bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Sexual harassment and gender-based violence in Tanzania’s public service
Authors: Vuckovic Myriam , Altvater Annette , Helgesson Sekei Linda , Kloss Kristina
Published: March 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the causes, forms, extent, and consequences of sexual harassment and sexual violence at public sector workplaces in Tanzania.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 1,593 civil servants participated in the survey, which was conducted in the Mtwara Region of Tanzania. The quantitative data were complemented with the results from eight focus group discussions.

Findings

The study revealed that 21 percent of women and 12 percent of men had experienced sexual harassment personally. Overall, rural-based public servants had less knowledge of relevant policies, and experienced more sexual harassment than their urban colleagues. The majority of perpetrators were identified as men in senior positions; the majority of victims were recognized to be young female employees. Frequently reported behaviors included sexual bribery with regard to resource allocation, promotions, allowances, and other benefits.

Practical implications

Despite the existence of conducive legal and policy frameworks aimed at protecting employees from sexual harassment and violence, their implementation and effects were found to be limited. Only half of the study population was aware of the existing regulations. The study found that the majority of public servants who had knowledge on the issue had learned about sexual harassment in the context of an HIV/AIDS workplace program. This finding indicates that well-designed workplace interventions can play an important role in creating awareness, addressing gender stereotypes, and informing employees about their personal rights and responsibilities.

Originality/value

Sexual harassment and gender-based violence at the workplace has never been studied before in Tanzania. The study provides practical recommendations for future preventive interventions.
Exploring the link between work and health
Authors: Aziz Shahnaz , Wuensch Karl , Shaikh Saame Raza
Published: March 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine if facets of workaholism are associated with a family history of metabolic diseases.

Design/methodology/approach

Data on workaholism and family history of health issues were collected, through administration of an online survey, from 194 employees.

Findings

Workaholism significantly related to a family history of metabolic diseases.

Research limitations/implications

Future researchers should collect objective disease data, examine work-related moderators as well as potential mediators, and implement longitudinal designs with much larger samples. That said, the data reveal a correlation between workaholism and family history of metabolic disease.

Practical implications

The results provide valuable information to help promote a healthy workforce and to improve employees’ health by reducing workaholic tendencies. They could also help to minimize health-related costs associated with metabolic diseases that could develop in parallel with workaholism, as well as costs in terms of a loss in productivity due absenteeism.

Originality/value

It is, the authors believe, the first study to investigate the relationship between facets of workaholism and family history of health issues that have often been associated with metabolic diseases.
Workplace well-being in the London-Chinese business community
Authors: Bertotti Marcello , Dan-Ogosi Ifeoma Elizabeth , Rao Mala
Published: March 2017

Purpose

Workplace well-being is key to improving health and therefore productivity. Although the Chinese population and their influence on business in the UK are growing rapidly, little is known about the attitudes of Chinese employers and employees towards workplace well-being. The paper aims to discuss this issue.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conducted a qualitative study to explore the views of Chinese employees and employers in London and interviewed occupational health and workplace well-being experts.

Findings

Employers’ understanding of workplace well-being was limited, their approach was reactive rather than proactive. Contextual factors hampered most efforts towards workplace well-being. Employees reported that working conditions were generally poor with likely implications for employees’ physical and mental health. Generational and migratory changes further complicate the scenario but potentially usher in positive change.

Research limitations/implications

This study was conducted in a London area with a high density of Chinese businesses. The study nevertheless covered only a limited selection of business sectors. Caution may therefore be necessary in assuming the transferability of these findings to other parts of the UK.

Practical implications

Chinese businesses are agreeable to being informed about and considering the business case for workplace well-being. Chinese workers need better working conditions, easier access to health services preferably delivered through Chinese-based networks of community and business associations which are trusted by both employers and employees.

Originality/value

This study offers novel evidence on the attitude of Chinese employers and employees towards workplace well-being by comparing views from both groups. Chinese people face considerable health and mental health problems through their work environment, in contrast with conclusions from the Health Survey for England and Labour Force Survey.
Erosive wear resistance of dimpled ceramic coatings on mild steels
Authors: Ghazali Mariyam Jameelah , Shamsul Baharin Ahmad Firdaus , Wahab Juyana A. , Muchtar Andanastuti
Published: March 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of dimpled texture on ceramic coating towards erosion wear.

Design/methodology/approach

The methodology of this experiment is based on ASTM G73, which is for erosion test for rotating apparatus. Mild steels samples were coated with alumina titania via the plasma spray method, and surface modification was done by producing different dimple densities using laser surface texturing. Two mediums were used: seawater environment and slurry environment.

Findings

Dimples of 150 μm diameter and 50 μm depth have proved to be successful in entrapping wear debris and other foreign materials during the erosion test. It was clearly noted that coatings with the highest number of dimples with 43 per cent had significantly improved the microhardness of the coated mild steels by twofold.

Originality/value

All this while, texturing was done only on substrate material. None was done on ceramic coating.
Corporate governance effect on firms’ performance – evidence from the UAE
Authors: Farhan Ayda , Obaid Siti Normala , Azlan Hairul
Published: March 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to show the effect of the corporate governance (CG) on firms’ performance in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The governance mechanisms employed in this study are board size, board independence and audit committee’s (AC) characteristics. The examined AC characteristics are: AC member’s independence, number of financial experts in the committee, ratio of meetings held during the year, and the incentives received by the AC members.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper uses all the public listed corporations in the UAE financial markets. The secondary data for four years are used starting from 2010 where the mandatory corporate governance code had been mandated.

Findings

Board independence has been found to negatively affect firms’ performance. AC meetings and financial experts’ ratio did not affect firm’s performance, while AC incentives and AC independence negatively affected firms’ performance.

Originality/value

This study is supposed to fill the gap of the lack in CG studies based on fast growing economy which is UAE. Besides, this research investigates the AC’s characters’ effect on firms’ performance which was rarely covered in literature.
Development of strategic asset management planning in the petroleum industry
Authors: Kusumawardhani Mayang , Tore Markeset , Kumar Rajesh
Published: March 2017

Purpose

Due to the certain risk carried in offshore petroleum installations, the integrity of these installations needs to be maintained at all times. Thus, asset integrity management (AIM) needs to be formulated and monitored to achieve the integrity objective. The purpose of this paper is to study the practices and progression of strategic AIM planning in the petroleum industry.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is written based on a literature study, observations and data collected from industry practitioners through an online questionnaire and interviews to study the AIM practices in their organization. Validation of the results is performed through respondents’ reviews and cross-referencing with existing literature and supplemental data.

Findings

The paper identifies, analyses and validates the work structure in formulating an AIM strategic plan.

Research limitations/implications

Even though the research focuses on the AIM practices of offshore petroleum installations, the result can be implemented in similar fields.

Originality/value

Researchers or practitioners can benefit from the knowledge gained of current practices and the presented work structure in establishing an AIM strategic plan.
Identification of problems in maintenance operations and comparison with manufacturing operations
Authors: Phogat Sandeep , Gupta Anil Kumar
Published: March 2017

Purpose

In the present context of globalization, maintenance of production systems is very important. A lot of organizations are facing many problems in maintenance management. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to identify the main problems in maintenance operations and compare these problems with those in manufacturing operations as found in the literature for effective maintenance.

Design/methodology/approach

To identify the main problems in maintenance operations and to compare them with those in manufacturing operations, a large amount of published literature was studied. The paper systematically categorizes the published literature and then analyzes and reviews it theoretically.

Findings

Lack of top management support, lack of measurement of overall equipment effectiveness (OEE), lack of strategic planning and implementation and many more problems are biggest problems in the maintenance operations as well as manufacturing operations. These have emerged as top problems in the implementation of effective maintenance strategies in industries.

Research limitations/implications

From the findings, the authors can conclude that for good maintenance, top management is supposed to be supportive in taking different initiatives. Industrial organizations should focus on improving overall performance of machines identified as OEE rather than only productivity of machines. This paper will be extremely useful for the researchers, maintenance professionals and others concerned with maintenance to understand the significance of maintenance problems in industries.

Originality/value

These findings will be highly useful for professionals from the manufacturing sector in implementing effective maintenance strategy in the maintenance management system.
Predicting entrepreneurial intentions of final year Saudi university business students by applying the theory of planned behavior
Authors: Aloulou Wassim J.
Published: March 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the entrepreneurial intention literature by applying the theory of planned behavior to Saudi context and determining the factors that affect the intentions of final-year Saudi university business students to become entrepreneurs.

Design/methodology/approach

Through a survey study, the paper aims to investigate the significant theory of planned behavior (TPB) antecedents (attitudes toward behavior, subjective norm (SN) and perceived behavioral control) to determine entrepreneurial intentions of 177 students by using correlations, linear and hierarchical regressions models.

Findings

The results showed that the antecedents of theory of planned behavior significantly explain 33.4 percent of the variance in students’ entrepreneurial intentions. However, the authors also found that SN associated with entrepreneurial intention had a higher regression coefficient than those of the two other antecedents. Hence, SN has a more significant influence on attitudes and less on perceived behavioral control (PBC). The results also showed that some demographic characteristics have an indirect influence on entrepreneurial intentions through SN and PBC. The findings suggest, therefore, that the TPB is a valuable tool for predicting entrepreneurial intentions.

Research limitations/implications

The main limitation stems from the fact that it is not possible to claim generalization as the research is the result of a study focused on one Saudi university. The theoretical and practical implications are discussed in order to promote entrepreneurship amongst Saudi students and an entrepreneurially friendly culture in Saudi society.

Originality/value

In this paper, the TPB is validated tool to a Saudi university context for predicting entrepreneurial intentions. Broader reflections about the generalizability of results is also considered by undertaking new researches with other Saudi universities and developing contextualized framework based on cultural considerations.
SMEs, public credit guarantees and mutual guarantee institutions
Authors: Gai Lorenzo , Ielasi Federica , Rossolini Monica
Published: March 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to focus on public guarantees granted to micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by the Italian national credit guarantee programme (Fondo Centrale di Garanzia – Central Guarantee Fund – (CGF)). The CGF provides a direct guarantee to banks granting loans or a counter-guarantee to mutual guarantee institutions (MGIs) acting as first-level guarantors. Because the behaviour of MGIs could affect the default risk of counter-guaranteed loans, it is vital to investigate their operating and structural characteristics in order to identify an optimal design for public credit guarantee schemes (PCGSs).

Design/methodology/approach

Using regression models, the paper analyses the determinants of default for 33,229 SME loans guaranteed by an MGI and counter-guaranteed by the Italian CGF. The dependent variable is the ex-post default risk of SMEs’ counter-guaranteed loans in the 2010-2011 period. The explanatory variables are certain characteristics of the MGI.

Findings

The authors demonstrate that increases in an MGI’s leverage and the size of the counter-guaranteed portfolios increase the default risk. When the counter-guaranteed portfolio increases, MGIs are more risk taking but take less risk than when local and specialized MGIs are at play. Finally, direct public aid is relevant.

Practical implications

An appropriate design of the PCGS becomes crucial to controlling moral hazard in financial institutions and ensuring the financial sustainability of public intervention in favour of SMEs.

Originality/value

The paper evaluates an original and confidential firm-level data set that is not available in public documents or supervisory board statistics but is collected directly from the MGIs that participated in this study.
An investigation of social entrepreneurial intentions formation among South-East European postgraduate students
Authors: Politis Kostas , Ketikidis Panayiotis , Diamantidis Anastasios D. , Lazuras Lambros
Published: March 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the formation of social entrepreneurial intentions (SEIs) in postgraduate students in the South-East European region.

Design/methodology/approach

A quantitative approach (self-administered online questionnaire) is used to gather data. The total number of the questionnaires that were collected and analyzed through SPSS statistical suite was 115 from which 111 were valid.

Findings

From the proposed five hypotheses set in the literature, only the personality trait theory was totally rejected because it failed to predict social and commercial entrepreneurial intentions (EIs). The remaining hypotheses were found to be valid. The study’s key finding is that the chosen theory (Ajzen’s theory of planned behavior (TPB)), is able to predict both kinds of intentions. An alarming key finding is that tensions in mission focus seem to be present in the early shaped intentions of potential social entrepreneurs.

Research limitations/implications

Research findings impose that major educational and policy efforts are needed to promote the theme of social entrepreneurship (SE). The results indicate that most of the postgraduates have not yet fully understood the mindset of SE as they were confused about the synergy of the goals (inherent in their social vs profit intentions).

Originality/value

This research contributes in three major ways to the literature. First, it shows that SEIs seem to be shaped similarly to EIs; determined mostly by two of the motivational factors of the TPB (personal attitude and perceived behavioral control). Second, it shows which factors seem to affect both constructs and third, it adds to the literature by showing that tensions in mission focus are evident early on in the intentions’ formation process, underlying the necessity of immediate educational and legislative precautions.
R&D resources development in life sciences ventures: a dynamic capabilities perspective
Authors: Carrick Jon
Published: March 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the development of R&D resources in early stage life sciences firms. It looks at how young firms use dynamic capabilities to develop R&D resources.

Design/methodology/approach

An in-depth case study approach was used to examine the research questions. It draws on longitudinal data collected from ten life science firms. Data were collected from three rounds of interviews with each case firm. A systematic theme analysis was conducted to analyse the results.

Findings

Results from the study indicate that a unique set of past decisions, future opportunities, assets, capabilities, and routines leads to the development of R&D resources. It is evident that scientific breakthroughs, partnership opportunities, the founders’ experience and the firm’s ability to integrate resources and learn from earlier paths are vital to the development of R&D resources.

Research limitations/implications

This study extends the application of the dynamic capabilities framework to early stage life sciences ventures. It also demonstrates that dynamic capabilities can lead to the development of important resources.

Practical implications

The findings from this study provide prescriptive insights for evaluating alternatives on how to develop R&D resources in life sciences ventures.

Originality/value

Life sciences firms are critical to the modern global economy. However, little work examines how young, small life sciences firms develop R&D resources. Moreover, little work uses the dynamic capabilities framework as a lens to holistically examine how small firms develop R&D resources. This study helps to fill those gaps.
Quality management (QM) leads to healthier small businesses
Authors: Murphy William H. , Leonard Denis
Published: March 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to add to the current knowledge of how and why small businesses should engage in quality management (QM) by providing insights from small business owners who are committed advocates of QM. By so doing, to encourage small business owners to see that QM is right – and possible – for any small business wanting to improve performance.

Design/methodology/approach

Using an inductive method, semi-structured interviews followed a template of six open-ended questions. Study participants were ten owners of small family-owned business winners of a National Quality Award (National Housing Quality Award (NHQA)), making them industry leaders in applying QM. Data from these QM advocates are presented and discussed.

Findings

The cases reveal consistent encouragement for small businesses to engage in QM, with every owner certain that positive outcomes follow. Despite recognizing barriers to engagement, interviewees strongly feel the barriers are small relative to gains realized through QM. These QM advocates advise getting started by choosing one or a few QM tools and/or customizing tools rather than becoming overwhelmed by prospects of the complexity of doing QM to the exacting standards of various quality programs. Finally, they encourage small businesses to stay the course once started on QM.

Research limitations/implications

Limitations are that the paper relies on just ten case studies and these were taken from just one industry. While these limitations cannot be disputed, the rich data, interpretations, and opportunities for future research emerging from the inductive approach seem likely to resonate well beyond the particular industry involved here.

Practical implications

This paper speaks directly to small business owners by including many quotes from owners and summarizing themes from multiple interviews. The advice provided can be acted upon by any small business, with the opportunity of realizing improved business performance.

Originality/value

Few articles provide insights on the merits of QM for small businesses directly from interviews with small business owners. Here, the authors learn about the rationale for small businesses engaging in QM, are given thoughtful comments on how to get started, and told about the realities – including difficulties – of small business QM.
What can action learning offer a beleaguered system? A narrative representing the relationship
Authors: Traeger James
Published: March 2017

Purpose

This is an attempt to write an account of action learning that is as close to the ground on which it was practised as the author can make it. In that sense, the reader can read what follows below as a kind of autoethnography, a “representation as relationship” as Gergen and Gergen (2002, p. 11) call it. This is because in the opportunity of telling a story about his practice as an action learning facilitator, the author hopes to evoke that which is more akin to the contactful environment of quality action learning than any amount of abstract theorising.

Design/methodology/approach

This is an example of “narrative inquiry”, best judged, according to Sparkes (2002), in terms of the ability of such accounts to “contribute to sociological understanding in ways that, amongst others are self-knowing, self-respecting, self-sacrificing and self-luminous”.

Findings

As the author re-tells this partial account, he has a sense of the massive wider structures around him, but all he can see in his dim lamp is the fleeting glimpse of the local strata. The author traces his hand along the seams, not intending to dig them out, but simply to witness them, or even, in a spirit of yearning, to give them a witnessing of themselves.

Originality/value

To the author, this is about portraying what action learning feels like, rather than thinks like, for his own and for the benefit of other practitioners.
Action learning across the decades
Authors: Eason Ken
Published: March 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore how action learning concepts were used in two healthcare projects undertaken many decades apart. The specific purpose in both cases was to examine how action learning can contribute to shared learning across key stakeholders in a complex socio-technical system. In each case study, action learning supported joint design programmes and the sharing of perspectives about the complex system under investigation.

Design/methodology/approach

Two action learning projects are described: first, the Hospital Internal Communications (HIC) project led by Reg Revans in the 1960s. Senior staff in ten London hospitals formed action learning teams to address communication issues. Second, in the Better Outcomes for People with Learning Disabilities: Transforming Care (BOLDTC) project, videoconferencing equipment enabled people with learning disabilities to increase their opportunities to communicate. A mutual learning process was established to enable stakeholders to explore the potential of the technical system to improve individual care.

Findings

The HIC project demonstrated the importance of evidence being shared between team members and that action had to engage the larger healthcare system outside the hospital. The BOLDTC project confirmed the continuing relevance of action learning to healthcare today. Mutual learning was achieved between health and social care specialists and technologists.

Originality/value

This work draws together the socio-technical systems tradition (considering both social and technical issues in organisations) and action learning to demonstrate that complex systems development needs to be undertaken as a learning process in which action provides the fuel for learning and design.
Using action learning to reduce health inequity in Danish municipalities
Authors: Folker Anna Paldam , Lauridsen Sigurd
Published: March 2017

Purpose

The aim of this study is to clarify how action learning can be used as a vehicle for promoting equal access to municipal health services for socially disadvantaged groups in a Danish context. It is the purpose of this paper to describe the methods for reducing health inequity developed in the study and to discuss how action learning methodologically contributed to achieving these results.

Design/methodology/approach

In the study, the front-line staff from 19 health and social service units in six different municipalities, in Denmark, each formed an action learning group to develop methods for reducing health inequity in a municipal health setting. Each group was guided by an external facilitator, according to an Action Learning Action Research phase model (ALAR-model), which structured the cyclical development of methods into four phases: diagnosing, planning action, taking action and evaluating action.

Findings

Two types of results of the study are reported in the paper. First, the authors present an overview of the results the 19 participating municipal units have achieved in their action learning processes, as well as two case examples of how two units have worked with action learning and the concrete methods and tools they have developed in this process. Second, they report the challenges and dilemmas the 19 units faced when working with action learning in the study.

Originality/value

With its use of action learning techniques and the ALAR-model, this study contributes to the development of practice-based methods to reduce unequal access to municipal health services for socially disadvantaged groups. Through the study, the front-line staff in the health and social service units has been involved in the problem-solving process, to a much greater extent than it has previously been adopted in a Danish municipal health setting.
Servant leadership and followership creativity
Authors: Williams Wallace Alexander , Brandon Randolph-Seng , Hayek Mario , Haden Stephanie Pane , Atinc Guclu
Published: March 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine how servant leadership and political skill combine to impact workplace spirituality and employee creativity.

Design/methodology/approach

Participants were working adults recruited by graduate and undergraduate students from a US public regional comprehensive university. Data were collected across three time periods, with a final sample size of 280 participants.

Findings

The authors’ findings suggest that servant leaders impact employee creativity by fostering an environment that promotes workplace spirituality. Furthermore, this relationship is strengthened to the extent that the servant leader possesses high levels of political skill.

Research limitations/implications

This study provides a foundation for the interplay between servant leadership and political skill. Therefore, the data collection procedures undertaken in this study (i.e. from sources in multiple organizations) are beneficial. A limitation to this study is the use of a single informant to measure all of the constructs, which may cause a bias in the results.

Practical implications

This study provides a foundation for the interplay between servant leadership and political skill. Therefore, the data collection procedures undertaken in this study (i.e. from sources in multiple organizations) are beneficial.

Originality/value

Although servant leadership research continues to receive increased attention in the extant literature, researchers have tended to focus on the relational aspects of servant leadership. Curiously, the “leader” side of servant leadership has been largely neglected. As a result, some have questioned the construct as a viable leadership model. Greenleaf (1977), however, noted that servant leaders also possess conceptual skills; yet, these skills are rarely included in servant leadership measurements or empirical studies. The authors argue that political skill captures the essence of these abilities, and that including it strengthens the servant leader’s impact on workplace spirituality, ultimately influencing employee creativity.
Understanding innovation performance measurement in SMEs
Authors: Saunila Minna
Published: March 2017

Purpose

This paper aims to focus on the challenges and characteristics of innovation performance measurement in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Design/methodology/approach

This study is exploratory-descriptive and uses mixed-method research. Quantitative and qualitative methods for collecting data are used.

Findings

The paper contributes to the current understanding of innovation performance measurement by clarifying how this measurement is used and by defining what must be improved.

Originality/value

Appropriate measures can contribute to a significantly better understanding of innovation. However, studies on how innovation performance measurement is used in practice are scarce. The current state of knowledge of performance measurement in SMEs seems to be limited to studying SMEs from traditional performance measurement perspectives.
Perceived benefits of national quality awards: a study of UAE’s award winning organizations
Authors: Lasrado Flevy
Published: March 2017

Purpose

Although studies of national quality awards and their benefits in fostering organizational excellence are ample in many countries, such relevant studies are rare in United Arab Emirates (UAE). The UAE launched its Business Excellence Awards for the private and public sectors almost two decades ago. The purpose of this study, therefore, is to shed light on benefits that UAE organizations have experienced through the Dubai Quality Award (DQA) and to understand the adoption of key DQA implementation factors. It also discusses implications and provides direction for future research. This study would be useful for managers considering whether to embark on the path of excellence through the DQA.

Design/methodology/approach

The purpose of this study is to explore the perceived benefits of participating in a quality award process. A total of 13 organizations that received the award between 2010 and 2013 are studied. This limit was set to include as many organizations as possible while not allowing too much time to have elapsed. Secondary data files were received from Department of Economic Development of Dubai. Data were registered in a MS Excel® spreadsheet by categorizing them according to the description of organizational practice, company name and industrial sector. These were then analyzed to extract the benefits and to capture lessons learned in the process. The data were also analyzed in the light of DQA criteria and key actions were recorded.

Findings

The study highlighted six major perceived benefits of quality awards in the UAE context and the results achieved by winning organizations on their journey of excellence. This study illustrates the enabler and results sides of the DQA in terms of perceived benefits. The analysis of winning organizations shows that a few sectors have been notably awarded. Although, winning organizations in the past four years fairly represent the trading, finance and retail sectors, the DQA is still not sufficiently utilized by all sector organizations. The represented sectors are mainly service-oriented and demonstrate that the key enabler, customer focus, has been given its due importance. As such, these organizations understand customer satisfaction, customer engagement and customer appreciation.

Originality/value

This is the first step toward an understanding of the current status of best practices of winning organizations on the road to business excellence through the DQA. This can be further developed by measuring business performances through other methods. This study provides an objective depiction of the current level of best practices and perceived benefits of the DQA. This study would be useful for managers considering whether to embark on the path of excellence through the DQA.
Corporate social responsibility, gender, and CEO turnover
Authors: Cooper Elizabeth
Published: March 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the research question whether corporate social responsibility (CSR) and gender influence the likelihood of CEO turnover.

Design/methodology/approach

The author uses a large sample of firms over a 21-year period from 1992 to 2013 taken from firms cross-listed in the ESG STATS, Execucomp, and Compustat databases. Logistic regression is used to analyze the determinants of both CEO turnover and the gender of the newly hired CEO.

Findings

Firms with better social performance have higher rates of CEO turnover, performance notwithstanding. Further, for firms with decreasing financial performance, it is more likely they will replace their CEO if they have strong CSR vs firms with weak CSR records. In addition, as performance deteriorates, male CEOs will have a higher chance of being replaced relative to female CEOs. For female CEOs, other factors besides financial performance are important determinants of the likelihood of a turnover taking place.

Research limitations/implications

This study finds support for the stakeholder theory of CSR and does not support entrenchment theory. It is the first study to look at CSR, CEO turnover, and gender issues concurrently.

Practical implications

For practitioners looking for tangible effects of CSR in the workplace, this paper provides evidence that it does matter in terms of CEO turnover. The findings suggest that CSR is acting as a deterrent to bad behavior on the part of executives in the face of weak financial performance in particular.

Originality/value

This study is the first to look at the impact of CSR on CEO turnover. Importantly, the findings suggest that CSR is not something that a firm decides or thinks about in the “right” financial environment but is rather an omnipresent focus embedded within the mission of the firm.
Electronic finance – recent developments
Authors: Dandapani Krishnan
Published: March 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the impact of the Digital Age on e-finance in five key areas: payment systems, cloud computing in financial services, valuation metrics for multisided platforms, quantum trading, cyber security – costs, benefits and protection.

Design/methodology/approach

It is an exhaustive review of technical developments and corporate practices in the area of electronic finance.

Findings

Electronic finance is a dominating force changing business models and systems in financial services. New developments are creating newer valuation metrics, and reinforcing the costs and benefits of security systems.

Research limitations/implications

This review concludes by pointing out potential areas of advancement in the coming decades and the possible evolution of newer e-finance models based on developments in artificial intelligence (AI) and internet of things (IoT) and its implications for managerial finance.

Originality/value

This is a review of the impact of electronic finance over the past two decades. Looking back electronic finance has significantly transformed the activities of corporations. Looking forward, financial managers have to watch for two important technical developments of AI and IoT and its potential impact on finance.
The benefit of labor cost disclosure: evidence from analyst earnings forecast accuracy
Authors: Kim Sangwan , Park KoEun , Rosett Joshua , Shin Yong-Chul
Published: March 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether sell-side equity analysts use labor cost information when forming expectations of future earnings. The availability of disaggregated earnings components will benefit financial statement users to the extent that the additional information released by a firm is useful to infer differential persistence of disaggregated earnings components.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper employs ordinary least squares, logit, and two-stage Heckman (1979) regressions which test whether analysts incorporate labor cost information into their earnings forecasts after controlling for a managerial self-selection to disclose labor costs, and further test whether a firm’s decision to voluntarily disclose labor costs improves analyst forecast accuracy.

Findings

This research finds that analysts incorporate labor cost information into their earnings forecasts after controlling for other earnings components. More importantly, this research shows that voluntary disclosure of labor cost information is positively associated with analyst forecast accuracy. Additional tests show that the benefit of voluntary labor cost information is more pronounced for firms with high information uncertainty and for analysts with less firm-specific experience and analysts affiliated with small brokerage houses.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to the literatures on the effect of labor cost on investors’ behavior and on analyst-specific factors in explaining analyst ability to predict future earnings.
On the lacking visibility of management research from non-Western countries
Authors: Bajwa Nida ul Habib , König Cornelius J.
Published: March 2017

Purpose

For a long time, researchers across the world have called for more generalizable frameworks in management research, which can be used to better understand local contexts and to extend established theories in Western countries. However, research from non-Western countries is barely visible in high-impact management journals. Although most researchers have tried to understand this lacking visibility from a more technological perspective, this study aims to analyze the extent to which group psychological processes influence the selection of international publication strategies by non-Western researchers in this study.

Design/methodology/approach

Hypotheses were based on social identity theory. In total, 169 management researchers from India were surveyed and their social identities and the international publication strategy were assessed.

Findings

It could be confirmed that higher identification with non-Western researchers is negatively related to the intention to publish internationally.

Social implications

The findings suggest that current approaches to increasing the low visibility of non-Western research require a general revision.

Originality/value

This study adds a new angle to the center–periphery debate by incorporating the influence of social identities on the selection of an international publication strategy. Research socialization in the periphery seems to increase the likelihood of choosing local publication outlets rather than aiming for international publications. Therefore, it is necessary to implement strategies that aim at the psychological inclusion of peripheral researchers to increase their visibility in international journals and on international platforms.
Women in mathematics: a selected annotated bibliography
Authors: Wheeler Kathy
Published: March 2017

Purpose

Finding reference sources on women in mathematics can be challenging. With the increasing interest in encouraging women to go into science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)-related careers, there is a need for a list of recommended resources in the literature.

Design/methodology/approach

An exhaustive literature review was performed on books addressing women in math that were published in the last 15 years.

Findings

An exhaustive literature review was performed on books and online reference material addressing women in math that were published in the last 15 years.

Research limitations/implications

These resources are mainly useful as places to begin research on women and mathematics. This list is not designed to be comprehensive.

Originality/value

This annotated bibliography will be helpful to librarians interested in helping others understand the challenges women face in STEM careers, specifically mathematics.
“I know you think I think – therefore I am”. Mentalisation based therapeutic community: a description
Authors: Ruscombe-King Gillie , Mackenzie Laura , Pearce Steve , Saunders Kate
Published: March 2017

Purpose

The mentalisation based therapeutic community (MBTC) is a group experience which promotes the acquisition of the capacity to mentalise. Members of the community gain greater emotional stability and psychological robustness. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

MBTC works with three theoretical principles: the intrapsychic, interpersonal and social. It is a slow open group where each member completes a ten-week course. The approach is deliberately non-interpretive with an emphasis on personal responsibility and accountability in order to promote clarity of mind.

Findings

The authors’ experience is that the model engages group members with few drop outs.

Originality/value

The combination of mentalising and the use of therapeutic community principles within in MBTC has enhanced outcomes for group members.
High prevalence of sensitization to gibberellin‐regulated protein (peamaclein) in fruit allergies with negative immunoglobulin E reactivity to Bet v 1 homologs and profilin: Clinical pattern, causative fruits and cofactor effect of gibberellin‐regulated protein allergy
Authors: Inomata Naoko , Miyakawa Mami , Aihara Michiko
Published: March 2017

Gibberellin‐regulated protein (GRP) is a new allergen in peach allergy, with an amino acid sequence very well conserved through several botanical species. We investigated the allergenicity of GRP in fruit allergies other than peaches and identified the clinical characteristics of fruit allergy patients with GRP sensitization. One hundred consecutive Japanese patients with fruit allergies were enrolled in the present study. To identify the features of GRP sensitization, we selected patients with negative ImmunoCAP results for Bet v 1 homologs and profilin, which are marker allergens for pollen‐food allergy syndrome (PFAS), or lipid transfer protein. These patients underwent specific immunoglobulin E measurements by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and skin prick tests (SPT) using purified nPru p 7. Twenty of 100 consecutive patients with fruit allergies had negative ImmunoCAP results for Bet v 1 homologs and profilin. Thirteen (65.0%) of the 20 patients had positive ELISA and/or SPT results using nPru p 7, whereas one of the 20 patients had positive ImmunoCAP results for Pru p 3. In 13 nPru p 7‐sensitized patients, the causative foods were peaches (92.3%), apricots (61.5%), oranges (46.2%) and apples (30.8%). Ten patients (76.9%) had multiple causative fruits. Frequent symptoms included facial edema (92.3%) and laryngeal tightness (66.7%). In eight patients (61.5%), exercise or aspirin intake enhanced the allergic reaction onset as cofactors. The prevalence of GRP sensitization was high in Japanese fruit allergy patients except for PFAS patients. In conclusion, GRP‐sensitized patients may have allergies to multiple fruits and may show peculiar characteristics such as facial swelling and cofactor dependence.
Isotopic niche partitioning between two apex predators over time
Authors: Drago Massimiliano , Cardona Luis , Franco‐Trecu Valentina , Crespo Enrique A. , Vales Damián G. , Borella Florencia , Zenteno Lisette , Gonzáles Enrique M. , Inchausti Pablo
Published: March 2017

Stable isotope analyses have become an important tool in reconstructing diets, analysing resource use patterns, elucidating trophic relations among predators and understanding the structure of food webs.

Here, we use stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios in bone collagen to reconstruct and compare the isotopic niches of adult South American fur seals (Arctocephalus australis; n = 86) and sea lions (Otaria flavescens; n = 49) – two otariid species with marked morphological differences – in the Río de la Plata estuary (Argentina – Uruguay) and the adjacent Atlantic Ocean during the second half of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century. Samples from the middle Holocene (n = 7 fur seals and n = 5 sea lions) are also included in order to provide a reference point for characterizing resource partitioning before major anthropogenic modifications of the environment.

We found that the South American fur seals and South American sea lions had distinct isotopic niches during the middle Holocene. Isotopic niche segregation was similar at the beginning of the second half of the 20th century, but has diminished over time.

The progressive convergence of the isotopic niches of these two otariids during the second half of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century is most likely due to the increased reliance of South American fur seals on demersal prey.

This recent dietary change in South American fur seals can be explained by at least two non‐mutually exclusive mechanisms: (i) the decrease in the abundance of sympatric South American sea lions as a consequence of small colony size and high pup mortality resulting from commercial sealing; and (ii) the decrease in the average size of demersal fishes due to intense fishing of the larger class sizes, which may have increased their accessibility to those eared seals with a smaller mouth gape, that is, South American fur seals of both sexes and female South American sea lions.
Ultrasound as a technology of reassurance? How pregnant women and health care professionals articulate ultrasound reassurance and its limitations
Authors: Thomas Gareth M. , Roberts Julie , Griffiths Frances E.
Published: March 2017

The premise that ultrasound technologies provide reassurance for pregnant women is well‐rehearsed. However, there has been little research about how this reassurance is articulated and understood by both expectant mothers and health care professionals. In this article, we draw on two qualitative UK studies to explore the salience of ultrasound reassurance to women's pregnancy experiences whilst highlighting issues around articulation and silence. Specifically, we capture how expectant parents express a general need for reassurance and how visualisation and the conduct of professionals have a crucial role to play in accomplishing a sense of reassurance. We also explore how professionals have ambiguities about the relationship between ultrasound and reassurance, and how they subsequently articulate reassurance to expectant mothers. By bringing two studies together, we take a broad perspectival view of how gaps and silences within the discourse of ultrasound reassurance leave the claims made for ultrasound as a technology of reassurance unchallenged. Finally, we explore the implications this can have for women's experiences of pregnancy and health care professionals’ practices.