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Article
Publication date: 1 November 2018

Allan Chang

This paper aims to provide more insights into the standard of corporate governance in New Zealand. The study intends to uncover how a small country with a well-developed economy…

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Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to provide more insights into the standard of corporate governance in New Zealand. The study intends to uncover how a small country with a well-developed economy with a good system of law and order, good institutional set up and law enforcements and implements the principles contained in the FMA’s corporate governance guidelines in practice.

Design/methodology/approach

The study is a mixed study one where it employs case study content analysis and augmented by conducting interviews. Large companies are selected to ascertain the level of compliance of NZ companies towards their obligations to report on corporate governance practices within the organisation. At the first stage, the study uses content analysis and looks at contents of company annual reports and publications on websites to determine whether they had disclosed as intended by New Zealand’s corporate governance guidelines.

Findings

The study found that a high compliance was recorded in areas such as board composition and board committees and low compliance recorded in areas involving costly implementation or when the issue is sensitive such as disclosures regarding remuneration details of directors and what non-audit work was undertaken and whether it compromises auditor independence. Being a small country, NZ has performed well in attracting foreign investment due to its strong tradition of law enforcement and respect for regulations. With greater awareness of the importance of corporate governance to investors, companies may see the benefit of greater compliance with the corporate governance guidelines. This is in line with the stakeholder theory and resource dependency theory where companies will voluntarily disclose information on corporate governance, social and environmental performance over and above mandatory requirements to appease and manage their stakeholders.

Research limitations/implications

The sample size of this study represents 3 per cent of total listed companies in New Zealand, but the sample is approximately 10 per cent of local NZ listed companies (i.e. not dual listed in Australia). There are 36 large companies in the New Zealand stock market with market capitalisation of 1 billion and above. In addition, the companies selected for this study are well-known in New Zealand, and it is acknowledged that this can be a source of bias in my analysis.

Practical implications

As was revealed during the interviews with company’s senior officials, Australian companies have achieved a higher level of compliance with the code of corporate governance. In this regard, New Zealand will have to step up and follow Australia’s lead to ensure greater compliance with the New Zealand corporate governance principles and guidelines. It would be in the best interest of the company’s stakeholders if full compliance is achieved.

Originality/value

Studies on the level of compliance by New Zealand companies on their obligations to meet the full extent of disclosures as stipulated by the New Zealand corporate governance guidelines are rare. This study aims to ascertain the standard of corporate governance reporting in New Zealand and the company’s seriousness to comply or attempt to meet the requirements in the seven stipulated principles.

Details

Journal of Financial Regulation and Compliance, vol. 26 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1358-1988

Keywords

Abstract

Details

Review of Marketing Research
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-0-7656-1306-6

Article
Publication date: 23 March 2010

Erica Amari, Christine Vandebeek, Carolyne J. Montgomery, Erik Skarsgard and J. Mark Ansermino

Patient questionnaires are popular tools for assessing and improving service quality, especially as administrators are increasingly expected to consider the patient's voice in…

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Abstract

Purpose

Patient questionnaires are popular tools for assessing and improving service quality, especially as administrators are increasingly expected to consider the patient's voice in their decision making. Despite web‐based questionnaire advantages, they have not been previously compared to telephone questionnaires for assessing quality. The purpose of this paper is to compare telephone questionnaire administration with a web‐based version.

Design/methodology/approach

Day surgery patients from a tertiary pediatric hospital completed a telephone interview and a web‐based questionnaire with identical questions. The appropriateness of the web version as a telephone version substitute was ascertained by comparing the number of changes in responses, non‐responses, differences in means, the number of non‐substantive responses and reliability.

Findings

The web‐based questionnaire tended towards more negative responses. The mean number of missing responses did not differ between versions, although the web‐questionnaire had more “not sure” responses. Inter‐rater reliability was acceptable.

Research limitations/implications

Parents without internet access were unable to participate.

Practical implications

The web‐based questionnaire is a good substitute for telephone‐administered questionnaires.

Originality/value

The paper shows that parents were able to rate items more candidly owing to the increase in privacy and lack of interviewer bias, which is crucial for improving health service quality.

Details

International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, vol. 23 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0952-6862

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 6 December 2024

Elizabeth J. Allan and David J. Kerschner

This chapter reviews literature on hazing and hazing prevention specific to university athletics, with an emphasis on US and Canadian contexts. A synthesis of studies related to…

Abstract

This chapter reviews literature on hazing and hazing prevention specific to university athletics, with an emphasis on US and Canadian contexts. A synthesis of studies related to the nature and extent of student-athlete hazing and gender, sexuality and hazing is shared followed by a summary of public health-based approaches to hazing prevention and athlete-specific hazing prevention strategies.

Details

Cultures of Sport Hazing and Anti-Hazing Initiatives for the 21st Century
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-83753-556-9

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 26 April 2023

Kim-Lim Tan, Adriel K.S. Sim, Steffi Sze-Nee Yap, Sanhakot Vithayaporn and Ani Wahyu Rachmawati

Meaningful work is gaining importance in the core domains of human resources research. However, there is confusion regarding what constitutes meaningful work and its determinants…

1071

Abstract

Purpose

Meaningful work is gaining importance in the core domains of human resources research. However, there is confusion regarding what constitutes meaningful work and its determinants and outcomes. Earlier studies have conflated conceptual and empirical arguments. Hence, researchers lack clear insights into factors related to employees' experiences of meaningfulness. This study aims to discuss the aforementioned issue.

Design/methodology/approach

The authorsconducted a systematic literature review (SLR) of 88 studies (2000–2020) meeting relevant criteria to identify dominant trends and significant gaps in the authors’ understanding of meaningful work.

Findings

This review identified six aspects to conceptualize meaningful work. At the same time, the authors highlighted the dominant theory and the instrument used to explain and measure meaningful work. Based on the same, the authors identified different groups of individual and organizational-level determinants and outcomes of finding meaning in work. The analysis also indicates that the comprehension of meaningful work was restricted because most data were obtained from the USA, Europe and certain regions of Asia. During this assessment, the authors observed that several studies emphasized individual-level effects, self-reporting and cross-sectional studies, which restricted the ability to make causal inferences.

Originality/value

This study extends earlier works where the authors stock-take existing research for the past 20 years and build on past trajectories to enrich the authors’ understanding of meaningful work. Unlike earlier works that focused on a specific domain, such as human resource development, this work differentiates by taking an integrated framework-based approach leveraging the antecedents, decisions and outcomes (ADO) and the theories, contexts and method (TCM) framework to consolidate and advance knowledge in the field thoroughly.

Details

Journal of Advances in Management Research, vol. 20 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0972-7981

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 25 May 2018

W. David Holford

This paper aims to show agential realism as the basis for a pertinent framework with regard to the entwined, on-going and interpretative aspects of knowledge.

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to show agential realism as the basis for a pertinent framework with regard to the entwined, on-going and interpretative aspects of knowledge.

Design/methodology/approach

The knowledge flow phenomenon in the form of entanglement and agential “cuts” within the workplace is studied and described across a phenomenological ethnographic case study of two workgroups within an aircraft engine manufacturing context.

Findings

The boundary construction phenomenon is a key process helping us to depict knowledge entanglement (tacit and explicit) across dialogue and non-verbal actions. Dialogue brings forth the aspect of knowledge as interpretations or “cuts.” A phenomenological analysis allows us to identify and describe various levels of tacit–explicit knowledge entanglement depending on the mode of coping at hand. Also highlighted was the importance of heuristics carried out by knowledge experts, often in the form of abduction (i.e. leading to rules of thumb).

Research limitations/implications

It is acknowledged that the relatively narrow context of the empirical work limits the ability to generalize the findings and arguments. As such, additional work is required to investigate the validity of the findings across a wider spectrum of workgroup contexts.

Practical implications

Agential realism allows for the analysis of organizations as a world of practice and actions, whereby long-established categories can be requestioned and challenged with the aim of sharing the full richness and benefit of embodied knowledge between human actors.

Originality/value

Ethnographic descriptions of the entwined nature of tacit and explicit knowledge, the embodied and activity-based dimension of knowledge and learning, as well as the characteristic of knowledge as possession, correspond well to an agential realist concept of phenomenon, entanglement and cuts. Furthermore, agential realism offers the opportunity to view the workplace as individuals (or groups) who act out embodied tacit-explicit knowledge in conjunction with non-human entities (such as objects, as well as communication and information technologies), with the latter acting as enhancers of knowledge creation and sharing.

Details

Journal of Knowledge Management, vol. 22 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1367-3270

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 16 January 2017

Yan Chang-Richards, Suzanne Wilkinson, Erica Seville and David Brunsdon

The purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate the effects of a major disaster on the management of human resources in the construction sector. It sets out to identify…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate the effects of a major disaster on the management of human resources in the construction sector. It sets out to identify the construction skills challenges and the factors that affected skills availability following the 2010/2011 earthquakes in Christchurch. It is hoped that this study will provide insights for on-going reconstruction and future disaster response with respect to the problem of skills shortages.

Design/methodology/approach

A triangulation method was adopted. The quantitative method, namely, a questionnaire survey, was employed to provide a baseline description. Field observations and interviews were used as a follow-up to ascertain issues and potential shortages over time. Three focus groups in the form of research workshops were convened to gain further insight into the feedback and to investigate the validity and applicability of the research findings.

Findings

The earthquakes in Christchurch had compounded the pre-existing skills shortages in the country due to heightened demand from reconstruction. Skills shortages primarily existed in seismic assessment and design for land and structures, certain trades, project management and site supervision. The limited technical capability available nationally, shortage of temporary accommodation to house additional workers, time needed for trainees to become skilled workers, lack of information about reconstruction workloads and lack of operational capacity within construction organisations, were critical constraints to the resourcing of disaster recovery projects.

Research limitations/implications

The research findings contribute to the debate on skills issues in construction. The study provides evidence that contributes to an improved understanding of the industry’s skills vulnerability and emerging issues that would likely exist after a major disaster in a resource-limited country such as New Zealand.

Practical implications

From this research, decision makers and construction organisations can gain a clear direction for improving the construction capacity and capability for on-going reconstruction. Factors that affected the post-earthquake skills availability can be considered by decision makers and construction organisations in their workforce planning for future disaster events. The recommendations will assist them in addressing skills shortages for on-going reconstruction.

Originality/value

Although the study is country-specific, the findings show the nature and scale of skills challenges the construction industry is likely to face following a major disaster, and the potential issues that may compound skills shortages. It provides lessons for other disaster-prone countries where the resource pool is small and a large number of additional workers are needed to undertake reconstruction.

Details

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, vol. 24 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-9988

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 25 October 2019

Liz McDonnell, Lesley Murray, Tamsin Hinton-Smith and Nuno Ferreira

‘Living together apart’ (LTA) is the practice of remaining in close domestic proximity following the ending of an intimate relationship. Using the conceptual framework of families…

Abstract

‘Living together apart’ (LTA) is the practice of remaining in close domestic proximity following the ending of an intimate relationship. Using the conceptual framework of families in motion, in which families are re-envisioned as in flow, responding to all kinds of disruptions, chosen and unchosen, by ‘holding on’, adapting, adjusting and redirecting, this chapter explores the family practices involved in LTA. Using collaborative autoethnography – a research process in which the authors jointly explored data from their own lives – the authors were able to develop an understanding of LTA that was attentive to everyday life and the interconnections of time and space within families. The authors found that when families are living within less normative constellations, there are fewer scripts to rely upon and the potential for non-legitimacy and anxiety increases. The data also showed how deeply families are embedded in practices that are always in relation to an experienced past and imagined future. The importance of having a family story to tell that ‘works’ socially and emotionally, as well as having a home that can spatially encompass such new flows in family lives, is crucial.

Details

Families in Motion: Ebbing and Flowing through Space and Time
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78769-416-3

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 6 September 2022

Allan Discua Cruz, Jose Mario Reyes Hernandez and Carlos Roberto Arias Arévalo

This study aims to focus on understanding the tensions experienced by government officials in introducing electronic government (e-government) policies to support entrepreneurs in…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to focus on understanding the tensions experienced by government officials in introducing electronic government (e-government) policies to support entrepreneurs in a developing Latin American country.

Design/methodology/approach

This study relies on an in-depth qualitative approach based on collaborative and analytic auto-ethnography. The authors concentrate on tensions experienced by a government official and how they were addressed when introducing e-government policies to support entrepreneurs during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Findings

The findings reveal that paradoxical tensions occur as changes are demanded, multiple concerns are expressed and decisions about resources have to be made. The findings reveal sources of tensions from government, business and external sources. Addressing such tensions revolves around a diverse form of paradoxes dealing with contradictions in terms of speed vs thoroughness and short- vs long-term implications.

Research limitations/implications

The authors’ study provides several contributions. It advances understanding on the source and management of tensions experienced by government officials introducing e-government policies to support entrepreneurs during the Covid-19 pandemic. It also delineates multiple paradoxes experienced by government officials as new policies and systems were introduced. Finally, it offers a conceptual model explaining how government officials deal with multiple tensions emerging from the introduction of e-government policies in a developing country.

Originality/value

The prior literature has suggested that e-government initiatives would be guided by a prescriptive and tension-free process, driven by the interest to enhance governmental efficiency. This study reveals that developing e-government initiatives for entrepreneurs and existing businesses during the Covid-19 crisis was not immune to contradictions between government officials and the public. A conceptual model, based on multiple sources of tensions (government-related, business-related and external sources) and their management, is proposed. Implications and opportunities for further research are presented.

Details

Information Technology & People, vol. 36 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-3845

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 7 November 2016

David Allan and Stephanie A. Tryce

The purpose of this paper is to quantify and qualify the commercials in the Super Bowl.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to quantify and qualify the commercials in the Super Bowl.

Design/methodology/approach

This study is a content analysis of the placement of popular music in Super Bowl advertisements over a ten-year period (2005-2014).

Findings

More than a quarter of the commercials analyzed contained popular music. Although the use of popular music in commercials vacillated from year to year, popular music was most often observed in the product category of beverages; the music treatment most often used was original vocals; and song lyrics were most often relevant to the narrative of the commercial, rather than the brand.

Originality/value

This study extends the growing body of Super Bowl advertising research to popular music in commercials and provides a benchmark for all future research in this area.

Details

International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship, vol. 17 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1464-6668

Keywords

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