STANDARDIZATION OR ADAPTATION IN COSMETICS WEBSITES MARKETING ? AN EMPIRICAL STUDY

The websites marketing is becoming an important tool both for multinationals and SMEs, in their effort to internationalizing their business. This study focuses on the international opportunities that are present within the European markets. The paper aims at identifying the degree of websites marketing standardization vs. adaptation, as a marketing tool for cosmetic products. Moreover, the study examines in a comparative manner the standardization strategy of multinationals and small and medium enterprises (SMEs), leaders in European markets, for different cosmetic cathegories. The evaluation of online advertising standardization is based on the modified Model for Testing Advertising Standardization, developed by Whitelock and Chung. The web sites degree of localizations are analyzed based upon 98 criteria, as resulted from an adapted methodology of ProfNet Institut fur Internet Marketing, Munster (Germany). The sample includes the 101 leaders from European markets. The research outcomes reflect a standardized websites marketing policy for SMEs and localized for multinationals. Also, for perfumes, dental care products and toiletry, European cosmetic leaders implement standardized websites marketing policies and balanced for the other cosmetics categories. The hypothesis concerning a strong correlation between standardization and handling dimension was supported.websites marketing, SME, multinationals, online interactivity, cosmetics, standardization, adaptation Romania

Electronic Government Adoption Model Among Business Organizations in Jordan

E-government adoption involves a significant change in the way government administrative operations with its stakeholders are being conducted. Past studies have tended to view e-government adoption in terms of a dichotomous outcome; either e-government is adopted, or it is not. Such studies give little indication of the diffusion of e-government applications. The aim of this study is to address this gap in existing research by investigating both the level and extent of usage of e-government applications. In so doing, the study draws on research in the area of innovation diffusion theories. The population of this study consisted of firms listed in Amman Stock Exchange (ASE) that have adopted B2G (business-to-government) e-government. The main objective of this study is to characterize B2G e-government adoption among businesses listed in ASE. It also aims to identify factors associated with the adoption of B2G e-government and to determine the impacts of its adoption on these businesses. A total of 113 usable responses were generated for further analysis. Based on two parts, the level of e-government adoption and the extent of usage for each application, two groups of adopters were identified and labeled as basic-adopters and advanced-adopters. Technological, organizational and external factors were found to have influenced e-government adoption among businesses in ASE. It was also found that advanced-adopters had gained more significant benefits from e-government adoption than basic-adopters. In particular, advanced-adopters achieved time saving, lower cost and efficiency as well as gaining strategic benefits such as better work efficiency, lower operational cost, and reduced work-process time

Contributing factors to child stunting in Guatemala: A systems analysis focused on enteric disease transmission and mycotoxin exposure

Child stunting -- low height-for-age -- is a United Nation\u27s indicator for chronic malnutrition that has been linked to both acute and chronic health problems. Data from Guatemala suggests for children under five years of age, 49% are classified as stunted. This dissertation tests the following hypotheses, among children in Guatemala 1) environmental enteric dysfunction (EED) is correlated with height-for-age, 2) aflatoxin B (AFB) exposure is correlated with height-for-age, and 3) AFB exposure is correlated with EED. A network analysis was conducted on data from the US Agency for International Development (USAID) collected in 2012 to identify trends in a height-for-age model and an EED model. These results were then combined with a literature review, field observations, and informal interviews to hypothesize two structural equation models (SEM). Additionally, a third SEM was hypothesized for the AFB exposure model. The models were tested with data collected by the San Vicente Health Center in Totonicapán in October 2016 and February 2017. Finally, five geographic specific SEMs were built with the USAID 2012 data and tested with USAID 2013 data. Results of the hypotheses include 1) mixed findings on a correlation between EED and child height-for-age, 2) a confirmed correlation between AFB exposure and child height-for-age, and 3) no correlation between AFB exposure and EED. Furthermore, improved prenatal health and improved sanitary child play areas were correlated with child height-for-age. For the EED model improved water treatment was correlated with reduced EED. Finally, improved maize purchase habits, post-harvest practices, and maize storage were correlated with a decrease in AFB symptoms. Field practitioners and policy makers must account for local and regional suitability for interventions and policies on child health --Abstract, page vi

Clinical and cost effectiveness of endoscopic bipolar radiofrequency ablation for the treatment of malignant biliary obstruction: a systematic review

BACKGROUND: Early evidence suggests that using radiofrequency ablation as an adjunct to standard care (i.e. endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography with stenting) may improve outcomes in patients with malignant biliary obstruction. OBJECTIVES: To assess the clinical effectiveness, cost-effectiveness and potential risks of endoscopic bipolar radiofrequency ablation for malignant biliary obstruction, and the value of future research. DATA SOURCES: Seven bibliographic databases, three websites and seven trials registers were searched from 2008 until 21 January 2021. REVIEW METHODS: The study inclusion criteria were as follows: patients with biliary obstruction caused by any form of unresectable malignancy; the intervention was reported as an endoscopic biliary radiofrequency ablation to ablate malignant tissue that obstructs the bile or pancreatic ducts, either to fit a stent (primary radiofrequency ablation) or to clear an obstructed stent (secondary radiofrequency ablation); the primary outcomes were survival, quality of life or procedure-related adverse events; and the study design was a controlled study, an observational study or a case report. Risk of bias was assessed using Cochrane tools. The primary analysis was meta-analysis of the hazard ratio of mortality. Subgroup analyses were planned according to the type of probe, the type of stent (i.e. metal or plastic) and cancer type. A de novo Markov model was developed to model cost and quality-of-life outcomes associated with radiofrequency ablation in patients with primary advanced bile duct cancer. Insufficient data were available for pancreatic cancer and secondary bile duct cancer. An NHS and Personal Social Services perspective was adopted for the analysis. A probabilistic analysis was conducted to estimate the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio for radiofrequency ablation and the probability that radiofrequency ablation was cost-effective at different thresholds. The population expected value of perfect information was estimated in total and for the effectiveness parameters. RESULTS: Sixty-eight studies (1742 patients) were included in the systematic review. Four studies (336 participants) were combined in a meta-analysis, which showed that the pooled hazard ratio for mortality following primary radiofrequency ablation compared with a stent-only control was 0.34 (95% confidence interval 0.21 to 0.55). Little evidence relating to the impact on quality of life was found. There was no evidence to suggest an increased risk of cholangitis or pancreatitis, but radiofrequency ablation may be associated with an increase in cholecystitis. The results of the cost-effectiveness analysis were that the costs of radiofrequency ablation was £2659 and radiofrequency ablation produced 0.18 quality-adjusted life-years, which was more than no radiofrequency ablation on average. With an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of £14,392 per quality-adjusted life-year, radiofrequency ablation was likely to be cost-effective at a threshold of £20,000 per quality-adjusted life-year across most scenario analyses, with moderate uncertainty. The source of the vast majority of decision uncertainty lay in the effect of radiofrequency ablation on stent patency. LIMITATIONS: Only 6 of 18 comparative studies contributed to the survival meta-analysis, and few data were found concerning secondary radiofrequency ablation. The economic model and cost-effectiveness meta-analysis required simplification because of data limitations. Inconsistencies in standard reporting and study design were noted. CONCLUSIONS: Primary radiofrequency ablation increases survival and is likely to be cost-effective. The evidence for the impact of secondary radiofrequency ablation on survival and of quality of life is limited. There was a lack of robust clinical effectiveness data and, therefore, more information is needed for this indication. FUTURE WORK:  Future work investigating radiofrequency ablation must collect quality-of-life data. Highquality randomised controlled trials in secondary radiofrequency ablation are needed, with appropriate outcomes recorded. STUDY REGISTRATION: This study is registered as PROSPERO CRD42020170233. FUNDING:  This project was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Health Technology Assessment programme and will be published in full in Health Technology Assessment; Vol. 27, No. 7. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information

Investigating the deployment of electronic customer relationship management readiness and maturity models in the Iranian banking industry

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is one of the main priorities for almost all organisations, particularly in the banking world. However, Information technology (IT) has changed ways of interacting with customers, resulting in the appearance of the concept of Electronic Customer Relationship Management (eCRM), which has caused a shift from offline CRM to eCRM. ECRM aims to attract and retain customers (especially valuable ones), to improve customer service by creating a strong relationship with them, and to provide the required financial product at the right time. Thus, it is vital to identify readiness factors in any organisation to prevent eCRM failure. Due to the current gap in the eCRM readiness and maturity assessment area in banks, this research attempts to fill this gap by developing a conceptual framework for eCRM readiness/maturity and accordingly create a tool for banks to assess their eCRM readiness and maturity. This tool helps banks to prevent any eCRM failure before and after implementation which is an essential concern for any organisation in order to gain competitive advantages. In addition to practical implications, the present study contributed to existing literature. This study contributed to the current understanding of eCRM readiness and maturity in banks and helps decision makers to assess their eCRM. This study explores the social and technical aspects of eCRM in the Iranian banking industry. Hence, a pragmatic research approach using mixed methods with a range of stakeholders, such as employees, and managers, was employed in this research. As the purpose of this research is to identify the main eCRM readiness dimensions in Iranian banks and to assess eCRM readiness and maturity, an eCRM readiness/maturity framework was developed. The proposed framework was tested by devising and distributing a structured questionnaire and conducting a semi-structured interview in an attempt to survey a large number of bank employees, and decision makers at five different and well-known private and state banks in Tehran, the capital city of Iran. This survey provides an excellent penetrating study of the Iranian banking industry. Regarding eCRM readiness, data collected from a quantitative approach was analysed statistically using the Software Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The qualitative data was interpreted using NVivo, which is a qualitative data analysis computer software package. Findings from the triangulation of data of qualitative and quantitative approaches were evaluated in order to determine the main eCRM readiness dimensions in Iranian banks. Furthermore, from these findings, a case study bank was assessed in regarding eCRM readiness using Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). Regarding assessing eCRM maturity, an eCRM maturity model was developed, and a case study bank was selected. Based on the proposed eCRM maturity model, the maturity level of the selected bank was assessed using RADAR logic approach. In addition, this model was based on critical success factors (CSFs) and adapting the CRM3 maturity model. The findings of the empirical research were evaluated against the initial framework, which was generated by integrating the proposed models for eCRM readiness and maturity. This framework consists of three dimensions for eCRM readiness (Organisational culture, corporate strategy, technology) and five level of maturity. Dimensions, factors, and levels in this framework were derived from a literature review. Finally, a revised framework was generated and based on stakeholder’s perceptions, a conclusion was derived, and a recommendation to Iranian banks was made. An eCRM readiness/maturity assessment tool was created to help banks to determine whether they are ready or mature enough for the use of eCRM. The result from this assessment tool can be easily communicated amongst key members, which would help the Iranian banks to improve and promote their eCRM. In addition, this study attempts to fill the current gap in assessing banks eCRM readiness and maturity

Antecedents and impact of AIS usage amongst Jordanian SMEs : moderating effects of environmental uncertainty and firm size

An effective use of the Accounting Information System (AIS) facilitates firms to sustain their competitiveness by providing timely, accurate and reliable financial information for more informed business decisions. Despite extensive government efforts, the usage of AIS amongst the Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in Jordan is relatively low and thus limiting the impact on firms‘ effectiveness. Furthermore, previous studies regarding the antecedents and impact of AIS usage are somewhat inconsistent. Thus, the purpose of this study was to propose an integrated model utilizing the Technological, Organizational, and Environmental (TOE) framework and the Resource-based View (RBV) theory to better explain the antecedents affecting AIS usage and its impact on AIS effectiveness amongst Jordanian SMEs. This study hypothesized seven factors affecting AIS usage based on the TOE framework. Meanwhile, RBV explained the relationship between AIS usage and AIS effectiveness as well as the moderating effects of environmental uncertainty and firm size on such relationships. Using the quantitative approach, this study employed a self-administered questionnaire survey on 741 owners of SMEs listed in the Amman Chamber Industry, of which 186 responses were usable for analysis (25% response rate). The Partial Least Squares (PLS) results revealed significant influence of compatibility (technological factor), owner/manager commitment and organizational readiness (organizational factors), as well as competitive pressure and government support (environmental factors) on AIS usage. Furthermore, compatibility demonstrated the strongest influence on AIS usage followed by competitive pressure. The results further demonstrated a positive and significant effect of AIS usage on AIS effectiveness. Finally, the findings only ascertained considerable moderating effect of firm size. Apart from extending the body of knowledge by providing a comprehensive model to explain how several interrelated factors influence AIS usage and its impact on AIS effectiveness, the results offer insights on how firms could improve the use of AIS for better firms‘ performance

Parents\u27 perceptions and concerns about their children\u27s weight

Background: For parents to address overweight or obesity in their children, they first need to perceive their child to be overweight and to show some level of concern. We aimed to: (1) measure the level of misclassification between children&rsquo;s actual and parent-perceived weight status, and (2) determine the level of parent concern about their child&rsquo;s (actual) weight and whether concern varied according to the accuracy of parents&rsquo; perceptions.Methods: Participants were 1711 primary school children aged 5&ndash;12 years from the Barwon-South West region of Victoria, Australia. Height and weight were measured and weight status determined using international standards. Parents completed a Computer Assisted Telephone Interview (CATI) that included questions relating to their child&rsquo;s weight.Results: 448 children (26.2% of sample) were overweight or obese. Of these, weight status for almost half (48%) was underestimated by parents. This &lsquo;bias&rsquo; did not vary according to the child&rsquo;s gender, parent&rsquo;s education, or household socio-economic status but did for child&rsquo;s age and parent-respondent gender. More than half (57%) of the parents of overweight-obese children expressed no concern about their child&rsquo;s weight. Parents who underestimated the weight status of their overweight child were significantly less concerned (P &lt; 0.001) about their child&rsquo;s weight than those who correctly perceived their child as overweight.Conclusions: Parents were relatively poor judges of overweight or obesity in their own child and consequently there was a lack of appropriately directed concern. Education to help parents correctly classify their child&rsquo;s weight status should be part of efforts to prevent unhealthy weight gain.<br /

Dietary Regulation of Successful Aging

The current growth of the older population is unprecedented in U.S. history. Chronic disease and functional limitation commonly develop prior to old age, leading to prolonged physical disability and decreased well-being. The development of chronic disease and loss of independence is associated with lean body mass (LBM) loss and fat mass gain beginning in middle age. Therefore, it is important to identify modifiable factors to mitigate deleterious shifts in body composition to promote successful aging (SA). The concept of SA is associated with longevity, the absence of disease and disability, and subjective components of well-being, however, an operational definition has yet to be established. For this thesis, we defined SA as low cardiometabolic risk, preservation of physical function, and a positive state of well-being. Nutrition is a key driver of SA and is a proposed modulator of cardiometabolic risk, physical function, and well-being in adults. Among nutrients, several studies have identified dietary protein and the omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA; 20:5 n-3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; 22:6 n-3), as key supportive nutrients for SA in older adults. Therefore, the overall objective of this dissertation was to determine the effect of nutrition, specifically dietary protein and n-3 PUFAs on SA outcomes of cardiometabolic risk, physical function, and well-being. The central hypothesis of this dissertation was that increased intake of high-quality dietary protein or n-3 PUFAs would improve SA outcomes of cardiometabolic risk, physical function, and well-being in adults. Therefore, one meta-analysis (study 1) and two clinical trials (studies 2 and 3) were designed to test our hypothesis. The objective of the first study was to systematically evaluate the available evidence of randomized control trials assessing the effect of beef and beef’s nutrients on well-being in healthy, adults ≥ 50 years of age to increase physical function and well-being to promote SA. The objective of the second study was to determine and compare the acute effects of a high-protein breakfast containing either animal protein or plant protein on appetite, food intake, energy expenditure, and substrate oxidation in young versus older men to decrease cardiometabolic risk and promote SA. The objective of the third study was to determine the individual and combined effect of protein and n-3 PUFAs on body composition, cardiometabolic risk, indexes of sleep, and mood states in postmenopausal women to decrease cardiometabolic risk and increase physical function, and well-being to promote SA. Collectively, the results suggest high-quality protein and n-3 PUFAs act as potential regulators of SA outcomes. However, additional research is necessary to determine the effectiveness of protein and n-3 PUFA-based nutrition strategies to promote SA

TRANSFORMING HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT INTO A STRATEGIC PARTNER

This thesis, in particular, includes three distinct qualitative and quantitative studies that examined different forms of HRM such as high-performance work practices and HR systems on various outcomes across levels within organizations. For example, corporate entrepreneurship and employee retention at the organizational level and employee creativity at the individual level. These studies were carried out using diverse research methods that encompass systematic literature review (1st study), fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (2nd study), and mixed method (3rd study) (e.g., questionnaire survey and multiple-case studies). All of these methods yielded valuable theoretical insights that advance our understanding of the topics covered. Further, practical implications were offered to help managers and practitioners to achieve success and competitive advantage. The first research paper analyzes empirical studies that explicitly examined the role of human resources management in fostering corporate entrepreneurship to determine the most effective HRM practices that enhance firms\u2019 entrepreneurship with an emphasis on the underlying mediating mechanisms and boundary conditions that moderate this relationship. A total number of 27 empirical research papers were identified in English peer-reviewed. Review analysis unfolded four high-performance work practices; selective staffing, extensive training, intensive compensation and rewards, and employee empowerment and participation. These practices were widely reported to have the strongest effects on encouraging corporate entrepreneurship. Furthermore, based on the extant empirical evidence, we suggested a theoretical moderated mediation model that explains the relationships between HRM, corporate entrepreneurship, organizational learning capability, and represents the entrepreneurial culture as a boundary condition. Theoretical contributions and implications along with future research paths are discussed. While the second study adopts a configurational perspective and applies fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis on a dataset of 232 Austrian and Hungarian manufacturing firms to explore how high-performance work practices combine to enhance employee retention. Results uncover five equifinal configurations of different high-performing skill, motivation, and opportunity-enhancing practices that could help companies and managers to retain employees effectively. The resultant configurations have been interpreted in terms of how each configuration fits different companies\u2019 HR strategies and policies. Our study raises advanced theoretical insights about the synergetic effects of HPWPs on employee retention through the configurational approach and fsQCA. Whereas the third study developed a multilevel model to examine the cross-level effects of interactions between HR systems and relational climates in predicting contexts for employee creativity. Using a mixed-method design and drawing on data obtained from survey questionnaires 282 employees nested in 69 teams and two exploratory case studies, our findings suggest noteworthy insights that the interactions effect between commitment-HR and communal-sharing climate are non-significant for employee creativity. Likewise, the interaction between compliance-HR and market-pricing climate. However, only a commitment-based HR system has been shown to be important to boost employee creativity. Nonetheless, based on the case studies findings, it is not sufficient by itself, instead, the relational climate that permeates the workplace is also vital for creative ideas generation.ENGLIS