Learning by exporting: A system-based review and research agenda

Over the past four decades, flourishing empirical research has attempted to establish the mechanisms and conditions underpinning improvements in exporters’ innovation and productivity via the learning-by-exporting (LBE) effect, and the domain has gained legitimacy and empirical credibility. However, the literature's findings are largely fragmented and require systematic review and analysis to draw definitive conclusions on the factors that influence the subsequent realization of learning from exporting. To fill this void, we critically examine the extant LBE research for the period 1984–2021. We systematically review 167 articles to develop a system-based taxonomy and conceptual model of LBE, which comprises five major components: system outputs (productivity and innovation), inputs (e.g., institutional factors and resources), firm-level capabilities (e.g., absorptive capacity and innovation persistence), managerial characteristics (e.g., entrepreneurship skills) and internationalization strategies. In doing so, we uncover paradoxical tensions within the system brought about by the conflicting roles of some components of the LBE system, such as firm-, industry- and country-level technological capabilities. Our review also reveals research gaps that open relevant opportunities for further research and conclusions that hold novel implications for managers and policymakers.     

A Structural Equation Model Estimation of the Role of Social Vulnerability as a Predictor of People’s Feelings of Unsafety

Social Indicators Research - People’s perception of insecurity is linked to a wide range of factors and up-to-date sources stress the impact of socially constructed concerns on feelings of...     

The Interrater Reliability of the Survivors of Torture Psychosocial Wellbeing Index: An Assessment Matrix Instrument

The United States continues to resettle refugees fleeing conflict, persecution, and torture, enabling many of the world’s most vulnerable individuals to start over and become productive citizens. The rehabilitation of survivors of torture is a complex process that requires service providers to assess a number of factors connected to the multidimensional construct of human wellbeing. The recently developed assessment instrument matrix, Survivors of Torture – Psychosocial Wellbeing Index (SOT-PWI), offers professional providers a way to capture quality of life metrics within the torture treatment settings. The current study sought to establish the reliability of SOT-PWI with a diverse sample of U.S.-based torture treatment professionals. Using intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), results suggest that the SOT-PWI achieves a solid interrater reliability, although education level and years of work experience can influence assessment consistency. Error analysis revealed very good accuracy. Study limitations, implication for practice, and future research are considered as well.     

Institutional abuse of older adults: what we know, what we need to know

Although Canadian policies support "aging in place," there still will be a number of older adults who will require institutional care in the future. Most research on elder abuse, however, has focused on domestic abuse and has paid less attention to institutional abuse. The purpose of this article is to comprehensively review current research to identify gaps in knowledge and methodological issues in the study of institutional abuse. Overall, 49 studies in English and 20 studies in French were reviewed, and 11 key-informant interviews were conducted with methodological experts. Methodological challenges are addressed in light of the review and interviews.     

The mixture of left–right truncated normal distributions

This paper introduces the mixture of left–right truncated normal distributions, from the spreads between bid and ask prices, as a statistical model for handle non-normality of asset price returns. It has been proved that there is only one maximum for the likelihood function of the new model.     

Detection of elder abuse: Exploring the potential use of the Elder Abuse Suspicion Index© by law enforcement in the field

There are no known instruments to aid law enforcement officers in the assessment of elder abuse (EA), despite officers’ contact with older adults. This study aimed to identify: 1) officers’ perceptions and knowledge of EA, 2) barriers in detecting EA in the field, 3) characteristics officers value in a detection tool, and to explore 4) the potential for officers to use the Elder Abuse Suspicion Index (EASI)©. Data was collected from 69 Connecticut officers who confirmed that barriers to effectively detecting EA included a lack of EA detection instruments, as well as a lack of training on warning signs and risk factors. Officers indicated that the important elements of a desirable tool for helping to detect EA included ease of use, clear instructions, and information on follow-up resources. Approximately 80% of respondents could see themselves using the EASI© in the field, and a modified version has been developed for this purpose.     

Commentary on Treatment of Infertile Couples Using Reproductive Technologies: A Complex Matrix

The impact of the reproductive technologies upon infertile couples who require them is both ubiquitous and profound. There is a confluence of issues that co-exist for women and men who use reproductive technologies which creates a complex matrix for both the analytically informed social work clinician and those seeking infertility treatment. The unique merger of life stage issues, identity issues, cultural pressures, and responses to the physical and emotional demands of the necessary technologies, serves to amplify the intensity of encounters in this analytic triad. Consideration of attachment theory while utilizing intersubjective systems theory provides a system of treatment which offers comfort and a place to mourn the multiple losses of repetitive failures of attempts to conceive.