The purpose of this paper is to present design and analysis of a novel earpiece‐less eyeglass frame.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present design and analysis of a novel earpiece‐less eyeglass frame.
Design/methodology/approach
A virtual assembly process was used to test the part design and finally a prototype was built to check the design.
Findings
Earpiece‐less eyeglasses are easier to adjust for higher comfort levels and do not incorporate leg hinges compared to traditional eye‐glasses. This novel design is unique and will be in mass production.
Originality/value
This paper presents a novel earpiece‐less eyeglasses frame design and will have significant impact to the market.
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Samuel Whiting, Paige Klimentou and Ian Rogers
Masculinity and heavy metal share a clear and well-documented relationship, with many of the key texts on metal centering around its representation of gender (Walser, 1993;…
Abstract
Masculinity and heavy metal share a clear and well-documented relationship, with many of the key texts on metal centering around its representation of gender (Walser, 1993; Weinstein, 1991). Less discussed is masculinity in Australian metal, as Australian metal itself remains underrepresented in scholarly research. In this chapter we discuss the music, media and image of Parkway Drive – a popular metalcore band from Byron Bay, Australia – via a reading of two of the band’s feature-length rockumentary films. We draw on concepts and theories of gender (Butler, 2006), and public image (Leonard, 2007), as well as studies of Australian masculinity, specifically those pertaining to mateship, surfing, and adventurousness. As the metalcore subgenre has not been widely studied, this approach provides a basis for understanding the subgenre as well as its relationship to gender, commercial success, and Australian heavy metal, focussing on the decidedly Anglo-Australian representation of masculinity performed by Parkway Drive. We argue that the band typifies a distinctly Australian type of hegemonic masculinity, one that draws on discussion of Australian identity, beach culture and surfing. We further examine the band’s use of ‘rockumentary’ tropes to build their public image and to tighten affective bonds with viewers.
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Tae-Youn Park, Reed Eaglesham, Jason D. Shaw and M. Diane Burton
Incentives are effective at enhancing productivity, but research also suggests that performance incentives can have “unintended negative consequences” including increases in…
Abstract
Incentives are effective at enhancing productivity, but research also suggests that performance incentives can have “unintended negative consequences” including increases in hazard/injuries, increases in errors, and reduction in cooperation, prosocial behaviors, and creativity. Relatively overlooked is whether, when, and how incentives can be designed to prevent such negative consequences. The authors review literature in several disciplines (construction, healthcare delivery, economics, psychology, and [some] management) on this issue. This chapter, in toto, sheds a generally positive light and suggests that, beyond productivity, incentives can be used to improve other outcomes such as safety, quality, prosocial behaviors, and creativity, particularly when the incentives are thoughtfully designed. The review concludes with several potential fruitful areas for future research such as investigations of incentive-effect duration.
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Positivist deductive research on transformational leadership brings along with it 25 years of researcher presuppositions. Such research not only suggests that a transformational…
Abstract
Purpose
Positivist deductive research on transformational leadership brings along with it 25 years of researcher presuppositions. Such research not only suggests that a transformational leader’s influence is unidirectional but also that transformational leadership theory is a universal theory. In this chapter, I inductively seek to examine board-executive director interactions, free from the shackles of existing theory.
Methodology/approach
The current chapter uses an inductive research approach to the collection and analysis of the empirical material. By being open to surprises in the empirical material, I am able to explore behaviors and relationships, while analyzing a specific context – the nonprofit board-executive director relationship.
Findings
The current study finds evidence that individualized consideration in a governance model frequently occurs in the opposite direction. Despite organizational documents promoting a hierarchical structure, evidence of top-down, collegiality, and bottom-up individualized consideration suggests hierarchical boundaries are commonly crossed in the decision making process.
Research implications
Results of this exploratory study suggest that in a governance context, hierarchical actors do not fit neatly into the boxes defined by 30 years of research on transformational leadership theory, suggesting that the leadership process is more complex than portrayed by current dichotomizations. The findings provide support for recent criticisms of transformational leadership theory.
Practical implications
The findings of this chapter provide evidence of the benefits of eliciting input from organizational actors at multiple hierarchical levels. The empirical evidence provides practitioners with a fresh perspective on board roles and relationship, diverging from the traditional structural prescriptions.
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Zhongtian Li, Jing Jia and Larelle Chapple
This paper aims to uncover the global trend on the relationship between board gender diversity and firm risk. In addition, this paper investigates how country characteristics…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to uncover the global trend on the relationship between board gender diversity and firm risk. In addition, this paper investigates how country characteristics affect the relationship between board gender diversity and firm risk.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses a large sample of firms in 45 countries for the period from 2002 to 2018. Ordinary least square regression is used as a baseline methodology, along with firm fixed effects. Difference-in-differences regression, two-stage least squares regression (instrumental variables approach) and change-on-change regression are adopted to better mitigate endogeneity.
Findings
This study finds that board gender diversity is associated with lower firm risk worldwide. In addition, the negative effect of board gender diversity on firm risk is more pronounced for firms that can more easily attract female directors, and for countries with lower power distance and greater preference for individualism.
Practical implications
The findings offer insights into the intense debate in recent years among academics and practitioners on the effect of board gender diversity on firm outcomes. Shareholders and directors may take the findings into account when they consider appointing female directors. The findings should be of interest to policymakers in countries that have not yet promoted board gender diversity.
Originality/value
By using an international sample with board gender quotas in different countries, this paper provides novel and persuasive evidence regarding the impact of board gender diversity on firm risk. This paper also adds to the literature by showing that the relationship between board gender diversity on firm risk is influenced by country characteristics.
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BRIAN GRIFFIN, BOB USHERWOOD, LL ARDERN, ROSEMARY JACKSON, ALAN DAY, CATHERINE ROTHWELL, ROBERT BALAY, JFW BYRON, JON ELLIOTT, AGS ENSER and MEGAN THOMAS
ALTHOUGH you are reading a professional journal, you may be interested in the impressions of a semi‐outsider, one who has teetered on the edge of the maelstrom of modern…
Abstract
ALTHOUGH you are reading a professional journal, you may be interested in the impressions of a semi‐outsider, one who has teetered on the edge of the maelstrom of modern librarianship without actually having fallen in—yet. The experience may even be salutary; who knows?
Kin Wai Lee and Tiong Yang Thong
This paper examines contextual factors that affect the association between board gender diversity and firm performance.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper examines contextual factors that affect the association between board gender diversity and firm performance.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors use a global sample of listed firms in the tourism industry in 30 countries from 2015 to 2020.
Findings
First, firm performance is positively associated with the proportion of female directors on a board. Second, the positive association between firm performance and the proportion of female directors on the board is higher in (1) countries with stronger shareholder rights, (2) countries with stronger securities law regulation stipulating disclosure of board diversity, (3) countries with stronger economic empowerment of women, and (4) during the COVID-19 crisis. Third, corporate financial distress risk is lower in firms with higher proportion of female directors on the board. Fourth, the negative association between corporate financial distress risk and the proportion of female directors on the board is more pronounced in (1) countries with stronger securities law regulations stipulating disclosure of board gender diversity, (2) countries with stronger economic empowerment of women, and (3) during the COVID-19 crisis.
Originality/value
The results indicate that contextual factors (comprising country-level corporate governance structures, economic empowerment of women and economic crisis) can affect the association between board gender diversity and firm performance.
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The purpose of this paper is to investigate the direct and indirect relationship between board gender diversity and corporate tax avoidance using corporate social responsibility…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the direct and indirect relationship between board gender diversity and corporate tax avoidance using corporate social responsibility (CSR) as a mediating variable.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses a panel dataset of 200 French firms listed during 2007–2018 period. The direct and indirect effects between board gender diversity (BGD) and tax avoidance were tested by using structural equation model analysis.
Findings
The results indicate that the presence of women on corporate boardrooms negatively affects tax avoidance. The greater the proportion of women in boards, the lower the likelihood of tax avoidance practice. In the mediation test, CSR appears to partially mediate the link between women on boards and corporate tax avoidance. Additional analysis shows that the social dimension of CSR produces this mediating effect.
Practical implications
The results have practical implications for companies in regulating the composition of their boards. To benefit from diversity, firms have to increase women‘s percentage in their boards of directors. Also, investors are encouraged to pay attention to the percentage of female directors when investing and purchasing shares.
Social implications
This study proved empirically that the higher proportion of female directors significantly reduces the possibility of tax avoidance either directly or indirectly through enhancing CSR performance. The findings show that firms with gender diversified boards are more likely to get involved in CSR for hedging against the potential consequences of aggressive tax avoidance practices. In light of the above results, firms are well-advised to strongly apply the policy encouraging or mandating women as board members to take advantage of their expected benefits.
Originality/value
The originality of this paper consists in proposing the establishment of both direct and indirect relationships between BGD and corporate tax avoidance through CSR. Unlike prior studies that have been examining the direct relationship between corporate governance mechanisms and corporate tax avoidance, this study went further to investigate the indirect relationship between these two constructs. This study also differs from prior studies as it examines the effect of BGD on each of constituting pillars of CSR, namely, environmental, social and governance. To date, an extensive part of CSR research has used the combined score of CSR, but the effects on different CSR pillars remain little investigated.
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Modern emergency management policy is built around the concepts of shared responsibility and the development of resilient communities. Drawing on the Australian context, this…
Abstract
Modern emergency management policy is built around the concepts of shared responsibility and the development of resilient communities. Drawing on the Australian context, this chapter argues that giving effect to these policy directions will require negotiation between stakeholders and an inevitable trade in values, interests, and resources. The chapter identifies an apparent contradiction at the heart of modern disaster management: that improvements in establishing professional emergency and risk management services may have reduced the capacity of individuals and local communities to take responsibility for disaster preparation and response.