Pietro Fera, Nicola Moscariello, Michele Pizzo and Giorgio Ricciardi
Although the previous literature considers independent directors as an internal mechanism for good corporate governance and higher financial disclosure quality, in contexts…
Abstract
Purpose
Although the previous literature considers independent directors as an internal mechanism for good corporate governance and higher financial disclosure quality, in contexts characterized by high ownership concentration, they may lack the mandate, the incentives and the ability to be an effective monitoring mechanism. Therefore, this study aims to focus on minority directors and investigate their impact on the earnings management activities for firms with concentrated ownership structures.
Design/methodology/approach
As the slate voting system is a peculiar feature of Italian corporate governance regulations, which gives minority shareholders the right to appoint at least one member of the board of directors (minority directors), this paper carries out a quantitative empirical analysis based on a sample of non-financial companies listed on the Italian Stock Exchange to test the role played by minority directors in increasing incentives towards higher financial reporting quality.
Findings
Robust to different model specifications, including the endogeneity test, empirical findings show a negative relationship between minority directors and earnings management, while no relationship holds between the latter and independent directors, suggesting that minority directors might promote greater directors’ accountability than independent directors in highly concentrated ownership structures.
Originality/value
Relying on the empirical findings, this paper offers new insights on a peculiar internal corporate governance mechanism related to one of the most debated issues among financial market practitioners and regulators, namely, the protection of minority shareholders. Moreover, this paper offers new insights for academics and practitioners on a peculiar governance mechanism that could soon be widely adopted.
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This paper aims to investigate three promotional publications produced by the Postum Cereal Company – A Trip Through Postumville (1920), How I Make Postum (1924) and The Wonderful…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to investigate three promotional publications produced by the Postum Cereal Company – A Trip Through Postumville (1920), How I Make Postum (1924) and The Wonderful Lunch Boxes (1925) – with the aim of understanding how language and other semiotic resources are used to promote its products as good and healthy choices.
Design/methodology/approach
The three publications were collected from the HathiTrust Digital Library and University of South Florida Tampa Special Collections. They were subjected to multimodal critical discourse analysis to tease out their subtle characteristics and how a combination of language, image, colour, typography and composition are used to represent certain ideas and values related to health and well-being.
Findings
The publications subscribe to three distinct genres – “inside the factory”, “friendly spokesperson” and “fictional world” – each of which are aimed at different target audiences. The first seeks to promote Postum as an open and transparent company; the second to promote Postum as a company that cares about its consumers; and the third to promote the health benefits of Postum in a fun and accessible manner. Nonetheless, they are united in their overall objective to link the regular consumption of Postum as essential for good health.
Originality/value
To date, few studies have been conducted on the Postum Cereal Company, while the limited research conducted on promotional publications has tended to overlook discourses of health and well-being. The three genres outlined in this study, thus, have the potential to foster a reappraisal of promotional publications and showcase their ability to offer new understandings on historical approaches to marketing, particularly the link with health and science.
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The purpose of this paper is to make the case for bringing compassion to students in educational settings, preschool through graduate school (PK-20).
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to make the case for bringing compassion to students in educational settings, preschool through graduate school (PK-20).
Design/methodology/approach
First, the author defines what is meant by “compassion” and differentiates it from the related constructs. Next, the author discusses the importance of bringing compassion into education, thinking specifically about preschool, K-12 (elementary and middle school/junior high/high school), college students, and graduate students (e.g. law, medical, nurses, counselors and therapists-in-training). The author then reviews the scant empirical literature on compassion in education and makes recommendations for future research. In the final section, the author makes specific and practical recommendations for the classroom (e.g. how to teach and evaluate compassion in PK-20).
Findings
While there is a fair amount of research on compassion with college students, and specifically regarding compassion for oneself, as the author reviews in this paper, the field is wide open in terms of empirical research with other students and examining other forms of compassion.
Research limitations/implications
This is not a formal review or meta-analysis.
Practical implications
This paper will be a useful resource for teachers and those interested in PK-20 education.
Social implications
This paper highlights the problems and opportunities for bringing compassion into education settings.
Originality/value
To date, no review of compassion in PK-20 exists.
Pilar Giráldez-Puig, Ignacio Moreno, Leticia Perez-Calero and Jaime Guerrero Villegas
This study investigates the relationships between environmental, social, and governance (ESG) controversies and insolvency risk in the insurance sector. Drawing from legitimacy…
Abstract
Purpose
This study investigates the relationships between environmental, social, and governance (ESG) controversies and insolvency risk in the insurance sector. Drawing from legitimacy and stakeholder theories, the authors explore the impact of ESG controversies on insurers’ insolvency risk and the moderating effect of ESG practices on this relationship.
Design/methodology/approach
This study utilises a dataset comprising 120 stock insurance firms spanning from 2011 to 2022. The authors employed system-GMM estimations to control for potential endogeneity and conducted several robustness checks.
Findings
ESG controversy positively influences insurers’ insolvency risk, with ESG practices mitigating these positive effects. The Governance (G) component of ESG practices plays a key role in counteracting the effects of ESG controversies on insurance companies’ insolvency risk.
Originality/value
This is the first study to investigate the direct relationship between ESG controversies and insolvency risk in the insurance industry. It underscores the critical influence of stakeholders’ perceptions of the company’s legitimacy, which is determined by the number of ESG controversies undertaken by the insurer company, on its insolvency risk. Additionally, by examining the three components of ESG practices individually, the authors offer insights into how managers can gain a competitive edge, particularly by utilising governance practices as safeguards against the adverse effects of ESG controversies on their financial risk.
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The purpose of this study is to focus on, namely, the international financial reporting standards (IFRS) or local generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) effects of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to focus on, namely, the international financial reporting standards (IFRS) or local generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) effects of financial reporting as a corporate governance mechanism on mergers and acquisitions (M&As) for banking institutions during the global financial crisis.
Design/methodology/approach
I investigate the characteristics of bank financial statements before the start of the global crisis, which helps to explain the relationships between the accounting standards and the global financial crisis. The observations, which are based on 3,178 deals in a sample period, are crucially important for corporate governance and bank performance. The results from our analysis are robust to a wide variety of modifications in our research design and are corroborated by descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA and a two-sample t-test on a sample of banks that voluntarily adopted IFRS for M&As.
Findings
The find that IFRS-based monitoring of banks M&As in terms of higher quality financial reporting is negatively linked with bank performance, whereas local GAAP-based monitoring of banks’ M&A is positively associated with accounting performance. Finally, our main results for higher quality financial reporting under local GAAP or IFRS generally hold after controlling for various analyses and relationships between account standards and the financial crisis.
Practical implications
Financial reporting standards setting a corporate governance mechanism are considered since it was impacted recently during the global financial crisis and became a great matter of concern.
Originality/value
The value of this paper is determined by an empirical investigation of the relationships between bank performance and accounting and financial reporting standards in the context of the global economy.
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ChangSeob Yeo and Vafa Saboori-Deilami
The purpose of this study is to theoretically clarify under which circumstances MNCs should outsource the innovation function. In the globalization era, multinational companies…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to theoretically clarify under which circumstances MNCs should outsource the innovation function. In the globalization era, multinational companies (MNCs) face the challenge of making a strategic decision. They ought to adjudicate upon outsourcing the research and development, i.e. innovation function and bearing the risks of it, or keeping innovation function in house and paying the price of this decision. This decision becomes more crucial when the host country has dissimilar characteristic and high uncertainty compared to the home country.
Design/methodology/approach
This study is among the very first studies that evaluate the issue of outsourcing innovation for MNCs from a transaction cost economics (TCE) theoretical perspective. By setting forward propositions that serve as a guideline for conditions in which MNCs should outsource innovation, this paper contributes to innovation, new product development, global business and, last but not least, to the TCE literature. This study also provides managerial implications and avenues of future research for academicians.
Findings
This study shows that heterogeneity between the home and host country affects the autonomy of the innovation at the host country; this autonomy in turn leads to higher transaction cost, and finally, transaction cost is the main determinant of the decision on whether to outsource the innovation.
Originality/value
This study fills this gap by looking at the problem of outsourcing innovation from a TCE theoretical perspective and, based on an extensive literature review, puts forward a set of propositions that clarify under which circumstances MNCs should outsource the innovation function.
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Sandra Montalvo-Arroyo, José Manuel de la Torre-Ruiz, María Dolores Vidal-Salazar and Eulogio Cordón-Pozo
This research aims to study the effects of information (on salary, salary reductions and the pandemic's impact on the organization) on the salary satisfaction of workers whose…
Abstract
Purpose
This research aims to study the effects of information (on salary, salary reductions and the pandemic's impact on the organization) on the salary satisfaction of workers whose salary had been cut during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, analyzing the mediating role of salary equity in this relationship.
Design/methodology/approach
Information was acquired with a structured questionnaire sent by email in May 2021 from 251 employees in Spain during the “third wave” of COVID-19. The model was estimated using the weighted least squares mean and variance adjusted (WLSMV).
Findings
Results collected reveal that workers' perceptions of equity fully mediated the relationship between salary information, information on salary cuts and salary satisfaction.
Practical implications
Learning more about the effects of information on salary satisfaction can contribute to communication policies that reduce the negative impact of sensitive salary decisions, practical implications for employees, organizations and policymakers.
Originality/value
This study examines the central role of organizational information as a mechanism for managing problems arising from the pandemic-induced unfavorable working conditions. This study analyzes how this information affects workers' attitudes, highlighting the role of equity as a mediator in this process.
Propósito
Esta investigación pretende estudiar los efectos de la información (sobre el salario, las reducciones salariales y el impacto de la pandemia en la organización) en la satisfacción salarial de los trabajadores que sufrieron reducciones salariales durante la pandemia de COVID-19, analizando el papel mediador de la equidad salarial en esta relación.
Diseño/metodología/enfoque
La información se obtuvo mediante un cuestionario estructurado enviado por correo electrónico en mayo de 2021 a 251 empleados en Espa durante la “tercera ola” de COVID-19. El modelo se estimó utilizando la media ponderada de mínimos cuadrados, y varianza ajustada (WLSMV).
Conclusiones
Los resultados recogidos revelan que la percepción de equidad de los trabajadores media totalmente la relación entre la información salarial y la información de recortes salariales sobre la satisfacción salarial.
Implicaciones prácticas
Aprender más sobre los efectos de la información en la satisfacción salarial puede contribuir a políticas de comunicación que reduzcan el impacto negativo de decisiones salariales delicadas, implicaciones prácticas para empleados, organizaciones y responsables políticos.
Originalidad
Este estudio examina el papel central de la información organizativa como mecanismo de gestión de los problemas derivados de las condiciones laborales desfavorables inducidas por la pandemia. Analiza cómo esta información afecta a las actitudes de los trabajadores, destacando el papel de la equidad como mediador en este proceso.
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Robin B. DiPietro, Kimberly Harris and Dan Jin
The purpose of this study was to investigate restaurant employee behaviors and their likelihood of intervening when witnessing food safety threats.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to investigate restaurant employee behaviors and their likelihood of intervening when witnessing food safety threats.
Design/methodology/approach
A mixed method was used for this study with the focus group interview and survey questionnaire. A total of eight focus groups ranging in number of participants from to 6 to 12 were asked to respond to presented scenarios that depicted restaurant employees committing food safety risk behaviors and threats in the restaurant environment that would present food safety risks such as out-of-stock bathroom supplies, dirty tables in the restaurant dining area, employee personal hygiene issues and unclean production equipment. These participants were also asked to complete a draft of the survey that would later be edited and distributed to the sample population.
Findings
Results suggest that social norms and perceived severity of threats impact the likelihood that restaurant employees will intervene. Implications for academics and practitioners are discussed.
Originality/value
This study was special as it provides a synthetic viewpoint that considers how service organizations can work to do a better job of interviewing employees before starting their jobs about their beliefs and personal practices of food safety at home, their previous work in the restaurant industry and food safety culture that they may have worked in before, as well as increasing the communication in restaurants to build a food safety culture. These practices can help to lower risks to the public regarding food safety and can help to build relationship trust in the brands that we all love to indulge in when dining out.
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Liu Xiayi, Taoyan Yang and Wenhai Wan
Drawing on the attribution theory, this study re-examined the effect of supervisor-subordinate guanxi (SSG) on counterproductive work behaviors (CWBs) by highlighting the critical…
Abstract
Purpose
Drawing on the attribution theory, this study re-examined the effect of supervisor-subordinate guanxi (SSG) on counterproductive work behaviors (CWBs) by highlighting the critical moderating role of job self-efficacy and the mediating role of psychological entitlement, with the aim of revealing the potential drawbacks of SSG.
Design/methodology/approach
Three-wave matched data were collected from 434 employees working in China. The authors adopted path analysis in Mplus 7.4 to test the hypotheses proposed in this study.
Findings
The results suggested that among subordinates with high job self-efficacy, SSG triggers psychological entitlement, which subsequently leads to CWBs.
Originality/value
This research challenges the prevailing consensus regarding the beneficial effects of SSG on subordinate management from the social exchange theory perspective by revealing when and why high-quality SSG can also engender subordinates’ psychological entitlement and subsequent CWBs. By doing so, this study provides a more dialectical view of the impact of establishing high-quality SSG in human resource management.