Search results

The paper investigates factors that contribute to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) surviving major exogenous shocks. Global crises such as the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have increasingly heightened scholarly interest in post-crises responses. However, studies that compare the relative responses to external shocks and the outcomes for SMEs operating in different institutional settings are limited. We examine the relative degrees of success European and African SMEs experienced in avoiding the worst consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.

We use the resource dependency theory (RDT) with variants of institutional theory since the RDT has been shown in practice to have greater explanatory power when used in this way. We augment our framework with a feminist theory dimension. To test our hypotheses, we apply regression analyses using cross-sectional data from the World Bank Enterprise Surveys (WBES), which include responses from private enterprises in 26 European and eight African countries. We construct our data by combining the COVID-19 follow-up surveys with relevant firm-specific characteristics from the WBES conducted in 2020–2021 using firm-specific unique IDs. After removing the firms with missing observations, the sample number of SMEs is 15,178.

Our empirical findings support the theoretically posited positive effects of innovativeness, institutional connectedness and governance capability on SMEs’ survival in the face of external shocks. Further, we confirm the importance of firm-specific characteristics (financial status, size and age) for SMEs’ survival. Female-owned SMEs are more likely to suffer during COVID-19, especially in Africa. The results are more nuanced when we consider industry specificity and heterogeneity of government support.

Our article helps answer the theoretical (and policy-relevant) question of whether SMEs that are resilient to major exogenous shocks may share certain characteristics despite operating in different institutional environments. If that is so, then it may be that lessons from one continent may have at least some relevance for the other. Our approach’s broad value lies in its capacity to test the degree to which established bodies of theory developed in the Northern Hemisphere may be deployed in Africa, well beyond the contexts which provided their initial empirical basis. This paper also contributes to the literature on the effect of environmental-change shocks on entrepreneurship performance outcomes.

Japan has made some progress in recognizing lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) rights, such as passing laws that prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in some cities. However, there is still a long way to go in terms of legal protection and social acceptance. Understanding citizens' attitudes toward homosexuality can help inform policies and interventions that promote LGBTQ rights and reduce discrimination. This study explores factors that influence citizens' attitudes toward homosexuality in Japan.

The research was conducted through a web-based questionnaire with 1,806 participants, where they were asked about their views on same-sex partnership recognition, homosexual rights and traditional Japanese family systems. The collected data were statistically analyzed to determine the factors that affect individuals' opinions regarding homosexuality.

The study determined that in Japan, traditional views are inversely related to same-sex partnership registration. Conversely, local government support for LGBTQ+ rights is directly associated with societal acceptance. Additionally, closer contact with the LGBTQ+ community promotes acceptance.

The study provides insights into the factors that shape societal attitudes toward homosexuality in Japan and highlights the importance of policies promoting diversity and inclusivity. By identifying these determinants, this study could help policymakers and advocates create effective strategies for promoting acceptance and equality for the LGBTQ+ community in Japan.

To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first study that focuses on understanding the factors that influence the attitudes of Japanese citizens toward homosexuality.

Individuals with severe mental illness (SMI), such as schizophrenia, frequently experience public stigma, which can be further enhanced if the individual has an offending history. This study aims to examine how perceiver attributes, including empathy and endorsement of right-wing views, can impact perceptions and attitudes towards individuals with schizophrenia who offend.

The study used an online survey method, recruiting an international public sample (N = 396), with an age range of 18–71 years (M = 33.15, SD = 11.42). Participants’ level of contact with mental illness, empathy and right-wing views were measured and considered in relation to their impact on reported stigma.

Results highlighted that a greater level of contact with individuals with schizophrenia, and increased levels of empathy, were strong predictors of decreased levels of stigma towards individuals with schizophrenia who offend. Whereas stronger endorsement of right-wing attitudes were associated with increased stigma towards this population.

This research offers a unique contribution by considering a variety of perceiver attributes that contribute towards stigma directed at this population. The theoretical and practical implications of this research are considered, thus contributing to the limited literature on perceptions of individuals with schizophrenia who offend. The discussion highlights limitations and makes suggestions for future research.

Albeit gradual and uneven, the emergence of social and environmental reporting by publicly held corporations has been a major development in the last few decades. This paper aims to explore patterns of the emergence of these disclosures. Using an institutional theory lens, this paper considers mimetic, normative and coercive possibilities.

US publicly traded company data from 2013 to 2019 is used to test the hypotheses. Mimetic forces are proxied with corporate board interlock frequency. Normative ones use the extent of gender diversity on corporate boards. Measures of business climate and industry regulatory sensitivity proxy coercive potentiality.

Studied in isolation, each of the three forces through which organizations pursue the heightened legitimacy of enhanced environmental and social disclosures has credibility. The strongest support exists for mimetic and normative mechanisms, perhaps because the US government has been reluctant to make these expanded disclosures mandatory.

In the world of voluntary action, more attention to diffusion is needed. For these purposes, better proxies will be needed to study change. Social and environmental information should be separated for individual analysis.

At least in the USA, companies are attentive to what other companies are doing. There is something to be said for the ethical dimension of corporate transparency.

Governmental action in this area has not been effective, at current levels. Corporate leadership is essential. Critical information is shared about disclosure by board members.

Although institutional theory makes several appearances in this area, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, the current study is the first empirical archival study to examine the three forces simultaneously, providing evidence as to the relative magnitude of each institutional force on environmental and social disclosures. Should these disclosures not be mandated by government, this study shows pathways for enhanced disclosures to continue to spread.

Given the debilitating ways the COVID-19 global crisis altered peoples’ work–life affairs, this paper explores the effect of technology-related stress that UK academics encountered working from home during the lockdown. Drawing on boundary management theory, the study uncovered how the extreme deluge of teleworking heightened technostress that made it challenging to either segment or integrate work–life boundaries as both domains became exceedingly blurry, which necessitated a novel experience conceptualised as boundary violations with negative outcomes ensuing.

The dataset consists of semi-structured interviews with 32 academics in the UK. We rely on the interpretative paradigm using a qualitative research method.

The results reveal how the proliferation of technostress paved the way for a rising loss of boundary identity between professional and private affairs, morbidity and techno-isolation, which reinforced work–family conflict. The study’s findings highlight the processes involved in boundary disruption, as both domains were eroded in the wake of the unprecedented level of telework, which resulted in boundary violations (conceived as instances in which actions, conditions or situations either breach or neglect desired boundary management practices).

The challenges involved in teleworking have seldom been the focus of work-life studies using role boundary management constructs in relation to the coronavirus pandemic. Hence, our study provides novel contributions to the contextually limiting conditions that have thwarted the well-established segmentation and integration processes of boundary management by conceptualising the boundary violations orchestrated by the invasive tendencies of virtual working environments and rising technostress caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

While research on teleworking has consistently established more positive outcomes for both employees and organisations, the novelty of the present study is its contributions to the negative implications of remote working during the coronavirus pandemic, one of which is technostress. The study further discusses work–life implications for future research on the factors that made remote working particularly challenging during the coronavirus crisis.

The purpose of this study was to examine how well a strength-based program grounded in positive psychology principles can advance the practical critical thinking skills of those pursuing the teacher training course.

This study used a single-group pre-test post-test design with 35 teacher-trainees from the Bachelor of Education course. The two-and-a-half-week strength-based program used the values in action survey to identify strengths. Pre- and post-test scores, measured with the Cornell Critical Thinking Test – Level Z, underwent Statistical Package for Social Sciences analysis including paired samples t-test for subcomponent and overall composite analysis.

Analysis of the pre- and post-test scores demonstrated a statistical significance in the critical thinking scores obtained by the teacher-trainees. Post-test scores were consistently significant. Out of the elements of critical thinking, induction, meaning, observation and credibility were more prominent. Deduction and assumption identification were also having a significant effect.

Most critical thinking programs focus on evaluating specific teaching methods for improving critical thinking skills. In education, positive psychology studies often center on students’ well-being, attention spans and academic success, aligning with wellness programs. Despite the importance of strengths in positive psychology, there is a lack of research on using a strength-based approach to boost critical thinking skills. This study aims to enhance teacher-trainees’ critical thinking by leveraging their individual strengths, moving away from traditional instructional strategies.