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  • Connectivity agency in telework: a qualitative analysis of facilitators and barriers

    Purpose: The well-being of employees in distributed work has never been of more importance. This study aims to investigate the factors that empower or undermine the connectivity agency of teleworkers. Connectivity agency is an important form of autonomy for managing work–home boundaries, recuperation from work and psychological detachment. With this in mind it becomes vital to understand how connectivity agency is shaped by various contextual factors. Design/methodology/approach: This qualitative study draws upon data collected from 27 teleworkers representing a variety of industries and roles. We employed a semi-structured interview protocol and analysed the data using Tracy’s (2013) iterative coding technique. Findings: Factors that influence one’s likelihood or capacity to exercise connectivity agency exist at the individual, group or organisational level. Our data elucidate factors such as the provision of home and technological resources, the state of team norms and shared expectations and the level of organisational (dis)trust as having significant influence on whether a teleworker exercises connectivity agency, or whether attempts to do so fail altogether. Originality/value: Whilst we have a comprehensive understanding of types of connectivity agency behaviours, it is unclear how one’s agency may be influenced by contextual factors. The originality and key contribution of our study is in enriching our understanding of connectivity agency to appreciate it as a dynamic phenomenon that is shaped by various contextual factors. This presents a variety of important insights for professionals leading, implementing or partaking in distributed work.

  • Towards a career perspective on lifelong development: applying a multiple-stakeholder approach to explore the concept

    Purpose: In this study, we propose that a contemporary definition of lifelong development, based on scientific literature and qualitative research in 12 Dutch organisations, be applied. This definition integrates several different perspectives on lifelong learning. Design/methodology/approach: To begin with, a conceptual definition was formulated in collaboration with partners and experts from the field. After that, 34 interviews were conducted consisting of one employee, one manager and one human resource (HR) officer from each participating organisation. This was done using an epistemic interview method. Findings: From our findings, we conclude that lifelong development is regarded and practised differently by the various respondents; lifelong development is aimed at achieving personal or organisational goals and mutual interests are rarely addressed. However, there seems to be a growing recognition of the importance of integrating the two perspectives. Originality/value: In order to promote a dialogue regarding stakeholder perspectives, we propose that a definition of lifelong development be applied, one that combines the economic and the more psychological meaning-making perspectives. In doing so, attention should not only be paid to current goals but also to the future goals of individuals and organisations so that future developments can be anticipated. This will then serve as a point of departure for further research and (inter)national, regional and organisational practice.

  • Guest editorial: Special issue exploring contemporary developments in the retrieval and evaluation of witness testimony
  • Guest editorial: Package design: overcoming challenges for brands
  • Editorial: Research impact of the real estate journals
  • A study of inclusive supervisory behaviors, workplace social inclusion and turnover intention in the context of employee age

    Purpose: The Australian retail industry is facing skills shortages while mature and old-age workers are experiencing high unemployment rates. This study focuses on understanding organizational inclusion and turnover intentions in the context of employee age. Design/methodology/approach: Survey data were collected from 502 retail supervisors and employees. Findings: Drawing on socioemotional selectivity theory and social exchange theory, the findings indicate: no difference in inclusive supervisory behaviors perceptions for different age groups; a significantly higher workplace social inclusion perceptions among employees aged 55 plus than among employees aged 35–44; a significantly lower turnover intention among employees aged 55 plus and 45–54 years than other age groups; a positive relationship between inclusive supervisory behaviors and workplace social inclusion and a negative relationship between workplace social inclusion and turnover intention which was stronger for older employees than for younger employees. Practical implications: The findings present a business case for hiring older employees and indicate that managers need to prioritize inclusion. Originality/value: This study addresses the underexplored area of employee age differences in inclusion and turnover perceptions among retail employees. It links inclusive supervisory behaviors, social inclusion and turnover intention.

  • Exploring impact of production volume and product quality on manufacturers' profitability: analytical modeling and empirical validation

    Purpose: This study aims to develop analytical models that consider product quality and production volume as essential drivers for profitability in the marketplace. It also considers product demand and price dynamics to understand related nuances backed by empirical validation. Design/methodology/approach: The pricing mechanism is influenced by production quality, while product demand is influenced by both price and quality. The study considers cost elements, including production cost and quality loss cost which in turn are influenced by production volume and product quality. It establishes analytical conditions for optimal product quality and applies them to numerical analyses considering four distinct industry settings. Findings: The study reveals that unique solutions exist for optimal product quality at each production level in four industry scenarios. The optimal production volume depends on product quality, and empirical research validates these findings from analytical models and numerical analysis. Originality/value: This study represents a pioneering effort to investigate operational strategies in both analytical and empirical contexts, thus contributing to the existing body of knowledge in this area.

  • Experiences of asylum interviews by asylum officials, interpreters and asylum seekers in Finland

    Purpose: Recent legal psychological research has highlighted shortcomings in asylum interviews; however, few studies have examined how the interview participants (interviewer, interpreter and asylum seeker) experience and perceive the interviews. The purpose of this study was to explore how these interview participants experience rapport and communication within asylum interviews, as well as to investigate how well interviewers’ and interpreters’ views align with empirical evidence regarding best-practice interviewing. Design/methodology/approach: Interviewers (n = 62), interpreters (n = 63) and asylum seekers (n = 49) answered an online survey with mainly closed questions about preparation, rapport, interview content, interpretation and overall experiences of the interviews. Interviewers and interpreters reported experiences from interviews conducted in 2021, whereas asylum seekers referred to their interview experiences from 2016 to 2022. Data were explored descriptively. Findings: The views of interviewers and interpreters were mostly aligned with evidence-based interviewing recommendations. However, contrary to recommendations, interpreters reported favouring closed questions over open prompts. Most asylum seekers reported feeling nervous or afraid during the interviews, and three-fourths reported difficulties in sharing their experiences and disclosing personal information. This indicates that more work on how to build rapport in cross-cultural, interpreter-assisted interviews is needed. The interpreters’ preference for using closed questions presents a risk to interview quality that should be mitigated through training for interpreters as well as improved collaboration between interviewers and interpreters. Originality/value: To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to explore experiences of asylum interviews from the perspectives of interviewers, interpreters and asylum seekers.

  • Channel selection and pricing optimization in multichannel e-tailing

    Purpose: This paper considers an e-tailer planning to distribute a product under one direct sales channel and multiple asymmetric agency platforms. Based on the multinomial logit (MNL) choice model, this study optimizes the pricing strategy and channel selection strategy to maximize the e-tailer’s profit. Design/methodology/approach: A two-stage channel selection and pricing problem is formulated, where the profit-maximizing e-tailer first optimally selects a specified number of agency platforms from a set of alternatives to distribute the product and then determines the optimal prices in those channels. Findings: An optimal pricing strategy is proposed to maximize the e-tailer’s total profit on multiple asymmetric channels. The results show that the e-tailer can obtain a higher profit by selling products on more asymmetric agency platforms. Moreover, an effective channel selection algorithm is provided to help the e-tailer optimally select the M agency platforms from N alternatives. Originality/value: This study enriches the relevant research on multichannel selection and pricing by proposing an optimal pricing strategy and an effective channel selection algorithm. Evaluation results based on real-world industrial data show that the proposed optimal multichannel pricing strategy in this paper can significantly improve the profit of a real-world e-tailer compared to the e-tailer’s actual profit.

  • Practice Briefing: The inception and preliminary performance analysis of REITs in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

    Purpose: The Saudi REIT market’s introduction in 2016 was part of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 master plan to diversify the country's sources of revenue and reform its financial sector. Despite the Saudi REIT market’s nascent state, it has experienced significant growth in a short period of time, being the largest REIT market in MENA. Saudi REITs are designed using well-established global REIT standards to facilitate efficient capital influx into commercial property investment opportunities in Saudi Arabia. The core aim of this paper is to highlight the development of Saudi REITs and empirically assess their performance over the period from December 2018 to December 2023. Design/methodology/approach: Using monthly total returns in local currency (SAR), the risk-adjusted performance and portfolio diversification attributes of Saudi REITs are assessed. A series of optimal portfolios are constructed to identify the potential added-value role of Saudi REITs in a multi-asset framework. Findings: Whilst Saudi REITs’ average annual return performance is lower than that of stocks, their annual returns are delivered with less volatility, thus giving a competitive overall risk-adjusted performance against other asset classes. This is a testament to Saudi REITs’ higher income return performance due to the fiscal-efficient framework. Further, when Saudi REITs are introduced in a stocks-bonds portfolio, they are able to improve the portfolio’s overall return whilst reducing the volatility, with their allocation in the asset mix observed to effectively scale throughout the portfolio risk-return spectrum. Practical implications: Saudi REITs are an emerging investment opportunity for investors seeking exposure in a relatively stable and fast-growing MENA property market. As Saudi Arabia makes continuous reforms to improve the accessibility and transparency of its commercial property market, Saudi REITs are the most effective way to date for domestic and overseas investors to obtain exposure to the Kingdom’s property investment opportunities. Importantly, the encouraging preliminary results as identified in this paper provide valuable insight into the potential trajectory of Saudi REITs, given their significant contributing role to achieve the strategic objectives of Vision 2030. Originality/value: This paper is the first empirical investigation that provides a preliminary performance validation of Saudi REITs as a listed pathway to commercial property exposure in Saudi Arabia. This study provides empirical evidence that enables more informed and practical decision-making in property investment, particularly in understanding the strategic importance of Saudi REITs within an investment portfolio.

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