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Purpose: Studies on the negative aspects of consumer–brand relationships have received increasing attention in academia, but most research on this phenomenon is not focused on services. On the other hand, the literature consistently demonstrates evidence that gender affects consumer behavior. In this context, this study aims to unprecedentedly identify the antecedents of brand hate and the effects of consumer gender across different service sectors. Design/methodology/approach: This research compares the results of two studies with service companies. The first was accomplished with 307 consumers of mobile phone operators, and the second study was performed on 450 higher education students. The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Findings: In both studies, females showed greater importance for ideological incompatibility than males. This suggests that females are more sensitive to moral issues and ethical behavior than males. As for males, negative experience is the most relevant antecedent of brand hate in both samples. However, when age is checked, the results indicate that younger males develop more brand hate than older males. This does not happen with females. Originality/value: This study demonstrates gender differences and compares two samples applied in different service sectors: low-technological and high-touch consumer interactions. The results show that the antecedents of brand hate for males and females in the service sector differ. This study also points out that older males present a different behavior when compared to younger males, which does not happen with females. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of affiliate marketing strategies as a tool for increasing customers' engagement and vulnerability over financial services. This is attempted by examining the connection between affiliate marketing factors and customers' brand engagement and vulnerability metrics. Design/methodology/approach: The authors developed a three-staged methodological context, based on the 7 most known centralized payment network (CPN) firms' website analytical data, which begins with linear regression analysis, followed by hybrid modeling (agent-based and dynamic models), so as to simulate brand engagement and vulnerability factors' variation in a 180-day period. The deployed context ends by applying the cognitive modeling method of producing heatmaps and facial analysis of CPN websites to the selected 47 vulnerable website customers, for gathering more insights into their brand engagement. Findings: Throughout the simulation results of the study, it becomes clear that a higher number of backlinks and referral domains tend to increase CPN firms' brand-engaged and vulnerable customers. Research limitations/implications: From the simulation modeling process, the implication for backlinks and referral domains as factors that enhance website customers' brand engagement and vulnerability has been highlighted. A higher number of brand-engaged website customers could mean that vulnerable categories of customers would be impacted by CPNs' affiliate marketing. Improving those customers' knowledge of the financial services utility is of utmost importance. Practical implications: The outcomes of the research indicate that online banking service providers can increase their customers' engagement with their brands by adopting affiliate marketing techniques. To avoid the increase in customers' vulnerability, marketers should aim to apply affiliate marketing strategies to domains relevant to the provided financial services. Originality/value: The paper's outcomes provide a new approach to the literature, where the website customer's brand engagement comes out as a valuable metric for estimating online banking sector customers' vulnerability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: We aim to analyze the capital structure heterogeneity for manufacturing and service sector firms. Additionally, we analyze the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the leverage adjustments of corporate firms. Design/methodology/approach: This study applies the two-step system generalized method of moments (system-GMM) and panel data of 1,115 manufacturing and 482 service sector firms listed with the Bombay Stock Exchange (S&P BSE) from 2010 to 2023. We developed and analyzed three models. Model 1 analyzes the leverage determinants and speed of adjustment (SOA) for the manufacturing and service sectors. Model 2 evaluates the leverage SOA for various sub-sectors, and Model 3 analyzes the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the leverage SOA. Findings: This study suggests the three following. First, the direction of leverage determinants suggests that manufacturing firms are highly tangible. In contrast, service sector firms are high-growth firms and recorded a higher SOA (12.01%) than manufacturing (9.09%). Second, analyzing the leverage heterogeneity, we found that SOA varies across the sub-sectors. For manufacturing, food and beverage sub-sector recorded the highest SOA (12.58%), while consumer durables reported the lowest (6.38%). Communication recorded the highest (24.15%) for services, while industrial services recorded the lowest (11.18%). Third, firms across sectors and sub-sectors increased their SOA during COVID-19 pandemic. Research limitations/implications: This in-depth analysis of leverage heterogeneity for different sectors and subsectors will assist policymakers, corporate managers and other stakeholders in making agile financial decisions. Originality/value: The analysis of leverage heterogeneity for the manufacturing and service sector from the emerging Indian economy marks a novel contribution to existing literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: First, with real-life examples and current research, this study aims to demonstrate the existence of various forms of ostracism (linguistic, gender, social and workplace). Second, following the "need-threat model," this research addresses the previously unaddressed topic of coping with, reducing, mitigating or curbing workplace ostracism. Moreover, the researchers also proposed a "multiplying effect model" of ostracism. Design/methodology/approach: Data was gathered from 199 service sector employees. The NVivo software is used for the thematic analysis of qualitative data(suggestions) gathered using open ended question on how to mitigate/reduce/curb ostracism. Findings: The results generated were the suggestive measures, which were further categorized under three major themes: individual, society and organizational. The measures to reduce, mitigate and stop the practices of workplace ostracism can be initiated on all these three levels. Originality/value: This is the only study that addresses the subject of decreasing, alleviating or eliminating workplace ostracism and explains the compounding effect of ostracism by suggesting a multiplying effect model. The study will pique the interest of the government and legislators to propose legal measures to prevent ostracism and achieve sustainable development goals (gender equality and reduced inequalities. The study's practical, social, theoretical and managerial utility are discussed in the implications section. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to analyse the pattern of structural transformation and productivity growth of 15 major Indian states at a ten-sector level of disaggregation from 1983 to 2017. Design/methodology/approach: The analysis has been carried over in a ten-sector disaggregated level through construction of the labour and output data from various micro data sets. Findings: The majority of Indian states have bypassed the stage of industrialization, wherein labour previously engaged in agriculture has transitioned directly into the modern services sector while skipping the manufacturing. There are no sign of convergence of sectoral productivities and the heterogeneity among Indian states persists throughout the time period. The growth performance of states are not positively associated with the movement of labour across sectors as measured by the structural transformation index (STI). This goes against the narrative that structural transformation help reduce the misallocation of factors. Despite an increase in educational attainment of workers across all sectors, more than one-third of agricultural workers still remain either illiterate or lack formal schooling. Among sectors, construction (C) and trade, hotels and restaurants (THR) have absorbed the majority of workers who have left agricultural jobs. Finance, insurance, real estate and business services (FIRB), electricity, gas and water supply (EGWS) and mining and quarrying (MQ) are the three sectors that have seen significant gains in labour productivity during the study period. Originality/value: To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first attempt to analyse structural change and productivity growth in the Indian economy using Indian states as critical geographical marker. The results are new and add value to the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to get an understanding regarding the clusters of middle management employees on the basis of their knowledge sharing behaviour. Designing knowledge sharing behaviors with a distinct focus for a specified group of employees can be an effective and productive one. As it is often argued that the cluster of employees labeled as "middle management" is the key player for knowledge sharing behaviors – a subject of this study that intends to contribute to management strategy to enhance organizational effectiveness and subsequently to its knowledge sharing phenomona. Design/methodology/approach: Cluster analysis was adopted as key tool as a part of quantitative method to accumulate the data from 597 employees who are working within the middle management of service sector located in the union territory of India named Jammu and Kashmir. Findings: Three distinct segments namely – "knowledge sharing adepts (KSA)," "knowledge sharing scrupulous (KSC)" and "knowledge sharing servitudes (KSE)" as the prime domains of knowledge sharing behavior are identified. Research limitations/implications: To draw a narrow focus, the study was limited to the service sector of a union territory in India, hence the findings may not be generalized. Furthermore, as knowledge sharing behavior of individuals is always evolved out of social and historical practices, findings of this cross-sectional study should ideally be needed to be updated time to time through further research. Practical implications: Cluster dynamicism of knowledge sharing behavior based on the differentiated and specified group of employee functions distinctly which in turn increases the organizational productivity with a particular focus on the mid-management of the service sector – a key managerial implication of this study. Originality/value: To the best of the authors' knowledge, this research paper is the first of its kind in Jammu and Kashmir adding value to the international literature in the area of knowledge sharing behaviors of service sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Sustainable strategic management (SSM) is an integrated concept that entails sustainability in the approaches and processes of strategic management. Banking being a rapidly growing industry in service sector, it is reasonably important to study the SSM and its integrated performance. This paper aims to study the sustainable-strategic (SS) factors of Indian banks that affects their endurance and prioritizes the banks based on their sustainable and strategic performance. Design/methodology/approach: This study appertains a sustainable balanced scorecard (SBSC) framework to determine the SS factors and an integrated multicriteria decision making (MCDM) method to weigh the criteria and prioritize the banks' performance. Findings: The criterion weightage signifies sustainability, followed by financial and internal business perspective to be a crucial dimension for the performance of banks. The banks, State Bank of India, HDFC Bank Ltd and Canara Bank are ranked top-most on the SS performance. Research limitations/implications: The insights from the study on SS factors and banks' performance can be further used by policy-makers and researchers to understand the sustainability assessing factors and focus on making policies and further studies to enhance the performance in this regard. Originality/value: Banking is one of the potentially growing industry in service sector. It being a major part of economy's sustainable growth, it is essential to assess the SS factors that enhance their sustainable performance. There is dearth of study in this purview, for developing countries like India. Thus, this study critically analyses the strategic sustainability of Indian banking industry to ascertain the SS factors and prioritize the performance of banks based on criterion weightage and bank's SS operations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to establish a service efficiency-oriented framework for training design and evaluation as a pivotal service procedure in the workplace to fill the gap between training and organizational performance in a service context. Design/methodology/approach: A semi-structured interview was first employed to confirm the primary indicator for training programs and criteria design as the pivotal factor for operational efficiency. An observation experiment was subsequently conducted to reveal that the training program can be redesigned according to the concrete operation effects and influencing factors for operational efficiency in the workplace. Findings: The proposed service efficiency-oriented training model is suggested to underline and guide the activities for training requirements, training methods, training criteria and training evaluation for the service sector. Training auditing, analyzing and redesigning based on service efficiency could help to integrate service efficiency so that service organizations can readjust their specific training needs and concise the training program in the human resource management practice. Research limitations/implications: This study only conducted an on-site observational experiment on one of the casinos in Macau. An observational method assessed the conceptual model in the context of table game operations. More quantitative approaches like AI-assisted systems may be employed in the future. The representativeness of the sample is somewhat limited. In addition, the service efficiency-oriented training concept model is an open system that any organization could extend by incorporating more elements in each part that can be developed to meet their human resource management needs. Finally, other service-oriented organizations like airlines and banks can learn from the theoretical model proposed in this article. It is suggested that non-profit organizations would be a better research area. Practical implications: The finding can provide organizations and practitioners with insights and tools on how to provide and evaluate service efficiency and assess employee performance. Social implications: The proposed service efficiency-oriented training model provides a theoretical foundation for training and organizational performance for service organizations. Originality/value: This study is the first to develop a service efficiency-oriented training framework with training needs, methods, criteria and evaluation. A service industry sample was used to verify the framework in the context of casino game pace and dealer training for table games. Suggestions for a combination of management are provided for casino operators to redesign and evaluate the dealer training program for service improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to investigate how abusive supervisor affects knowledge hiding (KH). Specifically, this study investigates employee silence as a mediating mechanism between abusive supervision and employees' KH. Further, psychological ownership is examined as a buffer between abusive supervision and employee silence. Design/methodology/approach: KH has become a major issue for both manufacturing and service sectors. Therefore, this study collected data from 322 employees working in manufacturing and service sectors through "Google Forms" during COVID-19. The respondents were contacted through LinkedIn platform between January and July 2021. Findings: This study noted that when employees working in high-power distance cultures perceive their leaders/supervisors as abusive, they avoid confrontation and engage in silent behavior, which positively affects their KH behavior. However, employees with a high level of psychological ownership are less likely to respond to their abusive supervisors through silence because such employees feel a greater sense of belongingness and prefer to benefit their organization. Research limitations/implications: This study used a cross-sectional design that restricts causality. However, the findings of this study suggest management to focus on leadership style to minimize KH at the workplace. Originality/value: To the best of the authors' knowledge, this study is the first to explore the underlying mechanism (employee silence) and boundary condition (psychological ownership) to explain the association between abusive supervision and KH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to investigate the role of the service provider in determining customer satisfaction in sharing economy services. The authors sought to examine how the intrinsic and extrinsic cues along with their interactions influence customer satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach: This research uses a mixed-methods design to test the hypotheses. Study 1 uses secondary data from Inside Airbnb. Study 2 uses a 2 × 2 × 2 between-subject experimental design. Findings: Both studies support the confirmation bias perspective over the expectancy-confirmation perspective in explaining the interplay among different cues in determining customer satisfaction. In the context of Airbnb, in the absence of a Superhost badge, if hosts adopt a reactive communication style, physical presence has a greater impact on customer satisfaction compared to virtual presence. Originality/value: This study extends the services marketing literature and cue utilization theory by investigating the dynamic interactions among multiple intrinsic and extrinsic service cues. It shed new light on how a combination of these cues may become additive or redundant in determining customer satisfaction. This study contributes to the services marketing literature by addressing the interactive nature of sharing economy services and the neglected role of service providers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to unravel the specific service quality dimensions that significantly influence startup survival, providing actionable insights for service managers and entrepreneurs. Design/methodology/approach: Empirical data were collected from 372 service startups over a period of seven years. The Cox proportional hazard model was used to analyze the data. Findings: The results indicate that the tangible dimension of service quality emerges as the most critical determinant of startup survival. Additionally, the reliability and responsiveness of the service also significantly affect startup survival. Furthermore, the assurance and empathy dimensions have a positive, albeit modest, influence on the survival prospects of service startups. Research limitations/implications: This study contributes to the service literature by investigating the relative importance of each dimension of service quality in relation to the survival of service startups. Practical implications: The empirical findings empower service startups to make informed decisions, allocate resources judiciously and prioritize aspects of service quality that have a significant impact on their survival and success. Social implications: The social implications indicate the significance of service quality dimensions not only for the success of service startups but also for the overall well-being of customers, local economies and the competitive landscape of the service sector. Originality/value: This study contributes to service science by uniquely highlighting the critical role of tangibles in startup survival, challenging conventional beliefs about the primacy of service reliability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The present study aims to comprehensively examine the impact of the Union Bank of Switzerland (UBS) takeover of Credit Suisse on the banking and financial services sector in the Indian stock market. To fully comprehend the impact of the event, the study separately investigates the response of private sector banks, public sector banks, overall banking companies and financial services companies to the takeover of the second-largest financial institution in Switzerland. Design/methodology/approach: The study employs event study methodology, using the market model, to analyze the event's impact on Indian banking and financial services sector stocks. The data consists of daily closing prices of companies included in the Nifty Private Bank Index, Nifty PSU Bank Index, Nifty Bank Index and Nifty Financial Services Index from the National Stock Exchange (NSE). Furthermore, cross-sectional regression analysis has been conducted to explore the factors that drive abnormal returns. Findings: The empirical findings of the study suggest the event had a heterogeneous impact on the stock prices of Indian banks and financial services companies. While public sector banks experienced a significant negative impact on select days within the event window, the overall Indian banking sector and financial services companies also witnessed notable declines. In contrast, Indian private sector banks were relatively resilient, exhibiting minimal effects. However, the cumulative effect is found to be insignificant for all four categories across different event windows. The study also observed that the cumulative abnormal returns (CARs) were significantly influenced by certain variables during different event windows. Originality/value: To the best of the authors' knowledge, the present study is the earliest attempt that investigates the impact of the UBS takeover of Credit Suisse on the Indian banking and financial services sector using event study methodology and cross-sectional regression model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This work tries to detect the factors that can impact service innovation in the retail sector according to a service ecosystem (SES) perspective. This paper aims to understand whether it is possible to study innovation focusing on the impact of technology on resource integration practices in SESs and to rank different patterns of innovation by evaluating their effects in terms of value co-creation. Design/methodology/approach: To show up the perception of actors, a case study has been carried out through semi-structured interviews. The aggregates of practices and the service innovation archetypes, drawn from the theoretical background, have been used as categories of analysis. Findings: Service innovation is reconceptualised as the result of the application of new technology to resource integration practices in the retail SES, and it is possible to rank its patterns and outcomes by deepening its effects on the emergence of value co-creation phenomena. Shared intentions have been identified as drivers of service innovation, but greater transparency in systems used to embolden a higher willingness to use could be necessary. Originality/value: Service innovation has been studied by focusing on value co-creation; for this reason, the willingness to use technology emerged as a determinant of service innovation. This result implies the need for a multilevel reinterpretation of contemporary SES, both regarding the technical features of digital solutions and their adherence to users' skills and the effects of willingness or unwillingness to use on value co-creation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aimed to identify the impact that Industry 4.0 can have on the service sector and how its combination can generate benefits for Sustainability 4.0 in the context of the Triple Bottom Line. Design/methodology/approach: A Systematic Literature Review (RSL) was developed using the following combinations of keywords on the Web of Science and Scopus databases: Industry 4.0 And Sustainability, Industry 4.0 And Service, and Industry 4.0 And Sustainable Development, in which 24 papers were selected. Findings: As a result, the authors found 100 benefits for sustainable development, which were further categorized into 54 advantages for the economic area, 25 for the social segment and 21 for environmental aspects. In this way, the results can help private companies understand the use of these technologies aimed at sustainable growth, plus bolstering the government to conduct public policies to encourage these practices in technology organizations. Practical implications: As a practical implication, this study offers insight into the evolution of sustainable development. It enables the emergence of works that wish to explore the service sector, providing relevant information for decision-making and influencing managers and policymakers on the importance of applying Industry 4.0 toward the sustainability of the service sector and its applications. Originality/value: The originality of this study lies in expanding the understanding generated by 4.0 technologies, by diverting attention from the manufacturing and agricultural sectors, which have abundant literature on the subject. With this, this work demonstrated that modern technologies have greater possibilities of an action directed at the service sector, in addition to being able to contribute to Sustainability 4.0 from the perspective of the sustainability tripod. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The present study, by using signaling perspective aims to investigate short-term valuation impact of rebranding announcements (with name change) on stock performance of 160 service firms listed on NSE NIFTY-500 over the period of 2000–2019. Design/methodology/approach: An event study methodology is used to estimate the cumulative abnormal returns (CARs) and its statistical significance is tested with both parametric and non-parametric test-statistics. Separate analysis has been conducted for firms with "major vs minor" and "restructuring vs non-restructuring" name change. Findings: Findings of the study suggest that rebranding decisions are negatively associated with abnormal returns around the announcement period indicating strong disapproval of name change event. In addition, investors formed strong adverse opinion for major name change firms as compared to minor name change firms. Further, restructured name change sample document larger negative drift than non-restructured sample. Practical implications: Findings offer substantial repercussions for shareholders who can make informed judgments about name change as a signal of reinventing brand identity. Managers should announce detailed rationale behind name change decision to market for enhancing corporate reputation. Originality/value: This study contributes to marketing-finance interface literature and is first to examine market reaction to name change of Indian service firms and moreover, made a distinction between major vs minor and restructured vs non-restructured name change events for these firms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The paper provides a step-by-step guide in the guise of a roadmap for service improvement initiatives using importance performance map analysis (IPMA). Design/methodology/approach: To empirically illustrate how IPMA can be applied to any service industry, three sectors are considered; sports and fitness (study A), hospitality (study B) and higher education (study C). Following the proper selection of measuring instruments and their evaluation using structural equation modeling-partial least squares (Smart-PLS), IPMA is applied to identify those attributes having strong total effects (high importance) over the targeted construct (satisfaction) but which also have low average latent variable scores (low performance). Findings: For sports and fitness (study A), the physical aspects and programme quality require managerial attention. For the hospitability sector (study B), it is service commitment, interaction quality and internal sense of happiness. Whereas for higher education (study C), it is administrative quality as well as the element of transformative quality, namely the university's role in adding to its students' emotional stability, which needs the attention of the top management. Originality/value: This study provides researchers and practitioners with a roadmap for applying PLS-SEM and IPMA for continuous service quality improvement. The roadmap extends upon Ringle and Sarstedt's (2016) work. It highlights critical decisions that need to be considered in the pre-analytical stages of the IPMA application, i.e. at the research design phase in selecting the most appropriate service quality measurement model specifications. It not only contributes to the existing body of knowledge by providing empirical evidence to advance theory development in the quality management field but also has implications for the practitioners in any service sector on where to focus their attention for an effective service improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explain the effects of innovation, specialisation, qualifications and sectoral structure on the resilience of German regions (municipal level) facing the Great Recession in 2008/2009. Design/methodology/approach: To calculate the effects of various variables on the resilience of German regions against the Great Recession, the authors use quantile regressions. To measure resilience, the authors create a number of indexes representing different parts of the economy: resistance performance index, recovery performance index, shift-share resistance index, shift-share recovery index, manufacturing resistance index, manufacturing recovery index, service resistance index and service recovery index. Findings: The results of this study confirm that locations with employment growth before the crisis and with a good industry structure show better employment dynamics during and after the crisis. The authors find evidence for positive relationship between innovativeness, qualification, the share of the service sector, specialisation and resistance. The authors obtain positive results for related variety and both resistance and recovery. The share of the manufacturing sector only shows a positive relationship with recovery. Originality/value: The authors expand the existing literature in three aspects: First, instead of using regions as observation units, the authors conduct the analyses on the basis of municipalities and their surroundings. By doing so, the authors reduce the modifiable area unit problem because the authors do not rely on regions defined for administrative reasons. Second, the authors apply quantile regressions to detect nonlinear effects. Third, in addition to the resilience of the whole economy, the authors also study the resilience of the manufacturing and service sectors separately and examine the resilience of the local shift effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Understanding linguistic profiling and its substantial consequences on employee career development is essential in diverse workplaces. This study utilizes Levinson's eras and career development theories to analyze the complicated relationship between linguistic profiling and biases, which hamper employee career development. Design/methodology/approach: This study used an interpretive methodology and conducted thematic data analysis. It documented lessons learned from diverse viewpoints through semi-structured interviews with 19 participants conducted in November and December 2022. Findings: The study demonstrates that linguistic discrimination occurs in diverse workplaces. After data exploration, four intriguing themes appeared. The first theme was related to employees who were discriminated against because of various languages. This shows how often language choice affects employees. The second theme examined how linguistic profiling intersected with marginalized groups, increasing discrimination. The third theme, linguistic profiling and career development showed that bias had a huge influence on career progression. The fourth theme emphasizes organizational policies for preventing language discrimination, promoting career growth and inclusive organizations. Originality/value: This study advances the understanding of linguistic profiling and career development in a multilingual society. In addition, it furthers discourse and provides ways to minimize biases, creating a more inclusive workplace environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This editorial introduces a special issue of the Journal of Services Marketing, dedicated to the concept of resilience in the services sector. This editorial aims to identify how service organizations, networks and systems are resilient in the face of or wake of marketplace disruptions. Design/methodology/approach: Drawing on available literature in service research, the authors illustrate how service scholars can better understand the processes, relationships and outcomes that are a crucial part of resilience in service organizations. Findings: This editorial presents a theoretical framework illustrating interactive, linked and interdependent resource-based resilience practices that enable service organizations and individuals to develop and grow resilience. The special issue papers identified six themes to guide future research: conceptual complexity and challenges of operationalization; culture, context and resilience; antecedents to resilience and outcomes; resilience and the complex world of artificial intelligence and technology; value co-creation; and service ecosystems. Originality/value: This editorial presents service researchers with an overview of research examining the concept of resilience. It also demonstrates diversity in how the concept is defined and operationalized. Our theoretical framework illustrates a new way of conceptualizing service resilience by identifying three resource-based resilience practices in an increasingly ambiguous, dynamic and complex service world. Together these underpin the six themes for further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to explore the role of frontline service employees' (FSEs) awareness that their job can be substituted by smart technology, artificial intelligence, robotics and algorithms (STARA) in their job autonomy and proactive service performance and when these relationships can be buffered. Drawing on the cognitive appraisal theory of stress, the study examined the mediating relationship between FSEs' STARA awareness, job autonomy and proactive service performance and the moderating effects of self-efficacy and resilience on this relationship. Design/methodology/approach: The authors administered two-wave online surveys to 301 South Korean FSEs working in various service sectors (e.g. retailing, food/beverage, hospitality/tourism and banking). The Time 1 survey measured respondents' STARA awareness, self-efficacy, resilience and job autonomy, and the Time 2 survey assessed their proactive service performance. Findings: FSEs' STARA awareness negatively affected their subsequent proactive service performance through decreased job autonomy. The negative association between STARA awareness and job autonomy was weaker when FSEs' self-efficacy was high than when it was low. While the authors observed no significant moderation of resilience, the author found a marginally significant three-way interaction between STARA awareness, self-efficacy and resilience. Specifically, STARA awareness was negatively related to job autonomy only when both self-efficacy and resilience were low. When either self-efficacy or resilience was high, the association between STARA awareness and job autonomy became nonsignificant, suggesting the buffering roles of the two personal resources. Research limitations/implications: Given that the measurement of variables relied on self-reported data, rater biases might have affected the findings of the study. Moreover, the simultaneous measurement of STARA awareness, self-efficacy, resilience and job autonomy could preclude causal inferences between these variables. The authors encourage future studies to use a more rigorous methodology to reduce rater biases and establish stronger causality between the variables. Practical implications: Service firms can decrease FSEs' STARA awareness through training in the knowledge and skills necessary to work with these technologies. To promote FSEs' proactive service performance in this context, service firms need to involve them in decisions related to STARA adoption and allow them to craft their jobs. Service managers should provide FSEs with social support and exercise empowering and supportive leadership to help them view STARA as a challenge rather than a threat. Originality/value: Distinct from prior research on STARA awareness and employee outcomes, the study identified proactive service performance as a key outcome in the STARA context. By presenting self-efficacy and resilience as crucial personal resources that buffer FSEs from the deleterious impact of STARA awareness, the study provides practitioners with insights that can help FSEs maintain their job autonomy and proactive service performance in times of digitalization and automation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to explore organizational factors that impact women's career advancement. Knowledge of organizational practices that promote or obstruct women's career progress is vital for women, firms and governments. Design/methodology/approach: A total of 237 women participated in the study from the service sector in Johannesburg (South Africa). Participants were selected using a convenient sampling approach. Researchers used a questionnaire, consisting of demographic and open-ended questions, to gather data. Comments were analyzed using a thematic content analysis approach. Findings: Findings reveal that prioritizing women, offering skills development opportunities, providing growth opportunities, assisting women in managing their careers, offering mentorship and having work-family support initiatives are practices that promote women's career advancement. Conversely, practices that foster stagnation of women's careers, distrust in women's leadership abilities, preference for external candidates, people–related malpractices, male domination/preference, lack of role models and work-family balance support, hamper women's career advancement. Practical implications: The findings of this study will contribute to women's empowerment. Organizations should provide a conducive atmosphere by instituting practices that promote their female employees' career advancement. Firms also should intentionally take practical steps to address practices that impede women's career progression. The results of this study will also help the government to design appropriate policies that will promote the career progression of women employees. Originality/value: This study presents findings from an analysis of qualitative data collected from 237 women to provide insight into the experiences of women working within the service industry in Johannesburg, South Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to show how financial services firms determine whether customer transactions or behaviours meet the threshold for suspicious activity reporting mandated by the Terrorism Act 2000 and the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, and how suspicious activity reporting is executed in practice. Design/methodology/approach: Semi-structured interviews have been carried out among compliance professionals in UK financial services. Findings: Two issues related to suspicious activity reporting have been identified. Firstly, a widespread misunderstanding about the tipping-off offence under s. 333 Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 has been identified, which appears to be a root cause for poor quality as well as over-reporting of suspicious activity. Secondly, issues related to the notice and moratorium periods used by the UK's National Crime Agency appear to deter reporting of suspicious activity related to live transactions. Practical implications: The paper makes suggestions for changes financial services firms and the UK's National Crime Agency can make to improve the effectiveness of suspicious activity reporting. Originality/value: The paper provides valuable insights which can be used to limit the flow of criminal funds, improve the quality of suspicious activity reporting and enhance the effectiveness of law enforcement agencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to determine the barriers hindering the incorporation of blockchain technology (BCT) in two key service industries – hotel and health care – as well as to assess their readiness for implementing BCT after overcoming the barriers. Design/methodology/approach: The barriers of this study are determined through two phases: a review of prior literature and obtaining expert opinions, which are then analyzed to identify specific barriers that are impeding the incorporation of BCT. Moreover, to generate a blockchain implementation reluctance index (BIRI), this study presents an interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy set (IVIFS) that uses graph theory and matrix approach (GTMA). The permanent function in the GTMA approach is computed using the PERMAN algorithm. Finally, to compare the readiness of the hotel and health-care industries to adopt BCT, the BIRI values are plotted and evaluated. Findings: The barriers identified by this study are listed under five major headings, namely, financial, operational, behavioral, technical and legal. This study revealed that the operational and technical barriers of BCT are critically hindering its widespread integration in hotel and health-care industries. Furthermore, on comparing the BIRI values of both industries, the result suggested that the hotel industry needs to work more on these barriers to effectively incorporate BCT. Besides the comparison, the BIRI values clearly indicate that both industries have to put a lot of effort into the mitigation of the barriers found by this study to successfully integrate BCT. Research limitations/implications: The experts' opinions are used to evaluate the identified barriers, which raises the chance that the opinions are prejudiced based on the experts' perspectives and ideologies. The sensitivity of decision-maker loads toward preference outcomes is not analyzed in this manuscript. Therefore, any recent sensitivity analysis may be considered a prospective field for future research. This study applies a multicriteria decision-making (MCDM) approach, IVIFS–GTMA, which limits the evaluation of the influence caused by individual barriers on the integration of BCT in the hotel and health-care industries. Henceforth, in future investigations, alternative MCDM methods may be used to analyze individual barriers. Practical implications: According to the findings, if the hotel or health-care industry aims to incorporate BCT in its supply chain operations, it is recommended to emphasize more on the operational barriers along with the technical and behavioral barriers. The barriers mentioned in this manuscript can be used as guidance for developers in their development activities, such as scalability concerns, establishment costs, the 51% attack and the inefficient nature of BCT. Furthermore, they may address the potential users' negative perceptions about security, privacy, trust and risk avoidance through creatively developed blockchain solutions to promote BCT implementation. Originality/value: To the best of the author's knowledge, this is the first study that identifies barriers toward BCT incorporation in the major service industries, i.e. hotel and health care. Moreover, this is the first study that compares the preparedness of the hotel and health-care industries to determine the industry that requires more work to implement BCT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to empirically analyze the impact of remittance inflows on sustained economic growth in India. Design/methodology/approach: This study has taken a time series dataset for the period of 1976–2021, and a nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag model technique (NARDL) has been applied to check the impact of remittance inflows along with other control variables, including broad money and service sector performance, on the sustained economic growth of India. Findings: The results of the study indicated that in both the short and long runs, any positive shock in remittance inflows has a positive impact on the economic growth of India, while negative shocks do not affect economic growth. Practical implications: The economic policymakers of India can use the findings of the study by implementing remittance-friendly policies. Moreover, NITI Aayog, the body working toward achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs) in India, can also use this study as a reference while making strategies to achieve SDG. Originality/value: Economic growth has always been an area of interest among economists, researchers and policymakers. However, achieving sustained economic growth requires an analysis of those factors that themselves have sustained performance over a long period of time and have the potential to sustain it over the upcoming years. This study has taken remittance inflows as one such factor and investigated its impact on the sustained economic growth of India. At present, there is an evident gap in the literature that very little attention has been given to sustained Indian economic growth. Moreover, there is no study available in which the nonlinear impact of different variables has been tested on the economic growth of India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The development of higher learning institutions (HLIs) is considered a strategy to trigger urban space development – and it is the economy in most developing countries. HLIs can develop and maintain pace with the experience economy in the current urban economy, particularly in the services sector. This paper seeks to evaluate the influence of HLIs on elements of the experience economy in the urban services sector in Bandar Baru Bangi (BBB), a knowledge-based city. Design/methodology/approach: The research adopted a purposive sampling technique and engaged 382 urban community respondents in BBB, Malaysia. The study used four elements (education, gastronomy, health, and the retail sectors) to assess the experience economy performance. Findings: The results show that the local community is the "active users" of the services, and the active users have enjoyed the existence of the experience economy. Findings reveal a preference for education and health over gastronomy and retail sectors. Of these four sectors, the education sector experience had the most prominent effect, thereby showing that the higher learning institutions around this city served a major role in the sector development of urban services. Research limitations/implications: The research used a purposive sampling method and engaged 382 respondents in BBB, Malaysia. The restriction of the study area to BBB is a limitation component. Future studies should explore a large-scale investigation to evaluate better and validate the results. Practical implications: The research has shown that the city's higher education institutions have affected the development of the experience economy in the four sectors. Originality/value: The study shows that the framework of the experience economy and the establishment of HLIs can stimulate the experience economy within the urban services sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: In highly competitive environments, sustainability positioning is crucial for firms, as they are evaluated based on their sustainable practices. This study aims to draw on the legitimacy and information asymmetry theories to explore attributes that impact business-to-business (B2B) sustainability positioning in emerging economies, such as India, within the service industry. Design/methodology/approach: This study used a mixed-methods exploratory research design to examine the attributes affecting sustainability positioning. In the first phase of the study, a qualitative research method was used to explore the attributes influencing B2B sustainability positioning. In the second phase, this study used these factors to develop a structural model. Findings: A variety of attributes was critical in assessing the sustainability positioning of B2B firms. This study identified a number of factors that explain the attributes affecting sustainability positioning in B2B markets. Some of them included environmental consciousness and external assurance. Originality/value: This study significantly contributes to the theoretical discourse on sustainable practices in B2B businesses in multiple ways. First, it provides empirical data on the relationship between firms' environmental consciousness and sustainability positioning in the B2B context, thereby adding to and expanding the current literature on this topic. Second, this study investigates the impact of external assurance on B2B firms' sustainability positioning and shows how it can enhance credibility, transparency and accountability. Finally, it analyzes sustainable positioning in the service sector, specifically in India, thereby contributing to the body of knowledge on this topic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Customer orientation (CO) means meeting customers' needs better than competitors. Competitor orientation means using and acting upon the knowledge of competitors. Thus, the main aim of this study is to analyze the effects of environmental competitiveness on export performance by examining the moderating roles of these variables. Design/methodology/approach: Based on data from 5,000 firms from a survey run in 2021 in Turkey facilitated by the Chamber of Commerce, the authors tested their hypotheses using partial least squares structural equation modeling and correlation analysis. Findings: The results show that competitor orientation positively affects the relationship between a competitive environment and export performance. However, the authors do not find evidence of a significant effect on CO. Practical implications: Service sector managers should sacrifice customers to gain export market share in favor of superiority with competitors. Originality/value: Prior research has yet to emphasize the importance of competition intensity in export performance for service-logistics firms. However, the environmental competitiveness–performance relationship is better explained with the help of these test results and the two additional moderators suggested in this work. Moreover, the export performance indicators were gathered from an independent source. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to propose a new service framework for managing nature and physical resources that balances the needs of people and planet. Design/methodology/approach: The process used in this paper was a rapid literature review and content analysis of 202 articles in service journals and learned that there are limited papers on Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) #6 (clean water and sanitation) or SDG #7 (affordable and clean energy) and very few articles on SDG #12 (responsible production and consumption) that focused on environmental components of services. This highlighted the need to conceptualise a service framework for managing these resources sustainably. Findings: The proposed regenerative service economy framework for managing natural and physical resources for all humans (without harming the planet) reflects insights from analysing the available service articles. The framework draws on the circular economy, an Indigenous wholistic framework and service thinking to conceptualise how service research can manage natural and physical resources in ways that serve both people and the planet. Originality/value: This paper introduces the regenerative service economy framework to the service literature as an approach for guiding service researchers and managers in sustainably managing natural and physical resources in a sustainable way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Based on resource-based theory and intellectual capital theory, this paper aims to investigate the impact of digital investment on enterprise value and the mediating role of intellectual capital. Additionally, it explores the heterogeneous impacts of digital investment on enterprise value and intellectual capital. Design/methodology/approach: The study utilizes a sample of listed companies in Chinese A-shares from 2013 to 2020. The entropy-weighted method is applied to measure digital investment from two dimensions: scale and increment. Finally, the research hypotheses are tested through multiple regression analysis. Findings: The empirical results demonstrate that digital investment significantly and positively impacts enterprise value. From the channel mechanism test, digital investment can enhance enterprise value by influencing intellectual capital through human, structural and relational capital. Of these, the mediating effect of human capital is the most significant. Moreover, the impacts of digital investment on enterprise value and intellectual capital are related to the industry sectors. In the agricultural sector, digital investment has adverse effects. In the industrial and service sectors, digital investment promotes intellectual capital and enterprise value. However, in the service sector, the impact on relational capital is not significant, and the mediating effect of relational capital does not hold. Research limitations/implications: This research has a limited potential for generalization due to the lack of standard measurement models for the exploration of digital investment. Practical implications: The research findings are valuable for assessing the economic effects of digital investment comprehensively and providing essential information for policy formulation and strategy implementation. Originality/value: This study represents the first attempt to evaluate the relationship between digital investment and enterprise value using the entropy-weighted method. In addition, this study investigates the mediating role of intellectual capital. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The paper aims to examine how Indian non-financial service sector companies' financial performance is influenced by their corporate social responsibility (CSR) expenditures. The paper also analyses whether family ownership has a moderating role in the CSR expenditure–financial performance association. Design/methodology/approach: The study includes 288 non-financial service sector companies listed in India with 3,456 firm-year observations. Panel data regression analysis using data for 12 years, starting from 2010 to 2021, is carried out. Findings: The study reveals a positive influence of CSR spending on financial performance measures (Tobin's Q and return on assets). Mandatory CSR policies also influence the company's performance. Additionally, family ownership has a positive moderating effect on CSR expenditure–financial performance (Tobin's Q). Research limitations/implications: The study gives insights to the managers on how CSR expenditures can be used to maximise their benefits by supporting social causes, particularly in the case of firms with ownership structures where family involvement is there. Originality/value: The prior studies analysing family ownership effect on the CSR–financial performance relationship are fewer, and in a country like India, where corporate philanthropy is a part of the family business culture, there is a need to understand how CSR spending influences firm performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Zakat, one of the fundamental pillars of Islam, holds the potential to significantly contribute to fiscal consolidation, particularly in developing nations. However, the national-level potential of Zakat often remains unexplored. This study aims to explore the potential of national-level Zakat and the opportunity to integrate it into the fiscal framework. Design/methodology/approach: This study estimates Zakat's potential on national financial and economic components. The components include bank deposits, shares and securities, pensions (provident fund), industrial production and trade services, mining resources, Ushr on agro-crops and forestry, Ushr on livestock, Ushr on fishery, gross domestic product (GDP), national budget and national revenue. The study gathers data, ranging from FY2000 to FY2018, on national economic sectors from reliable secondary sources. The net value (NV) of each indicator is calculated as NV = TV − LA, where NV is the wage-adjusted net value after deducting the living adjustment (LA) value from the sectoral total. The proposed LA value, approximately 20%, is suggested to be deducted from the total sectoral value of each sector (excluding specific industries with preadjusted wages), equating to the Nisab value. Findings: It is estimated that the aggregate potential of Zakat in Bangladesh was US$9,749m in FY2018, compared to US$809m in FY2000, revealing the value is 3.77% of GDP and 21% of the national fiscal budget. In FY2018, the service sector was the largest contributor (30%), followed by bank deposits (23%). Pension funds made minimal contributions, whereas shares and bonds, as well as the manufacturing sector, each made a 10% contribution to the estimated Zakat potential. Zakat on agriculture output accounted for 15% of the total. The aggregate potential Zakat in FY2018 was 12% higher than that in FY2000. Originality/value: The paper highlights a novel contribution through its nuanced analysis of sector-specific Zakat on macrolevel data and its implications within the fiscal framework. The results suggest that Zakat has substantial potential to impact fiscal dynamics, providing valuable insights for policymakers and stakeholders to recognize the national-level Zakat for development plans such as the five-year plan. The study suggests piloting a central and independent national body to study the feasibility of national-level Zakat collection and its utilization in the fiscal budget. It will help the government reduce the burden of external debt and deficit budget and, instead, will promote revenue collection in collaboration with the National Board of Revenue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This research aims to focus on the impact of the metaverse on services marketing. After reviewing the past, current and anticipated future of the metaverse, the authors offer multiple research opportunities in accordance with theories germane to the services literature. Design/methodology/approach: The current research uses a conceptual approach focused on key service theories and their relevance in the metaverse. Findings: The metaverse presents a new paradigm of the customer experience, thus providing an opportunity for service researchers to advance this developing field. Further, the potential shortcomings of existing theory are explored, both within and external to services, to discover important areas for service scholars to examine. This results in research opportunities and questions for scholars to pursue as the metaverse continues to develop and shape consumer experiences. Originality/value: Technological advancements have enabled the service sector to grow and thrive in the metaverse. It is evident that despite the metaverse's growth, there remains a tremendous amount left to examine. Existing theories need to be reexamined and modified, or alternative theories reviewed to inform service research on the metaverse. Thus, the present research seeks to provide insight into opportunities for theory development by service researchers and identifies important areas of future scholarly work on the metaverse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to identify the characterizations of business process management (BPM) methodology in hotel industry through an aggregate processing of the core cyclesteps (CCCs) of the highly-cited BPM life-cycle models in the literature aiming to highlight the major issues of the current methodological approach of BPM in hotels when to put the notion of service process into practice. Design/methodology/approach: The paper identifies and examines the most popular BPM life-cycles models in the literature and locates 15 life-cycles that are highly cited. The paper then focuses on applying the theory on nine listed hotel companies in Egypt using a questionnaire in the form of a semi-structured interview technique. Findings: The CCSs of BPM life-cycle model applied in hotels revealed a gap between BPM theory and practice in this sector. Utilizing this model of BPM life-cycle, the paper focuses on describing several of the main problems or pitfalls found in the methodological approach of BPM in hotels, which brings the essence of the whole operation management problems. Practical implications: In light of these findings, the paper discusses the practical implications and focuses on recommendations on how to properly improve the methodological approach of BPM in hotels in order to get better business results. Originality/value: The paper bridges the gap between BPM theory and practice and suggests recommendations that will assist hotel companies to eliminate the problems of poor process management (PM). There are also future research recommendations to enhance the knowledge of BPM theory in the service sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study conducts a comparative analysis of the impact of educational mismatch on Spanish wages. This paper aims to focus on the industrial, construction and service sectors at three levels of disaggregation: sector, occupation and gender. Design/methodology/approach: The over-education, required education and under-education (ORU model), was applied to data from the 2018 Spanish Wages Structure Survey conducted by the Spanish National Statistics Institute. Findings: The industrial sector is the one that best manages over-education by offering the highest returns to each year of over-education. It is also the sector that most values the education of women, particularly those in highly qualified positions. Originality/value: This study compares the wage effects of educational mismatch in the service, industry and construction sectors. Previous literature has ignored the latter sectors in this field of study, but the results of the present study show that the industrial sectors significantly value and remunerates worker education. Therefore, it may be worthy to focus certain economic and social policies on this sector, to contribute to reducing gender wage gaps and gender employment discrimination in the economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to empirically examine the impact of supply chain risks (SCRs) and demand management strategies (DMSs) on the company performance in order to study the use of DMSs in delivering improved results even in the presence of SCRs. The SCRs considered under the study are as follows: demand variability, constrained capacity and quality of services delivery, and competitive performance, customer satisfaction and financial performance are the measures considered for company performance. Design/methodology/approach: This study is based on a survey of 439 businesses in India representing 10 groups of services industries (information technology/IT enabled services, business process outsourcing, IT infrastructure, logistics/transportation, healthcare, hospitality, personal services, consulting, education and training, consumer products and retail), using structural equation modeling (SEM) methods. Findings: The findings reveal that presence of demand variability risk has significant influence upon the use of demand planning and forecasting, controlling customer arrival during peaks and shifting demand to future. Mismatch of capacity against demand (unused capacity) leads to the use of techniques to influence business during lean periods, thereby resulting in enhanced supply chain (SC) and financial performance. Controlling customer arrival during peaks to shift the demand to lean periods leads to enhanced financial performance. Presence of delivery quality risk does not significantly influence the use of DMS. Also, short-term use of customer and business handling techniques does not exert significant influence on company performance. Research limitations/implications: The study has limitations as follows: (1) respondents are primarily from India while representing global organizations, (2) process/service redesign to relieve capacity as a DMS is not considered and (3) discussion on capacity management strategies (CMSs) is also excluded. Practical implications: SC managers can be resourceful in shifting the peak demand to future with the application of techniques to control customer arrival during peaks. The managers can also help enhance business by influencing business through offers, incentives and promotions during lean periods to use available capacity and improve company performance. Originality/value: This study is one of the first empirical works to explore how presence of SCRs influences the use of DMS and impacts the three types of company performance. The study expands current research on demand management options (DMOs) by linking three dimensions of company performance based on the data collected from ten different groups of service industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Open banking, with its promise to revolutionise electronic transactions through open application programming interfaces (APIs), aims to bridge the gap between banks and non-banks, enhancing lending, payments, investments and funds distribution. However, does this bold innovation truly resonate with consumers? This study delves into consumer intentions to adopt open banking in Indonesia by leveraging the technology readiness model, scrutinising its antecedents and moderating factors, and identifying the key attributes that users anticipate. Design/methodology/approach: Through quantitative and qualitative approaches, this study answers the following questions: (1) Are financial service users ready to use open banking/open API applications? (2) What are the key attributes that consumer expects of open banking/open API? First, the authors developed a structural model based on the technology readiness model, distributed the questionnaire in eight major cities in Indonesia, analysed it using PLS-SEM and utilised a machine learning approach to unpack the main attributes expected from open banking. Findings: This study's findings indicate that customers are generally prepared to embrace open banking innovations. Nonetheless, to enhance public acceptance, certain factors should be emphasised, including organisational support, user-friendly technology, a comprehensive range of features, consumer financial literacy and banks' readiness to adopt open banking. In contrast to prior research, this study reveals that loyalty to traditional banking positively moderates the connection between customer value and the intention to utilise open banking. Additionally, the authors did not observe a significant moderating effect of financial literacy on the relationship between perceived customer value and the intention to use open banking. Originality/value: To the best of the authors' knowledge, this study is one of the few that comprehensively analyses the consumers' readiness for open banking in developing contexts. This study is expected to produce a theoretical contribution as well as effective and optimal policies for the financial services sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This article presents a systematic framework with a meta-analytic approach to finding various antecedents, consequents and moderating effects of trust in financial services. Design/methodology/approach: A meta-analysis of 165 articles was performed, which generated 272 observations in a cumulative sample of 86,968 respondents. Findings: The results of this meta-analysis demonstrated seventeen antecedents of trust constructs and four consequents. Most of these relationships were meaningful and consistent. The authors also found some significant moderators related to culture (individualism, masculinity and long-term orientation) and context (innovation index and device type). Research limitations/implications: This meta-analysis reviewed the relationships found throughout the theoretical framework about the trust construct in financial service contexts, identifying new paths for future research. Some limitations, such as the non-use of qualitative studies and the selection of concepts, exist in the secondary data and should be noted. Practical implications: The present study can assist financial system managers in decision-making because the findings from the meta-analysis are more consistent than those from traditional primary surveys. Originality/value: This research tested the impact of antecedents, consequents and moderators of trust in the financial services sector and presented significant results using a meta-analytic review. This meta-analysis contributes to the marketing literature by offering a set of empirical generalizations, including relationship coefficients and fail-safe calculated numbers (FSN). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aim of this study is to determine the most critical success factors (CSFs) of lean adoption in a specific Greek public services subsector namely citizen's service centers (CSCs) and to define their underlying structure (latent constructs). Design/methodology/approach: In this study an online structured questionnaire survey was distributed to all the Greek CSCs and six hundred and seventy-two employees responded and fully completed the questionnaire. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were applied to assess the reliability and validity of the latent constructs of the Lean CSFs. Findings: Data analysis revealed that the latent constructs of the lean CSFs, namely communication, top management commitment and leadership, organizational culture, training and education, change and project management, availability of resources, teamwork, and employee involvement and empowerment are of major importance for the adoption of lean in the CSCs. Research limitations/implications: The small percentage of the responding employees of the Greek CSCs, given their large population and the subjective nature of the data collected constitute the main limitations of the present study. Practical implications: The findings of this research can guide managers and decision makers of CSCs in recognizing the key factors that potentially will influence the successful adoption of lean, and the enhancement of the quality management initiatives of these services organizations. Moreover, the formulated model can also serve as a reference for academics and researchers to generate new research ideas. Finally, the results may offer guidelines to managers of public services organizations of other countries with a similar structure of the public sector. Originality/value: The present study is stimulated by the existing gap identified in the literature in the field of the public sector. Building on the public sector literature, this is the first study that evaluates the importance of the CSFs of lean in the Greek CSCs and defines their underlying structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The main objective of this study is to investigate the 7 new quality control or the 7 new management tools and their use in manufacturing organisations. This research investigates the understanding, knowledge of the tools and the level of application of the tools within the manufacturing sector. In addition, this paper aims to identify the benefits, challenges and critical success factors (CSFs) for the application of the 7 new quality control (QC) tools. Design/methodology/approach: An online survey instrument was developed, and data collection was performed utilising a stratified random sampling strategy. The primary strata/clusters were formed by quality professionals working in all aspects of manufacturing organisations and functions. A total of 86 participants from different countries responded to the survey. Findings: The main finding of this study is that 10% of participants within the manufacturing sector perceived that the 7 new QC tools could solve above 80% of organisational problems. Another relevant finding presented in this paper is that tree diagrams were the most utilised of the 7 new QC tools within the manufacturing sector. The least utilised tools are arrow diagrams. The common benefits of using 7 new QC tools in the manufacturing sector are helping people define, measure and analyse the problem areas or even prioritises them and providing some form of structure to the problem-solving efforts. This paper also revealed that the 7 new QC tools were most used in the manufacturing area but least utilised in the new products and research and development (R&D) functions. This work also presents a list of CSFs and challenges required to properly apply the 7 new QC tools in the manufacturing sector. Research limitations/implications: This study was just carried out in manufacturing organisations. It would be interesting to try and expand to services sectors and compare use within the services sector. Originality/value: Authors understand that this is the very first empirical study analysing the use and understanding of the 7 new QC or management tools within the manufacturing sector. The results of this study represent an important first step towards a complete understanding of the applicability of these tools in continuous improvement programs on a global scale and the context in which they can be utilized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: What role do consumers play in constructing their own luxury experiences? Challenging the dominant product-focus in luxury conceptualizations, this research note conceptualizes agentic luxury in the context of luxury services. Drawing on extant luxury research, the purpose of this article is to develop how consumers may take on more active roles in enacting their own luxury services experiences. Design/methodology/approach: This research note is conceptual but builds on managerial insights from the luxury service sector to conceptualize the concept of agentic luxury. Findings: Our research note develops a conceptual definition of agentic luxury and provides seven research propositions for its impact on luxury service encounters. These propositions detail how consumers engage in constructing their luxury experience; the roles of consumers and luxury service providers in the experience; and boundary conditions of agentic luxury. The authors further develop the role of customer-as-designer and highlight similarities and differences for agentic luxury between luxury goods and services. Practical implications: The authors combine the recognized specificities of the largely goods-dominated luxury sector with service research to show how luxury service providers can engage customers for more complete and engaging luxury service experiences. Originality/value: To the best of the authors' knowledge, this research note is the first to conceptualize agentic luxury. The authors show how agentic luxury fills a gap in the current literature, and our propositions advance the relevance of agentic luxury for luxury service research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to apply the regulatory dialectic to describe the evolution of trade-based money laundering (TBML) schemes, to describe three recent TBML innovations uncovered by a large bank in the important global trade jurisdiction of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and to provide recommendations for an effective regulatory response. Design/methodology/approach: The methodology used is a caselet approach with three examples of TBML schemes recently foiled in the UAE as well as an application of the regulatory dialectic literature to TBML. Findings: The implications of the regulatory dialectic for research regarding TBML and associated regulation and compliance will enable regulators, the financial services sector and academics to understand TBML and the ever-evolving steps criminals are taking to circumvent the changing landscape of regulation and controls implemented by the financial services sector and customs tasked with mitigating such behaviour. This paper will bring awareness of the evolution of TBML, the controls and frameworks that may be used to prevent, detect and investigate some of the complex schemes of TBML. Research limitations/implications: The regulatory dialectic theory provides insights into the evolution of TBML schemes as well as why compliance activities tend to be reactive, rather than proactive. The cases covered in this paper provide insights into the nature of this circular process between financial crime and regulation, which is useful for anti-financial crime professionals and regulators focusing on deterrence. Practical implications: The UAE is a small, rapidly developing trade and finance center in the Middle East, surrounded by nations that are sanctioned, in active conflicts, politically unstable and/or highly corrupt. TBLM undermines the security of the UAE; the authors provide insights into criminal innovations and regulatory responses. Social implications: To promote the safety and stability of the ten million residents of the UAE, and others in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, it is important to understand the process of innovation in TBML schemes and regulatory response. Originality/value: To the best of the authors' knowledge, this paper is the first to apply the regulatory dialectic theory to TBML to describe innovation in TBML schemes and to provide cases describing contemporary TBML innovations in the MENA region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to investigate the conditional indirect effect of innovativeness on performance via supply chain agility (SCA) in the service industry at higher and lower collaborative relationships. Design/methodology/approach: The hypothesised model is operationalised with survey data from 245 Australian service firms collected via LinkedIn and analysed using structural equation modelling and fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). Findings: The analysis found that SCA significantly mediates the relationship between innovativeness and performance. Further, the conditional indirect effect of innovativeness on performance via SCA was significant when the collaborative relationship was high. Results also revealed that a configuration of both innovativeness and agility better predicts performance. Originality/value: This study is an early attempt to investigate SCA in service industries by scrutinizing SCA from an innovative point of view. While previous studies have demonstrated the role of innovativeness in enhancing a firm's performance, this study explores this link further by investigating the conditional indirect effect of innovativeness on performance via SCA at different levels of collaborative relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Based on the dynamic capability theory, our study tries to explore the mediator mechanism of service supply chain dynamic capability between market orientation and service innovation performance, as well as the boundary conditions in which service supply chain dynamic capability plays a role, in order to reveal the key elements and their mechanisms for manufacturing enterprises to improve service performance. Design/methodology/approach: With a total of 317 valid questionnaires, structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test the research model and hypotheses. Findings: The empirical results confirm that the three types of service supply chain dynamic capability (environment insight capability, resource integration capability and resource reconfiguration capability) can partially mediate the relationship between firm market orientation (responsive and proactive market orientations) and service innovation performance. In addition, supply chain collaboration has different types of moderator effects on the relationship between the three types of service supply chain dynamic capability and service innovation performance. Originality/value: This research discovers that market orientation and dynamic capability are the key factors leading to high service performance and reveals the mediating role of service supply chain dynamic capability between market orientation and service innovation performance. Moreover, this research explores the moderating role of supply chain collaboration in service supply chain resource reconfiguration capability and service innovation performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Sustainability trends have changed the modus operandi in businesses even as the market environment becomes more socially conscious. However, relatively little research has been conducted on integrating social sustainability aspects with a focus on corporate social responsibility (CSR) into the selection of suppliers in the service sector, particularly the banking industry. In this paper, this study aims to propose a CSR decision support methodology to evaluate and prioritize socially responsible suppliers. Design/methodology/approach: A novel integrated decision support methodology composed of Shannon Entropy and TOmada de Decisão Interativa e Multicritério (TODIM) methods is introduced. The Shannon-Entropy approach is used to estimate CSR factor weights, and TODIM is used to rank the suppliers, with the process completed in a group decision setting. Findings: A Nigerian bank was used as a case study to test and show the usefulness of the CSR-based decision framework in evaluating and selecting socially responsible suppliers. The results show the topmost ranked suppliers that are recommended for future negotiations by the case (bank). The study will enable banks to select socially responsible suppliers, which could accelerate the attainment of sustainability objectives, protect their reputations and improve competitiveness. Originality/value: This study pioneers the application of a novel decision methodology based on Shannon Entropy and TODIM in selecting socially sustainable suppliers in the Banking sector of an African emerging economy-Nigeria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of the current study is to examine the implications of the implementation of Goods and Service Tax (GST) on the revenue efficiency of the sub-national governments in India. Furthermore, the study aims to compare the revenue efficiency of the Indian states for the pre-GST and post-GST periods in India. Design/methodology/approach: The study has used the annual revenue of value-added tax (VAT)/GST of the Indian states for the period ranging from 2012–2013 to 2020–2021 for the pre- and post-GST periods. The empirical results are based on the panel regression model for examining the implications of GST adoption on the Indian states. Findings: The analysis shows that the implementation of GST in India has negatively impacted the revenue efficiency of the Indian states. Moreover, the results affirm that the contribution of the service sector to the state's Net State Domestic Product (NSDP), credit-deposit ratio (CDR) and outstanding net bank credit (ONBC) ratio of schedule commercial banks (SCBs) positively and states' dependency on central transfers (DCT) negatively impact the tax revenue efforts of the state governments. Furthermore, the GST adoption has a greater impact on the revenue efficiency of the minor states in comparison to major states which may widen the inter-state disparity gap as GST revenue constitutes a major share in the Own Tax Revenue (OTR) of the Indian states in aggregate. Practical implications: The current study will act as a guide for government, policymakers and for the sitting of the fifteenth finance commission in India for future policy formulation on GST and compensation to the Indian states. Similarly, this study can be used as a base for conducting future studies on the implications of GST at the national, sub-national, and international levels. Originality/value: Previous studies on the implications of GST are theoretical and conceptual. There is hardly any study at the national or sub-national level that has focused on the implications of GST on the revenue efficiency of the Indian states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]