bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Science and technology foresight baker's dozen: a pocket primer of comparative and combined foresight methods
Authors: Smith Jack E. , Saritas Ozcan 
Published: April 2011

PurposeThis paper aims to fill a perceived gap in the tool bag of a foresight practitioner – namely the need for a quickly accessible and concise overview of the main methods being employed in contemporary foresight, and some guidance on when and how one can select or combine several methods within a single project or focus area to achieve the best results. The intention is that such a primer can be easily reproduced into a format suitable and portable for managers to consult when in project meetings to design foresight processes and select methods.Design/methodology/approachUsing a matrix table plus some text analysis and diagrams, a concise review of the dominant and most innovative tools for framing technology foresight processes is developed and summarized.FindingsThe paper produces 13 foresight methods classified, summarized and referenced with a limited selection of literature references.Practical implicationsThe intention is that the main table and diagrams can be easily copied to a standard poster or made into a pocket pamphlet for those who wish to carry the primer with them.Originality/valueThe insights in the paper are derived from the authors' foresight design and management experience, from inputs and discussions and from relevant literature sources. It is envisioned that this will be only the first pocket primer, with further editions expected in the future, as more diverse experience is gained with these methods and new approaches are tried and tested.
An exploratory study of the historical landscape of corporate social responsibility in the UK
Authors: Idowu Samuel O. 
Published: April 2011

PurposeThis paper aims to piece together chronologically the events and revolutionary acts that have been taken by groups of individuals, entrepreneurs/industrialists and corporate entities in the UK which fall under the ambit of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in order to derive the history of CSR in the country.Design/methodology/approachData from literature and prior studies were used to gather the required information in order to contribute to knowledge about the history of CSR, at least from the perspective of the UK.FindingsThe results suggest that individuals in groups, industrialists/entrepreneurs acting individually, and even corporate entities have been indirectly engaged in CSR activities in the UK for well over 200 years. Altruistic CSR in the UK has a long history.Originality/valueInformation on how CSR evolved in the UK and elsewhere is considered to be valuable by both academic researchers and business managers, as it provides a framework on which future studies can be based. In addition, it improves the understanding of how the field originally started before it reached its current state.
Small and large firm regulatory costs: the case of the Sarbanes‐Oxley Act
Authors: Millar James A. , Wade Bowen B. 
Published: April 2011

PurposeAs a result of scandals concerning major financial crime in the early twenty‐first century, including accounting and auditing fraud and inappropriate behavior by directors on the boards of US corporations, Congress hurriedly enacted the Sarbanes‐Oxley Act (SOX) in 2002. SOX's major purpose was to restore investor confidence in America's securities markets. Small firms argued that their cost of compliance was very heavy and that their burden was greater than for larger firms, especially the costs related to section 404 of the Act, which dealt with new requirements to obtain independent audit opinions. The authors found no empirical research that supports or denies these claims. Subsequently, in 2007, the Securities and Exchange Commission reduced the Act's new audit requirements for small companies. This paper aims to examine audit fees for large and small firms.Design/methodology/approachThe study examines actual audit fee data to investigate the increased costs paid by publicly traded companies to independent audit firms for their services due to Sarbanes‐Oxley. The authors use univariate and multivariate statistical methods to compare increases in audit fees paid by samples of 150 large firms and 150 small firms.FindingsThe study finds that both small and large firms incurred increased audit fees due to compliance with Sarbanes‐Oxley, and that small companies did incur larger increases in their cost burden.Originality/valueThe study uses actual audit fee data reported to the Securities and Exchange Commission and controls for other factors that determine audit fees in reaching its conclusions.
Corporate governance in a developing economy: barriers, issues, and implications for firms
Authors: Okpara John O. 
Published: April 2011

PurposeEffective corporate governance is significant for firms in developing countries because it can lead to managerial excellence and help firms with a weak corporate governance structure to raise capital and attract foreign investors. The purpose of this paper is to examine the barriers, issues, and challenges hindering effective development and implementation of corporate governance in Nigeria.Design/methodology/approachA combination of quantitative and qualitative research methods was employed to collect information. Specifically, data were collected from 296 managers, company presidents, and board of directors in selected firms. Descriptive data and interview analyses are presented with respect to the barriers and issues hindering effective corporate governance development and implementation in Nigeria.FindingsThe study provides significant current information on corporate governance and barriers hindering its development and implementation in Nigeria. The findings reveal a number of constraints that hinder the implementation and promotion of corporate governance in Nigeria. These constraints include weak or non‐existent law enforcement mechanisms, abuse of shareholders' rights, lack of commitment on the part of boards of directors, lack of adherence to the regulatory framework, weak enforcement and monitoring systems, and lack of transparency and disclosure.Research limitations/implicationsThe study was limited to four cities in Nigeria. A broader geographic sampling would better reflect the national profile. Another limitation could stem from the procedure used in data collection (drop off and pick up). However, extreme measures were taken to protect the identities of the respondents.Originality/valueThe significance of this study stems from the fact that very few studies have explored the impact of human resource challenges and prospects in Nigeria. The results provide additional insights into corporate governance practices in Nigeria, a sub‐Saharan African country. This region has thus far been neglected by management researchers, and so the insights gained from this study will contribute to the future development of this line of research, particularly in a non‐Western country like Nigeria.
Corporate governance and board equity ownership
Authors: Pergola Teresa M. , Joseph Gilbert W. 
Published: April 2011

PurposeThis study aims to test empirically the relationship between board equity ownership and corporate governance on earnings quality of for‐profit corporations, to help practitioners enhance corporate governance practices.Design/methodology/approachThe study examines two competing theories of equity ownership (convergence of interests and management entrenchment) to explain how board members react to owning the firm's stock and whether governance impacts their behavior. In a sample of 499 publicly traded firms, a governance index was calculated and the relative power of equity ownership and governance was regressed on reported earnings quality.FindingsThe results support the management entrenchment theory. Both independent and insider board members become entrenched, negatively impacting reported earnings quality and the strength of the governance structure. However, effective governance using a composite of mechanisms moderates the effects of entrenchment.Research limitations/implicationsThe effect of individual governance variables on earnings quality is not identified. The reader should not generalize the results of this research to other types of organizations, such as not‐for‐profit or governmental entities. The authors studied for‐profit, publicly held firms where directors act as agents of the stockholders and corporate governance is tasked with the responsibility to monitor management and improve investor confidence in reported earnings quality. The authors acknowledge that in other types of entities, the governance culture and objectives may be different and the results of this study may not apply.Practical implicationsThe results provide insight regarding the motivations and behavior of board members and the impact of stock ownership on their actions. Stronger governance controls are needed within the entrenchment range of stock ownership. Firms should not rely on oversight by independent board members to control insider board members. A composite of governance mechanisms can moderate negative behavior.Originality/valueThe results challenge commonly held beliefs that independent board members and board members who own stock will perform their fiduciary duty. This means that governance mechanisms should address all board members, not just specific types and that equity ownership must be very high before it can be relied upon as effective.
Revisiting ethics in strategic management
Authors: McManus John 
Published: April 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the challenges faced by corporations in incorporating ethics into their strategic management processes.Design/methodological approachThe research is based on a survey of the issues and the literature published in Europe, North America and Asia.FindingsFindings indicate a definite gap between the implementation of strategy and the moral and ethical obligations of corporations. Given the decline in business ethics and recent corporate scandals it is proposed that ethics be brought back to the forefront of strategic management and integrated into the strategic management process.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper serves as a instrument for debate and future research in that the ethical issues faced by corporations will continue to gather momentum as will the issues faced by traditional strategists.Originality/valueThis paper allows researchers and practitioners to gain an understanding of the issues and shortcomings in strategy and ethical integration, which allows for future research.
Taking VANET to the clouds
Authors: Olariu Stephan , Khalil Ismail , Abuelela Mahmoud 
Published: April 2011

PurposeThe past decade has witnessed a growing interest in vehicular networking and its myriad applications. The initial view of practitioners and researchers was that radio‐equipped vehicles can keep the drivers informed about potential safety risks and can enhance their awareness of road conditions and traffic‐related events. This conceptual paper seeks to put forth a novel vision, namely that advances in vehicular networks, embedded devices, and cloud computing can be used to set up what are known as vehicular clouds (VCs).Design/methodology/approachThe paper suggests that VCs are technologically feasible and that they are likely to have a significant societal impact.FindingsThe paper argues that at least in some of its manifestations, the ideas behind VCs are eminently implementable under present day technology. It is also expected that, once adopted and championed by municipalities and third‐party infrastructure providers, VCs will redefine the way in which pervasive computing and its myriad applications is thought of.Research limitations/implicationsThis is a new concept for which a small‐scale prototype is being built. No large‐scale prototype exists at the moment.Practical implicationsVCs are a novel concept motivated by the realization of the fact that, most of the time, the tremendous amount of computing and communication resources available in vehicles is underutilized. Putting these resources to work in a meaningful way should have a significant societal impact.Social implicationsThe main goal of this paper is to introduce and promote the concept of VCs, a non‐trivial extension, along several dimensions, of the by‐now “classic” cloud computing. The paper shows that the concept of VCs is feasible as of today – at least in some of its manifestations – and that it can have a significant societal impact in the years to come.Originality/valueThe idea of a VC is novel and so are the potential applications that are discussed in the paper.
An energy‐efficient scheme for reporting events over WSNs
Authors: Mousannif Hajar , Al Moatassime Hassan , Rakrak Said 
Published: April 2011

PurposeEnergy consumption has always been the most serious issue to consider while deploying wireless sensor networks (WSNs). Sensor nodes are limited in power, computational capacities and memory so reporting the occurrence of specific events, such as fire or flooding, as quickly as possible using minimal energy resources is definitely a challenging issue. The purpose of this paper is to propose a new, reactive and energy‐efficient scheme for reporting events. In this scheme, nodes that detect a certain event will organize themselves into a cluster, elect a clusterhead that will collect data from the cluster members, aggregate it and forward it to the mobile sink.Design/methodology/approachIn order to evaluate the scheme, a new sensor node model was designed, where the network layer is implemented from scratch. This layer contains the state process model of the algorithm which was made available through a high‐fidelity process modeling methodology.FindingsSimulation results show that a high‐event notification delivery ratio and a significant energy saving is achieved by deploying the proposed sensor node model; comparisons with existing methods show the efficiency of using the new scheme.Originality/valueThe new contribution in this paper is a novel, reactive and energy‐efficient scheme for reporting events over WSNs. The concept introduced in this paper will decrease energy consumption inside the network and, thus, improve its lifetime.
SOLE: context‐aware sharing of living experiences
Authors: Zhu Jian , Oliya Mohammad , Keng Pung Hung , Choong Wong Wai 
Published: April 2011

PurposeThe rapid advances in the technologies of mobile computing and wireless communications have facilitated the use of applications and services on handheld devices. Sharing of living experience (SOLE) is one such service, through which users can share their experience of daily activities such as shopping, entertainment, and traveling. This paper seeks to study SOLE in more detail.Design/methodology/approachThe paper presents an application framework for a context‐aware SOLE which considers location, preferences, and other useful information for a seamless user experience. SOLE leverages on the service‐oriented middleware, Coalition. Entities of interest are represented as services registered with Coalition, which are organized using location information. This facilitates location‐based selection of entities for associating or retrieving experiences. In addition, Coalition incorporates the contexts of users in the discovery and delivery of experience information. Besides, to cater for resource constraints of mobile devices, the concept of “proxy” is introduced.FindingsA detailed study of SOLE, namely, its design as well as its interaction with the middleware, information providers and information consumers, is provided. As a proof of concept, a prototype of SOLE for mobile phone users is also provided. The experiments show the ease of using SOLE and its acceptable performance in practice.Originality/valueSOLE is generic and scalable, by not assuming a specific application scenario; flexible, by allowing the user to choose where to store the experience data and to specify his audience; and context‐aware by considering the contexts of the user such as location and preferences in the experience sharing process.
Chinese MNEs and Latin America: a review
Authors: Fornes Gaston , Butt‐Philip Alan 
Published: April 2011

PurposeThis paper aims to review and analyse the literature on the internationalisation of companies from China to Latin America (LA).Design/methodology/approachThe approach taken is that of a general review.FindingsThe analysis shows that: the vast majority of academic literature relates to the characteristics of Chinese MNCs and their expansion into developed countries; the available evidence tends to suggest that China's MNCs already possess some competitive capabilities that, although not yet completely developed and consolidated to compete against companies in developed countries, seem to have achieved a certain level that allows them to successfully compete in Latin American markets; the Chinese Government has directly participated by committing most of the investments itself and also by signing treaties and trade and investment agreements with more than 20 developing countries; and the current trade and investment figures hint that, in the medium term, Chinese MNCs may be involved in market‐seeking FDI in LA.Originality/valueThese findings seem to question the fit of existing theories with the reality of China's firms and the need for further studies in this area.
Retaining Africa's talent: the role of Africa's higher education
Authors: Mpinganjira Mercy 
Published: April 2011

PurposeBrain drain has become a serious problem on the African continent. Most African migrants initially move out of their countries of origin to pursue higher education studies abroad. Encouraging more African students to study within the continent is seen as one way of dealing with the problem. This paper aims at understanding factors influencing African students to undertake postgraduate studies abroad.Design/methodology/approachFocus group discussions, in‐depth interviews and an online structured questionnaire were the main approaches used for data collection. A sample of 94 international postgraduate students from Africa studying at University of Witwatersrand in South Africa was used in the analysis.FindingsThe results show that conditions in both the students' countries of origin and in the possible hosting countries contribute to the decision to study abroad. Of prime importance among the factors attracting students abroad is the need to acquire an education with world‐wide recognition.Practical implicationsThe findings have implications for the management of the higher education sector in the continent and the marketing of a country and/or its institutions to international students coming from other African countries.Originality/valueThe paper identifies the factors influencing international student mobility among African students and notes the implications of these on attracting African students wanting to study abroad to do so in countries within the continent.
Experience, comfort, and privacy concerns: antecedents of online spending
Authors: Spake Deborah F. , Zachary Finney R. , Joseph Mathew 
Published: April 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine antecedents of consumer online spending.Design/methodology/approachA sample of 766 college students in the USA completed surveys using intercept interviews on a college campus. The research examines the consumer's level of technological savvy, experience with online shopping, level of confidence that online activities are not monitored, worry about other parties obtaining credit card information, comfort providing personal information online, and concern for online privacy when predicting the amount a consumer will spend online.FindingsThe findings reveal that consumer experience with online shopping and level of comfort with providing personal information online were significant predictors of the amount spent online. Surprisingly, privacy concerns were not a significant factor in online spending.Practical implicationsThe results provide useful information to online marketers and privacy advocates by revealing factors that influence the amount spent by consumers via the internet.Originality/valueThis paper fills an identified gap in the literature on online shopping in that most research to date has either focused on regulatory issues or consumer demographics related to online privacy concerns.
Understanding illegal music downloading in the UK: a multi‐attribute model
Authors: Sirkeci Ibrahim , Bára Magnúsdóttir Lóa 
Published: April 2011

PurposeThis study aims to examine the role of product attributes, applying the multi‐attribute model, on consumers' decisions to download digital music via unauthorised sources in the UK.Design/methodology/approachThe data were collected through an online survey. Consumer choice was measured through three sets of questions built on Likert scales to identify individuals' evaluation of importance placed on the eight attributes, when making a choice, and level of satisfaction with those, both for purchasing and downloading. Two logistic regression models are developed using background characteristics and responses to these three sets of questions. The consumer choice between purchasing digital music and downloading through unauthorised channels was analysed in regards to eight product‐specific attributes.FindingsThe results show that illegal downloaders expect a similar utility from both channels, while others tend to have a more positive attitude towards their chosen channel (i.e. purchasing). Background characteristics such as age, gender, education, and income show some relevance to the choice of music downloading channel. Regarding the importance attributed to and satisfaction from the eight product attributes, security of the source, variety of available music, quality, copyright, and legitimacy of the source are found to be significant in determining the choice.Practical implicationsThis study is likely to guide digital music providers in designing their marketing plans using key attributes and consumer perceptions.Originality/valueThis is a rare study of downloading behaviour in the UK using a mixed population sample which is not dominated by students. Findings question the weight of price in decision making.
Determinants of consumer‐driven healthcare
Authors: Ha Sejin , Jung Lee Yun 
Published: April 2011

PurposeThis study aims to examine the relationships between consumer self‐confidence in health information search and health‐related outcomes (i.e. knowledge about cancer prevention, healthcare behavior, and use of the web as a primary source for health information). The associations between self‐confidence in health information search and its predictors (i.e. health literacy and trust in health information sources) are explored as well.Design/methodology/approachThis study used the 2007 Health Information National Trends Survey data. Stepwise linear regression analyses, a logistic regression analysis, and stepwise multiple regression analyses were used to test the hypotheses.FindingsThe results from this study revealed that consumer self‐confidence in health information search appears to be linked with perceptions of health literacy and trust in information sources, particularly, trust in health professionals (e.g. doctors, healthcare professionals, government health agencies, family and friends, the internet), but not in information‐focused media (newspapers or magazines). Furthermore, as expected, consumer self‐confidence in health information search determines two health‐related outcomes, which are knowledge about cancer prevention and healthcare behavior.Originality/valueThe results of this study provide researchers with a better understanding about the key factors guiding consumers to have informed healthcare and enabling public health agencies to evaluate the effectiveness of their policies.