Passent Tantawi and Amr Youssef
Branding issues and corporate social performance (CSP) are growing in importance for both companies and customers. In place marketing, places could be branded as each place should…
Abstract
Purpose
Branding issues and corporate social performance (CSP) are growing in importance for both companies and customers. In place marketing, places could be branded as each place should define and communicate its competitive advantages effectively and adapt to fit the needs of place customers. On the other hand, in Egypt, a major challenge for marketers is retail banking which is experiencing significant changes and entails the marketing of intangible services rather than tangible products. The purpose of this paper is to provide a useful starting point to consider retail banks as place brands, and advise place brand managers about how to integrate their values with CSP and branding issues.
Design/methodology/approach
The study is quantitative in nature, focusing on the relationship between CSP measures and place branding through enhancing brand equity. A total of 220 self‐administered surveys were distributed among bankers and investors of two Egyptian‐based retail banks listed in the CASE (Cairo and Alexandria Stock Exchange).
Findings
Results indicated that there is a lack of association between CSP measures and brand equity measures of retail banks in Egypt. Findings yield useful insights for both academics, and corporate and brand practitioners about the importance of synthesizing brand equity of a place with CSP in the banking sector.
Research limitations/implications
A longitudinal and qualitative research is required to investigate how customers perceive retail banks' brands in Egypt and whether or not they value banks applying CSP. A quantitative study should be conducted on a larger sample to generalize findings within the banking sector.
Practical implications
CSP is mainly driven by external pressures such as pressure of international financial institutions. This will only encourage passive compliance without any effective change on the ground in terms of greater corporate accountability and transparency. Banks should emphasize their CSP to develop or enhance their brand equity.
Social implications
Results depicted that if the individuals themselves can conduct their businesses in an ethical and sustainable manner, then companies will inevitably conform to any external CSP standard that will be utilized in the development of place brands image and the welfare of the society.
Originality/value
Limited research has addressed the relationship between CSP and place branding. This study draws a model that investigates the relationship between applying corporate social responsibility (CSR) and place branding through improving brand equity of retail banks in a developing country, namely Egypt. Results of this research might be of interest to companies, practitioners, and society concerning the role of CSR in developing a place brand.
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Tiago Ratinho and Saras D. Sarasvathy
Entrepreneurial action under uncertainty has captured the interest of scholars and practitioners alike. However, this growing body of research has yet to connect entrepreneurial…
Abstract
Purpose
Entrepreneurial action under uncertainty has captured the interest of scholars and practitioners alike. However, this growing body of research has yet to connect entrepreneurial action with actual actions of entrepreneurs. We combine insights from effectuation theory and the psychology of entrepreneurship to investigate drivers of entrepreneurial actions involved in starting and running ventures, particularly optimism, self-efficacy and the use of causal and effectual logics.
Design/methodology/approach
The study employs a unique mixed-method approach combining a survey with experience sampling data. After measuring demographics, preference for effectual or causal logics and psychological variables, the 197 US entrepreneurs sampled entrepreneurs logged their daily actions in the form of asks during 60 consecutive days.
Findings
Results suggest that self-efficacy and causal logics are key drivers of entrepreneurial actions, while optimism serves as a deterrent. Interestingly, the impact of self-efficacy on actions is moderated by the entrepreneur’s experience level, measured both in years and past asking experience.
Originality/value
The potential of the ask as the basic mechanism for entrepreneurial actions is explored. Based on the findings, the authors offer new and fertile insights by linking psychological traits to entrepreneurial actions, causal and effectual logics and entrepreneurial expertise development.
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This paper aims to shed light on how children's literature in Africa deserves to be studied because African writers “decolonize” the minds of African children and children and…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to shed light on how children's literature in Africa deserves to be studied because African writers “decolonize” the minds of African children and children and adults around the world.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper defines children's literature from an African perspective and the “decolonization of the mind.” This is done to examine how two African writers provide narratives for children inspired by their cultures. They deal with themes, characters and symbols that interest children and adults.
Findings
Achebe and Youssef crossed many borders: the world of children and adults, animals and humans, vice and virtue, supernatural and real. Their stories take the reader on journeys that involve enriching, engaging and inspiring adventures.
Research limitations/implications
Youssef and Achebe are prolific writers. Providing a survey of what is available in Arabic and Nigerian literature for children, is beyond the scope of this paper.
Practical implications
This paper sends a message to those in charge of the curriculum in schools in Egypt, the Arab countries, Africa and the world at large: decolonize the syllabi in schools because the world is not black and white. Literature for children that encourages critical thinking is available by African writers in Egypt, Nigeria and elsewhere.
Social implications
The works discussed show that African writers are creative, and their works inspire the African child with pride in his/her identity, culture and heritage.
Originality/value
To the best of the author’s knowledge, no one has compared Egyptian and Nigerian literature for children before. Youssef and Achebe provide evidence that “Good literature gives the child a place in the world … and the world a place in the child.” – Astrid Lindgren.
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Amr ElAlfy, John Quigley, Leilei Tang, Youssef Al Hariri and Olaf Weber
With the recent conclusion of the United Nations Conference of the Parties (COP) 28 in the United Arab Emirates, this study aims to investigate the tweeting behaviour of firms…
Abstract
Purpose
With the recent conclusion of the United Nations Conference of the Parties (COP) 28 in the United Arab Emirates, this study aims to investigate the tweeting behaviour of firms surrounding COP events. The authors analyse the environmental, social and governance (ESG) tweets from the COP 26 and COP 27 events, aiming to deepen the understanding of the complex relationships between social media communication, industry characteristics and financial performance. This timely analysis is critical for assessing how the latest global discussions on climate change are influencing corporate communication strategies on sustainability, offering fresh insights into the evolving dynamics of ESG engagement in the context of these pivotal international meetings.
Design/methodology/approach
In this study, the authors embrace a grounded theory approach to gain insights into the ESG and sustainability initiatives presented by companies on social media, with an intensified focus on climate change discourse. Leveraging advanced social media analytics, this study expands its scope by conducting a thorough examination of ESG-related tweets from Standard and Poor’s (S&P) 500 companies. In addition, the authors explore the relationships between such communication efforts and financial performance, applying an advanced cumulative abnormal returns (CARs) model. This methodological enhancement enables a more sophisticated understanding of how ESG communication on Twitter correlates with, and potentially influences, a firm’s market valuation and financial health, offering invaluable insights into the strategic importance of digital sustainability discourse.
Findings
The research findings introduce four novel distinct groups – Unengaged, Catalysts, Cautious and Shapers – based on firms’ proactive or reactive sustainability communication patterns. The results explore the potential impact of COP event locations on tweeting behaviour, proposing that conferences held in different regions, such as Asia versus Europe, may elicit varied reactions from S&P 500 firms. Despite no significant inter-industry differences in tweeting habits, the authors discover a significant link between firms’ financial metrics, specifically CARs, and their categorised communication styles. The results challenge the simplistic view that higher social media engagement leads to positive financial outcomes, suggesting instead that lower financial performance may drive firms to adopt more extreme communication patterns, possibly as a strategic move to enhance corporate legitimacy.
Originality/value
This study offers new insights into how companies use social media during significant climate change events, namely, COP events. By classifying firms according to their ESG communication approaches, the results reveal uncharted correlations between how companies communicate on social media, namely, Twitter, and the correlation to financial performance.
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To what extent can resiliency reduce negative work outcomes to help employees recover from failure? This study investigates how the interaction of trait resiliency and mistake…
Abstract
To what extent can resiliency reduce negative work outcomes to help employees recover from failure? This study investigates how the interaction of trait resiliency and mistake tolerance play key roles in reducing turnover intention in organizations. Specifically, trait resiliency is hypothesized to be negatively related to managerial turnover intentions. Moreover, the author investigates the interactive role of perceived mistake tolerance as a situational factor that may impact the extent to which resiliency decreases turnover intentions. In a sample of 209 working managers and executives, moderated path modeling reveals that resiliency reduces turnover intentions. Additionally, results suggest a more nuanced view that takes into consideration the interaction of trait resiliency and perceptions of mistake tolerance in reducing turnover intentions.
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Da Teng, Moustafa Salman Haj Youssef and Chengchun Li
This paper builds upon managerial discretion literature to study the relationship between foreign ownership and bribery intensity.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper builds upon managerial discretion literature to study the relationship between foreign ownership and bribery intensity.
Design/methodology/approach
Building on World Bank’s data of 9,386 firms from 125 countries over the period 2006–2018, this paper uses Tobit regression, ordered probit and logit models to empirically test the hypotheses.
Findings
This paper finds that firms have higher bribery intensity when executives have a higher level of managerial discretion. Smaller firms with slack financial resources tend to bribe more when they face more government intervention, munificent and uncertain industrial environment.
Originality/value
Extant corruption literature has addressed the effects of external institutional settings and internal corporate governance on bribery offering among multinational enterprises (MNEs). How much, and under what condition do top executives matter in bribery activities are yet to be answered. This paper integrates the concept of managerial discretion with corruption and bribery literature and offers a potential answer to the above question. In addition, prior corruption and bribery literature have primarily studied bribery through either micro- or macro-level analysis. This paper adopts multiple-level of analyses and elucidates the foreign ownership and bribery relationship from the organizational and industrial levels.
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Thanh D. Nguyen, Thi H. Cao, Tuan M. Nguyen and Tuan T. Nguyen
This literature review aims to explore the various aspects of psychological capital (PsyCap), including its theoretical foundations, measurement methods, and the factors directly…
Abstract
Purpose
This literature review aims to explore the various aspects of psychological capital (PsyCap), including its theoretical foundations, measurement methods, and the factors directly associated with PsyCap.
Design/methodology/approach
The approach employed in this study is scientific document synthesis, with a specific emphasis on scholarly articles published between 2001 and 2023. The selection of articles is limited to those published in internationally renowned journals that are indexed by reputable databases, including ISI (WoS) and SJR (Scopus).
Findings
Psychological capital is closely linked to other concepts at different levels. Scholars are investigating various factors associated with PsyCap, including health, project success, service marketing, banking services. It is important to note that different research areas have varying conceptualizations and scales when it comes to PsyCap.
Originality/value
This literature review of related studies reveals a growing global interest among researchers in the concept of positive psychological capital. The research results have shown significant interest in the items related to PsyCap, and and the factors directly associated with it, including antecedents, mediators, moderators, and outcomes.
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Danielle D. King, Richard P. DeShon, Cassandra N. Phetmisy and Dominique Burrows
In this chapter, the authors present a conceptual perspective on resilience that is grounded in self-regulation theory, to help address theoretical, empirical, and practical…
Abstract
In this chapter, the authors present a conceptual perspective on resilience that is grounded in self-regulation theory, to help address theoretical, empirical, and practical concerns in this domain. Despite the growing popularity of resilience research (see Linnenluecke, 2017), scholars have noted ongoing concerns about conceptual confusion and resulting, paradoxical, stigmatization associated with the label “resilience” (e.g., Adler, 2013; Britt, Shen, Sinclair, Grossman, & Klieger, 2016; Luthar, Cicchetti, & Becker, 2000). The authors seek to advance this domain via presenting a clarified, theoretically grounded conceptualization that can facilitate unified theoretical advancements, aligned operationalization, research model development, and intervention improvements. Resilience is defined here as continued, self-regulated goal striving (e.g., behavioral and/or psychological) despite adversity (i.e., after goal frustration). This self-regulatory conceptualization of resilience offers theoretically based definitions for the necessary conditions (i.e., adversity and overcoming) and outlines specific characteristics (i.e., unit-centered and dynamic) of resilience, distinguishes resilience from other persistence-related concepts (e.g., grit and hardiness), and provides a framework for understanding the connections (and distinctions) between resilience, performance, and well-being. After presenting this self-regulatory resilience perspective, the authors outline additional paths forward for the domain.