bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Investigating the phenomenon of earnings management in the Egyptian stock market
Authors: Kamel Hany , Elbanna Said
Published: May 2014

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to investigate the phenomenon of earnings management in Egypt, with particular reference to the pricing of IPOs. In addition, it aims to discuss its respondents' perceptions of the factors that are likely to weaken the effectiveness of internal corporate governance mechanisms in preventing the engagement in earnings management practices.

Design/methodology/approach

To achieve the objectives of this paper, a multi‐method approach was adopted. This approach includes secondary data analysis and the collection of primary data from a number of semi‐structured interviews.

Findings

The results indicate that Egyptian IPO managers have no incentive to affect the offering proceeds of their firms through exercising their discretion over the accounting accruals before going public. On the contrary, the results suggest that the amount of equity retained by issuers and the size of IPOs have a very significant impact on determining offering prices in the Egyptian stock market. The results also suggest that state‐owned enterprises are less eager to maximise their offering proceeds than privately owned companies.

Practical implications

The findings of this paper will be of interest to domestic and overseas investors in the Egyptian IPO market. This paper also provides many recommendations to the regulatory authorities in Egypt regarding ways to strengthen and reinforce the internal governance structure of companies.

Originality/value

There has so far been relatively little or no research into earnings management practices in Egypt. The multi‐cultural roots of Egyptian society make it different from other societies and hence distinguish it as a setting for our study.
Reforms and clinical managers' responses: a study in Norwegian hospitals
Authors: Johanne Pettersen Inger , Nyland Kari
Published: May 2014

Purpose

This paper seeks to explore the legitimacy of budgets as management control processes in hospitals after comprehensive reforms were implemented in the Norwegian hospital sector in 2002.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper employs qualitative interviews with top level clinical managers in three large hospitals.

Findings

The study shows a variety of practices among the clinical managers as to management control adjustments. The managers use different strategies in order to cope with the budget frames.

Research limitations/implications

This paper contributes to the current debate and research relating to the budgeting and performance management practices in hospital settings.

Practical implications

These findings contribute to contextual knowledge that is relevant in understanding the diverse practices of clinical managers in hospitals as complex service producing organizations.

Social implications

The findings give information to decision makers as to the diversity in management practices within knowledge intensive organizations.

Originality/value

The paper challenges the idea that the strategies used by managers can be understood by the concepts of the means‐end rationality prescribed in most of the reforms introduced into the hospital sector.
Primary care in the United States: practice‐based innovations and factors that influence adoption
Authors: Goetz Goldberg Debora
Published: May 2014

Purpose

This study aims to explore the use of specific innovations in primary care practices. The research seeks to examine whether a relationship exists between environmental factors and organizational characteristics and the level of innovation in primary care practices in Virginia.

Design/methodology/approach

The study utilized multiple secondary data sets and an organizational survey of primary care practices to define the external environment and the level of innovation. Institutional theory was used to explain the connection between innovations in primary care practices and institutional forces within the environment. Resource dependency theory was used to explain motivators for change based on a dependence on scarce financial, human, and information resources.

Findings

Results show a positive association between organizational size, organizational relationships, and stakeholder expectations on the level of innovation. A negative association was found between competition and the level of innovation. No relationship was found between degree of Medicare and managed care penetration and innovation, nor between knowledge of, and difficulty complying with, payer organization requirements and innovation.

Originality/value

Primary care physician practices exist in a market‐driven environment characterized by high pressure from regulatory sources, decreasing reimbursement levels, increasing rate of change in technologies, and increasing patient and community expectations. This study contributes new information on the relationship between organizational characteristics, the external environment and specific innovations in primary care practices. Information on the contributing factors to innovation in primary care is important for improving delivery of health care services and the ability of these practices to survive.
Discursive construction of polyphony in healthcare management
Authors: Hujala Anneli , Rissanen Sari
Published: May 2014

Purpose

The aim of the paper is to understand and define how the polyphony of management is constructed in interaction and to describe this through concrete management meeting cases. Polyphony refers to the diverse voices of various organization members, and how these voices are present, disclosed and utilized in management.

Design/methodology/approach

The study is based on the social constructionist and discursive perspectives of management, which question the traditional, individualistic approaches of management. The issue was examined through a qualitative case study by analysing the micro‐level management discourse in three healthcare organizations.

Findings

Discursive practices that enhance or inhibit polyphony are often unnoticed and unconscious. Key moments of management discourse are an example of unconscious mundane practices through which members of organizations construct the reality of management.

Research limitations/implications

The empirical results are locally contextual. In the future, research will be able to apply the approach to diverse contexts as well as link micro‐level discourses to the construction of broader health and social management discourses.

Practical implications

The paper increases the understanding of how to enhance participation and staff contribution, and how to utilize the knowledge of all members of the organization.

Social implications

Both managers and other staff members are fully involved in the social construction of management. Micro‐level discourse should be paid attention to in management work as well as in the education of managers and staff.

Originality/value

The study increases the understanding of micro‐level issues of management and challenges the conventional, taken‐for‐granted assumptions behind organization and management theories.
Quality improvement through clinical communities: eight lessons for practice
Authors: Aveling Emma‐Louise , Martin Graham , Armstrong Natalie , Banerjee Jay , Dixon‐Woods Mary
Published: May 2014

Purpose

Approaches to quality improvement in healthcare based on clinical communities are founded in practitioner networks, peer influence and professional values. However, evidence for the value of this approach, and how to make it effective, is spread across multiple disciplines. The purpose of this paper is to review and synthesise relevant literature to provide practical lessons on how to use community‐based approaches to improve quality.

Design/methodology/approach

Diverse literatures were identified, analysed and synthesised in a manner that accounted for the heterogeneity of methods, models and contexts they covered.

Findings

A number of overlapping but distinct community‐based approaches can be identified in the literature, each suitable for different problems. The evidence for the effectiveness of these is mixed, but there is some agreement on the challenges that those adopting such approaches need to address, and how these can be surmounted.

Practical implications

Key lessons include: the need for co‐ordination and leadership alongside the lateral influence of peers; advantages of starting with a clear programme theory of change; the need for training and resources; dealing with conflict and marginalisation; fostering a sense of community; appropriate use of data in prompting behavioural change; the need for balance between “hard” and “soft” strategies; and the role of context.

Originality/value

The paper brings together diverse literatures with important implications for community‐based approaches to quality improvement, drawing on these to offer practical lessons for those engaged in improving healthcare quality in practice.
Organisational culture and change: implementing person‐centred care
Authors: Carlström Eric D. , Ekman Inger
Published: May 2014

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the connection between organisational cultures and the employee's resistance to change at five hospital wards in Western Sweden. Staff had experienced extensive change during a research project implementing person‐centred care (PCC) for patients with chronic heart failure.

Design/methodology/approach

Surveys were sent out to 170 nurses. The survey included two instruments – the Organisational Values Questionnaire (OVQ) and the Resistance to Change Scale (RTC).

Findings

The results indicate that a culture with a dominating focus on social competence decreases “routine seeking behaviour”, i.e. tendencies to uphold stable routines and a reluctance to give up old habits. The results indicate that a culture of flexibility, cohesion and trust negatively covariate with the overall need for a stable and well‐defined framework.

Practical implications

An instrument that pinpoints the conditions of a particular healthcare setting can improve the results of a change project. Managers can use instruments such as the ones used in this study to investigate and plan for change processes.

Originality/value

Earlier studies of organisational culture and its impact on the performance of healthcare organisations have often investigated culture at the highest level of the organisation. In this study, the culture of the production units – i.e. the health workers in different hospital wards – was described. Hospital wards develop their own culture and the cultures of different wards are mirrored in the hospital.
Determinants of managerial competencies for primary care managers in Southern Thailand
Authors: Mohd‐Shamsudin Faridahwati , Chuttipattana Nirachon
Published: May 2014

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is first, to identify the critical managerial competencies of primary care managers; and second, to determine the relationship between personality and motivation, and managerial competency.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey was conducted involving distribution of questionnaires to 358 rural primary care managers in Southern Thailand.

Findings

The survey found six critical managerial competencies: visionary leadership; assessment, planning, and evaluation; promotion of health and prevention of disease; information management; partnership and collaboration; and communication. Both personality and motivation are found to significantly influence primary care managers' managerial competency. In particular, conscientiousness (i.e. perseveres until the task is finished, does a thorough job, full of energy, does things efficiently, and a lot of enthusiasm) is related to all managerial competencies. It is clear that extrinsic and intrinsic factors (i.e. quality of supervision and leadership, organizational policy and administration, interpersonal relationship, working conditions, work itself, amount of responsibility, and job recognition) are influential in primary care manager motivation that can significantly improve morale.

Research limitations/implications

The short version of the personality instrument may limit the generalization of some of the findings. Future research is needed to assess the relationship between managerial competency and performance. Further research could be done in other countries to see if this conclusion is in fact correct. It would also be useful to research if the findings apply to other health and social areas.

Practical implications

Personality and motivation are able to co‐predict managerial competency whereby motivation tends to have a stronger influence than personality. These findings will be useful to policy makers and to those responsible for the human development in the preparation of management training and development programs. Moreover, top management should not overlook the motivational system as a way to encourage managers to be competent in their job.

Originality/value

The paper contributes to our understanding of managerial competency within the context of rural primary care sectors. The success of any organized health program depends upon effective management, but health systems worldwide face a lack of competent management at all levels. Management development for health systems, particularly at the first line of supervision, must be given much higher priority for investment.
Social enterprise in health organisation and management: hybridity or homogeneity?
Authors: Millar Ross
Published: May 2014

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to reflect on social enterprise as an organisational form in health organisation and management.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper presents a critique of the underlying assumptions associated with social enterprise in the context of English health and social care.

Findings

The rise of social enterprise models of service provision reflects increasingly hybrid organisational forms and functions entering the health and social care market. Whilst at one level this hybridity increases the diversity of service providers promoting innovative and responsive services, the paper argues that further inspection of the assumptions associated with social enterprise reveal an organisational form that is symbolic of isomorphic processes pushing healthcare organisations toward greater levels of homogeneity, based on market‐based standardisation and practices. Social enterprise forms part of isomorphic processes moving healthcare organisation and management towards market “norms”.

Originality/value

In line with the aim of the “New Perspectives section”, the paper aims to present a provocative perspective about developments in health and social care, as a spur to further debate and research in this area.
Social values in health priority setting: a conceptual framework
Authors: Clark Sarah , Weale Albert
Published: May 2014

Purpose

It is commonly recognized that the setting of health priorities requires value judgements and that these judgements are social. Justifying social value judgements is an important element in any public justification of how priorities are set. The purpose of this paper is to review a number of social values relating both to the process and content of priority‐setting decisions.

Design/methodology/approach

A set of key process and content values basic to health priority setting is outlined, and normative analysis applied to those values to identify their key features, possible interpretations in different cultural and institutional contexts, and interactions with other values.

Findings

Process values are found to be closely linked, such that success in increasing, for example, transparency may depend on increasing participation or accountability, and “content” values are found often to be hidden in technical criteria. There is a complex interplay between value and technical components of priority setting, and between process and content values. Levels of economic development, culture and need will all play a part in determining how different systems balance the values in their decisions.

Originality/value

Technical analyses of health priority setting are commonplace, but approaching the issues from the perspective of social values is a more recent approach and one which this paper seeks to refine and develop.
Social values and healthcare priority setting in Korea
Authors: Ahn Jeonghoon , Kim Gaeun , Sun Suh Hae , Moo Lee Sang
Published: May 2014

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present the role of social values in setting healthcare priorities in Korea.

Design/methodology/approach

Using Clark and Weale's draft framework, Korean healthcare priority setting was analysed. The process values used were transparency, accountability, and participation, and the content values used were clinical effectiveness, cost effectiveness, justice/equity, solidarity and autonomy.

Findings

In the Korean health priority setting, it was found that multiple factors influence the decision‐making process. Effectiveness and safety are the two most important values mentioned in the process. Cost‐effectiveness is also considered in reimbursement decisions for new drugs since 2007. Recently, health technology assessment (HTA) has begun to change the social value system traditionally used in the Korean healthcare priority setting.

Originality/value

The paper extends understanding of health priority setting in Korea, and how the interpretation and use of social values has changed over recent years.
Universal health coverage and litigation in Latin America
Authors: Cubillos Leonardo , Escobar Maria‐Luisa , Pavlovic Sebastian , Iunes Roberto
Published: May 2014

Purpose

Over the last five years many middle‐income Latin American countries have seen a steep increase in the number of cases litigating access to curative services. The purpose of this paper is to explore this complex phenomenon and outline some of its roots and impacts.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors use an interdisciplinary approach based on a literature review and workshops convened to discuss the issue.

Findings

A range of reasons can explain this increased legal activity. These include: a renewed judicial approach to the enforcement of the right to health; a more demanding public interest; an increased prevalence of non communicable diseases; and limited capacity for fair benefit package.

Originality/value

The findings in this paper argue for the need to incorporate a rights‐based approach to health policy as a foundation of societal efforts to achieve universal health coverage in Latin America.
CGIJ review
Authors: MacVane Fiona
Published: May 2014

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to enable busy clinicians to review the contents of the journal quickly. They can then choose which articles have the most relevance for them and focus on these.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper provides a brief synopsis of the main content of the journal prepared by the review editor.

Findings

Changes to healthcare commissioning and delivery will have long‐term consequences for the way in which the NHS functions.

Practical implications

It is important that all NHS staff have a clear understanding of recent and proposed changes so that they can participate in dialogue about the implications for their roles.

Originality/value

The review editor has no affiliation with any of the authors and no financial or other interest in commissioning and therefore is able to provide an independent overview of the journal contents.
Leveraging the competitive advantage of Iberoamerican scholars
Authors: Lazzarini Sérgio G.
Published: May 2014

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to help foster the global reach of Iberoamerican scholars, based on the author's own experiences and observations in the field.

Design/methodology/approach

This is an inductive study trying to generate a framework of “academic positioning” using the author's own experience as an example.

Findings

This paper presents an analytical framework of “academic positioning” and derives some practical suggestions for young Iberoamerican scholars.

Originality/value

The paper offers an analytical framework that informs likely career paths for young Iberoamerican scholars.
Analysis of nano‐reinforced layered plates via classical and refined two‐dimensional theories
Authors: Brischetto Salvatore , Carrera Erasmo
Published: May 2014

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to consider the static analysis of nanocomposite plates. Nanocomposites consist of a small amount of nanoscale reinforcements which can have an observable effect on the macroscale properties of the composites.

Design/methodology/approach

In the present study the reinforcements considered are non‐spherical, high aspect ratio fillers, in particular nanometer‐thin platelets (clays) and nanometer‐diameter cylinders (carbon nanotubes, CNTs). These plates are considered simply supported with a bi‐sinusoidal pressure applied at the top. These conditions allow the solving of the governing equations in a closed form. Four cases are investigated: a single layered plate with CNT reinforcements in elastomeric or thermoplastic polymers, a single layered plate with CNT reinforcements in a polymeric matrix embedding carbon fibers, a sandwich plate with external skins in aluminium alloy and an internal core in silicon foam filled with CNTs and a single layered plate with clay reinforcements in a polymeric matrix. A short review of the most important results in the literature is given to determine the elastic properties of the suggested nanocomposites which will be used in the proposed static analysis. The static response of the plates is obtained by using classical two‐dimensional models such as classical lamination theory (CLT) and first order shear deformation theory (FSDT), and an advanced mixed model based on the Carrera Unified Formulation (CUF) which makes use of a layer‐wise description for both displacement and transverse stress components.

Findings

The paper has two aims: to demonstrate that the use of classical theories, originally developed for traditional plates, is inappropriate to investigate the static response of nanocomposite plates and to quantify the beneficial effect of the nanoreinforcements in terms of static response (displacements and stresses).

Originality/value

In the literature these effects are usually given only in terms of elastic properties such as Young moduli, shear moduli and Poisson ratios, and not in terms of displacements and stresses.
Sensitivity of TM nonlinear magnetooptical integrated optical sensor
Authors: El‐Khozondar Hala J. , El‐Khozondar Rifa J. , Müller Mathias S. , Koch A.W.
Published: May 2014

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to consider a detailed investigation of transversal magnetic (TM) nonlinear magnetooptical integrated optical sensor. The sensitivities of two sensors are presented. The first sensor composed of a dielectric thin film surrounded by a lossless, nonmagnetic, isotropic cladding exhibiting a local Kerr‐like dielectric nonlinearity, and a magnetic substrate chosen to be an iron garnet. The second sensor is formed by exchanging the cladding and the substrate media of the first sensor. The homogenous sensitivities of both sensors are calculated as a function of the waveguide thickness and the effective refractive index. The effect of nonlinearity on the sensitivities for both sensors is investigated.

Design/methodology/approach

The homogenous sensitivities of both sensors are calculated as a function of the waveguide thickness and the effective refractive index. The effect of nonlinearity on the sensitivities for both sensors is investigated. Numerical calculations are performed using the Maple program.

Findings

It was found that the sensitivity for the first sensor sensitivity increases with nonlinearity. While the sensitivity for the second sensor is hardly affected by the change of nonlinearity. It was also found that the thickness of the guiding layer is a critical parameter for the sensitivity of the optical sensor with the optimum thickness being just above cut‐off in case of the first structure and at the cut‐off in the case of the second structure.

Originality/value

A detailed investigation of TM nonlinear magnetooptical integrated optical sensor is considered. The two proposed structures are used to investigate the parameters to get the optimal sensitivity, which is an important issue is the sensor design.
Propagation of waves at an imperfect boundary between heat conducting micropolar thermoelastic solid and fluid media
Authors: Kumar Rajneesh , Kaur Mandeep , Rajvanshi S.C.
Published: May 2014

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to establish a mathematical model to investigate the propagation of waves at an imperfect boundary between heat conducting micropolar elastic solid and fluid media.

Design/methodology/approach

Wave propagation and reflection methods have been applied to solve the problem. The expressions for reflection and transmission coefficients are obtained. The corresponding derivation for the normal force stiffness, transverse force stiffness, transverse couple stiffness and perfect bonding has also been included.

Findings

A computer program is developed and numerical results are computed to obtain the reflection and transmission coefficients of various reflected waves with incident waves. Some special and particular cases are also discussed.

Originality/value

In this paper, stiffness effect on these amplitude ratios with the angle of incidence has been observed and depicted graphically.
What Public Health Could (Belatedly) Contribute to Mental Health Promotion
Authors: Hart Bret
Published: May 2014

Although public health practitioners have made some contribution to the prevention of mental illness, this has not been a result of deliberate intent. Considering the extent of the problem, the response to mental illness as a public health issue has been grossly inadequate. An exploration of the historical reasons and an analysis of public health's reluctance to include mental health as part of its responsibility may assist in the premarital counselling required to broker what could be a mutually beneficial marriage with mental health. The prospective fruits of this union are explored, with recommendations for future action.
Implementing Mental Health Promotion: A Health Education and Promotion Perspective
Authors: Kok Gerjo
Published: May 2014

Mental health promotion can learn from achievements in the field of health education and promotion. Health education and promotion has seen four major developments in the last decades: the need for planning, the need for evaluation, the behaviour‐environment issue, and the use of theory. A recently presented protocol for developing theory‐based and evidence‐based interventions, Intervention Mapping, is described here in more detail. Implementation is prominent in planning models and intervention protocols. The same expertise and professionalism that we put into the development of health promotion interventions for our target groups should be put into implementation interventions for programme users and decision‐makers.
Promoting Mental Health in Zululand, South Africa
Authors: Edwards Steven
Published: May 2014

This paper follows a project undertaken by the University of Zululand in conjunction with local organisations. A description of the Zululand Mental Health Community Psychology Programme provides an example of progress through partnerships between the University and those groups. It also examines the mental health model in relation to the social action, organisational, ecological and phenomenological models of community psychology in the Zululand context. A holistic, community psychological mental health model is introduced, based on promotion and prevention models.
Philosophy Matters in Mental Health Promotion
Authors: Seedhouse David
Published: May 2014

Mental health promotion is saturated with theoretical ambiguity and is ripe for sustained philosophical investigation. Unfortunately, most philosophical discussion in health promotion is commonplace rather than academic, and many health promotion theorists are unaware that there is a difference. In order to illustrate this intransigent problem, I discuss Glenn MacDonald's recent contribution to this journal (Vol. 1, Issue 2). In so doing I demonstrate four philosophical errors frequently made in health promotion theory, research and practice.
Mental Health Promotion and Prison Health Care Staff in Young Offender Institutions in England
Authors: Bird Lisa , Hayton Paul , Caraher Martin , McGough Hilary , Tobutt Clive
Published: May 2014

This paper presents the findings of an investigation into a mental health promotion initiative in young offender institutions across England. The study involved a survey of staff attitudes towards mental health promotion, and surveyed practice run by these staff. Analysis of staff descriptions of mental health promotion revealed a degree of confusion and a lack of clarity over the definition of mental health and mental health promotion. The concept of a mental health promotion initiative which aimed to improve the well‐being of the general inmate and staff population was not a shared vision and not part of the core work of either health care staff or prison officers. It is recommended that any future campaigns on mental health or health promotion should have a central lead, with some flexibility to allow for the development of local initiatives, fostering local relationships and partnerships.
Population Health Approaches to Defining the Mental Health Problems of Australian Adolescents
Authors: Forero Roberto , Bauman Adrian
Published: May 2014

A cross‐sectional representative population survey was used to identify adolescents with mild to moderate mental health problems and to identify areas for possible intervention. Outcome variables were depression, stress, behavioural problems and study problems. An analysis was carried out examining associations between mental health problems and socio‐demographic and behavioural variables. A sizeable proportion reported one or more mental health problems. Among those reporting extreme levels of these problems, few had sought help or talked to someone. The paper concludes that population health data provide useful information that could be addressed through school programmes to enhance resilience and promote adolescent mental health.
Negotiating to Prevent Child Abuse and Neglect
Authors: Arcidiacono Caterina , Palomba Patrizia , Salzano Antonio
Published: May 2014

In a multi‐agency, multilevel and multisystem scenario, the Provincial Education Office in Naples promoted a training module for the prevention of child neglect and abuse through a successful partnership approach. A training course, presented on a modular basis, was directed at teachers and heads of the nursery and primary schools throughout Naples. The object was to raise awareness, competence and coping skills when incidences of child abuse and neglect were presented.The aims of the module were:█ to give participants the means to recognise both the signs of hidden problems in the child's behaviour and the disguised signs of maltreatment and abuse█ to support the school representatives and help them to acquire the necessary competencies to enable them to become a reference point for the child, so aiding the child in the disclosure of information and subsequent protection processes█ to promote an effective working methodology, through joint collaboration between school workers, health and social services staff and the magistracy█ to enable the course participants to acquire competence through acquiring appropriate knowledge and skills by the assimilation of relevant information.A semi‐structured questionnaire was drawn up to evaluate the training module. A hundred and seventy‐nine school teachers and school managers completed the questionnaire prior to receiving the training, and a hundred and fiftyfour after; the results provided positive evidence of the effectiveness of the programme. The analysis of the data and comparison of the results highlighted the interest in gaining more knowledge of the subject, especially among the younger participants. It is important to emphasise that while they were on the course participants welcomed the proposal for joint working between the school, health and social services and the legal authorities. However, no positive changes were observed in relation to the involvement of the judiciary, who have for some time been considered with suspicion and reserve. The course also encouraged the school workers to develop a greater appreciation of the benefits to be derived from a multidisciplinary approach to this issue.
Mental Health: A Secondary Concept to Mental Illness
Authors: Herron Sandy , Trent Dennis
Published: May 2014

Mental health services in Great Britain are built predominately upon a bipolar perspective of mental health. That is, mental health is seen to exist on the opposite end of the same continuum as mental illness. The existence or degree of mental health is therefore dependent upon the existence or degree of mental illness and mental health is seen as a ‘secondary’ concept to mental illness. The aim of this paper is to review critically both the conceptual and the pragmatic implications of this position. This is achieved through an exploration of the differing (and often competing) ontological assumptions about mental illness. Second, the pragmatic repercussions that this has for mental health promotion are presented. The paper culminates by discussing the possible benefits of viewing mental health from within a two‐continua model — on both conceptual and pragmatic grounds.
The salvation of meaning in Peter Drucker's oeuvre
Authors: Toubiana Madeline , Yair Gad
Published: May 2014

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to illuminate Peter Drucker's management theory by exploring German theological concerns which constituted his unique approach in management theory.

Design/methodology/approach

To uncover the secularized German theological roots in Drucker's work, the paper juxtaposes his writings from his 60‐year‐long career with prior cultural interpretations of German scholarship.

Findings

The analysis shows that German secularized theological concerns surrounding the fall of modernity influenced Drucker's oeuvre, leading him to advocate “the meaningful organization” as a pragmatic solution to the ills of modern society. While Drucker's ideas evolved over the years, the paper shows that his agenda to promote meaningful organizations in an otherwise totalitarian‐prone, alienated, rationalized and meaningless era remained consistent. This interpretation suggests that Drucker believed that management had moral duties in a Nietzschean godless world. The paper shows that these themes continued structuring Drucker's corpus in three domains: the information revolution, corporate social responsibility, and the role of organizations in the third sector.

Research limitations/implications

The paper reveals that Drucker was driven by deep cultural codes that proscribed many of his observations and suggested remedies. Hence, it calls for similar unearthing of the historical roots of management theory and practice.

Originality/value

In this paper a novel interpretation of Drucker's work is introduced. Extending work highlighting Drucker's spiritual roots, the paper demonstrates that the German secularized theological conception of the downfall of modernity was a constant lens through which Drucker saw the world, and that this historical backdrop was the motivating spur in his attempt to save it from another catastrophe. Given the entrenchment of Drucker's ideas in today's management practices and theories, it is imperative to understand these German moral and theological predispositions.
Internal environment for corporate entrepreneurship
Authors: Bhardwaj Broto R. , Sushil
Published: May 2014

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify the variables influencing the implementation of corporate entrepreneurship (CE) in an emerging market context. The empirical research study identifies the characteristics of internal environment to enhance corporate entrepreneurship (CE) in firms operating in an emerging economy, such as India.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors studied a sample size of 59 firms all over India and measured the internal environment for enhancing CE with the tool adapted from Hornsbyet al.In total, 381 responses were collected. Using regression tool, the authors measured the impact of these variables on CE outcomes.

Findings

It was found that the critical variables with respect to Indian context included risk‐taking propensity, management support, work discretion, rewards, organization flexible boundaries and time availability and intelligence generation and dissemination for CE success.

Research limitations/implications

Further confirmatory research needs to be conducted to establish the stability of these factors. The results need to be tested on a larger sample size. Moreover, the different categories of managers, i.e. top, middle and lower middle management groups, may be targeted as samples.

Practical implications

CE would give leverage to companies to compete by enhancing their competitiveness in emerging economies. Therefore, it would be critical to study the role of CE in enhancing the competitiveness of the firms operating in the Indian economy.

Originality/value

Earlier studies have not included two important parameters, including intelligence generation and dissemination as drivers of CE even in the developed country context.
ICT maturity as a driver to global competitiveness: a national level analysis
Authors: Yunis Manal M. , Koong Kai S. , Liu Lai C. , Kwan Reggie , Tsang Philip
Published: May 2014

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the role that information and communication technologies (ICT) maturity plays in the achievement of global competitiveness at the country level. The paper investigates the socio‐economic and technological factors that are most likely to be associated with ICT maturity, and then assesses their role in driving the global competitiveness wheel forward.

Design/methodology/approach

Secondary data were used, based on data sets generated by the World Bank, World Economic Forum, and UNESCO for the years 2003‐2007. The countries common to all reports were included, yielding a study sample of 93 cases. Cluster analysis was used to categorize countries in terms of ICT usage, readiness, and environment. Structural equation modeling was used to test the fit of a model employing these factors.

Findings

First, it was found that ICT plays an important role in driving a country's global competitiveness forward, with a stronger relationship existing in high readiness countries than in low readiness countries. Second, ICT maturity was found to mediate the relationship between ICT quality and R&D spending on one hand and global competitiveness on the other. Finally, the relationship between R&D spending and global competitiveness was found to be stronger for low readiness countries than for high readiness countries.

Practical implications

The paper's findings provide insights to managers and government policy makers regarding the effects of economic, social and technological factors on ICT maturity, as well as the relationship between ICT maturity and global competitiveness. Such insights can influence the standards, programs, and strategies that governments implement in order to attain and maintain global competitiveness.

Originality/value

The paper presents a holistic model that depicts the ICT maturity factors and their dynamic contributions to global competitiveness. Despite the considerable contributions of existing research in this domain, there is a lack of substantive research that examines the relationship at the country level between ICT maturity and its indicators on one hand and global competitiveness on the other. The paper is an attempt to fill this gap.
Institutional Shareholder Activism and Limited Investor Attention
Authors: Budsaratragoon Pornanong , Lhaopadchan Suntharee , Hillier David
Published: May 2014

We investigate whether limited investor attention is a factor in the effectiveness of institutional shareholder activism. Prior research has shown that an inability of market participants to allocate sufficient intellectual effort to the investment decision can have an impact on market price and volume behavior. We extend this research in an applied setting by considering the effectiveness of the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) focus list, whose aim is to improve the performance and corporate governance of target firms. We find that the share price and volume response to being included in the focus list is a function of the investor attention in a stock, which in turn has an impact on the subsequent managerial response. This suggests that when attention is a scarce cognitive resource, the proactive exploitation of news signals can be an efficient activism strategy.
Testing for Long Memory in the Feedback Mechanism in the Futures Markets
Authors: Antoniou Antonios , Koutmos Gregory , Pescetto Gioia
Published: May 2014

This paper investigates the possibility that futures markets attract noise traders who engage in positive feedback trading, an especially destabilizing form of noise trading. The hypothesis is tested using data from four major national index futures markets. The empirical evidence is consistent across all index futures markets under examination. Specifically, there is significant evidence of positive feedback trading. More importantly, the feedback trading pattern exhibits significant long memory in the sense that it depends on longer lags of past prices. Because volatility is asymmetric, the implication is that feedback trading is also asymmetric, being more prevalent during down markets so that mispricing is more likely during those periods that feedback traders are more active.
Personal perspective
Authors: Matthews Candice D.
Published: May 2014

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to share a personal perspective on the 2011 Academy of Management meeting held in San Antonio, Texas. It explores the author's experience of the conference theme of “West meets East: Enlightening, Balancing and Transcending” as well as providing a doctoral student's overall reflections of a major conference.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper uses a constructivist perspective in order to reflect upon conference experiences. Observations and the gathering of conference materials helped inform the approach.

Findings

This paper argued that the Academy of Management Annual meeting is likely to have a lasting impact on the author. The author was inspired to continue to discover how to become an engaged scholar and practitioner, as well as broadening her understanding of East‐West management practices and cultures.

Originality/value

This paper has value as it presents a personal perspective of a first‐year doctoral student attending her first large, international conference.
Applying addictions harm reduction lessons to mental healthcare
Authors: M. Krausz Reinhard , R. Werker Gregory , Strehlau Verena , Jang Kerry
Published: May 2014

Purpose

– Psychiatry and other areas of mental healthcare have a limited reach. According to the National Comorbidity Survey in the USA the majority of people with mental illnesses do not get any professional support. The current “acute care focus” treatment paradigm directs funding toward hospitals, medications and institutions. The purpose of this paper is to explore the appropriateness of this approach.

Design/methodology/approach

– To assess the acute care focus in mental healthcare, the authors will contrast it with an alternative paradigm of harm reduction.

Findings

– The authors argue that harm reduction principles based on the experiences of addiction medicine may be an added value to the current system of care along with structural reforms regarding early intervention and community-focussed care.

Originality/value

– This discussion paper contributes to a growing body of literature recognizing the inefficiencies of the present acute care centered paradigm in healthcare.
Explaining corruption
Authors: H. Akbar Yusaf , Vujić Vukan
Published: May 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to feature a cross-national study that investigates the relationship between national culture and corruption.

Design/methodology/approach

– The study is based on the so-called “Grid-Group” framework of culture. An analysis based on a sample of 55 countries is employed to estimate the relationship between corruption and cultural, economic and political variables. Cultural dimensions were developed using the World Values Survey (WVS) Wave 4 and 5.

Findings

– The study finds robust and statistically significant relationships. Cultures with strong hierarchy and fatalism are positively correlated with corruption whereas egalitarian cultures correlate with lower corruption. The regression model employed demonstrates robust statistical significance when all variable categories (culture, economic and political) were employed.

Research limitations/implications

– First, as a function of available data, future research should include more countries. Second, as with all previous culture-corruption studies to date, there is no explicit treatment of sub-cultures within a given country in this study: research on culture and corruption in large, multi-ethnic countries such as India, China or the USA where researching regional, sub-cultural differences may be important and insightful.

Practical implications

– Strengthening whistle-blower processes open to managers in hierarchical and fatalistic cultures will be an important tactical weapon in fighting corruption. Multinational companies who have progressively phased out expatriate managers in their subsidiaries and replaced them with local managers should invest in training for these managers designed to combat their cultural responses to corrupt behavior. Public policy must focus on institutional reform, breaking down hierarchies, promoting greater efficiency, transparency and accountability. This is a broad and far-reaching target that has to be tackled at all levels of society and across multiple stakeholders. Public policymakers should develop strategies closely with the private sector to develop anti-corruption education and training programs for both public sector and private sector managers.

Originality/value

– This is the first time quantitative empirical research has used the Douglas “Grid-Group” framework to estimate the role of culture in explaining corruption. From a policy and strategy perspective, the paper offers specific recommendations to governments and companies.