Gary Lynch-Wood and David Williamson
This paper aims to examine social licence in the context of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Social and economic actors can assist in protecting the environment by…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine social licence in the context of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Social and economic actors can assist in protecting the environment by granting firms a social licence. The social licence is regarded as a regulatory trigger, which some claim can improve organisational practices and possibly induce beyond compliance behaviour.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper uses data from interviews with the owners and managers of 110 manufacturing SMEs.
Findings
Social licence pressures are generally weak, while traditional regulation remains essential for encouraging and sustaining environmental activity. That said, the data show important differences across firms, for some SMEs are influenced by and responsive to social licence pressures. Typically, these pressures derive from stakeholders who pursue a relatively narrow self-interest (rather than public interest) mandate, and focus on particular issues rather than broader objectives of environmental responsibility. When responding to pressures, SMEs are likely to take specific and focused actions that address specific stakeholder concerns.
Research limitations/implications
Fresh insights are provided into the social licence and smaller firms. Contrary to previous views, there are circumstances where the social licence provides a limited and tailored regulatory tool for initiating change, and it typically leads to firms making alterations to business practices that tend to be low-cost and easy to implement. The social licence can provide a consensual micro-social contract and limited public interest service, and, subject to supporting circumstances, it may be extendable to other types of smaller firms.
Social implications
The paper presents fresh insights into the relationship between SMEs and social and economic stakeholders.
Originality/value
The paper provides new insights into how relevant stakeholders can influence the environmental behaviour of small firms.
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David Williamson and Gary Lynch‐Wood
Presents the findings of a UK‐based study into the environmental practices of SMEs (i.e. small and medium‐sized enterprises employing up to 250 people). The firms were found to…
Abstract
Presents the findings of a UK‐based study into the environmental practices of SMEs (i.e. small and medium‐sized enterprises employing up to 250 people). The firms were found to be environmentally “reactive”, and this is explained by reference to a system of interconnected and negatively reinforcing practices. This is corroborated by organisational self‐assessments, with firms accepting that they have a low commitment to environmental issues. It was apparent that the firms would like to improve their environmental performance, but the authors argue that meaningful progress will be achieved only if there is a shift to a more proactive model of environmental practices.
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The author examines the historical and political background to the creation of the Securities and Exchange Commission, identifying the use made by its architects of earlier…
Abstract
The author examines the historical and political background to the creation of the Securities and Exchange Commission, identifying the use made by its architects of earlier English company legislation to define its regulatory remit; before making a detailed evaluation of its structure and powers. The paper continues by setting out the major procedural functions of the Commission before ending with a comparative analysis of its regulatory functions and effectiveness.
Defines intranet, outlining the differences between the Internet and an intranet. Examines the benefits an intranet can bring, outlining the arguments for and against its value in…
Abstract
Defines intranet, outlining the differences between the Internet and an intranet. Examines the benefits an intranet can bring, outlining the arguments for and against its value in organizations. Concludes by outlining some of the problems of implementing an intranet and making some forecasts on the future of intranets.
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George J. Moscarino, Laura Tuell Parcher and Michael R. Shumaker
The corporate disclosure decision is one of the most difficult decisions any corporation, its management and counsel will face. If a corporation learns that it or one of its…
Abstract
The corporate disclosure decision is one of the most difficult decisions any corporation, its management and counsel will face. If a corporation learns that it or one of its employees has engaged in a fraud or crime, the corporation, through its officers and directors, must decide whether it should disclose the fraud or crime to the government and, if the decision to disclose is made, what the scope of the disclosure should be. These decisions are fraught with dangers which threaten to expose the corporation and its employees to civil and criminal liability.
David Williamson and Gary Lynch‐Wood
This paper seeks to examine the introduction, in the UK, of reporting on social and environmental matters in the Companies Act 1985 (Operating and Financial Review and Directors'…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper seeks to examine the introduction, in the UK, of reporting on social and environmental matters in the Companies Act 1985 (Operating and Financial Review and Directors' Report etc.) Regulations 2005 and the subsequent changes embodied in the Companies Act 2006. It aims to explore the potential impact of these reporting requirements on corporate legitimacy. Legitimacy is important because it reflects, and arises out of, society's support for the activities of the company.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper compares the Companies Act 1985 (Operating and Financial Review and Directors' Report etc.) Regulations 2005 with the Companies Act 2006. A postal survey was used to collect data from 79 companies that were affected by the operating and financial review. The reactions of different stakeholder groups to the changes in the law are assessed using secondary data sources, and issues surrounding legitimacy are analyzed using appropriate literature.
Findings
Companies that had to comply with the requirements of the operating and financial review were sufficiently prepared for its implementation and, given the choice, preferred the operating and financial review to be statutory. The authors therefore argue that the reasons for repealing the operating and financial review were overstated. Also, legitimacy theory indicates that the new reporting requirements are unlikely to meet the information needs of all stakeholders.
Originality/value
The paper provides a valuable analysis of how corporate social responsibility, which is deemed to be important for sustainable development, has been incorporated in law. It also provides a valuable analysis of how the law will affect corporate legitimacy.
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In his review of 30 years of research in Prospect Theory, Barberis (2013) notes that support for Prospect Theory had come mainly from the laboratory. In this paper, I write about…
Abstract
In his review of 30 years of research in Prospect Theory, Barberis (2013) notes that support for Prospect Theory had come mainly from the laboratory. In this paper, I write about a recurring phenomenon in real life that is consistent with Prospect Theory predictions in decision-making loss domain. The 60 cases noted in this paper are associated with specific risk seekers that had cost more than $140 billion (an average of $2.33 billion per case). Given space consider– ations, I provide synopses for 14 cases. A few of these cases have been discussed in the extant literature in connection with internal control, but were not considered from the perspective of Prospect Theory. It is striking that these cases are costly, all participants are young men, and almost all had followed the gambler’s martingale strategy – i.e., double down. While these cases are informative about risk-seeking behavior, they are not sufficiently systematic to be subjected to stylized archival research methods.
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Austin Sarat, Kyra Ellis-Moore, Abraham Kanter, Christina Won and Abigail Xu
This paper examines coverage of America’s death penalty in “mainstream” and “radical” newspapers in the 1970s. That decade was a crucial period for capital punishment, and…
Abstract
This paper examines coverage of America’s death penalty in “mainstream” and “radical” newspapers in the 1970s. That decade was a crucial period for capital punishment, and newspapers during that time helped set the trajectory of the public’s awareness and understanding for the remainder of the twentieth century. While scholars have recognized the role played by newspaper framing of capital punishment, most have limited their consideration to the mainstream press. We broaden the consideration to the radical press and note similarities in the treatment of the moral status of the death penalty across newspapers of different types. We find that the radical press was more likely to portray it as an instrument of racial and class oppression. In addition, long before mainstream papers attended to questions about the reliability of the death penalty system, radical papers were calling attention to the number of innocent people who were erroneously sentenced to death. Like dissenting opinions in judicial decisions, the radical press highlighted issues not emphasized in mainstream papers and foresaw concerns that would become important in the death penalty debate a decade or two later.
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Amy Lynch, Hayley Alderson, Gary Kerridge, Rebecca Johnson, Ruth McGovern, Fiona Newlands, Deborah Smart, Carrie Harrop and Graeme Currie
Young people who are looked after by the state face challenges as they make the transition from care to adulthood, with variation in support available. In the past decade, funding…
Abstract
Purpose
Young people who are looked after by the state face challenges as they make the transition from care to adulthood, with variation in support available. In the past decade, funding has been directed towards organisations to pilot innovations to support transition, with accompanying evaluations often conducted with a single disciplinary focus, in a context of short timescales and small budgets. Recognising the value and weight of the challenge involved in evaluation of innovations that aim to support the transitions of young people leaving care, this paper aims to provide a review of evaluation approaches and suggestions regarding how these might be developed.
Design/methodology/approach
As part of a wider research programme to improve understanding of the innovation process for young people leaving care, the authors conducted a scoping review of grey literature (publications which are not peer reviewed) focusing on evaluation of innovations in the UK over the past 10 years. The authors critiqued the evaluation approaches in each of the 22 reports they identified with an inter-disciplinary perspective, representing social care, public health and organisation science.
Findings
The authors identified challenges and opportunities for the development of evaluation approaches in three areas. Firstly, informed by social care, the authors suggest increased priority should be granted to participatory approaches to evaluation, within which involvement of young people leaving care should be central. Secondly, drawing on public health, there is potential for developing a common outcomes’ framework, including methods of data collection, analysis and reporting, which aid comparative analysis. Thirdly, application of theoretical frameworks from organisation science regarding the process of innovation can drive transferable lessons from local innovations to aid its spread.
Originality/value
By adopting the unique perspective of their multiple positions, the authors’ goal is to contribute to the development of evaluation approaches. Further, the authors hope to help identify innovations that work, enhance their spread, leverage resources and influence policy to support care leavers in their transitions to adulthood.
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Carmen Iuliana Mal and Gary Davies
The purpose of this paper is to test if the order in which potential customers receive company related information and product related information about a new brand can influence…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to test if the order in which potential customers receive company related information and product related information about a new brand can influence their trust and purchase intentions towards that brand. The empirical context is when both product and company are new to a market and share a brand name.
Design/methodology/approach
Two experiments, each involving a different product type, are used to test whether higher trust and purchase intentions towards a new brand are likely when company related information is provided first compared to when product related information is provided first.
Findings
Company related information is more diagnostic than product related information and carries more weight in initial consumer trust judgements particularly when it is evaluated first. There is a similar primacy effect on purchase intentions but one mediated by initial trust. The effect is more pronounced for product types that involve a higher perceived risk when buying.
Research limitations/implications
This paper adds to our understanding of the respective roles of corporate and product communication in the process of brand trust formation for newly launched brands by evidencing and explaining primacy effects related to the greater diagnosticity of corporate brand information.
Practical implications
Market entrants should communicate information about their company before promoting their products.
Originality/value
While prior work has shown that both company and product related information can influence customers’ trust towards a new brand, there has been no assessment of the benefits from ordering these communications. The focus here is then on the processes involved in brand trust formation, rather than on identifying specific antecedents of brand trust.