Explore the vast range of titles available.

Extant research has focused primarily on the collaborative side of chair-director similarity in director selection, whereas the potential competitive side remains underexplored. Emphasizing the dual role of directors as both collaborators and competitors, as perceived by chairs, we incorporate both the similarity-attraction logic and the similarity-competition logic in director selection and develop a collaborative-competitive framework to reconcile the tension between them. Based on new director selection data from Chinese listed firms, we find that chair-director similarity in the competitive-oriented political background is negatively related to the likelihood of the director being selected—consistent with the similarity-competition logic, whereas chair-director similarity in the collaborative-oriented technological background is positively related to the likelihood of the director being selected—consistent with the similarity-attraction logic. Furthermore, we reveal how the similarity-derived effects are contingent on within-similarity heterogeneity. Our study advances research on director selection by providing a more fine-grained understanding of chair-director similarity in director selection.

In a context of economic crisis and strong competition between companies, managing information and knowledge seem to be key to the new productive model. The aim of this paper is to analyse the impact that the intensity of a firm’s adoption of information and communications technologies (ICT) and industry attractiveness has on corporate performance. A sample of 871 SMEs took part in the study and data were analysed using ordered logistic regression and principal axis factoring analysis. The results emphasise the existence of a significant positive relationship between ICT intensity of use and corporate performance and highlight the importance of ICT in very competitive environments. Our survey suggests that full integration of ICTs in the company is advisable. The drawback, however, is that the rapidly changing nature of ICTs makes the adoption of emerging ICTs difficult.

Equity and growth are central concerns for development in Mexico. Specific inequalities in income, power, wealth, and status create and sustain economic institutions and policies that perpetuate these inequalities and promote poor economic performace. 'No Growth without Equity? Inequality, Interests, and Competition in Mexico' presents a novel analysis showing why more equality is necessary to increase economic growth. The authors analyze the causes of persistent inequality and weak growth in Mexico, despite major changes associated with NAFTA and democratization, and draw implications for policy design. The book involves an innovative synthesis of work on overall links between equity and growth, and carefully grounded analysis in specific areas. The issues are of intense interest to policy debate in Mexico and to the development community in Latin America and elsewhere.

Background: The aim of public service departments in South Africa is to improve service delivery through the transformation and improvement of human resources and the improvement of service delivery practices. Furthermore, it is important for the public service sector in South Africa to improve the quality of its service delivery, not only by comparing its performance with other sectors within South Africa but also by positioning itself amongst the best in the world. This can be achieved by benchmarking with other global industries and by implementing the most recent competitive intelligence strategies, tools and techniques. The environment of the public service organisations consists of competitive forces that impact the functioning of these organisations.Objectives: This article focuses on proposing competitive intelligence-related strategies, tools and techniques for gathering and analysing information in the public service departments in South Africa in order to enhance service delivery.Method: The study was qualitative in nature and was divided into two components, namely, (1) theoretical – through an extensive review of the literature and (2) empirical – an ethnographic study at the chosen public service department, the Department of Home Affairs (DHA). Ethnographic interviews with management-level staff, focus groups and document analysis were used to obtain adequate information to determine the current state of public service delivery in South Africa.Results: The results of the study was the development of a new competitive intelligencerelated framework for gathering and analysing information, and it represents a formal and systematic process of informing managers in public service departments about critical issues that these departments face or are likely to experience in future.Conclusion: The strategic planning tools and techniques of this framework will fill the gap that exists in public service departments. Once this framework has been implemented, it could assist these departments to improve service delivery to its citizens.

تستعرض هذه الورقة البحثية مفهوم ألعاب الواقع المعزز AR-Games كأحد التطبيقات الرائدة لتقنية الواقع المعزز في سياق التعليم. تهدف الورقة إلى توضيح آليات دمج العالمين الحقيقي والافتراضي عبر ألعاب تفاعلية تثري التجربة التعليمية، مع التركيز على تعريف هذه الألعاب بأنها أنظمة تدمج المحتوى الرقمي مع البيئة المادية للمستخدم، مما يسهل التفاعل المباشر مع العناصر الافتراضية في الوقت الفعلي. وتتميز ألعاب الواقع المعزز بخصائص رئيسية تشمل: التكامل بين البيئتين الحقيقية والافتراضية، وعرض العناصر الرقمية بتقنيات ثلاثية الأبعاد، والاستجابة الديناميكية للبيئة المحيطة كما ناقشت الورقة التصنيفات المختلفة لألعاب الواقع المعزز، مثل: الألعاب القائمة على العلامات Marker-based، والألعاب المعتمدة على الجيروسكوب، والألعاب المستندة إلى نظام تحديد المواقع العالمي GPS، والألعاب المكانية Spatial Games وأشارت النتائج إلى إمكانية توظيف هذه الألعاب في تحسين جودة التعليم عبر تعزيز التعلم الترفيهي Edutainment، وزيادة التفاعل مع المحيط الحقيقي، وتحفيز التعاون والتنافس بين الطلاب. كما سلطت الضوء على دورها في تمكين تدريس التجارب المعقدة أو مكلفة التكلفة مخبريا، وتنمية الإبداع والخيال العلمي لدى المتعلمين. علاوة على ذلك، تم تحليل أنماط التفاعل في ألعاب الواقع المعزز، مثل نمط اللاعب الفردي Singleplayer ونمط اللاعبين المتعددين Multiplayer، مع إبراز تأثير النمطين التنافسي والتعاوني على ديناميكيات التعلم. كما استندت الورقة إلى إطار نظري متين يشمل نظرية التعزيز Reinforcement Theory، والنظرية البنائية Constructivism، ونظرية التعلم بالاكتشاف Discovery Learnin، لتأطير فعالية هذه الألعاب في السياق التعليمي. في الختام، قدمت الورقة مجموعة من المتضمنات للممارسين في المجال كالمعلمين والمصمم والمطور التعليمي كما تم اقتراح مجموعة من البحوث المقترحة التجريبية والوصفية والبحوث التي تجمع بين المنهج الكمي والكيفي بناء على المناقشات التي وردت في ورقة العمل.

Purpose The purpose of this bibliometric and systematic literature review is to survey and evaluate key study’s in tacit knowledge (TK). Through analysing and synthesizing based on the antecedents, decisions, outcomes-theories, context and methods (ADO-TCM) framework, this paper highlights research gaps and avenues for future research. It is important to recognize the antecedents, results and theories in the available literature as it offers enough evidence for encouraging the significance of TK. Design/methodology/approach This research paper follows a bibliometric analysis and systematic approach in identifying, analyzing and synthesizing pertinent literature in TK. A total of 59 research studies were carefully and systematically reviewed with the help of NVivo12 and excel software to code and analyse. Findings With the help of bibliometric analysis and framework-based systematic review, this research paper offers a retrospective view of the TCM framework in the amalgamation with ADO framework, bibliometric analysis and important themes of TK research. Originality/value This paper is different from existing reviews as the authors have to combine bibliometric analysis and framework-based systematic review approach to provide a more robust encapsulation of TK research. To the best of the knowledge, the present research is one of the first systematic reviews based on a framework relating to TK.

PurposeArtificial intelligence (AI) is one of the latest digital transformation (DT) technological trends the university library can use to provide library users with alternative educational services. AI can foster intelligent decisions for retrieving and sharing information for learning and research. However, extant literature confirms a low adoption rate by the university libraries in using AI to provide innovative alternative services, as this is missing in their strategic plan. The research develops (AI-LSICF) an artificial intelligence library services innovative conceptual framework to provide new insight into how AI technology can be used to deliver value-added innovative library services to achieve digital transformation. It will also encourage library and information professionals to adopt AI to complement effective service delivery.Design/methodology/approachThis study adopts a qualitative content analysis to investigate extant literature on how AI adoption fosters innovative services in various organisations. The study also used content analysis to generate possible solutions to aid AI service innovation and delivery in university libraries.FindingsThis study uses its findings to develop an Artificial Intelligence Library Services Innovative Conceptual Framework (AI-LSICF) by integrating AI applications and functions into the digital transformation framework elements and discussed using a service innovation framework.Research limitations/implicationsIn research, AI-LSICF helps increase an understanding of AI by presenting new insights into how the university library can leverage technology to actualise innovation in service provision to foster DT. This trail will be valuable to scholars and academics interested in addressing the application pathways of AI library service innovation, which is still under-explored in digital transformation.Practical implicationsIn practice, AI-LSICF could reform the information industry from its traditional brands into a more applied and resolutely customer-driven organisation. This reformation will awaken awareness of how librarians and information professionals can leverage technology to catch up with digital transformation in this age of the fourth industrial revolution.Social implicationsThe enlightenment of AI-LSICF will motivate library professionals to take advantage of AI's potential to enhance their current business model and achieve a unique competitive advantage within their community.Originality/valueAI-LSICF development serves as a revelation, motivating university libraries and information professionals to consider AI in their strategic plan to enable technology to support university education. This act will enable alternative service delivery in the face of unforeseen circumstances like technological disruption and the present global COVID-19 pandemic that requires non-physical interaction.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to use a theoretical framework to investigate the relationships between different innovation-oriented dynamic capabilities, dynamic resilience and firm performance among logistics service providers (LSPs) and in-house logistics departments of industrial companies during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.Design/methodology/approachThe conceptual theoretical framework relies on the dynamic capabilities framework (DCF) and the relational view (RV), which are rooted in the resource-based view (RBV). It is hypothesized that the dynamic capability to innovate reinforces the dynamic capability to adapt and to recover in highly dynamic and vulnerable environments during the pandemic. This allows LSPs to successfully create new services and respond to the changing market circumstances in terms of logistics service quality (LSQ) and firm performance. Data were collected from 83 LSPs and 30 in-house logistics departments via an online survey. The study determined the general strength and direction of the relationships between latent variables. A correlation analysis was utilized to establish statistical significance of the results.FindingsIn this study, a range of innovation-oriented capabilities for achieving more dynamic resilience were bundled in a conceptual framework and were found to be statistically significant for LSQ and firm performance. They are the capability to distribute new knowledge, to train employees effectively, to develop cross-functional collaboration within the firm, to develop inter-firm relationships with business partners on a long-term basis as well as to learn from rivals, and to pursue a win-win relationship with them.Research limitations/implicationsThe results of the study do not imply that the identified capabilities are the only ones relevant to increasing dynamic resilience during the pandemic. In October 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic was at different stages in different countries, so that the level to which firms were affected varied, and although the data were collected during one month only, due to the high dynamics of the pandemic, data were collected during different stages of disruptions, even among respondents in the same country. This study was set in the context of COVID-19, and it could not be proved whether the conceptual framework is generalizable to other crises or particular industries, but it would be worthwhile to examine this in the future. Finally, it was not tested whether LSQ mediates the relationship between innovative capabilities and firm performance during the pandemic.Practical implicationsThe results help managers with regard to their strategic and operational decisions in relation with COVID-19. These findings are useful for executives and logistics managers to improve these capabilities to gain a competitive advantage during pandemic and to find their strengths and weaknesses to develop critical capabilities for situations with a high turbulence and dynamic in their environment, and therefore provide a path for improvement.Originality/valueThis paper operationalizes a multi-theoretical conceptual framework in the context of logistics management (LM) and supply chain management (SCM). This conceptual framework was empirically tested.

Marketers are adopting increasingly sophisticated ways to engage with customers throughout their journeys. We extend prior perspectives on the customer journey by introducing the role of digital signals that consumers emit throughout their activities. We argue that the ability to detect and act on consumer digital signals is a source of competitive advantage for firms. Technology enables firms to collect, interpret, and act on these signals to better manage the customer journey. While some consumers’ desire for privacy can restrict the opportunities technology provides marketers, other consumers’ desire for personalization can encourage the use of technology to inform marketing efforts. We posit that this difference in consumers’ willingness to emit observable signals may hinge on the strength of their relationship with the firm. We next discuss factors that may shift consumer preferences and consequently affect the technology-enabled opportunities available to firms. We conclude with a research agenda that focuses on consumers, firms, and regulators.

In recent decades, particularly during the outbreak of COVID-19, businesses organizations have focused on knowledge management processes in order to attain a sustainable competitive advantage by creating human and social capital as strategic leadership capabilities. This paper aims to develop an integrated conceptual and theoretical framework that connects strategic leadership capabilities, knowledge management processes, and sustainable competitive advantage for the public and private organizations within the service industry. The model approach has been used to build a theoretical framework that predicts the relationships between the variables. To support the link between them, a systematic literature review of traditional and contemporary theoretical and empirical research studies is conducted. Through the combination of the related literature, propositions are established. This conceptual research is primarily comprised of a model and assertions concerning strategic leadership capabilities, knowledge management processes, and sustainable competitive advantage. The outcomes of this study reflect that strategic leadership capabilities can accomplish sustainable competitive advantage. They also have the greatest potential to impact sustainable competitive advantage via engaging the knowledge management processes. Particularly, there are significant implications of this study. Regarding the theoretical implication, it contributes to the resource-based view, knowledge-based view, and knowledge creation theory in supporting strategic leadership capabilities, knowledge management processes, and sustainable competitive advantage. To the practical implication, the study linked the concepts of research variables for public and private enterprises within the service industry. It can also enable strategic leaders and businesses owners to participate in real-time opportunities and determine threats for achieving a sustainable competitive advantage in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a preliminary study of the sustainable competitive advantage literature that includes the concept of strategic leadership as a knowledge management processes enabler for achieving a sustainable competitive advantage. Until now, there has not been any work like it in the literature, save in the qualitative style.