bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Rethinking the commercialization of everyday life: a “whole economy” perspective
Authors: Williams Colin C. , Nadin Sara 
Published: October 2010

PurposeA dominant belief is that the continuing encroachment of the market economy into everyday life is inevitable, unstoppable and irreversible. Over the past decade, however, a small stream of thought has started to question this commercialization thesis. This paper seeks to contribute to this emergent body of thought by developing a “whole economy” approach for capturing the multifarious economic practices in community economies and then applying this to an English locality.Design/methodology/approachA survey conducted of the economic practices used by 120 households in a North Nottinghamshire locality in the UK is reported here, comprising face‐to‐face interviews in an affluent, middle‐ranking and deprived neighborhood.FindingsThis reveals the limited commercialization of everyday life and the persistence of a multitude of economic practices in all neighborhood‐types. Participation rates in all economic practices (except one‐to‐one unpaid work and “off‐the‐radar” unpaid work) are higher in relatively affluent populations. Uneven development is marked by affluent populations that are “work busy”, engaging in a diverse spectrum of economic practices conducted more commonly out of choice, and disadvantaged populations that are more “work deprived”, conducting a narrower array of activities usually out of necessity.Research limitations/implicationsThis snapshot survey only displays that commercialization is not hegemonic. It does not display whether there is a shift towards commercialization.Social implicationsRecognition of the limited encroachment of the market opens up the future to alternative possibilities beyond an inevitable commercialization of everyday life, intimating that the future will be characterized by the continuing persistence of multifarious economic practices rather than market hegemony.Originality/valueThe paper provides evidence from a western nation of the limited commercialization of daily life.
Civilizational futures within the integral futures framework: the plural quadrants
Authors: Morgan Dennis R. 
Published: October 2010

PurposeExpanding on the findings of the SOPIFF research project, this paper aims to identify eight futures schools of thought, which are analyzed and critiqued through an integral framework. As “Part II” of a previous publication, it seeks to focus on the lower (plural) quadrants.Design/methodology/approachThe paper adapts Ken Wilber's integral theory to clarify various philosophical orientations to the future. It also adapts Fredrich Polak's approach to futures as a matter of “social critique and reconstruction”; however, the approach is global, civilizational, and integral, so it proposes civilizational critique and integral reconstruction as a method for evaluating futures schools of thought.FindingsThe IF framework is found to be a valuable theoretical and analytical tool for clarifying images of the future; it shows lines of development within each quadrant and interactions between quadrants, illustrating the effectiveness of the four‐quadrant approach.Research limitations/implicationsIt further illuminates the “global problematique” expressed in the SOPIFF project and proposes the IF framework as a way to interpret those research findings.Practical implicationsThis approach to futures/foresight studies broadens the range and offers more depth to conceptions of the future, so it should help to develop/improve futures methodologies/practices in general.Social implicationsCivilizational critique and integral reconstruction of images of the future imply unprecedented social change.Originality/valueThe paper should help futurists to see and interpret the “bigger picture” of civilizational futures through revealing the “crack” of the modern image of the future, how it relates to the current world crisis, and what is needed to heal the crack, so a new vision of a preferred future can emerge.
Corporate social responsibility and labor turnover
Authors: Vitaliano Donald F. 
Published: October 2010

PurposeThis paper aims to estimate empirically the effect on the voluntary turnover (quit) rate of employees when a large public corporation already judged as an outstanding employer is also ranked as being socially responsible by an external review organization.Design/methodology/approachThe paper employs a cross‐section regression of the turnover rate of 84 of Fortune magazine's “100 Best Employers” against measures of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and several other control variables such as annual wages, ethnic and gender composition of the labor force that economic theory and prior studies have identified as explaining firm labor turnover.FindingsAdoption of business policies that cause the firm to be rated as socially responsible reduce the annual quit rate by 3 percent to 3.5 percent, which amounts to a 25‐30 percent reduction, as compared to non‐CSR public corporations or a larger comparison set including privately held and not‐for‐profit firms.Research limitations/implicationsThe wider universe of public corporations may not realize comparable turnover benefits from CSR as these “best employers” because these firms might be especially vulnerable or sensitive to corporate image when hiring workers.Practical implicationsThe model estimated permits calculation of the annual rise in average wages that would be required to reduce turnover by the same amount as CSR, a sum of approximately $3,700 per year or about 9 percent of the mean wage, with a lower bound estimate of about $1,000. This suggests that these firms can significantly reduce labor costs by investing in worker‐friendly employment policies, which account for half of the entire measured CSR impact.Originality/valueThis is believed to be the first effort to quantify rigorously the effect of CSR on the employment side of firm performance. Prior labor studies have looked at hypothetical employment scenarios involving students.
Corporate governance and information asymmetry between managers and investors
Authors: Cormier Denis , Ledoux Marie‐Josée , Magnan Michel , Aerts Walter 
Published: October 2010

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of governance on information asymmetry between managers and investors. Hence, the paper seeks to extend prior voluntary disclosure research.Design/methodology/approachThe paper investigates how a firm's governance maps into the level of information asymmetry between managers and investors. Governance encompasses two complementary dimensions: formal monitoring attributes and voluntary disclosure about board processes. Information asymmetry is measured by either share price volatility or Tobin's Q.FindingsThe results show that some formal monitoring attributes (board and audit committee size) as well as the extent of voluntary governance disclosure reduce information asymmetry. This suggests that governance disclosure may complement a firm's governance monitoring attributes, especially in a country such as Canada where investors have good legal protection. It appears also that firms take into account ultimate costs and benefits to shareholders when determining their governance disclosure.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors' knowledge, this study is the first to investigate the impact of voluntary governance disclosure on information asymmetry.
Corporate governance and corporate social responsibility: evidence from the healthcare sector
Authors: Jamali Dima , Hallal Mohammad , Abdallah Hanin 
Published: October 2010

PurposeSound corporate governance is now a mainstream issue of concern in the business world. However, there has been no systematic investigation of corporate governance practices in the healthcare sector. Allowing for a distinction between two types of healthcare organizations (profit and non‐profit), this paper aims to investigate nuances in the application of sound governance principles across different types of healthcare organizations in the context of a developing country, together with differing understanding and applications of corporate social responsibility.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is based on a qualitative interpretive methodology, comprising in‐depth interviews with top hospital executives drawn from 21 Lebanese hospitals representing both the profit and non‐profit varieties.FindingsThe findings suggest some basic governance differences between for‐profit and non‐profit hospitals in terms of managerial structure, ownership and the role of the board of directors, as well as differing orientations towards corporate social responsibility. There is a general lack of understanding and application of corporate governance best practices in family‐owned, for‐profit hospitals, whereas non‐profit hospitals are more in line with corporate governance best practices, and more attuned to corporate social responsibility.Originality/valueThis paper presents fresh insights into applications of corporate governance and corporate social responsibility principles in a very important sector that has not received systematic attention and consideration in the literature.
Power in the boardroom: a study on Turkish family‐owned and listed companies
Authors: Oba Beyza , Ozsoy Zeynep , Atakan Serap 
Published: October 2010

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to understand the power dynamics of the boards of directors in family‐owned and listed Turkish companies. Power and dominance in the boardroom can be studied in relation to three variables: the institutional environment in which the firm is embedded; the structural configurations of the board; and the top manager's propensity to exercise his/her power resources. Focusing on the board level, this paper aims to conceptualize power dynamics as being composed of structural attributes, roles assumed, responsibilities, dependency and representation.Design/methodology/approachThe research domain of this exploratory study is family‐owned and listed companies operating on the Istanbul Stock Exchange (ISE). The data for the study were collected from three different sources: a survey administered to members of the boards of directors; discourse analysis of corporate governance compliance reports of the same companies; and in‐depth interviews conducted with board members.FindingsThis study shows that on a typical board of directors of a family‐owned and listed Turkish company, the interests of owners and managers are aligned and other stakeholders are not represented; the role of the board is confined to visibility and legitimacy and does not include control.Originality/valueThis paper argues that theories developed for Anglo‐Saxon equity‐market based business systems have limited exploratory power for an emerging economy – namely Turkey – that is based on a business system characterized by close co‐operation between the state, family‐owned businesses and financial markets.
Empirical evidence of corporate governance in Thai state‐owned enterprises
Authors: Khongmalai Orapan , Tang John C.S. , Siengthai Sununta 
Published: October 2010

PurposeThe primary objectives of this paper are to: develop a multi‐attribute pattern of the corporate governance model in Thai state‐owned enterprises; assess the relative importance of different corporate governance practices; and provide detailed information of each corporate governance practice.Design/methodology/approachQualitative and quantitative approaches were used. A case study was conducted to gather information on specific corporate governance behaviors in Thai state‐owned enterprises. Then a questionnaire was developed and tested in 38 Thai state‐owned enterprises. Factor analysis was conducted to examine a common framework of corporate governance practices.FindingsThis research demonstrated the multi‐attribute nature of the corporate governance model in Thai state‐owned enterprises. According to this model, the most important corporate governance practice is strategic human resource management, followed by information technology, board of directors, risk management, internal control, and internal audit sequentially. Additionally, this study brings out insights into corporate governance practices that represent the specific characteristics of Thai state‐owned enterprises.Research limitations/implicationsThis study is limited by the fact that the sample represents only Thai state‐owned enterprises. Further studies should be conducted to better understand the complexity of the multi‐attribute nature of the corporate governance model in state‐owned enterprises in developing countries.Practical implicationsPolicy makers can utilize the multi‐attribute nature of the corporate governance model as a guideline for the further development of corporate governance practices in other state‐owned enterprises.Originality/valueThis study demonstrated the multi‐attribute nature of the corporate governance model in state‐owned enterprises in developing countries such as Thailand. This research confirms the broad principles of corporate governance as well as providing detailed information on corporate governance practices from a new perspective.
Corporate governance rating and financial performance: a Canadian study
Authors: Berthelot Sylvie , Morris Tania , Morrill Cameron 
Published: October 2010

PurposeThis paper aims to examine whether the corporate governance rankings published by a market information intermediary are reflected in the values that investors accord to firms.Design/methodology/approachPanel data from 289 Canadian firms in the four‐year period 2002‐2005 were analyzed using a price model.FindingsThe results suggest that the corporate governance rankings published by the market information intermediary are related to not only firm market value, but also to accounting results.Practical implicationsThis study provides empirical observations that would be useful for various organizations involved in the regulation of corporate governance practices and the standardization of relevant data elements.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the literature by demonstrating that information published by an information intermediary is reflected in firm market values. Moreover, this information appears to be related to the accounting results. Thus, good governance rankings are reflected in the accounting results.
A new perspective on board composition and firm performance in an emerging market
Authors: Ameer Rashid , Ramli Fairuz , Zakaria Husein 
Published: October 2010

PurposeThis paper seeks to examine the relationship between board composition and firm performance using a board‐level aggregation variable.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses linear regression to analyze the relationship between board role typology and firm performance using a panel data set of 277 non‐financial listed Malaysian firms over the period 2002‐2007.FindingsThe empirical results show that firm‐boards with a high representation of outside and foreign directors are associated with better performance compared to those firm‐boards that have a majority of insider executive and affiliated non‐executive directors.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings seem to imply that in widely owned firms a higher proportion of outsiders on the board reduces under‐investment and agency problems, which has significant economic implications.Originality/valueThis is the first study to use a board‐level aggregation variable to demonstrate the impact of boards' resourcefulness on firm performance.
Information technology governance: an evaluation of the theory‐practice gap
Authors: Ko Denise , Fink Dieter 
Published: October 2010

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to provide an understanding of information technology (IT) governance, from both a theory and practice perspective, and to identify current theory‐practice gaps within the organisations studied.Design/methodology/approachThis study developed a complementary and collaborative model of IT governance and used a multiple case approach in which IT governance is examined against the model in four major universities. Case study research is qualitative in nature enabling insights into the “how” and “why” of IT governance to be gained.FindingsBased on underlying theory, the study was able to develop propositions regarding IT governance practices, observe current practices within the participating universities and establish gaps between theory and practice. The study identified theory‐practice gaps in each of three IT governance dimensions: structure, process and people. Gaps ranged in significance from small to large. Two large gaps existed which require attention: they are in respect of integrating IT governance mechanisms and raising the awareness and understanding of the concept among senior management.Research limitations/implicationsThe model of IT governance developed for the research can be further developed and refined. In addition, the university context may have imposed limitations as different findings could arise in different contexts. Furthermore, the participating CIOs and IT directors could have brought their own values and beliefs to the research when interpreting the IT governance objectives of their university.Practical implicationsThe model of IT governance developed for the research enables organisations to assess and map their IT governance against theoretical dimensions. By mapping observed practice against theory, the study was able to provide a mechanism of identifying theory‐practice gaps, where they existed.Originality/valueIT is ubiquitous in nature because modern IT crosses organisational activities and has become strongly aligned with business activities. Thus IT governance can be viewed as an integral part of corporate governance and requires senior management's attention. However, because of the specialised nature of IT, governance in this domain has unique characteristics. Yet, current literature reflects a lack of maturity and points to diverse and inconsistent concepts of IT governance as well as variations in how IT governance is implemented. The paper reduces uncertainty for corporate executives by systematically synthesising current literature, developing a theoretical model and testing it against current practice.
The effect of type and volume fraction (VF) of steel fiber on the mechanical properties of self‐compacting concrete
Authors: Ghanbarpour S. , Mazaheripour H. , Mirmoradi S.H. , Barari A. 
Published: October 2010

PurposeSelf‐compacting concrete (SCC) offers several economic and technical benefits; the use of steel fibers extends its possibilities. Steel fibers bridge cracks, retard their propagation, and improve several characteristics and properties of the SCC. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of type and volume fraction of steel fiber on the compressive strength, split tensile strength, flexural strength and modulus of elasticity of steel fiber reinforced self‐compacting concrete (SFRSCC).Design/methodology/approachFor this purpose, Micro wire and Wave type steel fibers with l/d ratios of 50 were used. Three different fiber volumes were added to concrete mixes at 0.5, 0.75 and 1 per cent by volume of SCC. Six different SFRSCC mixes were prepared. After 28 days of curing, compressive, split and flexural strength and modulus of elasticity were determined.FindingsIt was found that, inclusion of steel fibers significantly affect the split tensile and flexural strength of SCC accordance with type and vf. Besides, mathematical expressions were developed to estimate the flexural, modulus of elasticity and split tensile strength of SFRSCCs regarding of compressive strength.Originality/valueIt was found that inclusion of steel fibers significantly affected the split tensile and flexural strength of SCC accordance with type and f v.
Relationship between energy consumption and economic development in construction industry
Authors: Xundi Diao , Liyin Shen , Saixing Zeng , Jose Jorge Ochoa , Xiaoling Zhang 
Published: October 2010

PurposeThis paper aims to explain the current state of energy consumption and economic development in Beijing's construction industry and identify the relationship between the two systems so as to supply decision support for the future.Design/methodology/approachThis paper presents a design of a coordinated development model based on the theory of synergetics. The focus of the paper is on how to integrate energy consumption indices and economic development indices to determine coordinated development indices in a relevant and useful manner. While analyzing energy composite consumption and economic composite development, respectively, all the variables normalized are eliminated inter‐correlated characteristics by making use of principal component analysis (PCA).FindingsBeijing's construction development is experiencing the transition from economic development hysteresis to energy consumption hysteresis. The higher coordinated development degree is predicting the energy‐economy system is trending to stability in Beijing's construction industry which does not necessarily mean a perfect development trend but an upper limit of the increasing rate in energy consumption. Thus, or at least maintaining the current economic development and energy utilization policy, production specifications, or using new technology, new method and economic policy to stimulate the economic development, or more attention from all the stakeholders being paid to saving more energy than before, will be still priority considerations for Beijing's construction industry in the following years.Originality/valueThe paper proposes an original framework for examining the relationship between energy consumption and economic development in construction industry. The framework is also capable of identifying if the growth rate in energy consumption goes beyond the upper limit.
Buildability factors influencing formwork labour productivity of isolated foundations
Authors: Jarkas Abdulaziz M. 
Published: October 2010

PurposeThe objective of this paper is to investigate the effects and relative influence of: grid patterns; variability of foundation sizes; total surface area; and average surface area, on formwork labour productivity of isolated foundations.Design/methodology/approachTo achieve this objective, a sufficiently large volume of productivity data were collected and analyzed at both levels; macro, and micro, using the linear regression method. As a result, the effects and relative influence of the investigated factors on formwork labour productivity are determined and quantified.FindingsThe findings show significant impacts of the buildability factors investigated on formwork labour productivity, and substantiate the importance of applying the rationalization and standardization concepts to the design stage of construction projects.Research limitations/implicationsFurther research into the effects of buildability factors on formwork, and other related trades of in situ reinforced concrete material, i.e. rebar fixing/installation and concreting, labour productivity, which are common to other structural elements and activities such as, grade/ground beams, columns, walls, beams, and slabs, is recommended, so that the related findings can ultimately be used to develop an automated “Buildability Design Support System” to formalize the buildability knowledge of reinforced concrete construction projects.Practical implicationsThe outcomes of this research provide designers with feedback on how well their designs consider the requirements of buildability principles, and the tangible consequences of their decisions on labour productivity. In addition, practical recommendations deduced from the findings are presented, which upon implementation, can improve the buildability level of this activity, hence translate into higher labour efficiency and lower labour costs. On the other hand, the depicted patterns may provide guidance to construction managers for effective activity planning and efficient labour utilization.Originality/valueThe findings fill a gap in buildability knowledge and its influence on formwork labour productivity of an important, labour intensive, activity within the in situ reinforced concrete construction projects.