Management Dynamics in the Knowledge Economy

A Literature Review on Solid Waste Management and Disposal Behavior at the Base of the Pyramid

Katharina RAAB — Sun, 10 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Consumer behavior in disposing of products has substantial consequences for the environment that affect all of us. Waste management is a major challenge faced by many developing countries, underlining the relevance of this literature review. Even when academia tries to shed light on this field, it often fails to consider that waste management must be approached differently in less developed countries, which differ dramatically from advanced countries, especially with regard to consumers’ behavioral characteristics. Further, limited effort has been made to systematize the existing literature by highlighting areas of interest in the scholarly discussion. This literature review contributes to the field by illuminating focal points in scholarly research on the background of solid waste management and the disposal behavior of people living at the base of the pyramid. It explores how scholarly research results can guide scholars and practitioners who are contributing to a positive shift in waste management practices. Its novelty arises from annotating scholarly theories and managerial approaches that promise to advance the understanding of sustainable waste management in developing countries. Additionally, the utilization of VOSviewer’s network visualization involving cluster building and keyword occurrences, contributes to the methodological originality of the study. Selective keyword research in the Web of Science database identified 124 pertinent articles for review. This underscores the importance of this literature review, especially in light of the significant increase in publications in this research domain, with approximately 70% (87 of 124 articles) published since 2019. The results show that knowledge, participation, and the active involvement of the local communities are key components in achieving sustainable waste management. Shaping individuals’ attitudes and awareness is vital for promoting pro-environmental behaviors in developing countries. The results also show a prominent focus on recycling behavior and an extensive use of the theory of planned behavior.

The Impact of Digitalization on Customer Knowledge Management

Andreea Bianca CAMARĂ — Sun, 10 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The best way for a business to gather pertinent knowledge and apply it for the growth and sustainability of the firm is through communication with its customers. Companies must adapt to today's data, information, and knowledge-based economy. A company's ability to evolve depends on how strategically it uses its intangible resources to build its knowledge capital. Digital tools create new channels for client engagement and collaboration. The current study assesses how digital tools affect how businesses interact with their customers and how these tools help customers share knowledge with companies. This study updates knowledge management and customer knowledge management practices in a digital context and serves as an example of these practices. The study aims to address the absence of specific and valuable components in business practices that give them access to client knowledge. The study is conducted on a sample of 10 individuals, managers, and CEOs of Romanian enterprises, using the in-depth interview method. Data from the survey were analyzed and interpreted, and significant results were drawn by comparing them to prior research. The study emphasizes the value of digital tools for customer communication and the potential these platforms provide for gathering knowledge about, for, and from customers. The respondents stressed the significance of knowledge for both the growth of the company and the innovation process. Still, there needs to be more internal structures to manage this knowledge strategically and capitalize on it for the beginning of innovative business approaches. The study identifies the primary challenges to communicating via digital channels and suggests solutions to help companies acquire, share, and use customer data to its fullest potential.

The Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Profitability Indicators in the Hospitality Sector

Simona VOJTEKOVA, Tomas KLIESTIK — Sun, 10 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Many business entities in Slovakia felt the pressure of government restrictions during the Covid-19 pandemic, especially entities from SK NACE I: accommodation and food services activities. The main objective of this article is to analyse the return on equity, assets and sales in selected sectors in Slovakia and find out if the Covid-19 pandemic has an effect on these profitability ratios. Firstly, we use ex-post financial analyses and then Friedman's nonparametric test to find those groups of years between which there are differences. The study period 2016-2021 includes comparisons before the Covid-19 period, as well as dealing with the pandemic era. Our investigation concerns 321 business entities from SK NACE I, especially from Division 56: Food and beverage service activities. The findings showed the impact of the pandemic on profitability indicators such as total assets, equity, and sales. Therefore, it was feasible to establish that these are the indicators most affected by the pandemic, such as the economic outcome after taxes, assets, equity, and sales. Additionally, significant differences in indicators were confirmed in the pairs of years 2019–2020 and 2019–2021. Significant changes were confirmed between the years provided, which may most likely be attributed to the outbreak of the pandemic of the viral disease Covid-19. This study and its results may have added value for the management of business entities and the government of the Slovak Republic by stimulating the negative impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on firms in these sectors.

Supply Chain Innovative Practices and Customer Satisfaction: Insights from Manufacturing SMEs

John Meku LELO, Baraka ISRAEL — Sun, 10 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000

In today's highly competitive business landscape, SMEs face the challenges of meeting customer demands and expectations. To remain competitive, attract and satisfy customers, manufacturing SMEs must adopt innovative practices within their supply chain. This research investigates the influence of supply chain innovative practices (SCIPs) on customer satisfaction within the context of manufacturing SMEs. A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was utilised to collect the data from 172 customers of manufacturing SMEs in Mwanza, Tanzania to gain comprehensive insights into the influence of SCIPs on customer satisfaction. Descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression (BLR) were used for data analysis. The research findings revealed that manufacturing SMEs adopt SCIPs, including digitalization and IoT integration, vendor-managed inventory, customisation, Just-In-Time, collaborative relationships, and lean manufacturing to a moderate extent. Moreover, the findings demonstrate a significant and positive correlation between SCIPs and customer satisfaction. We conclude that SMEs that successfully adopt SCIPs experience higher levels of customer satisfaction, which, in turn, positively influences customer loyalty and brand reputation. Therefore, manufacturing SMEs can capitalise on customer satisfaction, loyalty, and sustainable growth by strategizing SCIPs along their supply chain. The study contributes to the existing knowledge by providing valuable insights into the importance of SCIPs in improving customer satisfaction in manufacturing SMEs.

Employer Branding – Employer Attractiveness as a New Mindset in the Healthcare Sector

Michael HEIDE, Stefan SCHRÖDER, Nathalie WITTEMANN, Philomena DON — Sun, 10 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The shortage of skilled labour, demographic change and ever-increasing cost pressures are presenting healthcare organisations with key challenges in the areas of strategy, leadership and portfolio management. In the Federal Republic of Germany, there is an acute shortage of skilled workers in 352 of 801 occupational groups (44% of all occupational groups). Effective employer branding is the only way to sustainably increase employer attractiveness and generate competitive advantages on the labour market. Employer branding is the identity-based development and positioning of a company as an attractive employer. The aim of the article is to identify relevant characteristics of employer attractiveness, which can be located in particular in the perception of IT specialists. The identification of these characteristics should help organizations to optimize their personnel policy in the long term. The authors chose the mixed-methods research approach. The hypothesis system is conceptualized and operationalized within the framework of structural equation modelling (SEM). The practical relevance of the findings from the quantitative research is examined in expert interviews. The data analysis is based on qualitative content analysis according to Kuckartz. Due to the research background, data collection is limited to the EU member state Germany. The shift in the balance of power in the labour market towards employees is not a development that can be limited to Europe. In a globalized world, companies have access to a wider talent pool, but are also exposed to increased competition for the best talent. A strong employer brand enables companies to stand out and attract top talent. The empirical results show that a positively perceived employer attractiveness can achieve the employer branding goals of recruiting employees and retaining them in the long term. The clever combination of tangible and intangible benefits, embedded in a modern corporate and error culture (mindset), is decisive in determining whether qualitative growth of the organization is possible.

The Anatomy of Unemployment: Determinants During and After the COVID-19 Crisis

Matus SENCI, Lucia SVABOVA, Tomas KLIESTIK — Sun, 10 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Unemployment is a factor that heavily influences the output of each economy. It is, therefore, one of the main concerns of any government worldwide. This study identifies key determinants of unemployment. By constructing an econometric model for the registered unemployment rate in Slovakia, the period from 2013 to 2022 was under scrutiny, while the impact of the COVID crisis was considered in the model through a dummy variable. Potential determinants of unemployment were selected based on theoretical knowledge and other scientific works, that is, average interest rates, gross minimum wage, GDP, inflation, exports, imports, government spending, corruption index, COVID-19 crisis, and month of the year. The final relevant factors for unemployment were tested and validated: interest rates, GDP, inflation, government spending, and exports. These study results may be valuable for the government when designing targeted interventions to optimise the unemployment rate in Slovakia or similar economies by influencing other macroeconomic indicators.