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    Leveraging Milk-Traceability Technologies for Supply-Chain Performance: Evidence from Saudi Dairy Firms

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    Growing concern over food safety and adulteration has thrust milk traceability technologies to the forefront of agrifood supply chains. This qualitative study explores the technological, organisational, and environmental (TOE) determinants of traceability technology adoption in Saudi Arabia’s dairy sector. In-depth semi-structured interviews with nine senior managers from small-, medium-, and large-scale dairy farms were analysed thematically in NVivo. Thematic analysis revealed that technological cost and compatibility played crucial role, while contrary to the prior literature, respondents downplayed technological complexity, arguing that training could offset it. Organisational culture and employee resistance were the primary inhibitors within dairy firms. Saudi Vision 2030, post COVID-19 consumer pressure and competitor pressure emerged as the dominant environmental factors. The findings offer insights for managers and policymakers on how to improve supply chain transparency, operational efficiency, product quality, and consumer trust while advancing several UN SDGs

    Understanding acceptability of non-cash incentives to encourage voluntary blood donation: a psychographic approach

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    Purpose: This research aimed to better understand what influences the acceptability of non-cash incentives to encourage voluntary blood donation among those who have and have not donated blood. Design/methodology/approach: This paper used data from two cross-sectional surveys with Australian blood donors (n = 768) and non-donors (n = 1,087). Findings: Cost-benefit evaluation, embarrassment and deal proneness were found to be important predictors, explaining 4.4%–27.2% of the acceptability of six different types of non-cash incentives, in addition to demographic (age, gender, education, income), geographic (region) and behavioural (blood donor status) characteristics. Cost-benefit evaluation remained the strongest predictor, irrespective of blood donor status. People who were more embarrassed to receive an incentive generally for donating blood were slightly more accepting of health checks and charity donations, and less accepting of deal promotions. People who were more likely to respond to promotional deals generally were also more accepting of all types of incentives for blood donation; interaction effects demonstrated this was particularly true for non-donors. Practical implications: Findings direct attention to factors that will improve the design and implementation of incentive programs to maximise their acceptability and impact without undermining organisational reputation, as well as point to psychographic characteristics that should be considered when evaluating the adoption and effectiveness of incentives for encouraging blood donation. Originality/value: This paper extends our understanding of what explains the acceptability of different incentive types to encourage voluntary blood donation, beyond geographic, demographic and behavioural characteristics of people who do and do not donate blood

    Climate-Related Perceptions of Young People with Lived Experience of Disasters in Regional and Rural Victoria, Australia

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    The experiences of young people, particularly young women, in regional and rural communities and their perceptions of, and responses to, the climate crisis are under-researched. This research focuses on young people outside of urban centres. These young people are largely absent from the broader climate conversation, despite the impact of climate-related disasters in their everyday lives. Their experiences sit within the concept of rural as being deficit, disadvantaged and backward when contrasted with the experiences of urban young people and emerging calls to challenge this bias. This paper reports on a small-scale study investigating how young people who have experienced climate-related disasters in regional and rural Victoria perceive the climate crisis, the relationship between climate change and climate-related disasters, and climate action. Qualitative data was collected from interviews with young women aged 18–23 (n = 7) from six different councils/shires in rural and regional Victoria, Australia, which were impacted by bushfires in 2019–2020. The analysis is attentive to the particularities of “place”. The findings provide insight into regional and rural young people’s perceptions of the climate crisis, the connection (or otherwise) to climate-related disasters and climate action. They also reveal their perception of an urban/rural divide concerning climate action tactics and climate mitigation policy. The research highlights the social and material realities of young people’s everyday lives and feelings of stigma and fear, particularly where they perceived a conflict between climate action and the social and economic relations that shape their regional and rural communities

    Exploring Non-invasive Brain Stimulation Effects on Physical Outcomes in People With Parkinson’s Disease: An Umbrella Evidence Mapping Review With Meta-analyses

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    Background. Non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) is sometimes used alongside medication to alleviate motor symptoms in people with Parkinson’s disease (PD). However, the evidence supporting NIBS’s effectiveness for improving motor function in PD patients is uncertain. Objective. This umbrella review aims to synthesize recent systematic reviews and meta-analyses that have evaluated the effectiveness of NIBS in improving motor function in people with PD, with a key focus being to examine the quality of the evidence presented. Methods. The review protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42022380544) and conducted per Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. The search strategy was guided by the Population, Intervention, Comparison, and Outcome framework, focusing on individuals with idiopathic PD (Hoehn and Yahr stages 1-4). The review included studies comparing various NIBS techniques (eg, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation and transcranial direct current stimulation) to sham or alternative treatments, targeting motor and cognitive regions. Six databases were searched up to June 2024. Methodological quality was assessed using Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews 2 (AMSTAR2), and random-effects meta-analyses were performed to pool standardized mean differences (SMDs). Results. The final analysis included 31 meta-analyses and 10 systematic reviews. Overall, the reviews were rated as moderate quality (54% average for AMSTAR2). NIBS showed a small-to-moderate effect on motor function (Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale-Section III scores; SMD = −0.80), functional mobility (gait speed and timed-up-and-go; SMD = −0.39), and freezing of gait (SMD = −0.58), but no significant effect on balance. Conclusion. NIBS offers small-to-moderate benefits for motor symptoms and functional movement in PD, though it does not significantly impact balance. Practitioners should consider the variety of techniques and treatment parameters before application

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