This qualitative study investigated the alignment between digital strategy and business and process strategies, focusing on its impact on competitive advantage and operational effectiveness. Through interviews, case studies, focus group, and document analysis, the research highlighted the significance of strategic alignment in the digital era, identifying key themes such as leadership commitment, cross-functional collaboration, innovation culture, continuous learning, and data-driven decision-making. Key Findings: - Leadership Commitment: Effective digital strategy alignment is strongly influenced by the active support and vision of senior leadership; - Cross-Functional Collaboration. This study contributes valuable insights into the practices and challenges of strategic alignment, offering guidance for organizations navigating the complexities of digital transformation.

In North Carolina, coastal towns that need to generate additional enterprise revenue to pay debt service and operating expenses of their sewer systems face an ethical dilemma as to who shall pay. Certain North Carolina coastal towns, including the Town of Oak Island (“the Town”), have been delegated the authority by the North Carolina General Assembly to generate non-operating enterprise revenue by imposing a Sewer Treatment Fee/Tax against owners of parcels that “could or [do] benefit from the availability of sewage treatment.” SECTION 4 of S.L. 2004-96 (as amended by S.L. 2006-54). In the alternative, to generate additional operating revenue, Towns could raise the rates that sewer users of developed parcels pay to receive sewage collection and treatment services. In this case, the sewer user and the owner of a developed parcel have a different legal relationship, although they may be the same person. The sewer user contracts with a town for the receipt of sewer collection and treatment services. In contrast, owners of undeveloped parcels pay taxes, both ad valorem taxes and taxes for a local benefit. Similar to the owner of a developed parcel, the owner of an undeveloped parcel pays taxes, both ad valorem taxes and taxes for a local benefit. However, the owner of an undeveloped parcel cannot also be a sewer user because the undeveloped parcel generates no sewage and, as a result, cannot benefit from the receipt of sewage collection and treatment services.

Correctional eyeglasses used for myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism, and presbyopia require adaptation and prolonged wearing, similar to assistive devices. Unlike decorative glasses, which can be freely changed or not worn as desired and coordinated with overall attire, wearing eyeglasses alters facial appearance. The aesthetics, comfort, and functional quality of eyeglasses directly affect the wearers willingness, thus impacting visual health and quality of life. Therefore, corrective eyeglass frames need to balance between aesthetic appearance and visual health. This study employs methods such as the Kano Model, Important Performance Analysis (IPA), and Choquet integral to explore the key preference factors for the design of corrective eyeglass frames. Differing from traditional 5-point equidistant semantic questionnaires, this study employs a non-equal interval semantic questionnaire with a golden ratio scale to differentiate adjacent semantic importance ratios, highlighting weighted emphasis on aesthetics. The results provide reference for eyeglass designers and related industries. It is expected to design eyewear that better meets the needs of the Taiwanese population, encouraging people to wear corrective eyewear willingly, thereby further maintaining visual health, improving quality of life, enhancing visual health, and quality of life.

Business executives have recently indicated that supply chain disruptions represent a major threat to their firm’s profitability and revenue growth (Smyrlis, 2006; Hendricks and Singhal, 2009). In the literature, a number of conceptual studies have suggested that supply chain complexity is a main driver of supply chain disruptions (Choi & Krause, 2006; Christopher & Lee, 2004; Juettner et al., 2003). Other studies have suggested that the degree of coupling in the supply chain is a major determinant of supply chain disruptions (Agrawal and Nahimias, 1997; Ahuja, 2000). Building on the theoretical foundation of Normal Accident Theory (NAT), this paper proposes a nuanced relationship between supply chain complexity and coupling and their collective impact on supply chain disruptions. Through an empirical examination, we seek to validate the theoretical proposition that complex, tightly coupled systems are inherently prone to failures or accidents. This study contributes significantly to the supply chain management discourse, providing a detailed analysis of the mechanisms underlying supply chain vulnerabilities and offering practical guidance for developing more resilient and responsive supply chain systems. Our findings invite future research to further explore the intricacies of supply chain disruptions, complexity, and coupling, aiming to refine and expand upon the mitigation strategies discussed herein.

After the implementation of the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Act in Fiji, larger organisations mainly managed to enforce the required section of the Act into their organisations through incorporation and amendment of policies and procedures, whereas Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) still struggle with basic administrative requirements and arising OHS issues. They face a variety of issues including OHS. Hence, their priority largely shifts to operation and smooth running of the businesses. The OHS issues are quite visible as the SMEs play a pivotal role in the Fijian economy, where more than half of the population are employed by the SMEs. This research is focused in the area of OHS in SMEs. A mixed method research was used to get the perspective of the participants for better understanding of the subject where both, qualitative and quantitative analysis were done to derive conclusions. For qualitative sampling, there were 20 participants including the employers and the employees, whereas for quantitative sampling, a total of 53 people including the employers and employees participated. For data collection, employers and employees from different companies in Ba, Fiji was selected. The results showed that for this research, qualitative methods gave better perspective of the participants about OHS conditions after which the solutions/recommendations were derived. Therefore, this study can be used for further research in the area to promote continuous improvements in the SMEs.

By utilizing social change theory and consistency theory, the commitment of employees to both the parent firm and local operations can effectively boost change-oriented organizational citizenship behavior (CO-OCB) and work outcomes. The study aims to examine the relationship between dual commitment and job performance via CO-OCB, and tests the moderated mediating effect of job complexity. Data was acquired by a questionnaire survey from a total of 304 employees and 22 supervisors employed in beauty enterprises in Taiwan during two different time periods. The results showed that dual commitment affects job performance through CO-OCB. Meanwhile, job complexity moderates the mediating effect of CO-OCB on the relationship between employees’ organizational commitment to local operation and job performance. The contribution to the theory and practice of this research is that dual commitment and CO-OCB can indeed bring great improvement to work efficiency and outcomes for employees in order to maintain customer satisfaction when the parent company has promotional programs to execute. Dual commitment being divided to discuss in this study effectively breaks away from current studies on only single organization and the results provide better advice for the beauty industry to focus on dual commitment, CO-OCB, and job complexity for improving work efficiency and performance. Given the intense competition, it is imperative to incorporate cross-cultural management and longitudinal investigations in future endeavors to conduct more thorough examinations.

As the COVID-19 pandemic concluded, anticipating future health crises underscores the urgency of effective management and adaptable organizations. This paper draws from existing literature on e-leadership, virtual teams, and organizations, and conceptualizes a foundation to explore e-leadership challenges in virtual contexts. Emphasizing the pivotal role of e-leadership competencies in bridging technology-mediated interactions and effective leadership, the study addresses communication, trust, and coordination issues within virtual teams. It illuminates the impact of technology and assesses how diversity shapes the link between employee engagement and performance. The paper contributes to theoretical knowledge in the field, highlighting the importance of trust-building, relationship cultivation, and clear communication. Moreover, its practical implications offer insights into organizational practices and guide leaders in navigating challenges and opportunities posed by virtual teams and organizations.

This study investigates factors associated with purchasing disability income insurance in the United States, emphasizing consumer confidence, perceived financial knowledge, and human capital. The research contextualizes disability income insurance as pivotal to financial stability, addressing the shortfall in personal safety nets and economic equilibrium. The prevalence of disabilities from common illnesses necessitates a thorough understanding of insurance mechanisms. Methods: Using the 2022 Survey of Consumer Finance data, the study employs logistic regression to evaluate the relationship between consumer confidence, financial knowledge, human capital, and sociodemographic characteristics. The methodology intricately controls for age, employment status, marital status, and race, ensuring nuanced analysis. Results: Significant differences across racial groups were identified. Asian participants exhibited the most substantial reluctance towards insurance, whereas a positive correlation between financial knowledge and insurance acquisition was found among Black individuals. Generational analysis indicated varied perceptions, with a marked decrease in insurance propensity among older White and Latino generations. Discussion: The study emphasizes the importance of financial education that caters to various communities. It highlights the significance of cultural and societal norms in financial decision-making, especially among different racial groups. The study also spotlights the role of human capital in accessing insurance, calling for policy interventions that cater to the population’s unique needs. In conclusion, this analysis affirms the significance of consumer confidence in financial decisions and advocates for culturally responsive financial education and policy-making. It also identifies critical areas for enhancing the reach and efficacy of disability income insurance to foster economic resilience and well-being.