bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The value relevance of social reporting: evidence from listed Italian companies
Authors: Cardamone Paola , Carnevale Concetta , Giunta Francesco 
Published: November 2012

PurposeThis paper aims to test whether the publication of a social report provides information about the firm's market value. Its intention is to understand if investors believe the social report has a role equal to that traditionally attributed to accounting variables, i.e., whether the social report is value‐relevant in assessing a firm's market value.Design/methodology/approachThis paper is deductive. It tests two main hypotheses: first, the social report is value relevant because it explains firm value; second, the social report influences the value‐relevance of accounting variables. The study applies the value‐relevance analysis on a sample of 178 Italian companies listed on the Milan Stock Exchange.FindingsThe estimates show a significant negative correlation between the publication of a social report and the stock price. Furthermore, book value per share accounting information is more relevant for the companies that publish a social report, whereas the relevance of earnings per share does not change for these companies.Originality/valueThis paper increases the understanding of the value that markets assign to the social report. It contributes to enriching the literature on the value‐relevance analysis applied to non‐financial variables and to social report in particular.
An index of best practice performance reporting for Malaysian local authorities
Authors: Hooks Jill , Tooley Stuart , Basnan Norida 
Published: November 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to identify stakeholders’ expectations of information to be conveyed in local authorities’ annual reports and to develop an index of best practice performance reporting.Design/methodology/approachThe paper describes the development of a disclosure index emphasizing the public interest aspect of reporting and the need to provide relevant and meaningful information to stakeholders. The index was crafted from a public accountability perspective and based on the expectations of stakeholders as reconciled and validated by a Delphi panel of experts.FindingsThe wide scope of information that was identified as being important for disclosure by local authorities is consistent with the public accountability paradigm which requires the reporting of comprehensive information (both financial and non financial), about the condition, performance, activities and progress of the entity.Originality/valueThe research posits a model of best practice performance reporting for Malaysian, and other, local authorities to meet the need for greater accountability by these entities.
Does asymmetric information drive UK dividends propensity?
Authors: Basiddiq Husam , Hussainey Khaled 
Published: November 2012

PurposeThis paper aims to extend and contribute to prior UK research on the association between information asymmetry and dividends propensity. It seeks to investigate the impact of the number of analysts following firms, a proxy for information asymmetry, on dividends propensity.Design/methodology/approachUsing a 282 UK FTSE‐All Share non‐financial/non‐utilities firms with fiscal year ends on 2007, the paper uses a multiple regression model to investigate the association between dividends and analysts following.FindingsThe paper finds that after controlling for firm‐specific characteristics, there is a significant negative association between the number of analysts following firms and dividend propensity. The finding suggests that higher coverage of financial analysts for UK firms reduces levels of information asymmetry between managers and shareholders, which results in lower dividend propensity. These findings are consistent with agency theory and pecking order theory, but inconsistent with signalling theory.Originality/valueThe paper contributes to prior research related to the drivers of dividend propensity by being the first UK study to examine the association between dividend propensity and information asymmetry.
Voluntary internet financial reporting practices of listed companies in the United Arab Emirates
Authors: Oyelere Peter , Kuruppu Nirosh 
Published: November 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the use of the internet as a channel for voluntary communication of financial information by companies listed on two stock exchanges in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It aims to focus on the extent and variety of internet financial reporting (IFR) by these companies. While IFR has become standard practice, rather than the exception, in most western countries, empirical evidence of the phenomenon in the Middle East region is only just emerging. This paper seeks to contribute to the literature by providing evidence of voluntary use of IFR for communication of financial information by UAE‐listed companies.Design/methodology/approachThe 132 companies listed on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (67) and the Dubai Financial Market (65) in the UAE were investigated to ascertain whether they maintain websites; and if so, whether these sites are being used as a channel for voluntary communication of corporate financial information.FindingsWhile about 87 percent of UAE‐listed companies were found to operate websites, only 88 of these companies (about 67 percent) use their websites to communicate financial information. However, IFR is not restricted to the publication of annual financial statements only as the companies also disclose financial highlights through their websites using a variety of formats including PDF, flash and html.Practical implicationsThe results of this study indicate that, similar to other Middle Eastern countries, IFR is still at an embryonic stage in the UAE and there are considerable opportunities and challenges for all stakeholder parties in corporate communication and reporting. Regulatory authorities may need, at this early stage of development of IFR practices, to develop and establish effective strategies to ensure standard and consistent use of this channel of financial information communication for the benefit of all stakeholders.Originality/valueThe study highlights the challenges and opportunities for IFR in the Middle East Region, where it has been sparsely studied. In particular, it focused on the UAE, where literature on IFR practices is, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, not yet available.
Rogue Trader : using a movie to teach a large auditing class
Authors: Maroun Warren , Joosub Tasneem 
Published: November 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the possibility of using a movie to teach auditing students about internal controls.Design/methodology/approachA ten‐point questionnaire and Chi‐square test are used to explore self‐perceived cognizance of control awareness, design, testing, and application.FindingsA movie dealing with practical internal control issues may be a valuable part of audit instruction techniques.Research limitations/implicationsThe research is exploratory and non‐longitudinal. No effort is made to quantify changes in assessment or post academic work performance.Practical implicationsGiven the increased relevance of a sound system of internal controls, audit and accounting educators have a practical and moral duty to provide sound instruction on internal control design, testing and application. Using a movie to complement traditional lectures may be useful in this regard.Originality/valueNoting the growing relevance of a sound system of internal controls for organizations, the research explores a means of making lectures on internal controls “come alive” by introducing practical considerations into the audit classroom.
Integrating the social maslaha into Islamic finance
Authors: Cebeci Ismail 
Published: November 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyse the extent of the contribution of the current Islamic financial system to society in terms of social responsibility (SR) required by the concept of social maslahah.Design/methodology/approachThe paper adopts a critical analytic approach in considering the reasons of the failure of the social dimension of Islamic financial intermediation based on real figures of selected Islamic banks.FindingsConcepts of SR and corporate social responsibility (CSR) are not enough to describe Islamic Banks' responsibilities. Also, this failure cannot be understood only with reference to the “external environment”, i.e. competition‐driven, capitalistic market conditions; but it is also closely related to the transformation of Islamic finance into an almost exclusively murabaha‐based Islamic banking, which promotes more individual maslahah than social maslahah. Compared to the murabaha, other product structures such as mudaraba and musharaka seem to be better instruments for expanding welfare and alleviating poverty.Practical implicationsThere is a close relationship between Islamic banking contracts and social contribution of Islamic banks. This paper provides some practical solutions in this context. Also, empirical evidence derived from several conventional and Islamic banks supports these arguments.Originality/valueThis paper is the first to analyse the reasons for the social failure of Islamic Banks and to recommend substantial solutions in this scope and also offers practical help to practitioners of Islamic banking on the issue of social contribution of the Islamic banking business.
Islamic banks' income structure and risk: evidence from GCC countries
Authors: Grassa Rihab 
Published: November 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyze the income structure of Islamic banks in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and to explore the effect of the diversification of banks' earning on risks that may harm these latter.Design/methodology/approachUsing data from 2002‐2008 for 42 Islamic banks, this article provides descriptive and analytical analysis and multiple regression equations.FindingsThis article reveals that greater reliance on the income share of the profit‐loss‐sharing products is associated with higher risk and higher insolvency risk for both listed Islamic banks and non‐listed Islamic banks. However, no effect has been observed between the operation income of non‐profit‐losses‐sharing products and risk levels. That is why listed banks prefer to invest less in non‐profit‐loss‐sharing products than in profit‐loss‐sharing products.Research limitations/implicationsFinancial regulators in emerging Islamic financial market should help Islamic banks to find equilibrium between the expansion of the Islamic financial market and respect for the raison d'être of Islamic finance: the profit and loss sharing mechanisms.Originality/valueTo the best of the author's knowledge, this is the first article that empirically tests why Islamic banks prefer to invest less in profit‐loss‐sharing products. Also, this article contributes to studying the relationship between Islamic finance and risk.
Organizational crisis: lessons from Lehman Brothers and Paulson & Company
Authors: Appelbaum Steven H. , Keller Seth , Alvarez Harold , Bédard Catherine 
Published: November 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive review of organizational crisis and organizational change management and to provide a guide to crisis prevention, management and recovery by highlighting critical actions to be taken during each stage of an organizational crisis. A second aim is to compare the crisis management of two financial firms during the 2007 financial crisis: Lehman Brothers and Paulson & Company.Design/methodology/approachThe methodology involved a review of the literature and a case analysis related to organizational crisis and organizational change management. The synthesis of these two approaches is a conceptual paper. Furthermore, the article is supplemented by comparing the management of the 2007 financial crisis by both Lehman Brothers and Paulson & Company in an attempt to compare the literature findings to a global organizational crisis.FindingsThe literature suggests that organizations with early crisis detection methods and crisis management plans already in place before the onset of a crisis are significantly better prepared to manage and survive a crisis event. In addition, these better prepared organizations have the opportunity to reposition themselves and turn a crisis event into a strategic opportunity. This is evident in the authors' comparisons of both Lehman Brothers' and Paulson & Company's different management of the 2007 financial crisis.Practical implicationsThe demand for crisis management is on the rise as the 2007 financial crisis exposed the lack of preparedness among financial institutions, challenged the assumptions crisis management plans were based on and required a regulatory transformation of financial markets. Surviving firms are recovering and learning from the crisis as their crisis management proved to be ineffective.Originality/valueThe scope of this paper offers readers a guide to organizational crisis management, supplemented with examples from a financial crisis that affected almost every organization in the world and from which many organizations are still recovering. Any organization, regardless of industry, can benefit from the guide presented in this research. Moreover, the framework of this paper can enable practitioners to formulate and improve their organization's crisis management plans and capabilities.
Capitalism of the future
Authors: Fatehi Kamal , Baimuratov Uraz 
Published: November 2012

PurposeSince the fall of international communism, there has been a growing interest and a lively discussion on the shape and future of economic systems. Also, global economic crisis has rekindled the debate about the fate of capitalism. The purpose of this paper is to explore various aspects of these issues. It suggests a future for economic activities that combines the humanistic features of socialism and the practicality, functionality and efficiency of capitalism.Design/methodology/approachThe paper uses a logical discussion of the present situation and understanding about the topic and extrapolates them into the future.FindingsOffering a new perspective on the topic, the paper suggests the development of a form of capitalism that is more compassionate and humane.Originality/valueThe paper offers a new perspective on capitalism that challenges attention to efficiency‐focused criterion at the expense of other possible criteria.
An innovative information hiding technique utilizing cumulative peak histogram regions
Authors: Al‐Omari Faruq A. , Al‐Khaleel Osama D. , Rayyashi Ghassan A. , Ghwanmeh Sameh H. 
Published: November 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to develop an innovative information hiding algorithm.Design/methodology/approachThe proposed algorithm is based on image histogram statistics. Cumulative‐peak histogram regions are utilized to hide multiple bits of the secret message by performing histogram bin substitution. The embedding capacity, otherwise known as payload, and peak signal to noise ratio (PSNR), as well as security, are the main metrics used to evaluate the performance of the proposed algorithm.FindingsAccording to the obtained results, the proposed algorithm shows high embedding capacity and security at comparable PSNR compared with existing hiding information techniques.Originality/valueThe simplicity, security, random distribution of embedding pixels, and on‐demand high capacity are the key advantages of the proposed approach.
LMS teaching versus Community Learning: a call for the latter
Authors: Murphy Jamie 
Published: November 2012

PurposeUnlike Sisyphus – condemned by Zeus to an eternity of perpetually rolling a massive boulder uphill only for the boulder to roll back down – universities, students and academics seem destined to educational technology experiences ranging from futile and frustrating to effective and engaging. As technology evolves, related costs, applications, interoperability and purposes evolve – as do the students. The purpose of this paper is to propose two contrasting ideologies of technology‐mediated education, LMS teaching and Community Learning, to question the inexorable march towards the former.Design/methodology/approachThe approach used is a literature review and case study.FindingsMost traditional universities would embrace a Community Learning ideology, yet many of these same universities practice LMS teaching. This paper draws on the literature to contrast these two technology‐mediated learning ideologies, and argue for Community Learning. These contrary ideologies help administrators and academics reflect upon, and then align institutional ideologies with their educational pedagogy and technology. The paper includes a short case study to illustrate aspects of Community Learning, a few simple ideas for shifting towards Community Learning and future research avenues.Originality/valueThis paper answers calls for critical discourse of effective educational technology use, particularly LMS technology, and adds to a nascent research field that uses ideologies to help explain technology consumption. In addition, this is one of a few papers that reviews social media as a learning management system.
Banking regulation in China: what, why, and how?
Authors: Ping He Wei 
Published: November 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of China's contemporary banking regulatory system, with particular focus on regulatory control of foreign banks trading in China. The paper addresses three aspects of Chinese banking regulation: what does China regulate; why does China regulate; and how does China regulate. Much of the discussion is concerned with China's regulatory agencies particularly with the role of the CBRC as the principal regulator in China's banking sector.Design/methodology/approachIn the first instance the paper presents an overview of banking regulatory models gained from a review of theoretical literature in the area. Then through a wide ranging review of Chinese publications, both academic and official, the paper seeks to relate the course of regulatory reform in China, both in terms of compliance with orthodox regulatory theory, and the unique regulatory requirements of the Chinese banking system.FindingsThe paper recognises that China has embraced the need for banking regulation with the establishment of an institutional structure that is responsive to both banking supervision and government policy. Within that structure the role of the CBRC, the pervasive manner in which that agency operates, and the content of its regulatory output have been identified and critically reviewed.Originality/valueIn its review of the modernization of China's banking regulatory system, the paper achieves originality from the author's research into, and critical reflections on Chinese generated literature, both institutional and academic, which is then communicated in a manner that will be understood by readers familiar with Western banking regulatory theory.
Non‐attendance and invitation methods within a CBT service
Authors: Pennington David , Hodgson Jenna 
Published: November 2012

PurposeNon‐attendance for first appointments in primary care mental health services represents a major service delivery challenge. Previous research identified how invitation type can influence attendance rates and a localised study was therefore carried out to examine the most effective invitation method and to inform local service guidelines. This exploratory study aims to consider the rate of non‐attendance to assessment for clients referred for psychological therapy in relation to invitation type.Design/methodology/approachIn total, 521 invitations to initial assessment were sent over a three month period with clients being drawn from a rolling waiting list of referrals and invited to attend initial assessment by letter, telephone, or telephone with a telephone reminder. Non‐attendance rates were examined and findings compared across invitation type.FindingsThe study concluded that telephone invitations followed by a telephone prompting reminder significantly reduced non‐attendance to initial assessment appointments.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings highlight how using phone based invitation to assessment with a phone reminder can increase attendance rates and improve service efficiencies locally and more widely. There were several limitations to the research project including key variables not included or controlled for which it is felt may have biased the findings and the small effect size.Originality/valueThe findings of the present study extend and build on previous research in the area of attendance, particularly in relation to the provision of localised evidence from which to develop and improve local, national and international service delivery.
Measuring return on investment (ROI) of organizations’ internal communication efforts
Authors: Meng Juan , Berger Bruce K. 
Published: November 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to investigate how senior communication executives measure the effectiveness of organizations’ internal communication efforts and link the efforts with organizations’ business performance.Design/methodology/approachAn online international survey of 264 experienced business communicators was analyzed to identify those specific aspects of internal communication initiatives that have been measured by the organizations on a regular basis. In‐depth interviews with 13 senior communication executives were used as a supplementary approach to share their experiences and insights about measurement challenges in communication practices.FindingsResults suggested that most business communicators and organizations recognized the importance of measuring organizations’ internal communication initiatives; however, limited metrics have been applied to the assessment process. Several specific aspects of internal communication initiatives (e.g., improved job performance, changed employee behaviors, concentrated employee engagement, etc.) have been given special attention in measurement.Research limitations/implicationsFuture research would benefit from the discussion and findings in current measurement challenges and focus on testing the causal relationship between effective internal communication and improved business performance.Practical implicationsBusiness communicators should demonstrate a stronger request for a consultative leadership direction in the organization to be able to develop and test sets of reliable and consistent metrics and measurement approaches.Originality/valueThis research investigated the measurement challenges that senior communication executives have faced. It is important to recognize current trends and constraints in measurement to be able to leverage the value of communication practices in the organization.