The review encompasses 95 published documents obtained from the Scopus database on 8 January 2016. The search terms were “Sustainable Tourism” and “Climate Change” combined with Boolean Operator “AND” in the “Article Title, Abstract, Keywords”.
Findings
The outcomes of this study are: Identification of trends in research and the most influential papers on sustainable tourism associated with climate change research; evaluation of the contribution of authors, journals and institutions in this area; and guidance for policymakers to develop policies to mitigate the impact of tourist activities on climate change.
Research limitations/implications
The study provides a basis for communication between academics and practitioners by revealing the research trends in sustainable tourism and climate change and by categorizing the contents of prior studies to provide guidance for future studies.
Originality/value
The originality of this paper is in determining possible research gaps and thereby providing guidance for future study. The study also makes a practical contribution by addressing the topics of interest to policymakers.
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Fatemeh Hakimian, Hadi Farid, Mohd Nazari Ismail and Pradeep Kumar Nair
The extremely competitive and globalized business environment directs organizations to rely on human capital to be innovative. Committed employees are needed for organizations to…
Abstract
Purpose
The extremely competitive and globalized business environment directs organizations to rely on human capital to be innovative. Committed employees are needed for organizations to foster innovative behaviors. The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between three forms of commitment and employees’ innovative behavior.
Design/methodology/approach
Adopted questionnaire from previous studies were distributed among employees of Malaysian Small and Medium Enterprises. A total of 219 questionnaires were analyzed via partial least square.
Findings
Statistical results revealed significant relationships between affective and normative commitment and employees’ innovative behavior.
Originality/value
This study offers a theoretical contribution by adding an insight into the relationship between commitment and innovative behavior. The study also provides a practical guideline for managers of Malaysian SMEs who aim to increase innovative behavior among employees by considering their level of commitment.
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Faizan Ali, Yuan Zhou, Kashif Hussain, Pradeep Kumar Nair and Neethiahnanthan Ari Ragavan
– The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of Malaysian public universities’ service quality on international student satisfaction, institutional image and loyalty.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of Malaysian public universities’ service quality on international student satisfaction, institutional image and loyalty.
Design/methodology/approach
A total number of 400 questionnaires were distributed to international students, selected using convenience sampling technique, at three public Malaysian university campuses in Kuala Lumpur. Of this, 241 were deemed fit for analysis (60 per cent response rate). Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling was used to analyze the collected data, assess the model and test hypotheses.
Findings
The findings show that all the five dimensions of higher education service quality influence student satisfaction which in turn influences institutional image, and together, they influence student loyalty.
Research limitations/implications
There are a number of limitations associated with this study. First, the findings of the study are based on data from international students at only three Malaysian public university campuses. Second, this study focuses on a relatively small sample of international students. Besides, this study uses HEdPERF to assess higher education service quality which might exclude some factors that may influence international student satisfaction. On the other hand, it highlights a number of implications for the management of Malaysian universities.
Originality/value
This study validates the HEdPERF scale in the context of Malaysian public universities with regard to the perceptions of international students. Furthermore, this study extends the HEdPERF scale and examines its effects on student satisfaction, institutional image and loyalty.
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Pradeep Kumar Nair, Faizan Ali and Lim Chee Leong
This study aims to explain the factors affecting students’ acceptance and usage of a lecture capture system (LCS) – ReWIND – in a Malaysian university based on the extended…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to explain the factors affecting students’ acceptance and usage of a lecture capture system (LCS) – ReWIND – in a Malaysian university based on the extended unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT2) model. Technological advances have become an important feature of universities’ plans to improve the flexibility and accessibility in a learning and teaching environment. For private universities, which are market-driven, it is vital to assess if these technologies influence the perceptions and behaviour of their target beneficiaries.
Design/methodology/approach
The study is designed using a causal research design to examine the cause–effect relationship between the study variables. The study sample consists of 398 students selected via purposive sampling. Data are collected using a five-point Likert scale covering UTAUT2’s factors and variables featuring ReWIND’s acceptance and usage. Partial least squares-based structural equation modelling is used to analyse the data.
Findings
The findings show that performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions, price–value, hedonic motivation and habit have significant influence on students’ acceptance and usage of ReWIND.
Research limitations/implications
This research examines the factors affecting students’ acceptance and usage of ReWIND in a Malaysian university. The main limitation of this study is that it focuses only on the factors highlighted in the UTAUT2 model.
Practical implications
The results provide a useful framework to the universities for the successful implementation of student-friendly technologies such as ReWIND to enhance their learning experience.
Originality/value
Responding to the need of studies validating the UTAUT2 model in the adoption and use of different technologies, this study contributes to the literature by extending the UTAUT2 into the context of LCS at a private university in a developing country.
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Sasadhar Bera, Pradeep Kumar and Subhajit Bhattacharya
The paper aims to investigate the cardiology department’s operational system for improving flexibility by minimizing the patient waiting time and simultaneously maximizing the…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper aims to investigate the cardiology department’s operational system for improving flexibility by minimizing the patient waiting time and simultaneously maximizing the utilization of service capacity in an uncertain environment. This article also proposes a policy framework that suggests a pool of additional resources and inter-firm collaboration can boost healthcare service delivery excellence.
Design/methodology/approach
A discrete event simulation (DES) approach is followed for modeling patient flow and determining the service capacity to respond to demand variability and uncertainty. The model's outputs are used to minimize patient waiting time, maximize the utilization of the resources and match the service capacity with the patient demand.
Findings
This research has tested two hypotheses and proved that an increase in waiting time decimates the throughput rate, and additional resources deployment in bottleneck activity positively impacts the throughput rate. The simulated scenarios prescribe an enhanced service capacity with quality care and further contribute to operational performance in reduced waiting time and cost. The results indicate that flexibility reduces the patient waiting time and maximizes the throughput rate.
Practical implications
The study guides the healthcare policymakers to develop flexible competence and facilitate service mechanisms that are adaptive and robust while operating under a volatile environment. The article contributes to the healthcare literature that conjoins flexibility through simulation and resource utilization.
Originality/value
This research is based on real-life primary data collected from healthcare providers. This study adds value to the healthcare systems to adopt strategic decisions to build flexibility through resource allocation, sharing and coordinated care.
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This paper aims to understand the specific role of value chain flexibility (VCF) in the strategies of green service production (GSP) in healthcare. The study explores the key…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to understand the specific role of value chain flexibility (VCF) in the strategies of green service production (GSP) in healthcare. The study explores the key dimensions of VCF and their linkages with the current GSP strategies in healthcare firms.
Design/methodology/approach
The study uses an exploratory case study with three representative national-level healthcare firms in India. A multiple case study methodology was utilized to explore the relationships between GSP and VCF.
Findings
The findings of the study suggest that several strategies for GSP require the support of multiple dimensions of VCF. More importantly, the role of each dimension of VCF depends upon the innovativeness of green service design, green procurement and green service practices.
Research limitations/implications
The study was conducted in the emerging healthcare market of India. Thus, the generalizability of the framework needs to be tested in another context. The study reports the employee's perception, and the patients’ (customers) views were not included.
Originality/value
The study is a first step to understand the theoretical perspectives of the relationships between GSP and VCF by exploring the underlying concepts. Furthermore, the study explicates the dynamics of their interplay in a systematic way and contributes to a framework of GSP and VCF in the healthcare context.
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Arunesh Garg and Pradeep Kumar Gupta
This study, based on the instrumental approach of the stakeholder theory, examines the firm performance of public and private sector firms in the mandatory corporate social…
Abstract
Purpose
This study, based on the instrumental approach of the stakeholder theory, examines the firm performance of public and private sector firms in the mandatory corporate social responsibility (CSR) expenditure regime in India. CSR was legislated in India in the year 2014.
Design/methodology/approach
The study hypothesizes that firms which fulfill the mandatory CSR expenditure requirement will have a higher firm performance and uses one-way ANOVA and post-hoc test for analysis. Firm performance is examined with respect to firm value and market performance.
Findings
The instrumental approach of the stakeholder theory is not supported in the mandatory CSR expenditure regime in India. The public sector firms that comply with the mandatory CSR expenditure requirement have a lower firm performance. Further, the private sector firms that meet the mandatory CSR expenditure criterion do not have a significantly different firm performance than the private sector firms that do not fulfill this criterion.
Practical implications
The study indicates as to why some firms fail to meet the CSR expenditure compliance. It also gives suggestions on how regulators and government agencies can solicit the participation of the Indian firms to undertake CSR initiatives. The study further suggests how firms may reap maximum benefit from the CSR expenditure.
Originality/value
Since CSR expenditure has been made mandatory only in the year 2014 in India, hardly any study has examined firm performance in the mandatory CSR expenditure regime in India.
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This study aims to identify the dimensions of patient recovery flexibility in the public healthcare context and its impact on the service experience. The study also explores the…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to identify the dimensions of patient recovery flexibility in the public healthcare context and its impact on the service experience. The study also explores the strategies and contextual influences to attain patient recovery flexibility.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper uses a case study method based on a semi-structured interview with healthcare professionals, observations and informal discussions.
Findings
In the present study, several dimensions of patient recovery flexibility are reported. Different internal and external strategies to exhibit patient recovery flexibility, as well as two contextual influences, are identified. An integrative framework is developed to establish the relationship of patient recovery flexibility with service experience in public healthcare.
Research limitations/implications
The study was conducted in a public healthcare setting in India. The sample size for the semi-structured interview was limited to healthcare professionals, and the patient’s perspective is missing.
Originality/value
This paper contributes to the growing need for patient recovery flexibility as a strategy in the public healthcare delivery system. It offers new insights to address the gap in the literature regarding the linkage of patient recovery flexibility and service experience. The study provides an integrative framework of dimensions of patient recovery flexibility, strategies, contextual influences and the impact on the service experience. The framework and propositions presented in the study will guide future research that is needed in this area. This study provides an overview to shape and redesign the after-service support from a flexibility perspective in public healthcare for the improved service experience.
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Pradeep Kumar and Ajai Pratap Singh
The purpose of this paper is to present a systematic review of flexibility, to identify the gaps in theory and to propose a future research agenda.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present a systematic review of flexibility, to identify the gaps in theory and to propose a future research agenda.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper combines a systematic review and thematic analysis of scholarly articles of flexibility. The articles are analyzed to explicate the dynamics of flexibility in service operations. Thematic analysis was done using NVIVO 10.0 to identify key approaches, trends and future research agenda.
Findings
The review reveals ten different themes that highlight the future research avenues and points out that an integrative framework to assess the field of flexibility, particularly in developing countries, is largely missing in the literature. The study also provides a set of research questions to enhance its explanatory power.
Research limitations/implications
Articles that explicitly mention “flexibility” were only included, however, there may be several unexploited areas regarding the influence of different variables on flexibility. The study is based on the inductive analysis of 650 published articles on flexibility retrieved from the electronic database. The framework proposed in the study is conceptual and requires empirical testing in future research.
Originality/value
The study synthesizes the flexibility literature and contributes to a set of ten distinct themes that extricate the dynamics of flexibility. The study provides a comprehensive review of the relevant articles and identifies the theoretical gaps in the research area of service operations flexibility that can be used by academia and industry for promoting flexibility.
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This study aims to identify the constituents of internal flexibility in health-care organizations for achieving sustainability. The study incorporates resources-based theory and…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to identify the constituents of internal flexibility in health-care organizations for achieving sustainability. The study incorporates resources-based theory and resource-dependence theory to illustrate how health-care organizations exhibit internal flexibility to redress environmental uncertainties and maximize organizational responsiveness.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper conducts a case study in a health-care organization to explore how health-care organizations acquire several resources for attaining internal flexibility. A survey of health-care professionals was conducted to assess the relationships using partial least squares-structural equation modeling.
Findings
In the present study, the dimensions of internal flexibility in health-care organizations are identified. This study also established internal flexibility as a higher-order factor and explained its underlying aspects as a value-laden perspective on sustainability.
Research limitations/implications
The study was conducted in the public health-care context in India. The framework needs to be tested in another context. The sample size for the study was limited to health-care experts, which could be extended to include the customer’s perspective.
Originality/value
The study contributes to the body of knowledge by identifying the specific dimensions of internal flexibility and explains as a higher-order factor. It enhances the understanding of sustainability from a flexibility perspective of the firm.
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