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1 – 10 of 14Ella Guangxin Xu, Chris Graves, Yuan George Shan and Joey W. Yang
The paper aims to examine the effect of corporate governance (CG) on innovation investment, with consideration of ownership types and legal jurisdictions.
Abstract
Purpose
The paper aims to examine the effect of corporate governance (CG) on innovation investment, with consideration of ownership types and legal jurisdictions.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors' empirical analysis is based on a sample of publicly listed family businesses (FBs) from the top-500-list that matched worldwide with non-family counterparts from 2009 to 2018. The study uses a holistic measure of CG to mitigate the conflicting impact of individual CG components found in prior studies. This measure is applied to examine the moderating role of firm ownership type and legal jurisdiction.
Findings
The authors' results demonstrate that CG positively influences innovation investment. This positive relationship is more pronounced in FBs than in non-family businesses (NFBs) and is more prevalent in civil law economies than in common law economies.
Originality/value
The study holistically examines the effect of CG, capturing the combination of all individual governance mechanisms and their influence on innovation investment. The study further shows that comprehensive CG has diverse impacts on innovation investment when considering family control and legal jurisdiction.
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Ella Guangxin Xu, Joey W. Yang, Yuan George Shan and Chris Graves
This study investigates effects of corporate governance on the financial performance of family-controlled firms and how these effects differ between common law and civil law…
Abstract
Purpose
This study investigates effects of corporate governance on the financial performance of family-controlled firms and how these effects differ between common law and civil law jurisdictions.
Design/methodology/approach
This study applies a number of corporate governance measures to the largest 243 publicly listed family-controlled businesses worldwide from 2009 to 2018. The corporate governance measures include board independence, board gender diversity, corporate governance index (CGI) and the percentage of family ownership.
Findings
The empirical evidence indicates that board independence improves financial performance; this positive effect is more pronounced in common law than civil law jurisdictions. Board gender diversity has a negative impact on financial performance under common law but a positive impact in civil law jurisdictions. Moreover, the CGI and family ownership structure are positively associated with financial performance, and no difference is found between the two jurisdiction types. In addition, family ownership negatively moderates CGI in civil law countries only.
Originality/value
This study provides new insight on the relevance of considering jurisdictional differences when examining the effect of corporate governance on performance. The study also addresses important concerns in family business research relating to unobserved heterogeneity and endogeneity. Implications of these for research and practice are discussed in the paper.
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Yuan George Shan, Joey Wenling Yang, Junru Zhang and Millicent Chang
This study aims to examine the mediating role played by corporate governance (CG) in the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and analyst forecast quality.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine the mediating role played by corporate governance (CG) in the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and analyst forecast quality.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors raise three specific questions: Does CG play a mediating role in the relationship between CSR and analyst forecast quality? If so, is such mediation effect of CG reduced for firms with weak governance? Do firms with superior CSR performance experience higher analyst forecast quality through the mediation effect of CG?
Findings
The present results suggest that CG serves as a partial mediator that facilitates CSR’s positive influence on analyst forecast quality. However, further analyses show that in firms with a low governance score, CG does not have a mediation effect. Conversely, the authors find that firms with superior CSR performance have higher forecast quality through the mediation effect of CG. The authors also find that the mediation effect of CG is more pronounced for the environmental component than for the social component of CSR.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to investigate the role of CG as a mediator between CSR and analyst forecast quality and to reveal that the strength of this effect varies depending on firms’ CG level and CSR commitment.
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Gang Yu, Zhiqiang Li, Ruochen Zeng, Yucong Jin, Min Hu and Vijayan Sugumaran
Accurate prediction of the structural condition of urban critical infrastructure is crucial for predictive maintenance. However, the existing prediction methods lack precision due…
Abstract
Purpose
Accurate prediction of the structural condition of urban critical infrastructure is crucial for predictive maintenance. However, the existing prediction methods lack precision due to limitations in utilizing heterogeneous sensing data and domain knowledge as well as insufficient generalizability resulting from limited data samples. This paper integrates implicit and qualitative expert knowledge into quantifiable values in tunnel condition assessment and proposes a tunnel structure prediction algorithm that augments a state-of-the-art attention-based long short-term memory (LSTM) model with expert rating knowledge to achieve robust prediction results to reasonably allocate maintenance resources.
Design/methodology/approach
Through formalizing domain experts' knowledge into quantitative tunnel condition index (TCI) with analytic hierarchy process (AHP), a fusion approach using sequence smoothing and sliding time window techniques is applied to the TCI and time-series sensing data. By incorporating both sensing data and expert ratings, an attention-based LSTM model is developed to improve prediction accuracy and reduce the uncertainty of structural influencing factors.
Findings
The empirical experiment in Dalian Road Tunnel in Shanghai, China showcases the effectiveness of the proposed method, which can comprehensively evaluate the tunnel structure condition and significantly improve prediction performance.
Originality/value
This study proposes a novel structure condition prediction algorithm that augments a state-of-the-art attention-based LSTM model with expert rating knowledge for robust prediction of structure condition of complex projects.
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Paul Sergius Koku and Hannah Emma Acquaye
The purpose of this paper is to examine the mental state and the disposition of those who have fallen on hard times during the recent financial crisis and have had their homes…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the mental state and the disposition of those who have fallen on hard times during the recent financial crisis and have had their homes foreclosed on or their automobiles repossessed. It also proposes an alternative process for dispossessing individuals that preserves the mental health of such individuals and the banks’ reputation.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses the hermeneutics approach to analyze the predicament of those whose homes have been foreclosed on or whose properties have been repossessed by financial institutions to better understand their predicament.
Findings
Those whose homes have been foreclosed on or whose properties have been repossessed by financial institutions are traumatized. They feel victimized, bitter, helpless and hopeless and have poor mental state. The study draws on theories in counseling psychology to propose an alternative approach to making loans that take long time to be repaid (long-term loans), and for repossessing personal properties such as automobiles and for foreclosing on real property (homes).
Research limitations/implications
As a qualitative study based on a small sample, the findings of the study are limited to only those who have been studied. A further study that leads to a generalized result will be useful.
Practical implications
The study develops a practical framework that could be useful to financial institutions in making long-term loans and to foreclose on delinquent loans (i.e. to dispossess individuals).
Social implications
The proposed strategy, if implemented, could have a significant positive impact on the mental well-being of those who have fallen on financial hard times.
Originality/value
To the best of the knowledge, this is the first marketing paper that has explored the mental health of those who have defaulted on loans, and has proposed an alternative approach to making long-term loans that not only preserves the mental health of banks’ customers, but also protects the reputation and market share of banks.
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Bruno C.N. Oliveira, Alexis Huf, Ivan Luiz Salvadori and Frank Siqueira
This paper describes a software architecture that automatically adds semantic capabilities to data services. The proposed architecture, called OntoGenesis, is able to semantically…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper describes a software architecture that automatically adds semantic capabilities to data services. The proposed architecture, called OntoGenesis, is able to semantically enrich data services, so that they can dynamically provide both semantic descriptions and data representations.
Design/methodology/approach
The enrichment approach is designed to intercept the requests from data services. Therefore, a domain ontology is constructed and evolved in accordance with the syntactic representations provided by such services in order to define the data concepts. In addition, a property matching mechanism is proposed to exploit the potential data intersection observed in data service representations and external data sources so as to enhance the domain ontology with new equivalences triples. Finally, the enrichment approach is capable of deriving on demand a semantic description and data representations that link to the domain ontology concepts.
Findings
Experiments were performed using real-world datasets, such as DBpedia, GeoNames as well as open government data. The obtained results show the applicability of the proposed architecture and that it can boost the development of semantic data services. Moreover, the matching approach achieved better performance when compared with other existing approaches found in the literature.
Research limitations/implications
This work only considers services designed as data providers, i.e., services that provide an interface for accessing data sources. In addition, our approach assumes that both data services and external sources – used to enhance the domain ontology – have some potential of data intersection. Such assumption only requires that services and external sources share particular property values.
Originality/value
Unlike most of the approaches found in the literature, the architecture proposed in this paper is meant to semantically enrich data services in such way that human intervention is minimal. Furthermore, an automata-based index is also presented as a novel method that significantly improves the performance of the property matching mechanism.
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Jillian Cavanagh, Hannah Meacham, Patricia Pariona-Cabrera and Timothy Bartram
The purpose of the article is to examine the experiences of workers with intellectual disability (WWID) and subtle discriminatory practices that hold these workers back from…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of the article is to examine the experiences of workers with intellectual disability (WWID) and subtle discriminatory practices that hold these workers back from thriving at the workplace.
Design/methodology/approach
The research design employs the Shore et al. (2011) framework of inclusion supported by optimal distinctiveness theory (ODT) (Brewer, 1991). These theoretical frames are used to examine the potential for WWID to become members of a work group and experience the opportunity to develop their unique selves, negotiate and thrive through their work for purposeful career outcomes. A qualitative case study approach was adopted through interviews and focus groups with a total of 91 participants: 41 WWID, 5 human resource (HR) managers, 5 duty/department managers (DMs), 24 colleagues and 16 supervisors.
Findings
The authors found that enhancing inclusion is underpinned by the positive impact of human resource management (HRM) practices and line management support for WWID feelings of belongingness and uniqueness that enable them to thrive through their work activities. The authors demonstrate that WWID need manager support and positive social interactions to increase their learning and vitality for work to embrace opportunities for growth. However, when WWID do not have these conditions, there are fewer opportunities for them to thrive at the workplace.
Practical implications
There is a need for formal HRM and management support and inclusive organisational interventions to mitigate discriminatory practices and better support WWID at work. There is an opportunity for HRM to design training and development around belongingness and uniqueness for this cohort of workers to maximise WWID opportunities to thrive through their work.
Originality/value
This study examines a cohort of WWID who are often forgotten and subtly discriminated against more so than other minority or vulnerable cohorts in the workplace, especially in terms of their development and reaching their full potential at work, which has an impact on their ability to thrive through their work. The paper makes an innovative contribution to the HRM literature through unpacking the processes through which Shore et al.'s (2011) conceptualisation of belongingness and uniqueness contributes to thriving for a marginalised and often overlooked cohort of workers.
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Raja Ahmed Jamil and Abdul Qayyum
This study aims to compare the effects of YouTube information sources (influencer vs word of mouse) on the consumer purchase decision. This paper extends the information adoption…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to compare the effects of YouTube information sources (influencer vs word of mouse) on the consumer purchase decision. This paper extends the information adoption model (IAM) to include information language as a central cue and skepticism toward online information as a moderating factor.
Design/methodology/approach
A between-subjects experiment, 2 (influencer vs word of mouse) × 2 (positive vs negative information), was designed to test hypotheses. A total of 171 consumers participated in the experiment and multigroup structural equations modeling (AMOS 21) was applied.
Findings
The results indicate that consumers perceive argument quality to be more useful when the information comes from word of mouse (WOMS). While information language was deemed more useful when the information source was a YouTube influencer and the information type was positive. The study also found that skepticism toward online information reduced the overall effects, particularly for influencers and positive information.
Research limitations/implications
This study contributes to the theory by identifying and investigating the existing gaps in knowledge. For practitioners, findings speak to the synergetic power of YouTube influencers and WOMS as an effective marketing strategy.
Originality/value
This paper is one of the first to compare the effects of YouTube influencers and consumer comments by using the IAM. It also extends IAM with the inclusion of information language as a central cue and skepticism toward online information as a moderating factor.
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Rhytham Patial, Talia Maria-Rosa Torres, Connor Berezan, Taneshq Talwar and Benny Godwin J. Davidson
The purpose of this paper is to study the impact of social media and materialism on impulsive buying decisions and real estate. Furthermore, the paper examines whether social…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to study the impact of social media and materialism on impulsive buying decisions and real estate. Furthermore, the paper examines whether social media correlates with materialism and provides insights that will facilitate a better economic climate.
Design/methodology/approach
The data for the study was collected using an online survey circulated among young immigrants in Canada. A five-point Likert scale was used, followed by structure modeling to test the hypothesis.
Findings
The findings reveal how impulsive buying behaviors are influenced by materialism and social media among young immigrants. The data support two hypotheses since it confirms that social media affects the amount of materialistic wants possessed by respondents and that the higher their levels of materialism, the more likely they are to make impulsive buying decisions, especially when it comes to buying real estate.
Research limitations/implications
As the data was limited to Canada, the findings are limited to this region and could vary across geographic regions. The age group was not considered as a huge factor as minors do not always have the purchasing power in terms of housing.
Practical implications
Materialism, social media and impulsive buying may not always lead to purchasing a home spontaneously. However, one must still consider their financial situation before purchasing anything. The findings in this paper will help customers and consumers of social media to understand what truly drives impulsive buying, resulting in unnecessary purchases.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to examine the factors affecting impulsive real estate buying decisions among young immigrants in Canada, including social media and materialism.
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