Owner-manager emotions and strategic responses of small family businesses to the COVID-19 pandemic

COVID-19 pandemic, a consensus crisis that has had a profound effect on societies and economies globally, compelled family businesses to respond strategically in order to remain afloat. We examine the role of their owner-managers' emotions in the strategic response to the COVID-19 pandemic, drawing on 38 in-depth interviews with owner-managers of small family businesses in Cyprus. Our findings reveal that owner-managers have experienced mainly negative emotions during the pandemic, including higher levels of stress, insecurity, fear, and doubt. By reflecting on these emotions, owner-managers can activate affective mechanisms and apply a stewardship logic to respond strategically. We contribute to the family business literature by conceptualizing key processes at the intersection between owner-manager emotions and strategic responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. By focusing on individual (that is, owner-manager) emotional processes and stewardship attitudes, our study provides a microfoundational explanation of strategic responses during external crises and offers both theoretical and practical implications. © 2023 International Council for Small Business.

Caged, helpless but not bored: consumption values derived from over-the-top platforms during pandemic

Purpose: The use of over-the-top (OTT) platforms grew substantially after the declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. With the pandemic receding, there is a concern that users may not continue with their subscriptions. To counter this, OTT service providers must strategize proactively to retain and acquire new users once the pandemic abates. Positing that understanding the consumption values that users ascribe to OTT platform usage can provide useful customer retention insights, the purpose of this paper is to use the theory of consumption value (TCV) to study the values that users derived from their use of OTT following the onset of the pandemic. Design/methodology/approach: The mixed-method approach is used to collect qualitative and quantitative data. Analysis of qualitative responses collected through interviews of 12 current OTT platform users helped identify two categories of OTT platform-specific values: attribute-level and benefit-based. Next, the study examined the association of values thus identified with one another, as well as with continued intentions to use OTT platforms, by analyzing data collected from 371 existing users. Findings: The findings indicated that functional value quality and social value, representing the attribute-level values, were positively associated with two benefit-based values – functional value price and emotional value (EMV). Next, EMV was not only associated with intentions but also partially mediated the association of attribute-level values with intentions. Premium subscription purchased and increased viewing time were confirmed to have moderating effects on the association between attribute-level and benefit-based values. Originality/value: The study is amongst the foremost research initiatives to examine consumption values derived from OTT platform usage after the onset of the pandemic. Its novelty also comes from its identifying OTT platform-specific consumption values for the first time and adding a new dimension to the TCV by examining the interplay of these values in the OTT platform context. © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited.

Opportunities and challenges in food entrepreneurship: In-depth qualitative investigation of millet entrepreneurs

Consumer food preferences are undergoing a rapid transformation, and there has been a heightening of interest in eating healthy, sustainable foods. Food entrepreneurs are cashing in on the trend and are diversifying their existing offerings to include healthier options using alternate ingredients such as millets. However, these entrepreneurs face several challenges, and the actual growth of the market is lower than expected. The present study examines the opportunities and challenges faced by millet entrepreneurs. A total of 25 millet entrepreneurs were interviewed using a semi-structured qualitative design. Key opportunities include increased awareness of millets, people going back to their traditions, and informative food labels were the key opportunities, while a lack of awareness, lack of familiarity, preparation difficulty, sensory attributes, lack of affordability, inferior image, customer distrust, and millets' longer gestational cycle were major challenges. © 2022 The Author(s)

Unconventional green transport innovations in the post-COVID-19 era. A trade-off between green actions and personal health protection

Irrefutable evidence attributes environmental challenges, such as air and noise pollution, to unsustainable transportation, especially in urban settings. In this context, urban public transport is a sustainable mobility system with ecological benefits. However, limited research focuses on understanding the factors that promote urban public transport adoption in the face of disruptive events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. This study integrates the push-pull-mooring (PPM) model and institutional theory to examine urban commuters' intentions to switch to urban public transport in the post-COVID-19 era. This study is the first to investigate the trade-offs consumers perceive between green actions and personal health protection in the COVID-19 context. Our results indicate that regulative and normative environments, public transport's economic viability and commuters' pro-environmental concerns and identities significantly influence their intentions to switch to public transportation. Furthermore, hygiene concerns and choice uncertainty partially moderate the tested associations. The study thus provides unique insights into the nuances of individual decision-making regarding public transport use. Leveraging our findings, we present implications for theory and practice. We also offer a possible framework for classifying consumers of green urban public transport, which can be used to create targeted communication to encourage commuters to switch to routine public transport use for sustainability and environmental protection. © 2022 The Authors

Greening of supply chain to drive performance through logical integration of supply chain resources

Sustainability has always been a concern of humankind in one form or the other. Still, it has come into sharper focus after the promulgation of the sustainable development goals in 2015 and the disruptive forces unleashed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Supply chain management is an aspect of business operations wherein the need for sustainability has been felt more keenly. The academic and business understanding of various nuances of incorporating sustainability, particularly environmental concerns in the supply chain, is still evolving. Our study seeks to enrich the growing literature in the area by proposing to uncover a novel, logical sequence of intangible supply chain resources that can amplify the impact of green supply chain management practices (GSCMPs) on business performance. We use the dual-theoretical lens of a resource-based view and stakeholder theories to conceptualize the sequential mediational role of supply chain visibility, resilience, and robustness between GSCMP and performance. Analyzing data collected from 318 individuals working in the manufacturing sector in the United Kingdom, we found a positive direct association of GSCMP with performance and the serial mediational role of visibility and robustness between the two. The findings of our study are pertinent for theorists as well as managers. © 2023 The Authors. Business Strategy and The Environment published by ERP Environment and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Incidence and Outcomes of Clinically Significant Bleeding Events in Critically Ill Covid-19 Patients Receiving Therapeutic Dose Anticoagulants: A Retrospective Cohort Study (Interact Study)

Aim and background: The high mortality associated with the thrombotic events in hospitalised COVID-19 patients resulted in the usage of anticoagulants in varying doses. Whether the high-dose anticoagulants have led to better outcomes or higher incidence of clinically significant bleeding events is still debatable. Objectives: To find the incidence of clinically significant bleeding events in moderate to severe COVID-19 patients on therapeutic anticoagulation and the factors influencing these events. Materials and methods: In our retrospective, single-centre, cohort study of 155 critically ill COVID-19 patients we observed the incidence of clinically significant bleeding. Multivariate regression models were used to evaluate the association between anticoagulant regimen, coagulation, and inflammatory markers with the incidence of bleeding and thrombotic events. Results: The incidence of Clinically Relevant Non-Major Bleeding (CRNMB) was 33.5% (26.17-41.46%,) and major bleeding was 9.03% (5.02-14.69%). The anticoagulation intensity at baseline had a very high odds of major bleeding when Enoxaparin and dual antiplatelet therapy were used together (adjusted OR of 434.09 [3.81-49502.95], p < 0.05). At admission, bleeders had a poorer P/F ratio with more patients on invasive ventilation. At the time of bleeding, the bleeders had a higher d-dimer, ferritin, CRP, and procalcitonin. The subhazard ratio (SHR) for death in bleeders was 3.35 (95% CI, 1.97-5.65;p < 0.001). Conclusion: The incidence of bleeding in critically ill COVID-19 patients on therapeutic anticoagulation increases with the severity of the disease as well as with concurrent use of dual antiplatelets. Major bleeding may also contribute to higher mortality.

Green supply chain management in manufacturing firms: A resource-based viewpoint

As sustainability draws increasing attention due to the COVID-19 pandemic, interest in the green supply chain has likewise substantially increased. The present study contributes deeper insights into the logical integration of the resource-based characteristics that can facilitate the effective transition from traditional to green supply chains while also increasing the effectiveness of existing green supply chains. The proposed model, rooted in the resource-based view (RBV) theory, examines the associations of supply chain connectivity (SCC), supply chain information sharing (SCIS), top management commitment (TMC) and green procurement and logistics acceptance (GPLA) with green supply chain management (GSCM). Analysis of data from employees at 381 manufacturing firms in the United Kingdom confirmed the positive associations of SCC and SCIS with TMC and GPLA, of TMC with GPLA and GSCM and of GPLA with GSCM. The results also confirmed the serial mediation effect of TMC and GPLA on the associations of both SCC and SCIS with GSCM. The study offers several practical insights and theoretical contributions, including a novel GSCM scale. © 2022 The Authors. Business Strategy and The Environment published by ERP Environment and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Why have consumers opposed, postponed, and rejected innovations during a pandemic? A study of mobile payment innovations

The highly infectious nature of the COVID-19 virus has made the use of contactless payment methods a health exigency. Yet, consumers are resisting using mobile payments (m-payments) during the pandemic, a confounding behavior that needs to be better understood. The present study explicates this behavior by examining consumer resistance to m-payments during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, it provides more granular findings by measuring three levels of resistance/non-adoption, namely, postponement, opposition, and rejection. In this way, the study adds depth to the literature, which has largely examined resistance at an aggregate level to yield generic findings. Toward this end, the study draws upon the Innovation Resistance Theory (IRT) to propose that usage, value, risk, tradition, and image barriers influence the three levels of resistance/non-adoption differently. An artificial neural network analysis (ANN) of the data collected from 406 non-users of m-payments confirmed that the influence of the five barriers varies for the three levels of resistance/non-adoption. The results further suggest that the usage barrier is the most significant contributor to opposition and rejection intentions toward m-payments, whereas the image barrier is the most influential for postponement intentions. This study thus makes a useful contribution to theory and practice. © 2021. authors.

Has financial attitude impacted the trading activity of retail investors during the COVID-19 pandemic?

Financial attitude influences the financial behavior of retail investors. Although the extant research has acknowledged and examined this relationship, the measures of financial attitude and behavior still vary widely and are generally posed as a series of questions rather than statements. In addition to this, there is insufficient knowledge regarding retail investors' behavior in the face of a health crisis, such as the current COVID-19 pandemic. This study addresses these gaps in the prior literature by examining the relative influence of six dimensions of financial attitude, namely, financial anxiety, optimism, financial security, deliberative thinking, interest in financial issues, and needs for precautionary savings, on the trading activity of retail investors during the pandemic. Data were collected from 404 respondents and analyzed using the artificial neural network (ANN) method. The results revealed that all six dimensions had a positive influence on trading activity, with interest in financial issues exerting the strongest influence, followed by deliberative thinking. The study thus contributes important inferences for researchers and managers.

Factors influencing the adoption postponement of mobile payment services in the hospitality sector during a pandemic

In the post-COVID-19 era, the hospitality sector may witness a wider use of mobile payment services (MPS) not requiring physical contact. But consumers may postpone adoption of MPS in wait for a more attractive iteration. Given consumers' reluctance to adapt to such services, an investigation into MPS adoption postponement and the factors contributing to it is thus needed. Our research model extends the innovation resistance theory by including two behavioral measures (privacy concerns and visibility) and examining how security concerns moderate the associations between them. We analyzed data from 308 respondents who had previously purchased accommodation and transportation services using MPS, employing structural equation modeling to test the research model. The crucial factors we identified were usage barrier and image barriers, privacy concerns, and visibility. Furthermore, security concerns significantly moderated the association between image barrier and MPS adoption postponement in the hospitality sector. The present study thus has important theoretical and practical implications for hospitality managers, particularly for understanding consumers’ behavior toward MPS use and how to leverage these services accordingly. Finally, we suggest that future researchers may investigate the factors causing the adoption postponement of other technological innovations in this sector. © 2020 The Authors

Big data analytics in healthcare: a systematic literature review

The current study performs a systematic literature review (SLR) to synthesise prior research on the  applicability of big data analytics (BDA) in healthcare. The SLR examines the outcomes of 41 studies, and presents them in a comprehensive framework. The findings from this study suggest that applications of BDA in healthcare can be observed from five perspectives, namely, health awareness among the general public, interactions among stakeholders in the healthcare ecosystem, hospital management practices, treatment of specific medical conditions, and technology in healthcare service delivery. This SLR recommends actionable future research agendas for scholars and valuable implications for theory and practice. © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.