bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ignored or just forgotten?
Authors: Beresford Peter
Published: August 2012

Purpose

This commentary aims to explore the frequent omission of service users and their critiques from the modern history of health and social care integration.

Design/methodology/approach

The article is based on evidence, particularly the evidence emerging from service users' “experiential knowledge”.

Findings

The frequent contradiction that while user involvement has become an article of policy and practice, it is frequently ignored or overlooked.

Research limitations/implications

The findings have major implications for research and evaluation.

Practical implications

It is possible to reduce bias by including service user perspectives.

Social implications

The article denotes recognition of service user rights and the contribution they can make to research and policy and practice development.

Originality/value

The article is a reminder of the importance of including service user viewpoints in modern public policy.
Predictors of environmental behaviour: a comparison of known groups
Authors: Pensini Pamela M. , Slugoski Ben R. , Caltabiano Nerina J.
Published: August 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how different community groups differ in the extent to which environmentally friendly behaviours are performed, as well as how they differ across a host of other psychologically relevant variables.

Design/methodology/approach

The study was conducted via a self‐report questionnaire delivered to four community samples (environmentalists; performance car enthusiasts; young and older people; n=124) assessing demographic information, ecological behaviour, and the psychological variables.

Findings

Results showed that environmentalists engage in more ecological behaviour, are more cooperative, have stronger social and personal norms, a more internal locus of control, feel more collective guilt, and identify less with Australia than performance car enthusiasts. Differences in younger and older populations revealed that young people engage in less ecological behaviour, cooperate less, have a more external locus of control, and identify less with Australia.

Practical implications

The study may provide a starting‐point for future research and behaviour change campaigns aiming to develop methods for increasing ecological behaviour in specific segments of the community.

Originality/value

The paper is important in understanding factors contributing to ecological behaviour, and differs from previous research in that it identifies that certain variables are represented differently in different community samples.
CHP and its role in efficient energy production: a feasibility assessment model
Authors: Nock Alexander , Ojiako Udechukwu , Bektas Tolga , Chipulu Max
Published: August 2012

Purpose

The way and manner in which energy is produced is known to have a significant impact on emissions. For this reason, the UK government has sought to enhance the efficiency of energy production/conversion by focusing on a number of energy production approaches, including Combined Heat and Power (CHP). The purpose of this paper is to describe a practical approach for assessing the feasibility of CHP.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors provide an overview of Combined Heat and Power (CHP); describe a new and easy‐to‐implement feasibility and optimisation model to aid in the installation of CHP; and discuss the practical feasibility issues of CHP through an analysis of existing case studies using the proposed model. The modelling utilises regression models which are created using historical data obtained from public sources.

Findings

Compared against alternatives, the model is shown to be particularly useful, as its functionality is embedded in resource‐intensive prime mover specifications obtained from seven real industrial cases.

Originality/value

The need for such a practical and easy‐to‐use model is driven by the existence of numerous models, which are mainly complex and not necessarily “user‐friendly”. The proposed model is set to provide a practical and user‐friendly model for CHP appraisal that is easy to understand and assess in terms of prime movers such as capital cost, payback, annual financial and CO2 savings.
Critical systemic thinking as a foundation for information systems research practice
Authors: Bednar Peter M. , Welch Christine
Published: August 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore a particular philosophical underpinning for Information Systems (IS) research – critical systemic thinking (CST). Drawing upon previous work, the authors highlight the principal features of CST within the tradition of critical research and attempt to relate it to trends in the Italian school of IS research in recent years, as exemplified by the work of Claudio Ciborra but also evident in work by, e.g. Resca, Jacucci and D'Atri.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a conceptual paper which explores CST, characterised by a focus on individual uniqueness, and socially‐constructed, individual worldviews as generators of human knowing.

Findings

The paper draws on work by Heinz Klein in which he elaborated three constitutive stages in critical research: interpretive, genealogical and constructive. The authors introduce a fourth, reflective stage and discuss five categories of critical research, reflecting different perspectives on emancipation, culminating in emergent expressionism, associated with Ciborra and the Italian school more generally.

Research limitations/implications

This paper discusses approaches to CST and how they might have practical implications in IS development. The distinction between approaches founded in logical empiricism and those founded in hermeneutic dialectics are considered and the development of critical and systems strands are discussed.

Practical implications

The paper addresses CST as an approach to development of information systems. Such approaches enable users to explore their individually unique understandings and create a constructive dialogue with one another, which emancipates and empowers users to own and control their own development processes and hence build more productive and usable systems.

Social implications

A focus on research which is oriented towards emancipation in the tradition of critical social theory.

Originality/value

The paper draws on extensive theoretical research carried out by the authors over a period of more than ten years in CST and synthesises the practical implications.
Social dimension in ERP adoption and implementation
Authors: De Bernardis Luigi
Published: August 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to illustrate how the adoption of new enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems affects sensemaking in the process of Organizational Identity (OI) integration after a Merger and Acquisition (M&A).

Design/methodology/approach

Within a wider case study about an acquisition in chemical/pharmaceutical industry, the paper describes the effects of SAP adoption and implementation on the organizational identity. This methodology, based on semi‐structured interviews to project leaders and to team members, has allowed a deep comprehension of the context, even if results cannot provide statistical evidence of relationships.

Findings

Using the Swanson and Ramiller's approach to innovation, the paper argues that ERP adoption and implementation support sensemaking process if innovation takes place with mindfulness and because, in that case, people interact on symbolic meanings sharing retrospective knowledge and cognitive causal maps. After an M&A there are conditions for a mindful innovation with IT and therefore innovating with IT can be an effective way to enforce sensemaking process and, as a consequence, to influence the Organizational Identity evolution. In a constructionist approach, the evolution of organizational identity requires a social negotiation among members where sensemaking has a primary role. So, the integration process following acquisitions can be facilitated by adopting, implementing and assimilating common IT solutions with mindfulness.

Research limitations/implications

The first limitation of this study is referred to timing. The author entered into the company within a year after the acquisition and went out at the beginning of SAP assimilation phase. Therefore, some perceptions could still evolve in different ways. The second limitation depends on the fact that the author analyzed a single case. By focusing on one case of acquisition – an acquisition that gives value to acquired company – the author might be limiting the transferability of the findings.

Practical implications

These results can be useful for both scholars and practitioners. Managers who face organizational change can consider the adoption and implementation of ERP as an opportunity to influence the evolution of Organizational Identity according to strategic priorities.

Originality/value

The value of this study is in its approach that links a strategic level (the new organizational identity expected by managers) with a social level (the new organizational identity that comes from interaction among people). This link is realized not using the ERP as an artefact but using the process of its adoption and implementation.
Organizational trust in a networked world
Authors: Giustiniano Luca , Bolici Francesco
Published: August 2012

Purpose

Trust is a social factor at the foundations of human action. The pervasiveness of trust explains why it has been studied by a large variety of disciplines, and its complexity justifies the difficulties in reaching a shared understanding and definition. As for all the social factors, trust is continuously evolving as a result of the changes in social, economic and technological conditions. The internet and many other Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) solutions have changed organizational and social life. Such mutated scenarios challenged what researchers know about trust, thus several studies tried to investigate the difference between online and traditional (physical) environments. The purpose of this paper is to solve this multi‐dimensional puzzle by presenting a conceptual framework that will take into consideration the complexity of ICT mediated‐trust.

Design/methodology/approach

The extant literature still lacks a homogeneous framework and presents a large amount of different perspectives, each one addressing a very specific issue. By using the methodology suggested by Short and Cropanzano the paper proposes a conceptual model for understanding the dynamics of trust in online settings. In doing so the authors' adopted the Actor Network Theory conceptual frame for disentangling the ambiguous role of technology in its relation with trust.

Findings

This paper provides an ultimate conceptual model on trust in virtual settings.

Research limitations/implications

The proposed model will help systematize the extant contributions and also identify the gaps that can be addressed by future researches.

Originality/value

The model permits the understanding of the dynamics of trust in online settings.
User‐led organisation leadership of support planning and brokerage
Authors: Strong Steve
Published: August 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to offer an account of the role of user‐led organisations in a radically different approach to delivering local authority adult social care management functions.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing on the evaluation of a two‐year project funded by the Office for Disability Issues as part of the Independent Living Strategy, this paper highlights some of the key learning points from this project.

Findings

The central finding is that user‐led organisations are capable of delivering this radically different way of working with quality (and possibly cost) gains. However, there are potentially significant barriers to overcome in order to achieve this.

Originality/value

The Government is exploring a greater role for the voluntary and community sector including user‐led organisations. It is widely acknowledged that “peer” support activity should play a key part in delivering the “personalisation agenda”. This paper highlights the fact that delivering this will require leadership, partnership and trust. A strategic vision is needed – but so is an eye for detail on operational delivery issues.
The future (of the future) adult social care workforce – key issues for leaders
Authors: Hughes Rhidian
Published: August 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify and review the leadership challenges in workforce planning, paying special reference to adult social care primarily in England (UK) whilst raising leadership issues that have international resonance.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a viewpoint which presents a distillation of key issues, challenges and relevant literature spanning workforce planning, human resources and social care.

Findings

The paper finds that growing demands on services, rising expectations for personalised care and support, together with the provision of safe and effective joined up care are some of the key drivers facing social care and wider public services. Leaders need to ensure a robust data and evidence base, sound interpretation of intelligence as well as building integrated approaches to workforce planning both within and between services.

Practical implications

Workforce leadership provides the bedrock to ensuring social care builds the workforce required for the future. As services undergo redesign and transformation the workforce planning task is more important now than ever and is a key responsibility for every organisation's leadership, including chief executives, commissioners and workforce specialists.

Originality/value

Workforce planning in social care is afforded relatively little attention and the analysis presented in this paper provides the stimulus for debate.
Indigenous perspectives on ecotourism development: a British Columbia case study
Authors: Turner Katherine L. , Berkes Fikret , Turner Nancy J.
Published: August 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this research is to examine Gitga'at First Nation approaches and objectives concerning the use of local biological and cultural resources through the lens of a locally‐driven proposal to establish an eco‐cultural tourism enterprise.

Design/methodology/approach

This project was developed in collaboration with the Gitga'at First Nation and employed a qualitative case study approach. Primary data gathering techniques were active participation, semi‐structured interviews, focus group discussions and work with key informants.

Findings

Participant responses highlight the interconnectivity and importance of social, ecological and cultural integrity in local economic development. Three major principles for resource use were widely expressed: control and management by Gitga'at; equitable distribution of any benefits; and the imperative of environmental and cultural sustainability.

Research limitations/implications

Gitga'at band members living within the Gitga'at traditional territory played a central part in this research. Future work could include non‐resident band members. Furthermore, if the Gitga'at decide to move forward with this proposal, further research could examine how the resource use principles discussed here may be applied.

Practical implications

This research provided a forum to explicitly identify research participants' hopes and concerns surrounding eco‐cultural tourism and the possible outcomes of this potential project.

Social implications

This research may be beneficial to other communities interested in eco‐cultural tourism development or other development activities dependent on local resources use.

Originality/value

Although essential to creating economic opportunities that reflect local goals and interests, socio‐cultural dimensions are often overlooked in local economic development. This research explicitly sought to unpack these domains.
Partnerships towards NTFP development: perspectives from Pikangikum First Nation
Authors: Pengelly Ryan D. , Davidson‐Hunt Iain
Published: August 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide a community perspective on partnerships with the goal of researching, designing, developing and commercializing non‐timber forest products (NTFPs) based on indigenous knowledge and resources from Pikangikum First Nation, northwestern Ontario, Canada.

Design/methodology/approach

Framed by the Whitefeather Forest Research Cooperative agreement, a collaborative and ethnographic research design was adopted with the Whitefeather Forest Management Corporation and the Whitefeather Forest Elders Steering Group in Pikangikum First Nation. Over the period of two years, initial research planning meetings were held with community representatives, fieldwork and interviews with community Elders and leaders were conducted, and three community workshops were held.

Findings

Community Elders and leaders articulated a cautious interest in developing ethical, collaborative partnerships that support the Whitefeather Forest Initiative and the community's social, cultural, economic and environmental goals. Developing NTFPs through partnerships is a procedural issue that requires giving Elders a primary role in advising and guiding partnerships at all stages of NTFP planning, research and development. Partners would be expected to build respectful and diligent partnerships that interface knowledge systems, maintain good relations, and generate mutually defined benefits.

Research limitations/implications

This community‐specific approach provides insight for Aboriginal groups, governments, universities, and corporations seeking to develop access and benefit sharing agreements, policies, or protocols in light of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Nagoya Protocol.

Originality/value

This paper offers perspectives, principles, and community member narratives from a Canadian indigenous community, Pikangikum First Nation. These perspectives describe how this community envisions potential research, development and commercialization of NTFPs through joint and mutually beneficial partnerships.
Aboriginal antidiabetic plant project with the James Bay Cree of Québec
Authors: Cuerrier Alain , Downing Ashleigh , Patterson Elisabeth , Haddad Pierre
Published: August 2012

Purpose

Research projects involving traditional knowledge are finding new ways of dealing with intellectual property rights and commercialisation. Influenced by calls for fair and equitable protocols involving access and benefit sharing regimes, researchers are developing new standards of practice. Here this paper aims to explore the process by which the CIHR Team in Aboriginal Antidiabetic Medicine (TAAM) came to address these issues within the scope of participatory action research.

Design/methodology/approach

A case study method is applied in order to highlight key events and topics. The legally binding research agreement developed for this project is used to illustrate examples of how the needs of First Nations stakeholders and of researchers are met.

Findings

The paper finds that strong research partnerships are characterized by accountability, adaptability, transparency, good and frequent communication and ultimately, trust. Researchers should be prepared to take a more “human” approach in their studies as the establishment of personal relationships are as important as the research itself. Proposals should include both monetary and intangible outcomes where possible, which reflect aboriginal culture and decision.

Practical implications

This paper can help others to understand the needs of aboriginal peoples with regard to research. It also provides links to protocols and the legal research agreement used by TAAM that can serve as an adaptable template for future work.

Originality/value

Publicising the research agreement and experiences herein is meant to contribute to a body of knowledge that will one day lead to new research norms when dealing with aboriginal peoples and traditional knowledge.
Rethinking and re‐shaping indigenous economies: Māori geothermal energy enterprises
Authors: Bargh Maria
Published: August 2012

Purpose

In light of the shortcomings of the current world order for indigenous peoples and the environment, there is a need to make “another world possible” by promoting new ways of thinking and articulating indigenous economies. This paper aims to address this issue.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper examines Māori enterprises involved in geothermal energy production as existing expressions of this other “possible world”.

Findings

The paper finds that Māori enterprises involved in geothermal energy production are increasing in number and are demonstrating complex ways of conducting business. In seeking a clearer picture of these enterprises, it was found that analysing how Māori values were “added in” to these businesses was not enough. Instead it was found that examining how these enterprises could be charted with ethical coordinates allows a more complete account of what is taking place.

Originality/value

This paper is of value for scholars analysing the value‐based aspects of economies, particularly indigenous business enterprises. Charting ethical coordinates allows the analysis of indigenous enterprises to move away from thinking about them in binary terms, as either Indigenous or non‐indigenous. Having a way of thinking about and articulating the complexity of indigenous enterprises enables a richer conversation about their attributes.
Social enterprises for development asbuen vivir
Authors: Giovannini Michela
Published: August 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide a conceptual overview of linkages betweenbuen vivirand social enterprise as emerging from a review of the literature regarding indigenous development approaches in Latin America. As reported in the literature such approaches aim to reduce poverty and affirm indigenous cultural identities through the sustainable use of natural resources.

Design/methodology/approach

The conceptual arguments build on a review of literature regarding social enterprise, mainly in its European conception, on social and solidarity economy according to several Latin American scholars, and on streams of literature related to indigenous development and indigenous entrepreneurship.

Findings

Against the failure of externally‐driven developmental policies, social enterprise can be considered as a useful vehicle for indigenous peoples to establish direct control and management of natural resources and territories that constitute an important step towards their self‐determination and self‐managed development.

Research limitations/implications

An empirical validation of the presented argument is lacking in this paper and further empirical work is needed.

Originality/value

The paper is an attempt to provide a general conceptualization of social enterprise as a meaningful tool for the development of indigenous peoples in Latin America, bringing together different concepts borrowed from theories on social enterprise, social and solidarity economy and indigenous development.
Up for grabs
Authors: Mason Chris
Published: August 2012

Purpose

Current social entrepreneurship (SE) literature advocates a critical reexamination of the core construct. As such, and based on the seemingly endless definitional debate among academics, this paper seeks to empirically analyse social entrepreneurship discourse in the United Kingdom. It aims to posit that this debate is in fact detrimental to a more coherent and evenly distributed discourse. Furthermore, the ensuing ambiguities suit other, more powerful participants, and keeping this debate live allows the discourse to be shaped.

Design/methodology/approach

The author utilised critical discourse analysis (CDA) in this study, developing a personal qualitative data set (including a third sector and SE corpora containing SE policies covering 2002‐2008). This data set was then subjected to an online analysis tool WMatrix, and both sets were compared with a widely used base line corpus.

Findings

The findings show that SE discourse is now firmly attached to public policy discourse. Furthermore, this public policy concerning SE was heavily imbued with political language and ideology. Thus, the findings show empirically that SE is characterised in broader public policy debates as a politically re‐constructed concept.

Research limitations/implications

SE will continue to be a contested concept in the public sphere, however further research should explore the potential of dissensus from political reconstructions as a powerful counter‐discourse.

Originality/value

This study is among the first to utilise CDA to interrogate SE discourse, and the analysis provides novel insights for academics and practitioners to reinterpret and contest SE as more than the solution for failing public services.
Beyond managerial rationality: exploring social enterprise in Germany
Authors: Mauksch Stefanie
Published: August 2012

Purpose

This paper aims to contribute a qualitative analysis of practitioners' accounts to illuminate alternative approaches to social enterprise that tend to be neglected by predominant academic representations.

Design/methodology/approach

By analysing qualitative interviews, the paper examines the ways social entrepreneurs in Germany coproduce and reproduce the prevailing theoretical notions of social enterprise. The main themes of the interviews are elaborated upon to accentuate certain critical aspects that until now have not been the focus of attention in research. Alternative perspectives of the empirical data are developed which indicate patterns that are currently excluded from narrative practices of academia.

Findings

There are several insightful perspectives represented in the interview data: the (conspicuous) absence of managerialism as a dominant motivational feature; the complexity of the local political and social realm in which social entrepreneurs think and act in spontaneous, often “non‐rational” ways; and personal and biographical accounts of social entrepreneurs as an important self‐defining feature. The findings demonstrate the explanatory power of qualitative empirical accounts as a starting point to veer away from reductionist drawing‐board concepts of social enterprise.

Originality/value

These articulations of social entrepreneurs' own realities are important as they are sometimes at odds ideologically with managerial approaches to social enterprise which emphasize cost‐efficiency reasoning and financial independence.
Why do customers patronize Islamic banks? A case study of Pakistan
Authors: Abdul Rehman Asma , Masood Omar
Published: August 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to determine the selection criteria for Islamic banks employed by customers in a dual banking system, as in the case of Pakistan, and to know the overall satisfaction of the customers with Islamic banks.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a survey‐based study conducted on the primary data collected through structured questionnaire. In total, 23 variables are identified from the literature which are reduced to eight main variables by using factor analysis in SPSS. Data are gathered from 200 customers of full‐fledged Islamic banks in Pakistan, i.e. Meezan bank, Bank Islami and Dubai Islamic bank, Al‐Baraka Islamic bank, Burj Bank Ltd The data have been analyzed in two models: the first includes the selection criteria according to gender; the second includes the overall customer's preferences for selection criteria.

Findings

The results reveal that the most important factors are “Religious factors” and “Convenient location” that customers consider while selecting an Islamic bank. Other important factors include “Secure feeling” by customer, “Quality related issues” and “Efficiency of bank”.

Research limitations/implications

The data used in this study are limited, so the generalization of the results is not possible. Also the study is conducted on the full‐fledged Islamic banks and it has ignored the Islamic Windows.

Practical implications

Considering the importance of the topic, this research has identified the selection criteria that are considered by the customer while selecting an Islamic bank. It will help banks to improve the criteria said and considered by customers while selecting a bank. This research will be of interest to both serving banks and potential entrants into this niche market.

Originality/value

The literature shows that patronize factors of Islamic banks are an under‐researched area in Pakistan. So, this paper will contribute to the body of knowledge by identifying the Islamic banking selection criteria considered by the customers.
Training needs assessment in Islamic banking sector
Authors: Asrar Mirza Amna , Riaz Sumaira
Published: August 2012

Purpose

The training needs assessment is a significant activity for the training and development function. A human resource generalist or a specialist should be proficient in performing a training needs assessment. The purpose of this paper is to explain the training and development function in the Islamic banking sector and how the needs assessment of Islamic banking fits into the process, followed by an in‐depth look at the core concepts and levels involved in conducting a training needs assessment.

Design/methodology/approach

A research design is the structure for investigation and way of answering the research question. The authors have conducted this research under the umbrella of quantitative paradigm, using the cross‐sectional way of obtaining responses as it saves time and cost, and the strategy adopted for data collection was “survey questionnaire technique”. In this study, Performance Analysis. Job Analysis, Career Development and Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities were taken as independent variables and Training Needs Assessment as the dependent variable. The sample size of 100 employees was selected without any preference among the employees. Random sampling technique was used and appropriate stratification was undertaken to represent both male and female.

Findings

This study was conducted to know about training need assessment in Islamic banking in Pakistan. The authors found that the process of needs assessment identifies more than one training need; the training manager, working with management, prioritizes the training based on the urgency of the need (timeliness); the extent of the need (how many employees need to be trained); and the resources available. Also, the authors learned that training needs assessment is more crucial for performance analysis and for job analysis. Based on this information, the training manager can develop the instructional objectives for the training and development program.

Originality/value

The paper's findings will be beneficial for the training and development sector of Islamic banking. The results of the study would help training and development practitioners, showing how better planning and implementation of the training need assessment process could save their costs and time.
Risk‐taking behaviour of Islamic banks: application of prospect theory
Authors: Alam Nafis , Boon Tang Kin
Published: August 2012

Purpose

The paper aims to gain an insight into behavioural characteristics of Islamic banks and how they influence the risk‐taking decisions of Islamic banks in financial markets within the prospect theory context.

Design/methodology/approach

The study employs review and application of prospect theory in Islamic banking industry across the globe, making use of 99 Islamic banks across 14 countries.

Findings

Empirical evidence shows that Islamic banks located above target risk level tend to show risk‐adverse behaviour, while banks below target risk level inclined towards risk‐seeking attitude. Results also highlighted that banks which have higher loans to total asset ratio tend to take on lower risk.

Practical implications

Islamic bank regulators will be better prepared to monitor the Islamic banking system if they understand risk‐taking behaviour of Islamic bank managers. The findings will provide more effective bank regulatory oversight, thus preventing Islamic bank failures in future.

Originality/value

Since there are relatively few studies conducted in risk‐taking behaviour of Islamic banks, specifically global Islamic banking, this study will broaden the scope of the literature by providing novel empirical evidence on risk‐taking practice of Islamic banks worldwide.
Rewards in faith‐based vs conventional banking
Authors: Muhammad Khan Ghauri Shahid , Sabah Obaid Qambar Amal
Published: August 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the performance of conventional and Islamic paradigms of banking through profitability. Profitability of conventional and Islamic banks is compared through four authentic methods of ratio through reliable statistical data from seven countries. The healthier bank spread in the Islamic way of banking is analyzed and compared with the conventional trend of banking.

Design/methodology/approach

Profitability of two‐streams of banking are analyzed through bank spread, bank margin to total assets, non‐interest‐based costs to total assets and relationship of bank‐spread and NPBT&Z of conventional and Islamic banks. Data from 87 banks belonged to seven countries were analyzed to obtain results, of which 35 were following Islamic principles‐based products and services. Countries are selected among those which are following binary‐banking systems simultaneously. Statistical data are gathered from audited‐annual reports of these sample banks.

Findings

Islamic banks are found to reflect marginal bank spread but bear higher operational (non‐bank margin) costs.

Research limitations/implications

Statistical data are gathered from audited annual accounts of banking companies. Foreign banks are excluded in this analysis due to non‐availability of published accounts for most of such banks at country level. Further NPLs of sample banks were not available in most of sample banks, which could provide actual statistical figures for earning assets of bank.

Originality/value

The paper will be helpful in analyzing the business approach of the global, growing trend of Islamic banking.
Sukuk investment
Authors: Jamilah Abdul Jalil Mariam , Abdul Rahman Zuriah
Published: August 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to determine whether the amount of profits gained from musharakah mutanaqisah model using coupon rate of 4.5 per cent, price at par and tenure of five years was greater than using ijarah principle where the price is at a discount. Also to compute and compare the profits obtained from sukuk investment in ijarah and musharakah mutanaqisah for 3.5 per cent coupon rate and price at par for a sukuk with tenure of 12.5, 15, 17.5 and 19 years.

Design/methodology/approach

In total, two models were used to calculate profit. These models are based on ijarah and musharakah mutanaqisah principles. Formulas are derived from ijarah and musharakah and mutanaqisah principles used in sukuk.

Findings

Sukuk investment using ijarah principle is found to be a better investment alternative than musharakah mutanaqisah principle, regardless of the number of years of the sukuk, as long as it is a long‐term tenure. However, for short‐term tenure, the latter is preferred based on the amount of profits generated.

Research limitations/implications

The formulas and results shown in this research are just one of the mathematical approaches that can be used for decision making in sukuk investment. There are other approaches which may deemed to be more effective in decision making. This research was applied only to ijarah and musharakah mutanaqisah types of investment.

Practical implications

The results in the research will assist in making a quick decision on what type of sukuk investment for the investors and issuers and which will be suitable given the amount of financial resources and duration of the investment period.

Originality/value

Many researchers have attempted to study the implications of using mathematical formulas to guide decision making on the choice of sukuk investment and this research has, to a certain extent, concurred with and complemented the works of past researchers. Additionally it will create awareness and provide more information to potential investors on better sukuk investment alternative principles from a mathematical point of view.
Efficiency of Islamic banks: case of North African Arab countries
Authors: Al‐Khasawneh Jamal Ali , Bassedat Karima , Aktan Bora , Darshini Pun Thapa Priya
Published: August 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is twofold. The first and the most important is to examine the efficiency of Islamic banks relative to conventional banks operating in North African Arab countries, in terms of cost and revenue efficiency. The second objective is to assess more evidence regarding the banking system efficiency trend and dynamics in each single country, and to compare such trends among countries included in the study.

Design/methodology/approach

The non‐parametric data envelopment analysis (DEA) was used to estimate cost and revenue efficiency scores assuming variable returns to scale (VRS). The sample consists of nine Islamic banks and 11 conventional banks.

Findings

The results indicated that Islamic banks achieved higher average revenue efficiency scores over conventional banks in this region, while the growth rate of revenue efficiency score of Islamic bank was less than conventional banks. In terms of cost efficiency, the results varied from country to another. The results also showed that both groups of banks were close to each other, with an advantage to conventional banks, which suffer less cost efficiency loss over time compared to Islamic banks.

Research limitations/implications

The very limited data sources (banks' web sites) was was the main limitation faced during preparing for this research. Another limitation was the non‐regularity of annual reports.

Practical implications

Islamic banks are highly challenged in finding investment opportunities/avenues that comply with Islamic regulations, unlike conventional banks that can invest in fixed income securities. There is a serious need for some countries to deregulate their banking systems more, in order to enhance the compatibility and the efficiency of their banking, such as the case of Sudan.

Originality/value

Given the previously mentioned difficulties, decent data set were collected. The value of this paper is the use of nonparametric DEA to analyse cost and revenue efficiences in the countries of this region.
Syariah accounting and compliant screening practices
Authors: Soke Fun Ho Catherine , Masood Omar , Abdul Rehman Asma , Bellalah Mondher
Published: August 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to focus on the syariah compliant screening methods that are practiced by prominent Islamic finance users, in terms of qualitative and quantitative screening.

Design/methodology/approach

This research uses comparative analysis to recognize the similarities and differences of methods among 15 users.

Findings

Analysis reveals that there is a need to set the universal standards, not only for the investors but also to discourage the misunderstanding between investors and scholars. After analysis of qualitative and quantitative screening, recommendations for both methods have been made for the shariah compliant board and users.

Originality/value

The paper is useful for Islamic finance users, as well from the academic point of view and is new and unique in its nature.
History and critical marketing studies
Authors: Tadajewski Mark
Published: August 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to argue that the function of history in critical marketing studies centres on the issue of contextualisation. It aims to put forward the idea that historically informed critical marketing studies highlight that key institutions, actors and scholarly writings have all helped to constitute, perform and destabilise marketing theory, thought and practice in ways that reflect multiple constellations of interests.

Design/methodology/approach

By way of an engagement with various strands of the literature, it is suggested that the history of marketing thought and marketing history are riven with power relations. They include economically derived power relations and culturally significant changes in the social environment. However, while important, they are only part of a more pluralistic tapestry of factors that come from sometimes completely unrelated areas that helped constitute the conditions which fostered a given area of inquiry, debate and so on, in marketing and consumer research.

Findings

Weaved into accounts such as those articulated within critical marketing studies are attempts to rethink aspects of theory, concept formation, thought, practice and institutions that have assumed a taken‐for‐granted status.

Originality/value

This account is based on a detailed reading of interdisciplinary debates read into the history of marketing thought and marketing history.
Finanzkapital and consumers: how financialization shaped twentieth century marketing
Authors: Dholakia Nikhilesh
Published: August 2012

Purpose

By tracing the history of the links of financialization to consumer behaviors and marketer actions in the twentieth century, this paper aims to show that consumer market phenomena are often shaped by the imperatives of finance.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper employs selective historical overviews, mainly focusing on the USA, of four tranches of the past century: the run up to the Great Depression; from post‐Depression to the Second World War; the post‐Second World War Bretton Woods system and its collapse in the 1970s; and the increasingly risk‐charged last three post‐Bretton Woods decades of the twentieth century.

Findings

The historical review shows that the financial sector's interest in profiting from consumer markets emerged and grew fairly early in the twentieth century, experienced some slowdown and forced retrenchment due to the military‐industrial build up prior to and during the Second World War, and re‐accelerated in the post‐Second World War period – reaching an unsustainable risky zenith by the closing years of the century.

Practical implications

Findings and arguments from this paper can be of value to citizen and consumer advocates seeking to bring Finanzkapital activities under popular and democratic control.

Social implications

Insights from this paper should motivate us to study in greater depth how established and seemingly autonomous consumer and marketer behaviors, in the ultimate, may be guided by, and have to conform to, the dictates of financial capital.

Originality/value

The main contribution of this paper is an elaboration of how financial capitalism has shaped consumption styles and marketing practices in the last century.
Marketing and feminism in historic perspective
Authors: Maclaran Pauline
Published: August 2012

Purpose

This article aims to give a short overview of the relationship between marketing and feminism.

Design/methodology/approach

The analysis is based on a literature review of key studies contributing to the debates on whether marketing activities exploit or empower women.

Findings

The findings illustrate the changing nature of feminist attitudes to the role of the market in women's lives.

Research limitations/implications

As a short overview, this analysis necessarily shortens topics that merit more in‐depth investigation.

Originality/value

Three waves of feminism are overviewed in relation to feminist attitudes in the marketplace.
Depression and anxiety symptoms: measuring reliable change in alcohol and drug users
Authors: Delgadillo Jaime
Published: August 2012

Purpose

This study aims to describe and to compare the reliability and accuracy of different methods of measuring psychiatric symptom changes in the context of substance use.

Design/methodology/approach

A group of 60 patients in routine methadone treatment were followed‐up during a “watchful wait” period of four to six weeks. Diagnoses of common mental disorders meeting International Classification of Diseases (ICD‐10) criteria were established using the CIS‐R structured diagnostic interview. Brief questionnaires for depression (PHQ‐9) and anxiety (GAD‐7) were used to measure symptom changes between test and retest. It was hypothesised that the accuracy of symptom changes measured using brief questionnaires may be compromised by methodological artefacts such as poor specificity, regression to the mean and measurement error. These assumptions were tested empirically.

Findings

It was demonstrated that measuring change using conventional cut‐offs in brief symptom questionnaires tends to overestimate the prevalence of common mental disorders and the rates of improvement. Using higher cut‐off scores calibrated in samples of alcohol and drug users, in combination with a reliable change index results in more conservative and reliable estimates of symptom change.

Originality/value

This paper presents a considered discussion on the relative merits and limitations of alternative psychiatric symptom measurement methods. These methodological recommendations may be of interest to research and clinical practice concerned with evaluating changes in comorbid depression and anxiety. Important questions are also raised about the modest degree of symptom changes typically observed during a watchful wait period.
Can 12 step fellowship and cognitive behaviour therapy work together? A hypothesis on an integrated treatment approach for mild dual diagnosis
Authors: Brown Cameron
Published: August 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate research in the field of addictions utilising CBT and 12 step fellowship methods and to create an evidence base for an integrated treatment method utilising both approaches.

Design/methodology/approach

Research on CBT and 12 step fellowships and their current applications in addiction treatment are presented. Models of severe mental illness are referenced and the use of directive and guided referrals are used as a basis to build the paper's hypothesis. A mode of action how the treatments may work together is presented.

Findings

Findings indicate that guided treatment approaches for dual diagnosis are more likely to lead to long term therapeutic gains. Discussion involves the practical implications of this treatment and its ability to create a synergistic approach.

Practical implications

Implications include the potential for streamlined treatment approaches which have the potential to increase treatment adherence and outcomes. Implications, such as the joint use of social reinforcement techniques between 12 step fellowship approaches and CBT, are also discussed.

Originality/value

There is no previous research on the application of CBT and 12 step treatment modalities working together in a structured manner. Previous work has focussed primarily on severe mental illness. The current paper aims to provide an approach to treatment which utilises several modes of treatment to create more robust treatments for people suffering from dual diagnoses.