bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Basic public services and the restructuring of the public finance system in China
Authors: Xu Guangjian , Wu Yan 
Published: September 2016

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the financing and provision of basic public services in China. The main issue addressed is how to reform the public finance system to achieve quality and fairness in the provision of basic public services.

Design/methodology/approach
Based on an historical analysis of the functional transformation of the public finance system in China and on an empirical analysis of the current public finance system and the public service provision system, a comprehensive understanding was gained about the relationship between the financing and provision of basic public services.

Findings
The paper argues that there is a close relationship between the provision of basic public services and the functional changes made to the public finance system. Based on a systematic retrospective study of the Chinese Government’s efforts to improve basic public services over the last three decades, this paper offers policy suggestions on further public finance restructuring that would support better service provision.

Originality/value
By analyzing issues in the public service provision system, this paper contributes to the debate about the efficiency improvement made to governmental functions in China.
Business-government relationship in economic development
Authors: Lam Newman M.K. 
Published: September 2016

Purpose
In the process of fostering economic development, many governments, especially those of a small economy, such as Singapore, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, had taken a leading role in managing their economies, in spite of the free-market rhetoric that some of them have made. The purpose of this paper is to examine the reasons and the effects of government involvement in the economy.

Design/methodology/approach
In this paper, the causes and effects of cooperation and conflict between government and business in economic development are examined from a theoretical perspective, particularly with references made to East Asian economies.

Findings
Government interventions lead inevitably to both cooperation and conflict with the private sector.

Practical implications
The strategies for dealing with problems arisen from such relationship are also examined.

Originality/value
This paper links the theories and concepts from a variety of sources to offer a coherent picture of business-government relationship that is helpful for examining other studies on this topic from a broad perspective.
The security market and the changing government role in Japan
Authors: Nakamura Masao 
Published: September 2016

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explain how current security market regulations in Japan have evolved following Japan’s corporate governance reforms, which began in the 1990s after the bursting of a massive financial bubble. As part of the reform, Japan aimed to introduce US-style corporate governance mechanisms.Design/methodology/approachThis paper first explains the process behind Japan’s corporate governance reforms using the theory of selective adaptation. By doing so, the various changes that have taken place in the regulations of security markets are also explained. The paper concludes with a discussion of the limitations of transplanting US-style corporate governance mechanisms in Japan and the implications for the functioning of Japan’s security markets.FindingsWhile applying a selective adaptation framework to Japan’s efforts to transplant US-style corporate governance mechanisms to its own markets, the author found that certain Japan-specific business practices, such as its heavy reliance onkeiretsucorporate groupings, may interfere with the market-based business practices and free competition which characterize the US system. This in turn places limitations on the functioning of US-style security markets in Japan.Originality/valueThis paper explains the limitations of government regulation on security markets in Japan, which may be of interest to both public and private sector analysts. This paper focusses on Japan’s experience of transplanting US-style corporate governance mechanisms to Japan. The author expect that Japan’s experience will be of much interest to China, South Korea and other countries in East Asia, where pyramidal and other types of business groups play important roles in their economies.
Business-government nexus: the special case of Hong Kong
Authors: Cheng Joseph 
Published: September 2016

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the business-government nexus in Hong Kong as a special case, thereby contributing to a comparative examination of various significant variables affecting the study of political and economic developments in East Asia.

Design/methodology/approach
The paper considers the privileged position afforded to the major business groups in Hong Kong’s political system as part of the pro-Beijing United Front. It adopts a historical perspective, relying on existing literature including media reports. As the author is both an academic and a long-term pro-democracy activist, his actual experiences and extensive interviews with various important participants in Hong Kong’s business and political communities offer valuable perspectives.

Findings
In the past, the business-government nexus was perceived to be a positive factor that contributed to the territory’s economic growth. In the past decade or so, though, increasing dissatisfaction with the Hong Kong government’s performance and the widening gap between the rich and the poor have led to the emergence of a legitimacy deficit on the part of the government, resulting in rising demands for democracy which have not been met. Divisions on these issues within the local business community have posed a severe challenge to the continuation of the business-government nexus.

Originality/value
The author’s actual experiences and his interviews with other participants in Hong Kong’s politics provide observations of significant value. The Occupy Central campaign, which took off in the territory in 2014, demands serious consideration in terms of its political development and a key element for consideration is the response of the business-government nexus to it.
The puzzle of Macao’s talent development
Authors: Yu Eilo Wing Yat , Tam Natalie Ieok Leng 
Published: September 2016

Purpose
Talent development has become an important policy given prominence by the Macao government since Fernando Chui became its Chief Executive. The purpose of this paper is to review human resources and talent development policies in Macao and discuss the difficulties and challenges that they pose.

Design/methodology/approach
Using Macao as a case study the paper indicates the difficulties and challenges experienced by emerging markets in fostering talent development for the sustainability of their local economies.

Findings
This paper finds that, as an emerging market, Macao has to solve and overcome its institutional deficiencies (namely, by the establishment of both a professional registration regime and the means to gather metadata to enable predictions of the talents needed for the local economy and their potential scale) so as to please stakeholders. Only then can it truly introduce talent development schemes and programs.

Originality/value
There have been very few studies on Macao’s talent development initiative. This paper tries to fill this gap in the existing understanding of talent development.
Good value: health information and the MSLS librarian
Authors: Flaherty Mary Grace 
Published: September 2016

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the value of the MSLS degree in health sciences library settings.

Design/methodology/approach
This is a discourse and preliminary analysis supported with research from the literature.

Findings
The value of the MSLS degree in the health sciences library setting is well recognized. Health sciences librarians’ efforts to evaluate and quantify positive impact of services can provide a useful model for the information and library science field.

Research limitations/implications
As this is a preliminary discussion, an exhaustive literature analysis was not undertaken.

Originality/value
A model for empirical-based research, borne out of the health sciences library specialty, can contribute to more effective methods for evaluating general library service and the overall value of the MSLS degree.
Teaching ethical dilemmas in LIS coursework
Authors: Walther James H. 
Published: September 2016

Purpose
This paper aims to examine the teaching of library graduate students in an introductory course on the foundations of librarianship. To examine the specific skill of developing an ethical foundation in their future profession of librarianship, an examination is offered here using a multiple-step teaching strategy, introducing specific instructional materials, including a model of assessing ethics and a proposed integration of research skills with problem-based learning (PBL) as the suggested teaching delivery. As the experience proved to provide positive outcomes for student learning, the paper provides not only this operational examination but also the theoretical justification for further adaptation and usage of PBL as a teaching method in library and information science (LIS) education. Described are details LIS faculty should consider in implementing the method in teaching, especially on the topic of professional ethics.

Methodology/approach
This research project focused on exploring a new way of exploring the teaching of ethical behaviors in the library profession by examining real-world examples of ethics in trade news sources. It was therefore determined that the best strategy was to design a teaching activity that assists students in learning two sets of skills: information-seeking behavior and developing ethical boundaries and standards that a librarian would use in professional practice.

Findings
The process is often taught in a linear manner, but in practice, ethical situations are found and expressed in non-linear ways. In practice, the profession is rife with ethics, non-rules, non-lists and no checklists upon how to behave. Ethical dilemmas are extemporaneous, and yet decisions regarding them can be made from the guidance of professional associations and combined with thoughtful analysis.

Originality/value
Redefining any pedagogical activity in graduate teaching is, at times, more herculean than it seems at the start, yet with distilling the process into workable steps with appropriate protocols, we can successfully teach ethics in new ways. More integration of PBL is hereby advocated throughout LIS curriculum in a variety of contexts.
A tale of two epidemics: drugs harm reduction and tobacco harm reduction in the United Kingdom
Authors: Stimson Gerry V. 
Published: September 2016

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to compare the response to HIV/AIDS and drug use (drugs harm reduction) with tobacco harm reduction.

Design/methodology/approach
Analysis of historical and contemporary sources, combined with personal knowledge of key stakeholders in the history and development of both fields.

Findings
Both drugs harm reduction and tobacco harm reduction share a similar objective – to reduce health risks for people who are unwilling or unable to stop using their drug of choice. Both also share a broader public health aim of helping people to make healthier decisions. Drugs harm reduction – as a response to HIV/AIDS – included the adoption of a wide range of radical harm reduction interventions and was a public health success. It became an established part of the professional Public Health agenda. In contrast the Public Health response to e-cigarettes and tobacco harm reduction has ranged from the negative to the cautious. A recent Public Health England report is exceptional for its endorsement of e-cigarettes.

Originality/value
Highlights contradictions in Public Health responses to drugs and tobacco; and that public health interventions can be implemented without and despite the contribution of professional Public Health.
Prostitution policy, morality and the precautionary principle
Authors: Hubbard Phil , Sanders Teela , Scoular Jane 
Published: September 2016

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the contemporary regulation of sex work in England and Wales, placing this in the context of debates concerning morality, evidence and the efficacy of policy.

Design/methodology/approach
This brief paper is based on reflections on the authors’ research and their contribution to policy debates over the last two decades.

Findings
This paper presents prostitution policy as morality policy and suggests that it remains overwhelmingly based on the idea that prostitution is immoral and hence must be inherently harmful.

Practical implications
The paper makes a strong case for evidence-based policy in an area where morality tends to promote a partial and selective reading of evidence. Here, parallels are drawn with policies regulating other pleasurable but “sinful” activities, including the consumption of drugs and alcohol.

Social implications
It is argued that the dominance of a particular policy approach to sex work perpetuates stigma for those in the sex industries and exacerbates risks of harm.

Originality/value
By highlighting the moral dimensions of prostitution policy, the paper shows that the drift towards the criminalisation of sex work in England and Wales is not informed by academic evidence.
Vaporizing the pot world – easy, healthy, and cool
Authors: Hakkarainen Pekka 
Published: September 2016

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to study vaporizers – especially the vape pen – as a new technology in cannabis use. Until now, almost all information on the use of vaporizers or e-cigarettes for cannabis consumption has come from the internet, the popular press, and accounts by users, but not from the scientific literature. More research is needed.

Design/methodology/approach
Since scientific studies of the phenomenon are virtually non-existent, the author will also base his study on sociological reflections upon internet sites and articles published both in subcultural and mainstream media. The author will document a national estimate of the prevalence of vaping based on a recent population survey in Finland.

Findings
Vaping is an emerging trend in cannabis culture internationally. It has been seen as a healthier route of administration than traditional ways of smoking cannabis. Other images, created especially with the help of advanced high-tech machinery and stylish and fashionable designs for the vape pen, are aiming at being cool and easy to use. In Finland, 6 percent of cannabis users make regular use of a vaporizer, and around a quarter of users use one occasionally. A vape pen or e-cigarette was regularly used by 2.6 percent and occasionally by 9.1 percent of cannabis users.

Originality/value
The trend of increasing vaping and the use of new devices has not been properly recognized among researchers. The paper presents some original results from a national population survey.
The joint effect of investment motives and institutional context on Russian international acquisitions
Authors: Dikova Desislava , Panibratov Andrei , Veselova Anna , Ermolaeva Lyubov 
Published: September 2016

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to advance knowledge about factors that influence the location of Russian foreign direct investments. In particular, it focusses on the role of institutional distance (represented by corruption perception distance, political distance and cultural distance) as a moderator of the relationships between traditional investment motives and the number of M&A deals made by Russian companies in a specific country.Design/methodology/approachThe analysis is conducted on panel data of Russian cross-border M&As launched in 46 countries during the period 2007-2013. The final data set includes 322 observations. Due to the nature of dependent variable and the results of pre-tests, negative binomial regression is used in the main analysis.FindingsThe key finding of the study reveals the importance of institutional distance, in particular, the moderating effect of different dimensions of institutional distance on the relationships between internationalization motives and the number of Russian M&As. Corruption, political and cultural differences show different effects in terms of both direction and strength, but all three were found to be significant.Research limitations/implicationsThe major concern stems from the type of secondary data used in the paper. This indicates the necessity to improve data collection methods which could allow for better transparency of Russian foreign investments, would facilitate more sophisticated research and probably more accurate business forecasts.Originality/valueBy conducting a systematic examination of Russian cross-border M&As the authors contribute to the literature on emerging markets firms by addressing the important yet under-researched domain of Russian foreign direct investments. Building on the macroeconomic and institutional logic proposed in this study, future research on Russian cross-border activities could add to the understanding by providing more generalizable and critical evidence. The study provides a point of departure from prior studies on Russian outward FDI which the authors hope to inspire future research to further analyze the drivers of Russian M&As and foreign investments in general.
Productivity, ownership and firm growth: evidence from Indian banks
Authors: Ghosh Saibal 
Published: September 2016

PurposeThe relation between size and growth in banking firms in emerging economies has not been adequately addressed in the literature. By employing data for 1992-2014, the purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between growth and productivity and how it interacts with ownership.Design/methodology/approachThe longitudinal nature of the data suggests that the appropriate technique for the analysis is panel data econometrics. Accordingly, consistent with prior research, the author employs a fixed effects model. Besides accounting for firm-level observables, the author controls the economic environment and bank ownership by employing real GDP growth and ownership dummies.FindingsThe evidence appears to suggest that growth improves through both active and passive learning, the magnitude of the former far outweighing that of the latter. These results are remarkably robust: both baseline regressions and sensitivity tests point to similar conclusions.Originality/valueTo the best of the author’s knowledge, the paper makes two original contributions. First and more broadly, it tests the relationship between growth and productivity for banks in a leading emerging economy. Second, it distinguishes between two kinds of learning – active and passive – and explores which of them are more relevant for growth.
The impact of financial development on economic growth
Authors: Sehrawat Madhu , Giri A.K. 
Published: September 2016

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the possible co-integration and the direction of causality between financial development and economic growth in South-Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries using annual data from 1994 to 2013.

Design/methodology/approach
The Carrion-i-Silvestre et al. (2005) stationarity test with structural breaks is used to check the stationarity. The Westerlund (2006) panel co-integration test is employed to examine the long-run relationship among the variables. To carry out tests on the co-integrating vectors, fully modified ordinary least squares (FMOLS) and PDOLS techniques are used and panel Granger causality test is used to examine the direction of the causality.

Findings
The Westerlund (2006) panel co-integration test confirms the existence of the long-run relationship between financial development and economic growth for SAARC countries. The coefficients of FMOLS and DOLS indicate that index of financial development (IFD) and trade openness supports economic growth in SAARC region. In the short-run, there is unidirectional causality running from IFD to economic growth.

Research limitations/implications
In the view of these findings it is recommended that countries in the region should adopt policies geared toward financial sector development to attain high economic growth.

Originality/value
To the best of the author’s knowledge, no studies have looked into SAARC countries to study the relationship between financial development and economic growth, this study is the first of its kind.
Suitability of the high performance organization framework to Egyptian ICT companies
Authors: de Waal André , Habil Dalia S.F. , Goedegebuure Robert 
Published: September 2016

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to deal with the need for Egyptian ICT companies to adopt high performance practices in order to be able to contribute more to the development of Egypt. However, as not much research has been done into management practices which can support these organizations in the Egyptian context, a framework which was developed based on Western and non-Western data – the high performance organization (HPO) framework – was tested on its suitability in the Egyptian context.Design/methodology/approachThe study used a questionnaire which was distributed to seven Egyptian ICT organizations after which a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed on the collected data.FindingsThe CFA showed that the original five factors from the HPO framework achieved a high reliability while 26 out of the original 35 underlying characteristics applied in the Egyptian ICT context.Originality/valueThis study fills the gap which currently exists in empirical research about organization performance practices in Egypt. The study also has practical implications as management of Egyptian ICT companies are now able to undertake focussed improvement actions.
Dynamic interactions between stock markets and the real economy
Authors: Laopodis Nikiforos T. , Papastamou Andreas 
Published: September 2016

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to re-examine the relationship between a country’s aggregate stock market and general economic development for 14 emerging economies for the period from 1995 to 2014.

Design/methodology/approach
The methodological approach of the paper is multifold. First, the authors use cointegration analysis to determine the simple dynamics among the variables. Second, the authors utilize vector autoregression analysis to study the dynamics among the variables for the 14 countries. Third, the authors employ panel analysis to determine common variations among the variables and across countries.

Findings
When examining the linkage between the stock market and economic development, proxied by gross domestic product growth or with gross fixed capital formation growth, the authors did not find a meaningful relationship between them. However, when the authors included additional control variables strong, dynamic interactions between the two magnitudes surfaced. Specifically, it was found that the stock market is positively and robustly correlated with contemporaneous and future real economic development and, thus, it directly contributed to a country’s economic development either through the production of goods and services or the accumulation of real capital. Thus, it can be inferred that the stock market alone is not capable of boosting economic development in these countries unless being part of a comprehensive financial system (which includes banks) as well as investment in real capital.

Research limitations/implications
The policy implications are clear. Government authorities must recognize that the stock market alone is not a driver of economic development and that a sound, efficient financial system (which includes banks) must be present in order to contribute and foster economic development.

Originality/value
The study is original in the sense that it examines various financial and economic variables to determine the degree of (or dynamic interactions among) the stock market and the real economy for each and all emerging markets in the sample.