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1 – 10 of 15Chetwynd Carlos Osborne, Leandra Cho-Ricketts and Jané Salazar
Mangrove forests are one of the most bio-diverse and productive wetland environments on earth. However, these unique tropical forest environments that occupy coastal areas are…
Abstract
Purpose
Mangrove forests are one of the most bio-diverse and productive wetland environments on earth. However, these unique tropical forest environments that occupy coastal areas are among the most threatened habitats globally. These threats include logging, conversion of land for agriculture and mariculture and degradation due to pollution over the past 50 years. The large population of resilient mangroves occupying the Turneffe Atoll area in Belize faces growing anthropogenic threats such as permanent clearing of land for housing, infrastructural development and pollution and natural factors (climate change). Given the few formal studies done to evaluate mangrove resilience at Turneffe Atoll, the purpose of this study was to evaluate mangrove resilience and nursery functions in the Turneffe Atoll Marine Reserve (TAMR).
Design/methodology/approach
Mangrove fish abundance and forest structure was assessed by means of a visual census and the point-centred quarter method (PCQM) for 11 sites that span across conservation and general use zones.
Findings
This study found that the more resilient mangroves (lower vulnerability ranks, higher standing biomass and higher fish biomass and abundance) exist in general use zones and warrant the need for improved mangrove conservation measures for these areas by Turneffe Atoll Sustainability Association (TASA).
Research limitations/implications
Limitations of the methods for data collection included accessibility within mangrove forests stands when establishing PCQM, observer bias among data collectors, sites without surrounding mangroves were not captured to serve as a true control group and poor visibility underwater affected the estimation of fish species and size. The timeline for this research was only three months based on available funding, and no follow-up study was done to make a true comparison.
Originality/value
The findings of this research have a guiding role in the formulation of conservation measures such as better waste management, a robust framework for mangrove management, a communication strategy to guide public awareness and long-term monitoring surveys.
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Atika Srivastava and Shikha Dixit
Due to dynamic work contexts, mid-level managers struggle to advance their careers in contemporary organisations. Literature has consistently showcased that leadership style and…
Abstract
Purpose
Due to dynamic work contexts, mid-level managers struggle to advance their careers in contemporary organisations. Literature has consistently showcased that leadership style and gender significantly impact subordinates’ career and work-related outcomes. This study investigates the relationship between authentic leadership, gender, perceived career barriers and occupational well-being.
Design/methodology/approach
Using self-report questionnaires, we collected data from 198 mid-level managers employed in the information technology (IT) sector in Delhi-NCR. We tested two mediation models simultaneously, investigating the mediation of perceived career barriers on occupational well-being. Authentic leadership and gender were the predictors of the first and second models, respectively.
Findings
Authentic leadership was positively associated with occupational well-being but negatively with perceived career barriers. Perceived career barriers partially mediated the link between authentic leadership and occupational well-being. Gender had a significant impact on perceived career barriers. Finally, perceived career barriers fully mediated the association between gender and occupational well-being.
Research limitations/implications
The study showed that perceived career barriers were predicted by authentic leadership perception. In the face of career-related obstacles, managers with authentic leaders tend to have better well-being at the workplace. Further, perceived career barriers are essential in the relationship between gender and occupational well-being. However, the context of India’s IT sector is unique; therefore, caution must be practised when generalising.
Practical implications
Organisations must promote authentic leadership at the upper echelons. Such a leadership style helps reduce the hurdles for managers and improves their well-being. Furthermore, addressing gender-specific career barriers, such as lack of cultural fit, is the key to enhancing female managers’ well-being.
Originality/value
We turned towards positive psychology and utilised the construct of authentic leadership to address the issues of career barriers and diversity in IT organisations.
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Xiaoning Song, Jiangyan Li and Xue Xia
Notwithstanding its significance as a form of strategic human capital investment, employee training has not yielded consistent conclusions among scholars regarding its impact on…
Abstract
Purpose
Notwithstanding its significance as a form of strategic human capital investment, employee training has not yielded consistent conclusions among scholars regarding its impact on organizational performance. Some studies deem it effective, while others regard it as ineffective. We contend that distinct types of training impact various facets of firm performance.
Design/methodology/approach
In this study, we categorize employee training as either exploitative or explorative. Specifically, we examine their impact on two aspects of organizational performance: short-term performance and long-term competence, using a quasi-experimental setting and a difference-in-differences (DID) method.
Findings
We find that exploitative training is more effective in improving firms’ short-term performance (e.g. firms’ sales revenue), while explorative training is more effective in enhancing firms’ long-term competence (e.g. firms’ innovation output).
Originality/value
The findings of this study illuminate concrete benefits of training for practitioners, suggesting that firms can strategically select employee training category to maximize returns on their investment in strategic human capital based on their strategic orientations.
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Matthew J. Hayes, Michael Killey and Stephanie Tsui
Firm community service initiatives are popular and generally seen as positive developments. However, moral licensing theory suggests engaging in community service (acting morally…
Abstract
Firm community service initiatives are popular and generally seen as positive developments. However, moral licensing theory suggests engaging in community service (acting morally) can facilitate subsequent immoral behavior, which could diminish audit quality. In a series of experiments with practicing auditors, we provide evidence that voluntary community service causes moral licensing, but mandatory service (i.e., participation in a firm-wide event) attenuates moral licensing. Compared to a control group, auditors who voluntarily committed to a service activity engaged in more dysfunctional audit behavior, but auditors who were told they would be participating in a firm-directed service event did not. Our study highlights an unintended consequence of employee volunteerism, and contributes to research on audit quality, and ethical behavior in professional settings.
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Martin Lukes and Manuel Feldmann
The study responds to the calls for multilevel approaches in entrepreneurship research and seeks to answer whether the relationships between personal values and entrepreneurship…
Abstract
Purpose
The study responds to the calls for multilevel approaches in entrepreneurship research and seeks to answer whether the relationships between personal values and entrepreneurship remain stable across different economic conditions, using the unemployment rate as a moderator. It pays attention to the solo self-employed and women, as these groups are particularly vulnerable when crises occur.
Design/methodology/approach
We use Schwartz's theory of human values, which has been understudied in entrepreneurship and follow a correlational research design with micro and macro variables. Multilevel logistic regression is applied to the data from the large sample of 151,032 individuals participating in six waves of the European Social Survey. Solo self-employed are distinguished from those employing others, and analyses are run separately for men and women to understand gender differences.
Findings
The findings show that self-direction and achievement are positively, and benevolence and security negatively related to entrepreneurship. The high unemployment rate lowers the positive relationships with self-direction and achievement and mitigates the negative relationship with security, but only for the solo self-employed and not for employers. Results mostly hold for both genders.
Research limitations/implications
The study suggests that security-related values should not be omitted from entrepreneurship research focused on entrepreneurs' values. It also emphasizes the need to distinguish between various subgroups of entrepreneurs and their motivation, which is important for efficient active labor market policies.
Originality/value
The study utilizes multilevel analyses that account for individual- and country-level influences on entrepreneurial activity. It contributes to understanding how economic context influences value salience and supports the applicability of Schwartz's theory of human values in entrepreneurship.
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Nevine Samir Mohamed Ibrahim Abou Donia
This paper aims to provide an evaluation of the new education system, based on Life Skills and Citizenship Education (LSCE), in Egyptian primary schools. This study analyzes how…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to provide an evaluation of the new education system, based on Life Skills and Citizenship Education (LSCE), in Egyptian primary schools. This study analyzes how effective could be the implementation of LSCE in the process of constructing active democratic citizens, in particular, in the case of Egypt, highlighting problems facing the new education approach.
Design/methodology/approach
The study methodologies are twofold; the content analysis of the primary one new curriculum “Discover”, to assess the curriculum's strengths and weakness; and the questionnaire to the primary six students, to investigate the relationship among the twelve life skills.
Findings
Content analysis of the textbook shows that the learning process based on LSCE is appropriate for the construction of active citizens. The textbook provides Egyptian children with the necessary opportunities to learn and create, through creative participatory methods. The relationship between the social dimension and other dimensions has been proven by means of the chi-square test. The relationship between participation and the two approximately absent skills “resilience and empathy” has been clarified as both are strongly interrelated with participation. The results illuminate a strong relationship between participation and the remaining life skills.
Research limitations/implications
More questionnaires are needed to assess the grade of life skills achievement among students in grade one and two, as it is regarded one of the limitations of the present study, owing to the complicated procedures and the limited time.
Practical implications
The research suggests the formulation of wider project-based activities to be included in the textbooks of all the primary grades. In this regard, real contribution with NGOs and local governments shall be developed to facilitate the involvement of children in actual projects, in accordance with their ages, and to encourage students to participate, as they notice the efficient results of their contribution.
Social implications
The research stresses on the importance of enhancing participation, as it is proven through the chi-square test that it is strongly related to other skills.
Originality/value
The scarcity of analytical studies to evaluate the effectiveness of citizenship education programs on children, after the application of the new Egyptian education system.
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Kritika Khanna, Jagwinder Singh and Sarbjit Singh Bedi
This study aims to build a comprehensive model for developing higher education institutes (HEIs) brand equity by examining the impact of HEIs intangible resources, brand…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to build a comprehensive model for developing higher education institutes (HEIs) brand equity by examining the impact of HEIs intangible resources, brand management aspects, attachment strength and student’s contemporary citizenship behavior (CCB).
Design/methodology/approach
Data were gathered through a self-administered questionnaire from Indian students and alumni (n = 703). The study examines the proposed comprehensive model through serial and multiple mediation analysis.
Findings
The study unfolded “service quality? brand image? attachment strength? word-of-mouth? brand equity” as the most significant path to develop HEI’s brand equity.
Research limitations/implications
This study pioneers an empirically validated mechanism for developing brand equity in HEIs, addressing gaps identified by previous studies and offering a theoretical framework that elucidates how HEIs can leverage intangible resources through strategic brand management to foster attachment and influence positive student behaviors, thereby contributing to the development of HEI brand equity.
Practical implications
HEIs need to understand that relying solely on tangible aspects leads to short-lived effects. To maintain a lasting competitive advantage, HEIs should focus on crafting a rich historical narrative, retaining talented faculty and staff and earning respect from the public to build a lasting reputation.
Originality/value
This study develops the mechanism for developing brand equity of HEIs using its valuable, rare and inimitable intangible resources. Along with the introduction of novel constructs like competence, heritage and word-of-mouth to existing study, the proposed conceptual model is premised on the theory of self-congruence, social-exchange theory and CCB.
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