bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Business support for new technology‐based firms: a study of entrepreneurs in north Wales
Authors: Jones Rosalind , Parry Sara 
Published: September 2011

PurposeThis paper seeks to provide insights into key areas of business support used by technology entrepreneurs who start businesses in north west Wales.Design/methodology/approachThis research uses a qualitative research approach and a purposive sample of eight small technology firms based on and off technology parks. A card research methodology is piloted in one firm and then incorporated into semi‐structured interviews with entrepreneurs.FindingsTechnology entrepreneurs access direct and indirect support including: grants from local and central government; help from, banks and professionals; universities; technology incubation units, and; collaborations and networks. Evidence also confirms some of the challenges that entrepreneurs face in accessing business support.Research limitations/implicationsThis research provides clear indications to public sector organisations, universities and business support agencies as being the most important aspects of business support needed for new technology‐based firms.Social implicationsSuccessful development of technology firms is recognised as a driver for change, particularly in deprived regions. Solutions to issues faced by technology entrepreneurs in terms of business support and accessibility to grants may increase the likelihood of business success and the boosting of local economies.Originality/valueAlthough researchers have explored the value and role of university incubator firms and the role of networks, and also the importance of geographically situated incubation units in relation to stimulation of innovation and entrepreneurial activity, there is a paucity of research in the area of business support for technology entrepreneurs which this paper addresses.
Publish or perish: academic life as management faculty live it
Authors: Miller Alan N. , Taylor Shannon G. , Bedeian Arthur G. 
Published: September 2011

PurposeAlthough many in academe have speculated about the effects of pressure to publish on the management discipline – often referred to as “publish or perish” – prevailing knowledge has been based on anecdotal rather than empirical evidence. The aim of the present paper is to shed light on the perceptions of management faculty regarding the pressure to publish imperative.Design/methodology/approachThe authors surveyed faculty in 104 management departments of AACSB accredited, research‐oriented US business schools to explore the prevalence, sources, and effects of pressure to publish.FindingsResults indicate that pressure to publish affects both tenured and tenure‐track management faculty, although the latter, as a group, feel significantly more pressure than those who are tenured. The primary source of this pressure is faculty themselves who are motivated by the prospects of enhancing their professional reputation, leaving a permanent mark on their profession, and increasing their salary and job mobility. The effects of pressure to publish include heightened stress levels; the marginalization of teaching; and research that may lack relevance, creativity, and innovation.Research limitations/implicationsThe sample was intentionally restricted to faculty from management departments affiliated with research‐oriented US business schools and does not include faculty from departments that are less research‐oriented and, therefore, would be expected to put less pressure on their faculty to publish.Practical implicationsAlthough the effects of pressure to publish are not necessarily always negative, the paper offers some fundamental suggestions to management (and other) faculty who wish to mitigate the deleterious effects of pressure to publish.Originality/valueAlthough the findings may not be surprising to more seasoned faculty, to the authors' knowledge this is the first time they have been documented in the published literature. As such, they advance discussions of “publish or perish” beyond mere conjecture and “shared myths” allowing management faculty to more rationally debate its consequences and their implications for academic life.
Leadership and fulfillment of the three basic psychological needs at work
Authors: Hetland Hilde , Hetland Jørn , Schou Andreassen Cecilie , Pallesen Ståle , Notelaers Guy 
Published: September 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between transformational leadership and a transactional leadership component (management by exception‐active), and fulfillment of the basic needs of autonomy, competence and relatedness.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is based on cross sectional data from 661 employees who completed validated questionnaires such as the the multifactor leadership questionnaire (MLQ) and the basic need satisfaction at work (BNSW). The data were analysed using structural equation modeling in AMOS 18.0.FindingsThe results show that both transformational leadership and the transactional behavior management by exception active are significantly related to fulfillment of the basic needs. Significant regression weights of 0.50 (p<0.01) 0.46 (p<0.01), and 0.21 (p<0.01) from transformational leadership to relatedness, autonomy and competence were also found. Negative and smaller paths were revealed from management by exception to relatedness (=−0.12, p<0.01), competence (=−0.12, p<0.05), and autonomy (=−0.18, p<0.01). Squared multiple correlations (R2) for relatedness, competence and autonomy were 0.28, 0.06, and 0.27, respectively.Originality/valueThe paper empirically addresses the theoretically suggested link between transformational leadership and need fulfillment.
Dealing with an ageing workforce: current and future implications
Authors: Dumay John , Rooney Jim 
Published: September 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the reason for, and outcomes of, the New South Wales Land and Property Authority's (Lands) Vision 2013 plan designed to deal with a perceived impending human capital crisis in light of a rapidly ageing workforce. The research questions examined are “Did the perceived crisis eventuate?” and “What was the impact of implementing the plan to combat the threat of an ageing workforce?”Design/methodology/approachUsing a case study approach, the paper incorporates semi‐structured interviews, planning papers and annual reports to critically examine the impact of implementing the Vision 2013 plan. Lands was chosen because in 2005 the ageing workforce issue motivated Lands to investigate how it would successfully manage organisational knowledge then and into the future. With the purpose of promoting discussion and critical reflection, we examine how Lands addressed the perceived crisis and the impact it had on the management of knowledge and human capital.FindingsThe ageing workforce crisis appears not to have been as significant as anticipated because of the combination of improved processes and training of new employees, allowing for knowledge transfer, making some old knowledge redundant and creating new knowledge. However, a gap exists between the new processes and tacit knowledge that can only be filled through experience. While the ageing workforce crisis seems to have abated, a new crisis of retention looms on the horizon.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper provides a longitudinal example of how a particular employer dealt with the threat of knowledge loss due to the retirement of older workers. It demonstrates that the threat cannot only be thwarted but can also help drive system and process improvements. The lessons learned, the authors argue, can be generalised to the public and private sector; however, they must be tempered within specific local, national and international contexts.Originality/valueThe paper provides a longitudinal observation of a public sector government business enterprise's implementation of a plan to address the issue of an ageing workforce. Many contemporary organisations face this issue so the results of the case study will be of value to those facing similar challenges.
Direct and indirect effects of human capital on firm value: evidence from Italian companies
Authors: Veltri Stefania , Silvestri Antonella 
Published: September 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine whether information on intellectual capital (IC) is value relevant for investors and the role played by the single components of IC (human capital, organizational capital, relational capital) in creating firm value.Design/methodology/approachThe 1995 Ohlson model has been employed to investigate the relationship between the current accounting measures (book value and earnings) and future measures of profitability, proxied by IC. The Value Added Intellectual Coefficient (VAIC™) approach is used to determine the firm's efficiency in using IC resources. The sample analysis analyzed is constituted of financial sector companies listed on the Italian Stock Exchange for the period 2006‐2008.FindingsThe findings fully confirm the existence of a positive relationship between accounting values and market value on the one hand and IC components as measured by VAIC™ and market value on the other. Results show that investors attach more value relevance to human capital efficiency (HCE) than to structural capital efficiency (SCE) and that HCE plays an indirect role in the relation between IC and market value.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper is focused on one sector (financial) and one country (Italy). The focus on the entire financial sector allows the authors to validate results from an Italian perspective and to extend them for similar banking structures in other countries, and to favor comparisons with other similar studies.Practical implicationsThe main implications for financial company managers are that, when developing a strategy aimed at strengthening IC, they should consider that human capital plays an indirect part with regard to the other components and that each investment in one of the IC subcategories should not be evaluated in isolation but in relation to its interactions.Originality/valueThe paper realizes a fusion between value relevance and IC literature. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first paper that examines the relationship between VAIC™ and the market value of the Italian financial sector, using an Ohlson model modified to include IC information, comprehensive of the human capital indirect effect.
Growth effect of foreign aid and volatility in South Asia
Authors: Bhavan T. , Xu Changsheng , Zhong Chunping 
Published: September 2011

PurposeSouth Asia has been an important destination of foreign aid over the past decades. Since a large part of aid is disbursed for social and economic infrastructure development in South Asian countries, and the volume of aid has tremendously increased in recent years, the purpose of this study is to investigate how far various categories of foreign aid affects economic growth rate in these countries. In addition, as the trend of each category of aid transfer appears to have been volatile, this study also investigates whether the volatilities inhibit growth rate in these countries.Design/methodology/approachIn this study, South Asia refers to India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The Random effects approach is employed incorporating panel data for the period of 1995‐2008. The aggregate foreign aid is classified into various categories to have a comprehensive investigation.FindingsForeign aid positively associated with growth whereas the volatility of aid hurts it. Long‐impact aid promotes growth more than short‐impact aid does. The volatility of short‐impact aid hurts growth, whereas the volatility of long‐impact aid has no effect on it. Pure aid and its volatility have no effect on growth.Originality/valueThis study has identified the structure of foreign aid disbursed in these countries, and explored how far each category and respective volatility affects growth. These findings would be useful to the scholars and policy makers in the recipient countries as well as donors, to make foreign aid much more effective in future.
The role of emotion in decision‐making
Authors: Brown Hilary 
Published: September 2011

PurposeThis review of the decision‐making literature aims to challenge the rational model of decision‐making upon which the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 is premised.Design/methodology/approachThe paper forms part of a larger study commissioned by the Office of the Public Guardian looking into complex cases.FindingsThe literature supported the study findings that decisions are not made in a linear way and identified the importance of history and memory, motivation and drive, mood and stability, and openness to influence when assessing the mental capacity of vulnerable people, especially in the context of self‐neglect.Practical implicationsThis paper will inform workers in health and social care about the emotional factors that influence decision‐making and increase their ability to make nuanced assessments.Social implicationsTaken together, with other publications from this project, this paper alerts practitioners to situations where vulnerable people are out of their depth; when the role of depression and anxiety may be at least as salient as their understanding of possible consequences and when the past may exert more control over their actions than their understanding of future options.Originality/valueThe paper's added value is that it uses ideas that are current within academic psychology to make explicit some of the factors that lead to complexity when assessing mental capacity under the MCA, especially in the context of self‐neglect.
Market expectations and policy deficiencies in the promotion of building energy efficiency in China
Authors: Qian Queena K. , Chan Edwin H.W. , Xu Peng‐peng 
Published: September 2011

PurposeFuture energy consumption in China's building sector will have a considerable influence on both China and the world's energy markets. Although the Chinese government has set out a series of policies to promote building energy efficiency (BEE), the BEE market share remains small. The paper aims to identify the key policy deficiencies that affect such promotion.Design/methodology/approachBased on the defined roles played by the government, this paper traces the path that China's BEE policies have taken since the 1980s and highlights the key problems. To understand how the Chinese government's BEE policies meet the expectations of market stakeholders, the paper employs data from a questionnaire of building design professionals in the country's major cities to identify the most favourable factors for and existing hurdles to the promotion of the BEE market.FindingsThe Chinese government needs to exert greater effort towards overcoming the deficiencies in its roles as policy maker, fiscal hub and advocate. At this stage, China would benefit more from legal and government intervention than from heavy reliance on voluntary schemes for BEE promotion.Practical implicationsThe paper shows that both the government and industry need to become better informed of the conditions required to attract market parties towards the promotion of BEE. This study also identifies the main concerns involved, thus providing a strong foundation for further study in this arena.Originality/valueThis paper highlights the mismatch between market expectations and government policies aimed at BEE promotion in China. It fills the knowledge gap between market stakeholders and government for future policy design concerning BEE promotion.
Developments in corporate creditworthiness around ownership events
Authors: Parnes Dror 
Published: September 2011

PurposeThis study seeks to explore developments in corporate creditworthiness before and after ownership events.Design/methodology/approachThe paper uses the Blockholders database of Dlugosz, Fahlenbrach, Gompers, and Metrick, and three credit quantities, and deploys a standard event study methodology to examine the relation to corporate creditworthiness.FindingsThe paper discovers that ownership‐construction is generally associated with prior‐ and post‐improvement in creditworthiness, while a block‐destruction is typically surrounded by deterioration in corporate creditworthiness. The paper also finds proper evidence for a relation between the construction or destruction of managerial block and future developments in corporate creditworthiness. The paper further realizes that outside shareholders exhibit higher impact than inside block‐holders on later variations in credit risk.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper is unable to conduct further robustness checks with structural credit methodologies due to the reduced number of valid observations.Originality/valueMarket participants can utilize the conclusions to better predict future trends in corporate creditworthiness.
Perceived brand globalness in emerging markets and the moderating role of consumer ethnocentrism
Authors: Akram Aneela , Merunka Dwight , Shakaib Akram Muhammad 
Published: September 2011

PurposeThe purpose of the paper is to study the impact of perceived brand globalness (PBG) on consumers' purchase intention (PI) and the mediating role of perceived brand quality (PBQ) and perceived brand prestige (PBP) in this relation, among consumers in emergent markets. The paper also investigate the moderating role of consumer ethnocentrism (CE) on the relation between PBG and both PBQ and PBP.Design/methodology/approachA web‐based survey was conducted in an emerging market (Pakistan) using both global and local brands. The model was tested using structural equation modeling.FindingsPBG positively impacts both PBQ and PBP while PBQ appears to be a stronger mediator than PBP. The moderating role of CE between PBG and PBQ and between PBG and PBP has been demonstrated; the weaker the CE the stronger the relationships.Research limitations/implicationsA convenience sample was used and caution must be taken when generalizing findings from this study. Managers of global brands must meet consumers' expectations in terms of the quality of their brands and may highlight the prestige associated to them. Low ethnocentric consumers favor global brands, rendering this segment attractive for the managers of global brands.Originality/valueThe paper extends previous work on the role of brand globalness by focusing on an emergent market where the choice problem between local and global brands is acute and by demonstrating the moderating role of CE.
Is Cuba's emerging entrepreneurial economy at the crossroads?
Authors: Becherer Richard C. , Helms Marilyn M. 
Published: September 2011

PurposeThe Caribbean Island of Cuba, only 90 miles from the US mainland, has remained one of the world's few examples of a centralized communist economy since Fidel Castro overthrew the government in 1959. The country has declined in recent years, most significantly since the fall of Cuba's key trading partner and ally, the former Soviet Union. Recently, under the direction of Fidel's brother, Raúl Castro, the island appears to be slowly loosening some restrictions and promoting new venture creation by allowing more private enterprises and forcing laid‐off state employees to consider entrepreneurship. The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether entrepreneurship will be the answer to improving Cuba's economy.Design/methodology/approachUsing Graham's framework of conditions necessary for encouraging entrepreneurship, Cuba is examined with actual observations by the authors after a July 2010 State Department‐sanctioned research trip to observe entrepreneurship within the centralized economy.FindingsFurther enhancements to encourage new venture creation in Cuba are identified, along with areas for future research on new venture creation.Originality/valueThe value of this research lies in the fact that there are many paths to create an entrepreneurial economy in an emerging market. Cuba represents a nascent entrepreneurial economy with many barriers to overcome based upon its legacy of communism. The country and market has seldom been examined and there is a dearth of literature on Cuba and other countries trying to move immediately from communism to capitalism when their economy is in crisis.
Understanding project manager identities: a framework for research
Authors: Smith Charles 
Published: September 2011

PurposeThe purpose of the paper is to propose a framework for researching the possibilities for project manager identities: the multiple ways there are of being a performer, as a manager, in the world of projects.Design/methodology/approachThe author's line of enquiry was to seek evidence of project manager identity within real‐life stories told by practitioners, the author's perspective being: that identity is produced through action, that action and identity are framed by social narratives, and that identities and the strategies that create and support them are therefore evident in project stories.FindingsTwo examples are discussed; they validate the proposed research framework, demonstrating how storytellers use their projects as vehicles for the performance of their personal professional “project manager identity”.Research limitations/implicationsThe form of the stories is crucial to what their analysis can reveal about identities. The personal stories (narrating the storyteller's own experience) must be, in essence, complete, told by individuals addressing situations that challenge them.Social implicationsThe primary purpose of this research is to inform personal learning and educational programmes. An enriched understanding of what it means to be a professional in the project world can enhance the awareness of individuals learning to perform roles, and making choices in this field.Originality/valueThe analysis of stories has been used previously as a research methodology to critique projects and power structures. This paper makes proposals to extend the use of such analysis into the realm of personal identity and its construction.
The South African Companies Act of 2008 (SACA2008), and the Sarbanes‐Oxley Act of 2002
Authors: Paulo S. 
Published: September 2011

PurposeThe South African Companies Act of 2008 (SACA2008) seeks to reaffirm the company as a means of promoting the economic welfare and development of South Africa by encouraging efficient, transparent value‐additive corporate management. The purpose of this paper is to present the important role of the cost of capital for financial valuations that are consistent with the purposes of SACA2008, as stated in Section 7.Design/methodology/approachThe relevant sections of SACA2008 of this legislation were studied. The role of the cost of capital in performing and interpreting financial valuations was presented. As the CAPM is widely used, and in cases is the only approach used to estimate the cost of capital, an update of CAPM empirical evidence was presented to affirm the conclusion by Fama and French that the CAPM is not an acceptable way of estimating the cost of capital. The Sarbanes‐Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX) was studied to ascertain the implication of using valuation criteria that lack empirical validity.FindingsManagement that makes financial decisions on the basis of criteria that have not been empirically validated may find it difficult to defend challenges to their efforts at complying with SACA2008 and promoting the success of the company.Originality/valueFrom an extensive survey of publicly available literature, there is no evidence to suggest that research on the role of the cost of capital in helping achieve the purposes of SACA2008 has been published. Without a valid and reliable cost of capital it will be difficult to achieve the purposes of this legislation.