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    The relationship between financial risk management and succession planning in family businesses
    (Emerald, 2021) Mihaylov, G.S.; Zurbruegg, R.
    Purpose – This article examines the relationship between financial risk management and succession planning in family businesses. Motivated by the Theory of Planned Behaviour, we hypothesize that the use of professional risk management practices is associated with an increased likelihood that businesses adopt professionalized approaches to succession planning. We then investigate if succession planning professionalization is, in turn, positively related to the financial performance of family businesses. Design/methodology/approach – We apply binary probit and ordered dependent variable regressions to unique data generated from a survey sample of Australian family businesses. To check the robustness of our results to potential endogeneity concerns we apply difference tests to propensity score matched sub-samples from our original cohort of respondents. Findings – The results show that, in contrast to verbal or absent succession arrangements, formal written succession plans are both positively associated with the use of financial risk management practices and with superior financial performance in family businesses. Originality/value – Our arguments and findings suggest that active financial risk management provides a platform for planning succession in family businesses, and that this links with improved short-term financial performance. In light of the critical role that succession plays in ensuring long-term business sustainability, our findings provide important and novel insights into the conditions under which family businesses are most likely to use formal professionalized succession planning.
  • ItemOpen Access
    The importance of external social support for workplace-related stress as we grow older
    (Wiley, 2024) Caines, V.; Treuren, G.J.M.
    Objectives: For older employees, a mismatch between work and non-work roles can lead to work–family conflict (WFC) and stress. This paper examines whether the availability of social support from outside the workplace can assist these employees in coping with the stress-related consequences of WFC. Methods: This study used data from Waves 16 (Time 1) and 17 (Time 2) of the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia survey (N = 2,867). Sociodemographic characteristics were measured using age, sex, gender, and employment tenure. A moderated regression model was applied to the older employees in this sample using stress, WFC with external social support as the moderator. Analysis was additionally undertaken for the different aged employee cohorts younger (under 30) and middle-aged (30–50). Results: We found that external social support dampened the effect of work-family conflict on employee stress for older employees. This effect was more powerful for older employees than for younger employees. Interestingly, older employees reported the same levels of external social support as employees between 30 and 50, but less than that of employees under 30. Conclusion: Following our hypothesised relationships based on conservation of resources (COR), selection, optimisation with compensation (SOC) and socio-emotional selectivity theories (SST), this paper demonstrates that older employees benefit significantly from external social support. As external social support increased among older employees, the negative effect of work-family conflict on stress decreased. However, this effect was only significant for employees up to the 68th percentile. Overall, this effect was less powerful for both groups of younger employees. Consistent with SOC and SST, older employees possessed different social motives (less reported external social support). Employer and government strategies assisting employees to develop social networks outside the workplace may provide significant benefits to organisations in addition to employees.
  • ItemOpen Access
    Put your own “oxygen mask” on first: A behavioral typology of leaders' self-care
    (Wiley, 2024) Chiu, C.; Howard, M.; Lopes, E.; Kulik, C.T.; Tuckey, M.R.
    Organizational leaders are essential in implementing, interpreting, and even proactively initiating changes for human resource (HR) functions to enhance workplace productivity and well-being. However, recent studies have cautioned that providing positive and supportive leadership usually drains these organizational leaders. Although the literature has shed light on how leaders can use self-care strategies to recharge, researchers and HR professionals know relatively little about (1) what specific self-care actions leaders can take and (2) how external crises such as COVID-19 constrain leaders' selfcare actions. To identify specific leaders' self-care behaviors, which we refer to as oxygen masks, we interviewed 41 healthcare managers in Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. We presented a behavioral typology summarizing distinct oxygen masks that leaders used at different points in time. These oxygen masks include improving physical well-being, improving emotional/spiritual/social well-being, fulfilling managerial roles, and seeking collegial and organizational support. Moreover, we concluded that the COVID-19 restrictions made some of these oxygen masks less accessible, negatively impacting leaders' well-being. Our research conclusions have implications for theory and future studies on extending the literature associated with leadership development, leaders' resilience, and leaders' well-being. The results also provide HR professionals with practical suggestions about assisting line managers in improving their self-care and sustaining their leadership effectiveness.
  • ItemRestricted
    No Lights, No Camera, No Action: Indian movie industry practitioner perspectives on life after the pandemic
    (Ecole des Hautes Etudes Commerciales de Montreal, 2023) Kamineni, R.; Rentschler, R.
    How does the Indian movie industry recoup, rebuild and rejuvenate post-COVID-19? Are there new pathways opening up? Is digitization one of them? These are the hot topics that are being discussed by practitioners in the Indian movie industry, since the global pandemic, COVID-19. reduced India as a nation from a thriving movie industry to a struggling movie industry. They are illustrative of entrepreneurial failure in the Indian movie industry, exposed by COVID-19. There is an urgent need to develop alternate pathways for revenue generation to protect the Indian movie industry from further decline. With close to 2000 movies being released each year, the movie industry was one of the largest employment-generating industries in India, bringing both income and joy to people’s lives in a nation beset by vast differences in wealth. However, it has been based on theatrical exhibition rather than digitization, with a lukewarm response to digital providers, to its detriment. During the pandemic, lack of digital innovation flipped from ‘might do’ to ‘must do’ in order to ensure the many family businesses in the Indian movie industry survive and monetize developed content. Though India’s poor lost out on their share of entertainment due to screen closures, digitization ensured that the growing middle class could be catered to. However, the business model is rapidly changing and the role of the producer as an entrepreneur is diminishing because artists and technicians are directly striking deals and developing content with funding from digital providers.
  • ItemRestricted
    The Institutional Development of Islamic Finance in the Middle East: A Post-Colonial Comparative Perspective
    (Taylor & Francis (Routledge), 2025) Rammal, H.G.; Pereira, V.; Temouri, Y.; Laker, B.; Tarba, S.; Ferreira, J.J.
    The Islamic finance sector has experienced rapid growth since its commercialization in the 1970s. For many Muslim countries that gained independence from their colonial rulers, developing the financial industry that represented their faith and value belief systems gave the population a sense of identity. This paper traces the historical development of the Islamic finance sector in the Middle East. We apply the post-colonial perspective and the Institutional theory lens to analyze the evolution of governance models across three Middle Eastern countries: Bahrain, Kuwait, and the UAE. We find that the foundation for the Islamic finance sector was laid soon after these countries gained independence. The governance models in these countries have evolved from a decentralized approach to a centralized system aimed at harmonizing operations in the region and globally. The paper highlights implications for theory, policy, and practice and identifies avenues for future research.
  • ItemOpen Access
    The impact of secondary materials' quality on assessing plastic recycling technologies
    (EDP Sciences, 2022) Stallkamp, C.; Volk, R.; Schultmann, F.; 10th International Conference on Life Cycle Management (LCM) (1 Sep 2021 - 8 Sep 2021 : virtual online); Albrecht, S.; Fischer, M.; Scagnetti, C.; Barkmeyer, M.; Braune, A.
    Global plastic production reached a new high in 2019. The high use of plastic leads to a high amount of plastic waste. Thereof, only 33% was collected for recycling in Europe. Plastic production depends on crude oil and energy and has high environmental impacts such as greenhouse gas emissions. The recycling of plastic waste can reduce dependency on fossil resources, help reduce environmental impacts, and achieve sustainability goals. Currently, the chemical recycling of plastic is discussed to complement the existing mechanical recycling. Comparing the recycling technologies is needed to identify and establish the most environmentally and economically promising technology for each waste stream. However, the quality of the recovered material has a high impact on assessment results. This study discusses different assessment metrics for recycling technologies concerning the influence of recovered materials’ quality by material substitution rates and circularity potential. In a case study, mechanical and chemical recycling via pyrolysis of HDPE from lightweight packaging waste from Germany is assessed. Mechanical recycling has a lower climate change impact than chemical recycling for material substitution rates above 0.85. On the other hand, chemical recycling has a higher potential to close the plastic loop and retain plastics within the economy due to the higher secondary material quality. The assessment allows evaluating recycling options for the considered plastics from the German collection systems for packaging.
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    Managerial ownership and financial distress: evidence from the Chinese stock market
    (Emerald, 2024) Shan, Y.G.; Troshani, I.; Wang, J.; Zhang, L.
    Purpose – This study investigates the convergence-of-interest and entrenchment effects on the relationship between managerial ownership and financial distress using evidence from the Chinese stock market. It also analyzes whether the relationship is mediated by research and development (R&D) investment. Design/methodology/approach – Using a dataset consisting of 19,059 firm-year observations of Chinese listed companies in the Shanghai and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges between 2010 and 2020, this study employs both piecewise and curvilinear models. Findings – The results indicate that managerial ownership has a negative association with firm financial distress in both the low (below 12%) and high (above 18%) convergence-of-interest regions of managerial ownership, suggesting that managerial ownership in this region may contribute to improve firm financial status. Meanwhile, managerial ownership has a positive association with firm financial distress in the entrenchment region (12–18%), implying that managerial ownership in the entrenchment region may contribute to impair firm financial status. Furthermore, the results show that R&D investment mediates the association between managerial ownership and financial distress. Originality/value – This study is the first to provide evidence of a nonlinear relationship between managerial ownership and financial distress, and identify the entrenchment region in the Chinese setting.
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    Talent management in the “new normal”—Case study of Indian IT services multinationals in China
    (Wiley, 2023) Thite, M.; Rammal, H.G.; Ferreira, J.J.M.
    Emerging market multinational corporations (MNCs) are coming under increasing scrutiny for their international performance. While the success of Indian IT multinationals in the West has been extensively researched and reported, there is a lack of research on their relative failure in China. The rise of economic nationalism and the COVID-19 pandemic pose challenges for the mobility of professionals and the global talent management (GTM) strategy of MNCs. Through in-depth interviews with senior managers from four well-known Indian IT services multinationals, this article presents an evidence-based critique of the design and implementation of their GTM strategy both inside and outside China. It focuses specifically on the quality of the IT talent pool in China, control and coordination issues, and the challenges of workforce localization.
  • ItemOpen Access
    Innovation and International Entrepreneurship: Will the Digital Platform Serve All?
    (Faculty of Economics and Business, The University of Lampung, 2019) Rammal, H.G.
    The link between knowledge, innovation, and technology, as understood in extant literature, tends to emphasize a digital, high-tech platform for the implementation of innovative ideas. This paper challenges this view and details why relying solely on digital platforms and innovation may not let companies reach their full potential. Using examples of frugal innovation, this paper recommends that entrepreneurs need not limit their ideas by focusing only on digital and technology-driven innovation, and to consider the infrastructure realities of the developing economies.
  • ItemOpen Access
    Biculturals in International Business Negotiations: Moving away from the single culture paradigm
    (Emerald, 2023) Khakhar, P.; Rammal, H.G.; Pereira, V.
    Purpose – Biculturals possess higher cultural intelligence than monocultural individuals. This study explores biculturals’ key factors and attributes and how their cultural knowledge and identification influence International Business Negotiations (IBNs) and help their firms outperform others. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected from semi-structured interviews with 35 bicultural senior managers in Lebanon. Findings – The findings highlight three essential qualities and behaviors that allow biculturals to act as a bridge between the parties during IBN: adaptability, cultural frame switching (CFS) and creativity. Originality/value – This study explores the notion of bicultural personnel using their understanding of multiple cultures to be innovative, avoid groupthink and generate new creative ideas that help overcome stalemates during IBNs.
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    The Contribution of Project Managers' Soft Skills to their Project Success
    (Australian & New Zealand Academy of Management, 2019) Gulati, R.; Reaiche, C.H.; Baroudi, S.; Gunawan, I.; Annual Australian & New Zealand Academy of Management Conference (ANZAM) (3 Dec 2019 - 6 Dec 2019 : Cairns, Australia)
    The purpose of this paper is to identify key soft skills required by project managers and its impact to their project success. The authors have performed a Comprehensive Literature Review (meta-framework) as an evidence to support the argument that project managers could increase the chances of projects being successful by applying their soft skills to manage project team and its performance. The findings of this review demonstrates that the identified soft skills are active listening, communication, conceptual skills, conflict management, human resource management, team management, human skills, leadership skills, motivation skills, negotiation skills, people skills , political and cultural awareness, professionalism and ethics. These skills are critical towards project success, however, it is also identified that soft skills and hard skills, both work in conjunction with each other to attain success. This review provides a significant contribution by establishing the need of developing soft skills in project managers in order to manage teams effectively and efficiently, thereby increasing their performance and the chances of project being successful.
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    An Agile Approach to Project Leadership: Complexities and KSA Perspective
    (ITU Press, 2022) Gulati, R.; Hallo, L.; International Engineering and Technology Management Summit (ETMS) (21 Oct 2022 - 22 Oct 2022 : Istanbul, Turkey)
    The paper explores, through a review of literature, the complexities associated with the increasing need of taking an agile approach to leadership in managing projects. The paper aims to explore the Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSA) required by project leaders to adopt an agile approach to leading their project teams. Project leadership in itself is complex given the wide range of activities it involves. In addition, agile is increasingly becoming a need in leadership style let alone to be used as a methodology to manage projects. The goal is to explore a modern approach to leadership formation when applying agile methodology from the point of view of leading project teams. A systematic literature review has been conducted on literature available from the last five years (2017-2022) to capture the complexities associated with agile leadership. Alongside the complexities, the knowledge, skills, and attributes required by a project leader implementing an agile approach to their leadership style have been studied. As a result, an effort to create a development approach to agile leadership has been derived based on KSA for existing project leaders who might be willing to adopt this new leadership style. The results of this research will aid project leaders to gain a strong understanding of changing landscape and provide an avenue to better support, guide, and coach their project teams with agility. The results will also inform future; leadership preparation courses in order to train new and upcoming leaders in the field of project management.
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    Big Data: A lifeline to Next Generation Online Teaching Strategies for Universities
    (IEEE, 2022) Gulati, R.; Reaiche, C.H.; International Conference on Electrical, Computer, Communications and Mechatronics Engineering (ICECCME) (16 Nov 2022 - 18 Nov 2022 : Maldives)
    Amidst the recent COVID-19 pandemic, the education industry was forced to completely flip its very traditional self to an online system in order to thrive and ensure continuity of operations. This moved academics and support staff to rely on system-captured data to monitor performance and plan for the future. The purpose of this research is to study the importance of big data (captured by university systems over time) and its crucial role in policy & strategy making in the higher education sector. 10 pilot interviews were conducted with education industry practitioners which indicated that awareness regarding the importance of big data analysis exists, however, there is a need of in-depth knowledge to better support this sector. The results indicate the current state/status of implementation and challenges faced by the higher education sector wherein a clear need of having a data management strategy for optimizing the use of big data is being identified.
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    International Aspects of Change Management Within Engineering Endeavors Affected by the Pandemic
    (American Society for Engineering Management, 2022) Gulati, R.; Hallo, L.; International Annual Conference of the American Society for Engineering ManagemenInternational Annual Conference (ASEM) (5 Oct 2022 - 8 Oct 2022 : Tampa, Florida)
    We know change is the only constant; new changes are ever emerging given the evolution in situations, types of engineering endeavors, requirements, etc. Thus, change management needs to be evolved. The world has recently faced a pandemic, COVID-19, which has presented projects with new and unique challenges. This has forced engineering managers to manage these changes and subsequently look at improvements to existing change management frameworks. The paper identifies some challenges engineering projects face, and the change management approaches used to overcome these during COVID-19. The paper has analyzed projects in the regions of Asia and Australia to derive an updated change management framework for use in unique situations such as pandemics. This paper presents the findings of a literature review focused on change management in enterprises during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, the paper identifies the drivers, contributors, and moderators associated with change response. It introduces a new holistic change framework, which will aid project managers in facilitating its implementation within their projects.
  • ItemOpen Access
    Information systems, sociomaterial practices and the emergence of environmental management infrastructures
    (Australian Journal of Information Systems, 2022) Troshani, I.; Doolin, B.; Fradley, K.; Rampersad, G.
    Information systems are an integral part of environmental management infrastructures – complex assemblages of social and technical artifacts, human actors and sociomaterial routines enacted in the pursuit of environmental sustainability outcomes. We analyse the case of an environmental management infrastructure developed around a ‘vessel management system’ by a South Australian regulator between 2004 and 2013. The goal of this infrastructure was to sustain water quality by controlling the discharge of ‘greywater’ from vessels on South Australia’s inland waters. We conceptualise environmental management infrastructure, and the information systems they encompass, as the temporally emergent outcome of human agents’ attempts to extend their environmental management practice in a particular direction, and how that trajectory of emergence is shaped by the intersection of human agencies, material performances and disciplinary practices.
  • ItemOpen Access
    Global talent management in the “new normal”-Editors' special issue introduction
    (Wiley, 2023) Rammal, H.G.; Ferreira, J.J.
    The notion of a global workforce, made up of diverse, educated, and mobile workforces spread around the world, and the topic of talent management has been the subject of extensive research in the field of international human resource management (Amankwah-Amoah, 2020; Tarique & Schuler, 2010). The cross-border mobility of skilled professionals and the mutual recognition of educational qualifications and experience have been drivers for transferring knowledge within Multinational Enterprises (MNEs) global networks. This transfer is facilitated through the use of expatriates and inpatriates by the MNEs (Shao & Al Ariss, 2020), who relocate to fill knowledge gaps in the organization.
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    Healing the Digital Divide With Digital Inclusion: Enabling Human Capabilities
    (SAGE Publications, 2023) Fisk, R.P.; Gallan, A.S.; Joubert, A.M.; Beekhuyzen, J.; Cheung, L.; Russell-Bennett, R.
    The “digital divide” refers to societal-level inequalities of digital access, capabilities, and outcomes. To explore how the digital divide affects customers experiencing vulnerability, service interactions in essential service settings (health care, education, and social services) were empirically investigated and practices service system members might adopt to address vulnerability were identified. This research upframes the pillars of service inclusion framework to define human capabilities that result from service inclusion practices. Three research topics were addressed: how the digital divide affects vulnerability (RQ1), how the digital divide can be addressed through service inclusion practices (RQ2), and how service inclusion practices enable human capabilities for digital inclusion (RQ3). The findings illuminate: (1) how service employees can engage in service inclusion practices to address the digital divide (by letting go of rules and perspectives, sharing control, providing services beyond job scope, and facilitating social connections), and (2) how these service inclusion practices build human capabilities for digital inclusion (by building basic skills and capabilities for meaningful outcomes through role modeling, coaching, customer-to-customer mentoring, and expanding networks). Contributions include conceptual models of service inclusion practices and fostering digital inclusion that specify a new meso level service organization pathway for healing the digital divide
  • ItemOpen Access
    Pursuing Big Issues in Covid-World Accounting Research
    (Ordem dos Contabilistas Certificados, 2022) D. Parker, L.; Troshani, I.
    Reflecting on the third year of the global Covid-19 pandemic, this paper addresses critical issues in the accounting research agenda. Departing from the current vogue for structured and systematic literature reviews, it specifically targets a number of major accountability issues whose importance will be reinforced by the institutional, economic, political and social environment. Informed by a renewed call to address the accounting research-practice gap, the paper examines the increasing importance of public sector services and accountability, social and environmental accountability, digital transformation in accounting and reporting, and the accountability implications of transitioning to the hybrid office. Accordingly, this paper presents the case for accounting researchers turning their attention to the big issues that concern governments, communities and institutions rather than retreating into preoccupations with self-referential technical, conceptual and archival studies often characteristic of today’s accounting research literature.
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    When Is Less More? Boundary Conditions of Effective Entrepreneurial Bricolage
    (SAGE Publications, 2023) Steffens, P.R.; Baker, T.; Davidsson, P.; Senyard, J.M.
    While prior research suggests that entrepreneurial bricolage is often useful as a coping mechanism for resource-constrained new ventures, other accounts document detrimental effects of bricolage. As the conditions for effective bricolage have not been systematically examined in prior research, we develop and test theoretical explanations for some important boundary conditions. We propose that while bricolage has a positive influence through a resource replacement mechanism, it may be detrimental through the intertwined “second-best solutions” and “tinkering trap,” which together lead to an accumulation of compromises that may result in a detrimental path dependence. We hypothesize that the intensity of these counteracting mechanisms differs depending on the venture's stage of development (nascent vs. operational) and its level of growth expectations. In essence, we argue that ventures expecting to achieve more derive greater benefit from resource replacement. In addition, they are more likely to resist an accumulation of compromises. We test our hypotheses using a longitudinal study of early-stage ventures. Although the results mostly support our theory, they also point to one interesting surprise for which we extend our theorizing to propose an explanation. Counter to the prevailing view in the literature, we find that bricolage is particularly effective for developing competitiveness for early-stage ventures striving to develop and grow. Complementing this, our results suggest the net effects of bricolage may actually be detrimental to the competitiveness of operational ventures that are not actively trying to grow.
  • ItemOpen Access
    Participatory design application in obesity prevention targeting young adults and adolescents: a mixed-methods systematic scoping review protocol
    (BioMed Central, 2022) Willmott, T.; Mathew, A.; Luck, E.; Rundle-Thiele, S.; Carins, J.; Vincze, L.; Williams, L.; Ball, L.
    Background: Prevention of obesity is economically and sociologically preferable to treatment, with early intervention key to preventing excess weight gain and obesity. The transition from adolescence to young adulthood is a critical intervention period. An expert-led, top-down model has dominated obesity prevention research and practice with limited success. Participatory design (PD) offers potential in transforming obesity prevention research and practice by delivering bottom-up solutions that young people value and may therefore voluntarily engage with over time. An evidence synthesis of PD application in obesity prevention targeting adolescents and young adults is currently lacking. Objectives: Report the protocol for a mixed-methods systematic scoping review which aims to integrate and synthesize available evidence on PD application in obesity prevention targeting adolescents and young adults. Specifically, the review will address three research questions: RQ1: How is PD defined in obesity prevention interventions targeting adolescents and young adults? RQ2: To what extent is PD applied in obesity preventions interventions targeting adolescents and young adults? RQ3a: How is the utility of PD evaluated in obesity preventions interventions targeting adolescents and young adults? RQ3b: What is the utility of PD application in obesity prevention interventions targeting adolescents and young adults? Methods: This mixed-methods systematic scoping review protocol adheres to the PRISMA-P guidelines and is informed by the PRISMA extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR). The search strategy and eligibility criteria are informed by the sample, phenomenon of interest, design, evaluation, and research type tool. Eligible studies will be peer-reviewed literature published in English, reporting on PD application in obesity prevention interventions (including intervention development, implementation, and/or evaluation) targeting adolescents and young adults (aged 10–35 years). Study designs will include qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods. The review will comprise a systematic literature search, eligibility screening, data extraction, quality assessment using the Mixed-Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT), and data analysis using an iterative narrative evidence synthesis approach. Evidence on PD application will be thematically integrated in terms of who was involved, when they were involved, and how and why they were involved. Further thematic analyses will be conducted according to the MATE taxonomy and the United Kingdom Medical Research Council (UK MRC’s) key functions of process evaluations. The MATE taxonomy classifies PD application in terms of methodology, agent of change, training, and engagement. The MRC describes three functions of process evaluations: implementation, mechanisms of impact, and context. Applying both in the evidence synthesis is intended to provide a more complete picture of PD application. Exploratory analyses will be conducted to assess any potential associations between PD application and effectiveness across key outcomes (weight, physical activity, sedentary time, nutrition and dietary habit, mental health, and sleep) reported within intervention evaluations. Conclusions: Elucidating PD application is a prerequisite to establishing its utility. Through the location and synthesis of available evidence on PD application in obesity prevention targeting adolescents and young adults, this review will categorise and describe different methods of PD application and explore the utility of PD application including whether any differences may be observed between PD method applied and the effectiveness of obesity prevention interventions. Implications will be delineated from the narrative evidence synthesis to inform future research and advance practice in this context.