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Design Science Research in Practice: What Can We Learn from a Longitudinal Analysis of the Development of Published Artifacts?

Aim/Purpose: To discuss the Design Science Research approach by comparing some of its canons with observed practices in projects in which it is applied, in order to understand and structure it better. Background: Recent criticisms of the application of the Design Science Research (DSR) approach have pointed out the need to make it more approachable and less confusing to overcome deficiencies such as the unrealistic evaluation. Methodology: We identified and analyzed 92 articles that presented artifacts developed from DSR projects and another 60 articles with preceding or subsequent actions associated with these 92 projects. We applied the content analysis technique to these 152 articles, enabling the preparation of network diagrams and an analysis of the longitudinal evolution of these projects in terms of activities performed and the types of artifacts involved. Contribution: The content analysis of these 152 articles enabled the preparation of network diagrams and an analysis of the longitudinal evolution of these projects in terms of the activities and types of artifacts involved. Evidence was found of a precedence hierarchy among different types of artifacts, as well as nine new opportunities for entry points for the continuity of DSR studies. Only 14% of the DSR artifacts underwent an evaluation by typical end users, characterizing a tenth type of entry point. Regarding the evaluation process, four aspects were identified, which demonstrated that 86% of DSR artifact evaluations are unrealistic. Findings: We identified and defined a set of attributes that allows a better characterization and structuring of the artifact evaluation process. Analyzing the field data, we inferred a precedence hierarchy for different artifacts types, as well as nine new opportunities for entry points for the continuity of DSR studies. Recommendation for Researchers: The four attributes identified for analyzing evaluation processes serve as guidelines for practitioners and researchers to achieve a realistic evaluation of artifacts. Future Research: The nine new entry points identified serve as an inspiration for researchers to give continuity to DSR projects.




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The Translational Learning EcoSystem

Aim/Purpose: In this paper we propose an ecosystem for translational learning that combines core learning principles with a multilevel construct that embraces the tenets of translational research, namely, teaming, translating, and implementing. The goal of the paper is to argue that knowledge of learning sciences is essential at the individual, team, and organizational levels in the translational science enterprise. Background: The two decades that we can now call the translational era of health and medicine have not been without challenges. Many inroads have been made in navigating how scientific teaming, translating knowledge across the health spectrum, and implementing change to our health systems, policies, and interventions can serve our changing global environment. These changes to the traditional health science enterprise require new ways of understanding knowledge, forging relationships, and managing this new tradition of science. Competency requirements that have become important to the enterprise are dependent on a deep understanding about how people learn as individuals, in teams, and within organizations and systems. Methodology: An individual, team, and organizational conceptual framework for learning in translational ecosystems is developed drawing on the learning science literature, a synthesis of 9 key learning principles and integrated with core competencies for translational science. Contribution: The translational learning ecosystem is a means by which to understand how translational science competencies can be reinforced by core learning principles as teaming, translating, and implementation intersect as part of the translational science enterprise. Findings: This paper connects learning science to tailored principles in a simplified way so that those working translational science with less knowledge of theories of learning and pedagogy may be able to access it in a clear and concise way. Recommendation for Researchers: This paper provides a framework for researchers who engage in the education of translational scientists as well as those who are charged with training new scientists in an emerging field critical to health and medicine. Future Research: The translational ecosystem described can serve to expand how teaching and learning impact scientific advances. In addition, it serves as a means in which to understand the impact of learning on micro, meso, and macro levels.




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Research on the Tourism Decision-Making Mechanism: A Case Study of American Outbound Tourism

Aim/Purpose: This article takes ‘tourism decision-making behavior’ as an entry point, and deeply analyzes the factors influencing the travel decision-making of Chinese ‘American Travel’ tourists and their degree of influence, so as to provide a reference for the development of Chinese outbound tourism. Background: With the development of China’s economy and the improvement in people’s level, the outbound tourism market of Chinese residents has developed rapidly. The United States has become an important tourism destination country for Chinese residents’ outbound tourism, and China has also become one of the important tourist source countries of American tourism. However, the rapid development of ‘American tourism’ has also caused competition problems in China’s tourism industry. For example, prices and tourism products have become a means of competition among tourism enterprises. As the main body of consumption, tourists’ decision-making behavior will be affected by various factors. Methodology: Drawing lessons from previous scholars’ research results on tourism decision-making behavior, the influencing factors of tourism decision-making behavior are summarized. A theoretical model and index system of factors influencing tourism decision-making behavior of Chinese residents ‘Travel in the United States’ are established, research hypotheses are put forward, questionnaire data are collected, and SPSS and Amos are used to analyze and verify the theoretical model. Contribution: This research expands the literature on topics related to tourism decision-making in research and practice. It establishes a theoretical model and index system for the factors that influence the decision-making behavior of Chinese residents’ ‘American Travel’ tourism. In addition, we propose countermeasures for tourism products, enterprises, and the government. Findings: Prior knowledge and external information have a positive influence on tourism perception and value perception, and a negative influence on risk perception. Risk perception value perception has a positive and negative influence on tourism decision-making and tourism motivation, respectively. Tourism motivation has a positive influence on tourism decision-making and has a positive impact. Recommendation for Researchers: According to the research conclusions of this article, the following counter-measures and suggestions are put forward from three aspects of tourism: products, enterprises, and governments. On the basis of existing tourism products, relevant operating companies should pay more attention to the upgrading and transformation of tourism, leisure and entertainment products in scenic spots to increase the willingness of tourists to travel. When considering corporate marketing and promotion plans, tourism companies operating related businesses should increase the weight of their marketing budgets in online marketing, increase investment in online marketing, and develop mobile applications that meet the preferences of Chinese residents in the United States. Do a good job in the timely publication of safety reminders and local information. Safety is an important foundation for tourism development and the core concern of many tourists. Future Research: Due to the important research on the impact of tourism activities, the influencing factors are many and complex, and the psychological process of tourism decision-making is carried out directly. There are still unconsidered factors that need to be studied in depth. In the future, it is possible to compare multiple resource-featured themes, and increase the characteristics of potential tourists, and the factors affecting the selection behavior of regional cultural tourists, and so forth, in order to make the research more applicable and practical instructive significance.




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Understanding of the Quality of Computer-Mediated Communication Technology in the Context of Business Planning

Aim/Purpose: This study seeks to uncover the perceived quality factors of computer-mediated communication in business planning in which communication among teammates is crucial for collaboration. Background: Computer-mediated communication has made communicating with teammates easier and more affordable than ever. What motivates people to use a particular CMC technology during business planning is a major concern in this research. Methodology: This study seeks to address the issues by applying the concept of Information Product Quality (IPQ). Based on 21 factors derived from an extensive literature review on Information Product Quality (IPQ), an experimental study was conducted to identify the factors that are perceived as most relevant. Contribution: The findings in this study will help developers find a more customer-oriented approach to developing CMC technology design, specifically useful in collaborative work, such as business planning. Findings: This study extracted the three specific quality factors to use CMC technology in business planning: informational, physical, and service. Future Research: Future research will shed more light on the generality of these findings. Future studies should be extended to other population and contextual situations in the use of CMC.




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The Effect of Team Communication Behaviors and Processes on Interdisciplinary Teams’ Research Productivity and Team Satisfaction

Aim/Purpose: There is ample evidence that team processes matter more than the characteristics of individual team members; unfortunately, very few empirical studies have examined communication process variables closely or tied them to team outcomes. Background: The University of Miami Laboratory for Integrated Knowledge (U-LINK) is a pilot funding mechanism that was developed and implemented based on empirically-established best practices established in the literature on the Science of Team Science (SciTS). In addition to addressing grand societal challenges, teams engaged in processes designed to enhance the process of “teaming”. This study uses the Inputs-Mediator-Outputs-Inputs (IMOI) model as a blueprint for an investigation into how team communication processes (shared communication, shared leadership, formal meetings, informal meetings) influence intermediary team processes (goal clarity, role ambiguity, process clarity, trust) and team outcomes (team satisfaction, team productivity). Methodology: Monte Carlo methodologies were used to explore both longitudinal self-report (survey of communication and team outcome variables) data and objective data on scholarly productivity, collected from seventy-eight members of eleven real-world intact interdisciplinary teams to explore how team communication processes affect team outcomes. Contribution: This study is among the few that centers communication practice and processes in the operationalization and measurement of its constructs and which provides a test of hypotheses centered on key questions identified in the literature. Findings: Communication practices are important to team processes and outcomes. Shared communication and informal meetings were associated with increased team satisfaction and increased research productivity. Shared leadership was associated with increased research productivity, as well as improved process and goal clarity. Formal meetings were associated with increased goal clarity and decreased role ambiguity. Recommendation for Researchers: Studying intact interdisciplinary research teams requires innovative methods and clear specification of variables. Challenges associated with access to limited numbers of teams should not preclude engaging in research as each study contributes to our larger body of knowledge of the factors that influence the success of interdisciplinary research teams. Future Research: Future research should examine different team formation and funding mechanisms and extend observation and data collection for longer periods of time.




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The Predatory Journal: Victimizer or Victim?

Aim/Purpose: Labeling a journal as “predatory” can do great damage to the journal and the individuals that have contributed to it. This paper considers whether the predatory classification has outlived its usefulness and what might replace it. Background: With the advent of open access publishing, the term “predatory” has increasingly been used to identify academic journals, conferences, and publishers whose practices are driven by profit or self-interest rather than the advancement of science. Absent clear standards for determining what is predatory and what is not, concerns have been raised about the misuse of the label. Methodology: Mixed methods: A brief review of the literature, some illustrative case studies, and conceptual analysis. Contribution: The paper provides recommendations for reducing the impact of illegitimate journals. Findings: Current predatory classifications are being assigned with little or no systematic research and virtually no accountability. The predatory/not predatory distinction does not accommodate alternative journal missions. Recommendations for Researchers: The distinction between legitimate and illegitimate journals requires consideration of each journal’s mission. To serve as a useful guide, a process akin to that used for accrediting institutions needs to be put in place. Impact on Society: Avoiding unnecessary damage to the careers of researchers starting out. Future Research: Refining the initial classification scheme proposed in the paper.




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Informing Agility in the Context of Organizational Changes

Aim/Purpose. This paper, although conceived earlier than the emergence of COVID-19 pandemic, addresses the problem of informing agility as part of organizational agility that has become a rather important issue for business survival. Background. While the general issues of business informing, and business intelligence (BI) in particular, have been widely researched, the dynamics of informing, their ability to act in accord with changes in business and preserve the key competencies has not been widely researched. In particular, the research on BI agility is rather scattered, and many issues need to be clarified. Methodology. A series of in-depth interviews with BI professionals to determine relations between organizational agility and BI agility, and to round up a set of key factors of BI agility. Contribution. The paper clarifies a candidate set of key factors of BI agility and gives ground for future research in relations with areas like corporate and BI resilience and culture. Findings. The interview results show the relations between organizational changes, and changes in BI activities. BI has limited potential in recognizing important external changes but can be rather helpful in making decision choices and detecting internal problems. Lack of communication between business and IT people, existence of data silos and shadow BI, and general inadequacy of organizational and BI culture are the key factors impairing BI agility. Recommendations for Practitioners. There are practical issues around BI agility that need solving, like the reason-able coverage of standards or creation of a dedicated unit to care about BI potential. Recommendations for Researchers. The research is still in its starting phase, but additional interesting directions start to emerge, like relations between BI agility, resilience and corporate agility, or the role of informing culture and BI culture for BI agility issues. Impact on Society. Agile business, especially in times of global shocks like COVID-19, loses less value and has more chances to survive. Future Research. Most likely this will be focused on the relations between BI agility, resilience, and corporate agility, and the role of informing culture and BI culture for BI agility issues.




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The Good, the Bad, and the Neutral: Twitter Users’ Opinion on the ASUU Strike

Aim/Purpose: Nigeria’s university education goes through incessant strikes by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU). This strike has led to shared emotion on micro-blogging sites like Twitter. This study analyzed selected historical tweets from the “ASUU” to understand citizens’ opinions. Background: The researchers conducted sentiment analysis and topic modelling to understand Twitter users’ opinions on the strike. Methodology: The researchers used the Valence Aware Dictionary for Sentiment Reasoning (VADER) technique for sentiment analysis, and the Latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA) was used for topic modelling. A total of 10,000 tweets were first extracted for the study. After data cleaning, 1323 tweets were left. Contribution: To the researcher’s best knowledge, no published study has presented a sentiment analysis on the topic of the ASUU strike using the Twitter dataset. This research will fill this gap by providing a sentiment analysis and drawing out subjects by exploring the tweets on the phrase “ASUU.” Findings: The sentiment analysis result using VADER returned 567 tweets as ‘Negative,’ with the remaining 544 and 212 categorized as Positive and Neutral. The result of the LDA returned six topics, all comprising seven keywords. The topics were the solution to the strike, ASUU strike effect, strike Call-off, appeal to ASUU, student protest and student appeal. Recommendation for Researchers: Researchers can use this study’s findings to compare with other contexts of opinion mining. Practitioners may also use the research to understand better the attitudes of their staff and students about the strikes to create actionable solutions before the suspension of the strike. Future Research: Future studies can collect information from other social networking and blogging sites.




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Informing at the Crossroads of Design Science Research, Academic Entrepreneurship, and Digital Transformation: A Platform Ecosystem Roadmap

Aim/Purpose: Developing Digital Platform Ecosystems (DPE) to transform conventional Knowledge Management Systems (KM/KMS) scenarios promises significant benefits for individuals, institutions, as well as emerging knowledge economies. Background: The academic entrepreneurship project presented is aiming for such a KMS-DPE configuration. Having consolidated this author’s own and external re-search findings, realization is currently commencing with a start-up in a business incubator. Methodology: Design science research applying mixed one-sample case study and illustrative scenario approach focusing on conceptual analysis and entrepreneurship. Contribution: Although (academic) entrepreneurship is a young research area with recently growing interest, publications focusing on this transitional stage between maturing research and projected commercial viability of digital technologies are rare. Findings: A roadmap looking beyond the immediate early-start-up perspective is out-lined by integrating recent development-stage-related DPE-research and by addressing stakeholders diverse informing needs essential for system realization. Recommendations for Practitioners and Researchers: As this transdisciplinary perspective combines KM, informing, design science, and entrepreneurial research spaces, it may assist other researchers and practitioners facing similar circumstances and/or start-up opportunities. Impact on Society: The article advances the understanding of how DPE communities may serve members with highly diverse skills and ambitions better to gainfully utilize the platform’s resources and generative potential in their personal and local settings. Future Research: As the entrepreneurial agenda will complement (not substitute) the academic research, research priorities have been highlighted aligned to three future stages.




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The Impact of Middle and Senior Leadership Styles on Employee Performance -- Evidence From Chinese Enterprises

Aim/Purpose: This paper examines the impact of the transformational, servant, and paternalistic leadership styles on employee performance at the middle and senior levels. Background: Transdisciplinary research promotes the integration and development of various sciences. It provides more choices for leaders to adopt ways and practical activities to promote enterprise development. Complexity leadership theory emphasizes that effectively functioning organizations need distinct forms of leadership to work together. Leaders rely on different leadership practices in an emergent collaborative context, and finding an optimal balance is challenging. Many scholars have attempted to explore which leadership styles have a more significant impact on employees by distinguishing and defining types of leadership styles and explaining the process by which they influence employee behavior and performance. Various scholars have further explored and empirically demonstrated the impact of these three types of leadership styles (transformational, servant, paternalistic)on employee performance. While transformational and servant leadership have their roots in the West, paternalistic leadership has roots in China. Few scholars have conducted comparative studies on their positive impact on employee performance. How do these three leadership styles affect employee performance at the middle and senior levels in the Chinese context? Which combination of middle and senior leadership styles performs best? These are the second area that this paper will attempt to explore. Methodology: This study constructs a three-tier model at the senior, middle, and grassroots levels. A questionnaire survey was used to collect data. SPSS 22.0 and Amos were used for data analysis. Contribution: Through its construction of a three-tier model (senior, middle, and grassroots levels), the paper explores the combined effect of three leadership styles (transformational, servant, and paternalistic) on grassroots employees. It explores the impact of senior leaders across levels on grassroots employee performance, which is expected to provide a valuable addition to theories on leadership styles. It is also instructive to examine which leadership style performs better and what middle and senior leadership configurations are more conducive to driving beneficial employee behavior and, ultimately, corporate growth. Findings: The transformational, servant, and paternalistic leadership styles, both at the top and middle levels, have a significant positive relationship with employee performance; the middle leadership style plays a positive mediating role between the top leadership style and employee performance. In terms of impact on employee performance, transformational leadership shows the best results at both the top and middle levels, with paternalistic leadership second and servant leadership at the same level. Regarding which middle and senior leadership style pairing is the best, the sample is relatively small, and the gap between various pairing combinations is not evident from the data. If the sample size is enlarged, the coefficient will likely expand year-on-year. Therefore, we can assume that the pairing effect of top servant leadership and middle transformational leadership is the best, top paternalistic leadership and middle transformational leadership is the second-best, and the combination of top paternalistic leadership and middle-level servant leadership leaders is the weakest. Recommendation for Researchers: This paper extends the study of top and middle leadership’s combined effect on employee performance as a positive response to the call for multi-layer or cross-layer analysis in leadership research. The findings further enrich the literature on leadership style-related theories. The middle leadership style plays a positive mediating role between the top leadership style and employee performance. The trickle-down effect is further verified, i.e., the top leadership will have a permeating influence on employees through the middle leadership, and the top’s influence on the middle is generally more significant than the influence on grassroots employees. However, the difference between the influence of the middle leadership on the grassroots and that of the top on the grassroots is not apparent, which is inconsistent with the trickle-down effect that the middle leadership communicates more with the grassroots and has more influence on the grassroots, and further verification is needed. All three types of leaders positively affected employee performance, with the best being transformational leadership, paternalistic leadership, and servant leadership. This finding is consistent with some scholars and inconsistent with some scholars. The interested scholars can do further research. The better performance of diverse pairings in middle and senior leadership combinations is consistent with previous research suggesting that leadership styles have their own strengths and can be complementary. This paper further provides a comparative study of multiple leadership styles to validate the recognition and adaptability of leadership styles and further explain the complex relationship between leadership styles and employee job performance. Scholars can conduct comparative research on other leadership styles, and there may be different results. Future Research: Because of the cross-sectional data taken, the findings’ generalizability still needs further validation. There are many types of leadership styles, and there are other types of leadership styles that can be explored comparatively, perhaps leading to different findings. From another point of view, various leaders have their strengths, and they are not mutually hindering. More research is needed on team formation in a variety of contexts. Organic organizational structure enables knowledge creation and integration through the process of organizational learning through deep and continuous social interaction or dialogue. So we can further examine the influence process of leaders on employees from how to give full play to their advantages, such as improving shared leadership and shared communication.




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The Presence of Compassion Satisfaction, Compassion Fatigue, and Burn-out Among the General Population During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Aim/Purpose: This paper aimed to explore the impact of compassion fatigue, compassion satisfaction, and burn-out among the general population during the pandemic. Background: The paper has attempted to explore compassion fatigue, compassion satisfaction, and burn-out among the population at large, especially during the pandemic. This area has not been explored as yet. Methodology: A simple random sample of 98 males and 88 females was collected anonymously through a Google form survey. Part A collected demographic data and Part B comprised of 15 statements with 5 each for compassion fatigue, compassion satisfaction, and burn-out, adapted from a Compassion Fatigue/Satisfaction Self-Test. ANOVA single factor was employed for the three variables of compassion fatigue, compassion satisfaction, and burn-out using a 0.05 significance level. Correlations among the variables were also analyzed. Contribution: The present paper contributes to covering the research gap of investigating the presence of compassion fatigue, compassion satisfaction, and burn-out among the population at large comprising the age group of 18 to 60+ and from different professions. Findings: The findings revealed significant differences in the levels of compassion fatigue, compassion satisfaction, and burn-out in the population at large during the pandemic. Future Research: The findings can be further strengthened by extending it to a larger sample size across different nations and, specifically, studying gender differences during such adverse pandemic situations.




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Informing Science and International Relations: Transdisciplinarity of the Concepts Civilization, Ideology, and Geopolitics

Aim/Purpose: The integration of knowledge through the transdisciplinary method with the three concepts civilization, ideology, and geopolitics (CIG) enables the analysis of international relations in a new perspective and the informing strategists of countries, organizations, analysts, clients, etc. These three concepts express the transdisciplinarity that offers a new theoretical explanation and the informing science approach. Background: The integration of knowledge using the three concepts for the analysis of international relations has found adequate explanations from 1890 until the withdrawal of the United States from Afghanistan. Therefore, the CIG model theoretically and practically finds support for more than a century, as argued in the paper. Methodology: The present paper uses a mixed theory based on transdisciplinary methodology and informing science. The literature was reviewed to find and build the theoretical basis and provide appropriate examples. The theory is also based on the model used by Francis Fukuyama in his books on building and dissolution of states (middle-range theory). Contribution: This paper enables the rethinking of the limitations of research on a theoretical and practical basis that is done in many scientific circles, not to eliminate others but to enrich science even more. Findings: In the paper, the main findings are the following: Integrating the three CIG concepts according to the transdisciplinary method offers a new perspective to explain international relations using the IS method; The integration of the three concepts is worthwhile after 1980, when the model of cabinet governments falls, Bismarck falls, and public opinion starts to emerge; It was after 1980 that theories of civilization and geopolitics began to emerge along with ideologies to apply in practice; These three concepts offer explanations based on a CIG zone and in the periphery of the CIG zone. In the CIG zone the security sphere is more stable and long-term, while in periphery the cooperation is temporary and not long termed; The paper shows that the Cold War period is divided into two periods; The paper also finds that CIG explains with examples the events that happened after the Cold War and until present days; The paper also shows, based on the strategies of the superpowers, how they are extending their influence based on the CIG concepts. The paper also shows new patterns of cooperation and clashes between the superpowers’ security zones, which also provide an explanatory perspective for the USA withdrawal from Afghanistan. (We do not talk in the paper about the Afghanistan issue and USA withdrawal). Recommendation for Researchers: Scientific attributes in the integration of knowledge give researchers a more open and comprehensive perspective to make more accurate and practical analyses of international relations. According to this model, other theories are enriched that use the transdisciplinary method, IS, and the CIG as a model for the integration of knowledge. Future Research: Researchers and practitioners of this CIG model can find answers such as “Why did the USA fail in Afghanistan and why was it successful in Kosovo?” as well as other questions about finding a solution for Iraq, cooperation with China, etc.




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Mediating Effect of Burnout Dimensions on Musculoskeletal Pain: The Role of Emotional Intelligence and Organisational Identification

Aim/Purpose: The present study aims to frame the relationship between job and personal resources (namely, organizational identification and emotional intelligence), burnout, and musculoskeletal disorders (i.e., back pain, upper limb pain, lower limb discomfort), into the theoretical framework provided by the JD-R health model. Background: Empirical research indicates a connection between burnout and the onset of musculoskeletal problems, one of the most important occupational health issues affecting all jobs and organizations. In light of the JD-R health model, we investigated the association between personal and job resources with burnout and musculoskeletal disorders. Methodology: An anonymous online questionnaire was answered by 320 workers (82.4% female, Mage = 42.18; SDage = 12.24) investigating their perceived level of burnout, the presence of musculoskeletal pain (back, neck, and shoulder), and their level of organizational identification and emotional intelligence. Descriptive analysis, correlation, and moderated mediation model were performed using SPSS. Contribution: We confirmed the role of personal and organizational resources in the salutogenic process considered by the JD-R health model. Emotional intelligence, decreasing the perceived level of burnout, limited the development of musculoskeletal disorders. Moreover, when organizational identification presented low and medium levels, the association between emotional intelligence and burnout strengthened. Findings: Our results showed a negative, indirect effect of emotional intelligence on musculoskeletal disorders via burnout. Moreover, we found a moderation of organizational organization, indicating that at low and medium levels of identification, the association between emotional intelligence and burnout is stronger. Recommendation for Researchers: In addition to work factors involved in the link between burnout and musculoskeletal disorders, it is also important to consider personal and emotional factors, which can decrease the occurrence of adverse consequences. Future Research: Future research developments could contribute to a deeper understanding of the mechanisms linking emotional intelligence, burnout, and musculoskeletal problems, as well as consider objective indicators of burnout levels or consider using ecological data collection methodologies (e.g., ecological momentary assessment), to identify patterns and associations between burnout and musculoskeletal disorders.




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Informing Consumers: A Bibliometric and Thematic Analysis of Pack Nutrition Labelling

Aim/Purpose: The focus on human well-being has attracted the attention of consumers, organizations, and marketers to understand the various facets of Front of Pack Nutrition Labelling (FOPNL). This study examines the overall research trends in the FPONL domain and identifies the new research areas. Background: FOPNL is becoming increasingly popular and its influence has been widely examined. Different label schemes have been introduced across different regions in the world. Nevertheless, such interventions are limited in developing economies. Methodology: This study uses bibliometric analysis methods to explore Front of Pack Nutrition Labelling (FOPNL) trends using 602 articles published in selected business journals. Contribution: The paper identifies the new FOPNL research avenues. The study indicates that FOPNL has become a crucial research area, and more research is needed at the organization, managerial, and policy levels. Findings: The study identifies four themes. The first theme identified is the effect of harmful nutrients on health and the role of FOPNL nutrition in changing eating habits. The second theme focused on the government's policy and implementation of FOPNL nutrition labeling regulations. The third theme is dedicated to the work on attention, perception, understanding, and influence of multiple traffic light schemes. The fourth theme relates to the Health Star Rating, Nutri Score, and Healthier Choice FOPNL nutrition labeling schemes. Overall, the paper informs consumers, manufacturers, and regulators about the recent trends in the FOPNL research. Recommendation for Researchers: Though FOPNL has been widely examined in the health and nutrition domain, however, limited research has been done in the marketing domain. Research using neuroscientific methods (e.g. eye tracking) should provide more robust findings. Future Research: There is limited research on FOPNL from emerging economies. Future research can examine how FOPNL may influence people, policy, and private entities.




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The Intricate Pathways From Empowering Leadership to Burnout: A Deep Dive Into Interpersonal Conflicts, Work-Home Interactions, and Supportive Colleagues

Aim/Purpose: This study builds upon existing research by investigating the elements contributing to or buffering the onset of burnout symptoms. We examine the relationship between empowering leadership and burnout, considering the concurrent mediation effects of interpersonal workplace conflict, work-home conflict, and support from coworkers. Background: Burnout is a phenomenon that has been widely considered in the scientific literature due to its negative effect on individual and organizational well-being, as well as implications for leadership, coworker support, and conflict resolution. A deeper understanding of burnout prevention strategies across various professional contexts is paramount for enhancing productivity and job satisfaction. Methodology: Using a survey-based cross-sectional design, we employed a combination of Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) and Artificial Neural Network (ANN) to investigate the direct and indirect influences of empowering leadership on four dimensions of employee burnout, mediated by coworker support, interpersonal conflict at work, and work-home conflict. Contribution: This study provides initial insights into the direct and indirect influences of empowering leadership on various dimensions of burnout, highlighting the complex interplay with coworker support, work-home conflict, and workplace interpersonal conflicts. Ultimately, the study provides a comprehensive approach to understanding and mitigating burnout. Findings: Empowering leadership and coworker support can significantly reduce burnout symptoms, while high levels of work-home conflict and interpersonal conflict at work can exacerbate them. Our findings underscore the paramount role of interpersonal conflict in predicting burnout, urging organizations to prioritize resolving such issues for burnout prevention. Recommendation for Researchers: Following our findings, organizations should (a) promote empowering leadership styles, (b) foster coworker support and work-life balance, and (c) address interpersonal conflicts to reduce the likelihood of employee burnout while ensuring that these strategies are tailored to the specific context and culture of the workplace. Future Research: Future research should broaden the exploration of leadership styles’ effects on burnout, identify additional mediators and moderators, expand studies across sectors and cultures, examine differential impacts on burnout dimensions, leverage advanced analytical models, and investigate the nuanced relationship between work contract types and burnout.




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Embitterment in the Workplace: How Does It Associate with Burnout and What Triggers It?

Aim/Purpose: Embitterment comprises a stress-related response to unjust life experiences. Studies have found that it can have a toll on employees’ well-being. However, research on this matter is still in its infancy. Background: Within the scope of the present study, Ι sought to investigate how embitterment relates to burnout – the prolonged consequence of stress. This study further explored whether breaches of psychological contracts can trigger embitterment. Methodology: The study employed a cross-sectional design where two hundred and eight (N = 208) participants from the general population completed an online survey. Contribution: Findings suggest that the toll of embitterment might be much more than what research has suggested so far. Those who experience embitterment can become emotionally exhausted and cynical and these findings can be especially useful when identifying embitterment. Findings: It was found that embitterment related to higher burnout levels and more specifically emotional exhaustion and cynicism. No significant findings were revealed for the relationship between professional inefficacy and embitterment. Also, psychological contract breach was found to be a significant predictor of embitterment, supporting further the notion that perceptions of injustice can trigger feelings of embitterment. Results also showed that embitterment mediated the relationship between psychological contract breach and burnout. Recommendation for Researchers: The study highlights the notion that fairness is a key precursor of embitterment, and this finding is essential when developing interventions to prevent embitterment from arising. Future Research: Future research could use a longitudinal study design to unravel whether burnout represents a precondition or the consequence of embitterment. Future research should also include more objective measures. For example, it would be useful to pair self-report data with more objective measures on embitterment (e.g. clinical interviews).




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Define and Tackle Hate Speech: The Experience of Social Workers in Italy

Aim/Purpose: The aim of this qualitative study is to explore social workers’ representations of hate speech (HS), the effects it has on the community, and socio-educational actions aimed at combating it. Background: Hate speech is any form of communication that promotes discrimination, hostility, or violence towards individuals or groups based on their identity. Although its spread is facilitated by particular characteristics of the online environment (such as anonymity and ubiquity), HS has pervasive consequences even in offline reality. In the last year, several community-based projects involving social workers have been implemented to address the problem. Professionals who work with the community play a crucial strategic role in the fight against HS. Therefore, it is imperative to begin by considering their perspective to gain a better understanding of HS and how it can be controlled. Methodology: Following a psycho-sociological perspective, six focus groups were conducted with 42 social workers (19 females and 23 males) belonging to associations or organizations of a different nature, such as NGOs, local social promotion organizations, universities, private social organizations, whose mission included the theme of countering hate speech. Contribution: There are no studies in the literature that consider the views of operators working to counter hate speech within communities. Our study contributes to deepening the knowledge of the phenomenon and identifying the most suitable strategies to combat it, starting from an approach that does not only focus on the online or offline dimension but on an integrated “onlife” approach. The study offers an outline of how hate speech affects the daily lives of the communities in the cities of Torino, Palermo, and Ancona. Additionally, it proposes a grassroots strategy to address hate speech. Findings: The results suggest that strategies effective in countering hate speech in offline contexts may not be effective in online environments. The technological revolution brought about by social media has significantly expanded the potential audience while weakening traditional communities. Addressing hate speech in the present context requires efforts to rebuild fragmented communities, gaining a thorough understanding of how the new virtual public space operates, and prioritizing hate speech as a specific concern only after these initial steps. Recommendation for Researchers: Hate speech represents a violation of human rights and a threat to freedom of expression. The spread of hateful messages has a significant impact on society, as it can negatively influence social cohesion, diversity, and inclusion. Understanding the causes and consequences of hate speech can help develop effective strategies to prevent and counter it, which is a crucial challenge for both research and society as a whole. Studying hate speech should involve the use of interdisciplinary methodologies. Future Research: Future research should focus on comparative analysis at the European Union level to assess the ability of civil society in other countries to develop effective strategies against hate speech.




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Rationalizing Fiction Cues: Psychological Effects of Disclosing Ads and the Inaccuracy of the Human Mind When Being in Parasocial Relationships

Aim/Purpose: Parasocial relationships are today established on social media between influencers and their followers. While marketing effects are well-researched, little is known about the meaning of such relationships and the psychological mechanisms behind them. This study, therefore, explores the questions: “How do followers on Instagram interpret explicit fiction cues from influencers?” and “What does this reveal about the meaning of parasocial attachment?” Background: With a billion-dollar advertising industry and leading in influencing opinion, Instagram is a significant societal and economic player. One factor for the effective influence of consumers is the relationship between influencer and follower. Research shows that disclosing advertisements surprisingly does not harm credibility, and sometimes even leads to greater trustworthiness and, in turn, willingness to purchase. While such reverse dynamics are measurable, the mechanisms behind them remain largely unexplored. Methodology: The study follows an explorative approach with in-depth interviews, which are analyzed with Mayring’s content analysis under a reconstructive paradigm. The findings are discussed through the lens of critical psychology. Contribution: Firstly, this study contributes to the understanding of the communicative dynamics of influencer-follower communication alongside the reality-fiction-gap model, and, secondly, it contributes empirical insights through the analysis of 22 explorative interviews. Findings: The findings show (a) how followers rationalize fiction cues and justify compulsive decision-making, (b) how followers are vulnerable to influences, and (c) how parasocial attachment formation overshadows rational logic and agency. The findings are discussed with regard to mechanisms, vulnerabilities, rationalizations and cognitive bias, and the social self, as well as the ethics of influencer marketing and politics. Recommendation for Researchers: The contribution is relevant to relationship research, group dynamics and societal organizing, well-being, identity, and health perspectives, within psychology, sociology, media studies, and pedagogy to management. Future Research: Future research might seek to understand more about (a) quantifiable vulnerabilities, such as attachment styles, dispositions, and demographics, (b) usage patterns and possible factors of prevention, (c) cognitive and emotional mechanisms involved with larger samples, (d) the impact on relationships and well-being, and (e) possible conditions for the potential of parasocial attachment.




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The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Workers’ Skills: Upskilling and Reskilling in Organisations

Aim/Purpose: This paper examines the transformative impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on professional skills in organizations and explores strategies to address the resulting challenges. Background: The rapid integration of AI across various sectors is automating tasks and reducing cognitive workload, leading to increased productivity but also raising concerns about job displacement. Successfully adapting to this transformation requires organizations to implement new working models and develop strategies for upskilling and reskilling their workforce. Methodology: This review analyzes recent research and practice on AI's impact on human skills in organizations. We identify key trends in how AI is reshaping professional competencies and highlight the crucial role of transversal skills in this evolving landscape. The paper also discusses effective strategies to support organizations and guide workers through upskilling and reskilling processes. Contribution: The paper contributes to the existing body of knowledge by examining recent trends in AI's impact on professional skills and workplaces. It emphasizes the importance of transversal skills and identifies strategies to support organizations and workers in meeting upskilling and reskilling challenges. Our findings suggest that investing in workforce development is crucial for ensuring that the benefits of AI are equitably distributed among all stakeholders. Findings: Our findings indicate that organizations must employ a proactive approach to navigate the AI-driven transformation of the workplace. This approach involves mapping the transversal skills needed to address current skill gaps, helping workers identify and develop skills required for effective AI adoption, and implementing processes to support workers through targeted training and development opportunities. These strategies are essential for ensuring that workers' attitudes and mental models towards AI are adaptable and prepared for the changing labor market. Recommendation for Researchers: We emphasize the need for researchers to adopt a transdisciplinary approach when studying AI's impact on the workplace. Given AI's complexity and its far-reaching implications across various fields including computer science, mathematics, engineering, and behavioral and social sciences, integrating diverse perspectives is crucial for a holistic understanding of AI's applications and consequences. Future Research: Looking ahead, further research is needed to deepen our understanding of AI's impact on human skills, particularly the role of soft skills in AI adoption within organizations. Future studies should also address the challenges posed by Industry 5.0, which is expected to bring about even more extensive integration of new technologies and automation.




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The Impact of Vocabulary Preteaching and Content Previewing on the Listening Comprehension of Arabic-Speaking EFL Learners

Aim/Purpose: The purpose of this study is to determine the impact of pre-listening activities on Arabic-speaking EFL learners’ comprehension of spoken texts. Background: This study aims to contribute to the current research and to increase our understanding about the effectiveness of pre-listening activities. Specifically, this study seeks to clarify some of the research in this area that seems to be incongruent. Methodology: The study investigates two widely implemented activities in second language (L2) classrooms: vocabulary preteaching and content previewing. Ninety-three native-Arabic speaking EFL learners, whose proficiently levels were beginner, intermediate, or advanced, were randomly assigned to a control group or one of three experimental groups: the vocabulary-only (VO) group, content-only (CO) group, or vocabulary + content (VC) group. Each of the experimental groups received one of the treatments to determine which pre-listening activity was more effective and whether additional pre-listening activities yield additional comprehension. Listening comprehension of the aural text was measured by a test comprising 13 multiple-choice and true-false questions. Contribution: The present study provided additional explanations regarding the long-standing contradicting results about vocabulary preteaching and content previewing. Findings: The results showed that pre-listening activities had a positive impact on Arabic-speaking EFL learners’ listening comprehension, with the VO group significantly increasing their scores on the posttest compared to those of the control or other groups. Vocabulary preteaching was particularly beneficial for more advanced learners. With regard to which pre-listening activity contributed the most to better listening comprehension, vocabulary preteaching was the most effective. Content previewing did not increase comprehension for the CO group and had no additional benefit for the VC group. Recommendation for Researchers: This paper recommends that researchers explore new pre-listening activities that have never studied. Future research should be extended to include other nations and contextual situations to extend our knowledge about the effect of pre-listening activities. As far as listening comprehension can only be achieved when listeners are attentive and engaged, the listening text should be interesting and the lexical coverage of the listening text should be appropriate for all participants. Future Research: The results are to be interpreted carefully because they are limited by the students’ L2 proficiency, demographic, and cultural backgrounds (i.e., first language (L1) proficiency, age, gender, Middle Eastern culture). Results might be quite different if the study was conducted with different populations who have different life and language learning experiences (Vandergrift & Baker, 2015). Therefore, the results of this study indicate there is much room for improvement and a need for further research.




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The Relationship between Perceived Organizational Support (POS) and Turnover Intention: The Mediating Role of Job Motivation, Affective and Normative Commitment

Aim/Purpose: The study aims to examine the mediating role of job motivation and affective and normative commitment on the relationship between perceived organizational support (POS) and job turnover intention. Background: POS refers to employees’ beliefs and perceptions concerning the extent to which the organization values their contributions, cares about their well-being, and fulfils their socio-emotional needs. To date, research has shown that employee turnover is a complex construct resulting from the interplay of both individual and organizational variables, such as motivation and climate. Methodology: Cross-sectional data were collected from 143 employees of an Italian industrial company. Paper-and-pencil questionnaires were used to assess respondents’ POS, job motivation, affective and normative organizational commitment, and turnover intentions. Contribution: Specifically, in this research, we aim at examining (i) the indirect effect of POS on turnover intention via (ii) job motivation and (iii) normative and affective commitment. Findings: Results show that high POS is associated with high levels of job motivation and affective and normative commitment, which in turn are negatively linked to turnover intentions. Recommendation for Researchers: Researchers should not lose sight of the importance of studying and delving into the concept of turnover intention given that, from an organizational point of view, losing personnel means losing competencies, which need to be replaced through assessment, selection, training, and development, processes that are often challenging and expensive. Future Research: Future research should further investigate the role of motivation and commitment, other than additional variables, for POS and turnover intention. Longitudinal studies and further testing are required to verify the causal processes stemming from our model. Future research could consider linking employees’ self-reported measures with objective data concerning turnover rates.




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Applied Psychology and Informing Science: Introduction to the Developing Special Series

Aim/Purpose: This is an introductory paper for the developing special series on applied psychology and informing science. It takes into account the spirit of informing science to launch the first of three articles in the series on applied psychology. The paper concludes by raising questions for future investigations.




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Informing Academia Through Understanding of the Technology Use, Information Gathering Behaviors, and Social Concerns of Gen Z

Aim/Purpose: The aim of this paper is to examine Gen Z students located in a representative region of the United States when it comes to technology use, news and information gathering behaviors, civic engagement, and social concerns and whether differences exist based on institutional type. The purpose is to report this information so that academics can better understand the behaviors, priorities, and interests of current American students. Background: This paper investigates the mindset of Generation Z students living in the United States during a period of heightened civic unrest. Through the lens of the Theory of Generations, Uses and Gratifications Theory, and Intersectional Theory, this study aims to examine the Gen Z group and compare findings across populations. Methodology: An electronic survey was administered to students from 2019 through 2022. The survey included a combination of multiple responses, Likert scaled, dichotomous, open-ended, and ordinal questions. It was developed in the Survey Monkey system and reviewed by content and methodological experts to examine bias, vagueness, or potential semantic problems. The survey was pilot-tested in 2018 before implementation in order to explore the efficacy of the research methodology. It was then modified accordingly before widespread distribution to potential participants. The surveys were administered to students enrolled in classes taught by the authors, all of whom are educators. Participation was voluntary, optional, and anonymous. Contribution: This paper provides insight into the mindset of Generation Z students living in the United States, which is helpful to members of academia who should be informed about the current generation of students in higher education. Studying Generation Z helps us understand the future and can provide insight into the shifting needs and expectations of society. Findings: According to the findings, Gen Z are heavy users of digital technologies who use social media as their primary source for gathering news about current events as well as information for schoolwork. The majority of respondents considered themselves to be social activists. When institutional type was considered, there were notable differences with the students at the Historically Black College or University (HBCU), noting the greatest concern with a number of pressing issues, including racial justice/Black Lives Matter, women’s rights, gun violence, immigration reform, and human trafficking. Less significance across groups was found when LGBTQIA+ rights and climate change were considered. Recommendation for Researchers: As social media continues to proliferate in daily life and become a vital means of news and information gathering, additional studies such as the one presented here are needed. In other countries facing similarly turbulent times, measuring student interest, awareness, and engagement is highly informative. Future Research: Future research will explore the role that influencers have in opinion formation and the information-gathering habits of Gen Z.




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Colleagues’ Support and Techno-Complexity: The Importance of a Positive Aging Climate

Aim/Purpose: With a focus on promoting sustainable career paths, this article investigates the intricate relationship between age diversity management and techno-complexity, emphasizing the pivotal role of a supportive work environment. Background: In the modern workplace, the dynamics of age diversity emerge as a crucial element influencing the well-being and productivity of employees, particularly amidst the swiftly evolving digital landscape. This becomes especially pertinent when considering workers’ unique challenges adapting to technological advancements. Methodology: Utilizing a cross-sectional design, data were collected from 160 employees in an Italian multinational company within the metalworking sector. Contribution: This study provides valuable insights into the complex dynamics between the aging climate, colleagues’ support, and techno-complexity. It emphasized the importance of considering the direct effects of organizational factors and their in-direct influences through social dynamics and support structures within the workplace. Findings: The results revealed the mediating role of colleagues’ support in the relationship between the aging climate and techno-complexity. These findings highlight the importance of a supportive work environment in the context of sustainable career development, contributing to a comprehensive understanding of diversity management within the modern digital era. Recommendation for Researchers: Our results open to a series of implications and future directions. First, the unexpected finding regarding the direct relationship between the aging climate and technostress calls for a deeper exploration of the intricacies involved. Future studies could delve into specific organizational contexts, technological demands, and individual differences that may modulate this relationship. Future Research: Future studies could delve into specific organizational contexts, technological demands, and individual differences that may modulate this relationship.




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Transdisciplinary Issues of the United States Healthcare Delivery System

Aim/Purpose: This paper applies informing science principles to analyze the evolution of United States (U.S.) healthcare delivery, exploring how policy shifts, technological advancements, and changing practices have transformed informing processes within this complex system. By examining healthcare delivery through a transdisciplinary lens, we aim to enhance the understanding of intricate informing environments and their dynamics. Background: The U.S. healthcare system epitomizes a complex, evolving transdisciplinary domain intersecting information systems, policy, economics, and public health. Recent transformations in stakeholder information flow necessitate an informing science perspective to comprehend these changes fully. Methodology: We synthesize literature on U.S. healthcare delivery changes, employing informing science frameworks such as Cohen’s “informing environment” concept to analyze the evolution of healthcare informing processes. Contribution: This study expands informing science theory by examining how changes in a complex transdisciplinary system impact information flow, decision-making, and stakeholder interactions. The results provide insights into challenges and opportunities within evolving informing environments. Findings: Our analysis reveals significant alterations in the U.S. healthcare informing landscape due to policy, regulatory, and technological changes. We identify key transformations in client-sender-delivery system relationships, shifts in information asymmetry, and the emergence of novel informing channels and barriers. Recommendation for Researchers: Future studies should develop informing science models capable of capturing the complexity and dynamism of healthcare delivery systems, particularly amidst rapid technological and policy changes. Future Research: Further investigation is needed into how emerging technologies reshape healthcare informing processes and their impact on care quality, accessibility, and cost-effectiveness.




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The Three Worlds of Task Complexity

Aim/Purpose: To provide a systematic approach to defining task complexity using a three worlds model previously introduced in informing science research. Background: The task complexity construct presents researchers with a quandary. While it appears useful on the surface, repeated attempts to define it rigorously have failed to gain traction in the broader research community. The level of inconsistency between definitions is shown to have changed little in the past 20 years. Methodology: Using a common framework that treats task complexity as a latent construct residing between sources and outcomes, moderated by both task familiarity and task discretion, separate models for each of the three worlds are developed. Contribution: Our paper proposes a potential path forward by showing how many issues in past task complexity research can be reconciled by framing the construct according to the three worlds model: the world we experience, the world of human artifacts, and the “real world.” Findings: The framework defines experienced complexity as occurring in the mind of the task performer while performing a single task instance, intrinsic complexity as a function of the internal characteristics of the problem space used to perform a bounded set of task instances, and extrinsic complexity as the ruggedness of the fitness landscape in which the task is performed. Recommendation for Researchers: It offers a path to convergence for definitions of task complexity. Future Research: The three worlds of task complexity can potentially be applied to many practical problems.




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Information Technology and the Complexity Cycle

Aim/Purpose: In this paper we propose a framework identifying many of the unintended consequences of information technology and posit that the increased complexity brought about by IT is a proximate cause for these negative effects. Background: Builds upon the three-world model that has been evolving within the informing science transdiscipline. Methodology: We separate complexity into three categories: experienced complexity, intrinsic complexity, and extrinsic complexity. With the complexity cycle in mind, we consider how increasing complexity of all three forms can lead to unintended consequences at the individual, task and system levels. Examples of these consequences are discussed at the individual level (e.g., deskilling, barriers to advancement), the task level (e.g., perpetuation of past practices), as well as broader consequences that may result from the need to function in an environment that is more extrinsically complex (e.g., erosion of predictable causality, shortened time horizons, inequality, tribalism). We conclude by reflecting on the implications of attempting to manage or limit increases of complexity. Contribution: Shows how many unintended consequences of IT could be attributed to growing complexity. Findings: We find that these three forms of complexity feed into one another resulting in a positive feedback loop that we term the Complexity Cycle. As examples, we analyze ChatGPT, blockchain and quantum computing, through the lens of the complexity cycle, speculating how experienced complexity can lead to greater intrinsic complexity in task performance through the incorporation of IT which, in turn, increases the extrinsic complexity of the economic/technological environment. Recommendations for Practitioners: Consider treating increasing task complexity as an externality that should be considered as new systems are developed and deployed. Recommendation for Researchers: Provides opportunities for empirical investigation of the proposed model. Impact on Society: Systemic risks of complexity are proposed along with some proposals regarding how they might be addressed. Future Research: Empirical investigation of the proposed model and the degree to which cognitive changes created by the proposed complexity cycle are necessarily problematic.




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Critical Review of Stack Ensemble Classifier for the Prediction of Young Adults’ Voting Patterns Based on Parents’ Political Affiliations

Aim/Purpose: This review paper aims to unveil some underlying machine-learning classification algorithms used for political election predictions and how stack ensembles have been explored. Additionally, it examines the types of datasets available to researchers and presents the results they have achieved. Background: Predicting the outcomes of presidential elections has always been a significant aspect of political systems in numerous countries. Analysts and researchers examining political elections rely on existing datasets from various sources, including tweets, Facebook posts, and so forth to forecast future elections. However, these data sources often struggle to establish a direct correlation between voters and their voting patterns, primarily due to the manual nature of the voting process. Numerous factors influence election outcomes, including ethnicity, voter incentives, and campaign messages. The voting patterns of successors in regions of countries remain uncertain, and the reasons behind such patterns remain ambiguous. Methodology: The study examined a collection of articles obtained from Google Scholar, through search, focusing on the use of ensemble classifiers and machine learning classifiers and their application in predicting political elections through machine learning algorithms. Some specific keywords for the search include “ensemble classifier,” “political election prediction,” and “machine learning”, “stack ensemble”. Contribution: The study provides a broad and deep review of political election predictions through the use of machine learning algorithms and summarizes the major source of the dataset in the said analysis. Findings: Single classifiers have featured greatly in political election predictions, though ensemble classifiers have been used and have proven potent use in the said field is rather low. Recommendation for Researchers: The efficacy of stack classification algorithms can play a significant role in machine learning classification when modelled tactfully and is efficient in handling labelled datasets. however, runtime becomes a hindrance when the dataset grows larger with the increased number of base classifiers forming the stack. Future Research: There is the need to ensure a more comprehensive analysis, alternative data sources rather than depending largely on tweets, and explore ensemble machine learning classifiers in predicting political elections. Also, ensemble classification algorithms have indeed demonstrated superior performance when carefully chosen and combined.




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If Different Acupressure Points have the same Effect on the Pain Severity of Active Phase of Delivery among Primiparous Women Referred to the Selected Hospitals of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, 2010

Labor pain and its relieving methods is one of the anxieties of mothers having a great impact on the quality of care during delivery as well as the patients' satisfaction. The propensity of using non-medicinal pain relief methods is increasing. The present study aimed to compare the effect of Acupressure at two GB-21 and SP06 points on the severity of labor pain. In this quasi-experimental single blind study started on December 2010 and ended on June 2011 in which 150 primiparous women were divided into three groups of Acupressure at GB-21 point, Acupressure at SP-6 point and control group. The intervention was carried out for 20 min at 3-4 and 20 min at 7-8 cm dilatation of Cervix. The pain severity was measured by Visual Analog Scale before and immediately, 30 and 60 min after the intervention. Then, the data were statistically analyzed. No significant difference was found among the 3 groups regarding the pain severity before the intervention. However, the pain severity it was reduced at 3-4 and 7-8 cm dilatation immediately, 30 and 60 min after the intervention in the two intervention groups compared to the control group (p<0.001). Nonetheless, no statistically significant difference was observed between the two intervention groups (p = 0.93). The results of the study showed that application of Acupressure at two GB-21 and SP-6 points was effective in the reduction of the severity of labor pain. Therefore, further studies are recommended to be performed on the application of Acupressure together with non-medicinal methods.




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2024 Fall Symposium — Race, Rights, and Innovation: Cultivating Equity in the Digital World

Friday, September 27 | 9:30 a.m. (PT) | Online Event Details and Recoding Here  Join us for Race, Rights, and Innovation: Cultivating Equity in the Digital World, a thought-provoking event exploring the intersection of race, technology, and legal frameworks. We’ll delve into the historical treatment of minority creators in copyright ...

The post 2024 Fall Symposium — Race, Rights, and Innovation: Cultivating Equity in the Digital World appeared first on Berkeley Technology Law Journal.




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Tribal Self-Determination and the Protection of Cultural Property

This article is part of the 2024 BCLT-BTLJ-CMTL Symposium.  Angela R. Riley When my tribe, the Citizen Potawatomi Nation of Oklahoma (CPN), established an Eagle Aviary to protect and care for injured eagles that could no longer survive in the wild, it did so with a few goals in mind. ...

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TikTok and the Control over the Means of Production in the Fourth Industrial Revolution

This article is part of the 2024 BCLT-BTLJ-CMTL Symposium.  Leo Yu The national security concerns surrounding TikTok appear straightforward: it is China. To many policymakers and scholars, the mere connection to China warrants severe measures, including either divestment to an American firm or a complete shutdown. What renders China’s involvement ...

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Expanding TikTok’s Liability for the “For You Page”

By Barbara Rasin, J.D. Candidate, 2027 In Anderson v. TikTok, decided in in late summer 2024, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals held that TikTok’s “For You Page” algorithm was sufficiently creative to bar its protection under §230 of the Communications Decency Act (CDA). This is a significant step towards ...

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A fuzzy-probabilistic bi-objective mathematical model for integrated order allocation, production planning, and inventory management

An optimisation-based decision-making support is proposed in this study in the form of fuzzy-probabilistic programming, which can be used to solve integrated order allocation, production planning, and inventory management problems in fuzzy and probabilistic uncertain environments. The problem was modelled in an uncertain mathematical optimisation model with two objectives: maximising the expectation of production volume and minimising the expectation of total operational cost subject to demand and other constraints. The model belongs to fuzzy-probabilistic bi-objective integer linear programming, and the generalised reduced gradient method combined with the branch-and-bound algorithm was utilised to solve the derived model. Numerical simulations were performed to illustrate how the optimal decision was formulated. The results showed that the proposed decision-making support was successful in providing the optimal decision with the maximum expectation of the production volume and minimum expectation of the total operational cost. Therefore, the approach can be implemented by decision-makers in manufacturing companies.




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A data mining model to predict the debts with risk of non-payment in tax administration

One of the main tasks in tax administration is debt management. The main goal of this function is tax due collection. Statements are processed in order to select strategies to use in the debt management process to optimise the debt collection process. This work proposes to carry out a data mining process to predict debts of taxpayers with high probability of non-payment. The data mining process identifies high-risk debts using a survival analysis on a dataset from a tax administration. Three groups of tax debtors with similar payment behaviour were identified and a success rate of up to 90% was reached in estimating the payment time of taxpayers. The concordance index (C-index) was used to determine the performance of the constructed model. The highest prediction rate reached was 90.37% corresponding to the third group.




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Designing a method to model the socio-technical systems

To capture the complexity and diversity of systems with both technical and social features, modelling methods are needed that similarly provide various tools and concepts. Study of developed methods shows that despite all of their advantages and strengths, there is a need for a method that with a holistic approach integrates perspectives, strengths and tools of the developed methods and models with different aspects of socio-technical systems. The main aim of the current study is to design a method for modelling complex socio-technical systems. To achieve this goal, it is necessary to design a method that is based on creativity and existing knowledge base. Therefore, design science research is used as a research strategy to design proposed method. For the first time, design science research in the field of operations research has been used to design a modelling method. This study also presents new tools and concepts for modelling socio-technical systems.




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Hybrid of machine learning-based multiple criteria decision making and mass balance analysis in the new coconut agro-industry product development

Product innovation has become a crucial part of the sustainability of the coconut agro-industry in Indonesia, covering upstream and downstream sides. To overcome this challenge, it is necessary to create several model stages using a hybrid method that combines machine learning based on multiple criteria decision making and mass balance analysis. The research case study was conducted in Tembilahan district, Riau province, Indonesia, one of the primary coconut producers in Indonesia. The analysis results showed that potential products for domestic customers included coconut milk, coconut cooking oil, coconut chips, coconut jelly, coconut sugar, and virgin coconut oil. Furthermore, considering the experts, the most potential product to be developed was coconut sugar with a weight of 0.26. Prediction of coconut sugar demand reached 13,996,607 tons/year, requiring coconut sap as a raw material up to 97,976,249.




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Advancements in the DRG system payment: an optimal volume/procedure mix model for the optimisation of the reimbursement in Italian healthcare organisations

In Italy, the reimbursement provided to healthcare organisations for medical and surgical procedures is based on the diagnosis related group weight (DRGW), which is an increasing function of the complexity of the procedures. This makes the reimbursement an upper unlimited function. This model does not include the relation of the volume with the complexity. The paper proposes a mathematical model for the optimisation of the reimbursement by determining the optimal mix of volume/procedure, considering the relation volume/complexity and DRGW/complexity. The decreasing, linear, and increasing returns to scale have been defined, and the optimal solution found. The comparison of the model with the traditional approach shows that the proposed model helps the healthcare system to discern the quantity of the reimbursement to provide to health organisations, while the traditional approach, neglecting the relation between the volume and the complexity, can result in an overestimation of the reimbursement.




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Exploring stakeholder interests in the health sector: a pre and post-digitalisation analysis from a developing country context

Underpinned by stakeholder and agency theories, this study adopts a qualitative multiple-case study approach to explore and analyse various stakeholder interests and how they affect digitalisation in the health sector of a developing country (DC). The study's findings revealed that four key stakeholder interests - political, regulatory, leadership, and operational - affect digitalisation in the health sector of DCs. Further, the study found that operational and leadership interests were emergent and were triggered by some digitalisation initiatives, which included, inter alia, the use of new eHealth software and the COVID-19 vaccination exercise, which established new structures and worked better through digitalisation. Conversely, political and regulatory interests were found to be relatively enduring since they existed throughout the pre- and post-digitalisation eras. The study also unearthed principal-agent conflicts arising from technological, organisational and regulatory factors that contribute to the paradoxical outcomes of digitalisation in the health sector.




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At-home virtual workouts: embracing exercise during the COVID-19 pandemic

The objective of this study was to explore through the Model of Theory of Planned Behaviour the most important variables that influence the practice of physical and sports activity at home supported by virtual training in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. A cross-study was proposed between countries from three continents, distributing the questionnaire in Spain (Europe), Pakistan (Asia), and Colombia (South America) to ensure a comprehensive study. The methodology of structural equations using partial least squares was used. The empirical exploratory study supported the hypotheses proposed, with the most important result that confinement due to the COVID-19 pandemic has been a factor causing the practice of physical and sports activity at home. This is one of the first studies to examine sports practice at home and the new context of sports practice that has generated disruptive technologies and the global crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic.




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Basics of the Adtech Ecosystem

Basics of the Adtech Ecosystem This guide delves into the intricacies of the adtech ecosystem, an elaborate mesh of platforms and technologies designed to facilitate and enhance the purchase and sale of digital advertising. Within this system, crucial elements such as ad servers, DSPs (Demand Side Platforms), SSPs (Supply Side Platforms), and ad [...]




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CEO SEVERANCE AGREEMENTS: A THEORETICAL EXAMINATION AND RESEARCH AGENDA

CEO severance has captured the attention of a wide array of audiences, yet it remains largely unexplored by management scholars. This paper offers a rigorous theoretical examination of CEO severance with the goal of developing a foundation for a systematic research agenda. In particular, we consider if, and how, severance agreements can be effective in serving the interests of both CEOs and shareholders. We argue that severance agreements have potential value as both an executive recruitment and governance tool, but that the way they are conventionally structured undermines the value that shareholders realize from them. The implications of structure have been almost entirely overlooked by scholars, perhaps because the influence of compensation consultants has left little variance in how severance agreements are implemented across firms. We address this gap by theorizing about how severance agreements could be structured to effectively generate value for executives and shareholders. To do this, we introduce a categorization of key dimensions of CEO severance agreements, and consider how each of these dimensions can be structured to facilitate CEO recruiting, while simultaneously mitigating future governance problems. Our propositions offer new opportunities for governance and compensation scholars to link CEO severance agreements to important organizational outcomes.




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The limits and possibilities of history: How a wider, deeper and more engaged understanding of business history can foster innovative thinking

Calls for greater diversity in management research, education and practice have increased in recent years, driven by a sense of fairness and ethical responsibility, but also because research shows that greater diversity of inputs into management processes can lead to greater innovation. But how can greater diversity of thought be encouraged when educating management students, beyond the advocacy of affirmative action and relating the research on the link between multiplicity and creativity? One way is to think again about how we introduce the subject. Introductory textbooks often begin by relaying the history of management. What is presented is a very limited mono-cultural and linear view of how management emerged. This article highlights the limits this view outlines for initiates in contrast to the histories of other comparable fields (medicine and architecture), and discusses how a wider, deeper and more engaged understanding of history can foster thinking differently.




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Micro-Foundations of Firm-Specific Human Capital: When Do Employees Perceive Their Skills to be Firm-Specific?

Drawing on human capital theory, strategy scholars have emphasized firm-specific human capital as a source of sustained competitive advantage. In this study, we begin to unpack the micro-foundations of firm-specific human capital by theoretically and empirically exploring when employees perceive their skills to be firm-specific. We first develop theoretical arguments and hypotheses based on the extant strategy literature, which implicitly assumes information efficiency and unbiased perceptions of firm-specificity. We then relax these assumptions and develop alternative hypotheses rooted in the cognitive psychology literature, which highlights biases in human judgment. We test our hypotheses using two data sources from Korea and the United States. Surprisingly, our results support the hypotheses based on cognitive bias - a stark contrast to the expectations embedded within the strategy literature. Specifically, we find organizational commitment and, to some extent, tenure are negatively related to employee perceptions of the firm-specificity. We also find that employer provided on-the-job training was unrelated to perceived firm-specificity. These findings suggest that firm-specific human capital, as perceived by employees, may drive behavior in ways not anticipated by existing theory - for example, with respect to investments in skills or turnover decisions. This, in turn, may challenge the assumed relationship between firm-specific human capital and sustained competitive advantage. More broadly, our findings may suggest a need to reconsider other theories, such as transaction cost economics, that draw heavily on the notion of firm-specificity and implicitly assume widely shared and unbiased perceptions.




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Managing the Consequences of Organizational Stigmatization: Identity Work in a Social Enterprise

In this inductive study, we shift the focus of stigma research inside organizational boundaries by examining its relationship with organizational identity. To do so, we draw on the case of Keystone, a social enterprise in the East of England that became stigmatized after it initiated a program of support for a group of migrants in its community. Keystone's stigmatization precipitated a crisis of organizational identity. We examine how the identity crisis unfolded, focusing on the forms of identity work that Keystone's leaders enacted in response. Interestingly, we show not only that the internal effects of stigmatization on identity can be managed, but also that they may facilitate unexpected positive outcomes for organizations.




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What's going on? Developing reflexivity in the management classroom: From surface to deep learning and everything else in between.

'What's going on?' Within the context of our critically-informed teaching practice, we see moments of deep learning and reflexivity in classroom discussions and assessments. Yet, these moments of criticality are interspersed with surface learning and reflection. We draw on dichotomous, linear developmental, and messy explanations of learning processes to empirically explore the learning journeys of 20 international Chinese and 42 domestic New Zealand students. We find contradictions within our own data, and between our findings and the extant literature. We conclude that expressions of surface learning and reflection are considerably more complex than they first appear. Moreover, developing critical reflexivity is a far more subtle, messy, and emotional experience than previously understood. We present the theoretical and pedagogical significance of these findings when we consider the implications for the learning process and the practice of management education.




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Fail Often, Fail Big, and Fail Fast? Learning from Small Failures and R&D Performance in the Pharmaceutical Industry

Do firms learn from their failed innovation attempts? Answering this question is important because failure is an integral part of exploratory learning. In this study, we explore whether and under what circumstances firms learn from their small failures in experimentation. Building on organizational learning literature, we examine the conditions under which prior failures influence firms' R&D output amount and quality. An empirical analysis of voluntary patent expirations (i.e., patents that firms give up by not paying renewal fees) in 97 pharmaceutical firms between 1980 and 2002 shows that the number, importance, and timing of small failures are associated with a decrease in R&D output (patent count) but an increase in the quality of the R&D output (forward citations to patents). Exploratory interviews suggest that the results are driven by a multi-level learning process from failures in pharmaceutical R&D. The findings contribute to the organizational learning literature by providing a nuanced view of learning from failures in experimentation.




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Aesthetics of power: why teaching about power is easier than learning for power, and what business schools could do about it

Power in business schools is ubiquitous. We develop individuals for powerfull positions. Yet, the way we deal with power is limited by our utilitarian focus, avoiding the visceral nature of power. In relation to this we address two questions business schools don't ask: what is the experiential nature of power? How are we teaching power? We use experiential, aesthetic developments on power in the social sciences to critique the rational-utilitarian stance on power found in business schools, drawing on the work of Dewey and French philosopher Levinas to treat power as a lived phenomenon. We overview and critique approaches to teaching power in business curricula informed by our own research on Executive MBA students learning through choral conducting. Taking an appreciative-positive stance, this research showed students developing new, non-rational, non-utilitarian understandings of power. They developed nuanced learning on the feeling, relationality and responsibility of exercising power. Coming out of this we argue for more experiential and reflexive learning methods to be applied to the phenomena of power. Finally we shine a reflexive light on ourselves and our 'power to profess', suggesting ways we can change our own practice to better prepare our students for the power they wield.




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"WHAT I KNOW NOW THAT I WISH I KNEW THEN": TEACHING THEORY AND THEORY-BUILDING

N/A -- no abstracts in FTEs I believe




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THE RIGHT PEOPLE IN THE WRONG PLACES: THE PARADOX OF ENTREPRENEURIAL ENTRY AND SUCCESSFUL OPPORTUNITY REALIZATION

We advance a model that highlights contingent linkages between overconfidence and narcissism, entrepreneurial entry, and the successful realization of venture opportunities. Overall, our proposals point to a paradox in which entrepreneurs high in overconfidence and narcissism are propelled toward more novel venture contexts—where these qualities are most detrimental to venture success, and are repelled from more familiar venture contexts—where these qualities are least harmful, and may even facilitate venture success. To illuminate these patterns of misalignment, we attend to the defining characteristics of alternative venture contexts and the focal mechanisms of overconfidence and narcissism.