Robert Smith and Gerard McElwee
To explore and document the emerging international market for stolen tractors and plant in the United Kingdom. Whilst this may appear to be a criminological problem relating…
Abstract
Purpose
To explore and document the emerging international market for stolen tractors and plant in the United Kingdom. Whilst this may appear to be a criminological problem relating specifically to rural crime, it is a sophisticated international criminal business organised by traditional organised crime groups (OCGs) such as the Italian, Polish and Turkish Mafia’s in conjunction with a network of criminal entrepreneurs.
Methodology/approach
Using annual statistical data provided by National Farmers Union (NFU) Mutual and Plant and Agricultural National Intelligence Unit (PANIU) and other material sourced using documentary research techniques supplemented by qualitative interviews with industry specialists we present 10 micro-case studies of rural OCGs engaged in this lucrative enterprise crime. The data is verified and authenticated using narrative inquiry techniques.
Findings
There is an entrepreneurial dimension to the crime because traditional criminal families with knowledge of rural areas and rural social capital form alliances with OCGs. The practical utility of the NFU model of entrepreneurial alliances with interested parties including the police is highlighted.
Research limitations/implications
Implications for research design, ethics and the conduct of such research which are identified and discussed. These include the need to develop an investigative framework to protect academic researchers similar to guidelines in place to protect investigative journalists.
Practical implications
An investigative framework and the adaption of the business model canvass (Osterwalder & Pigneur, 2010) to cover illegal business models are proposed.
Social implications
Suggestions are provided for the need to legislate against international criminal conspiracies.
Originality/value
Uses a mixture of entrepreneurship and criminological theories to help develop an understanding of the problem from an investigative perspective.
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Keywords
Stanford contributed significantly to the organizational culture movement that occurred in organization studies from 1970–2000. This chapter traces developments at Stanford and…
Abstract
Stanford contributed significantly to the organizational culture movement that occurred in organization studies from 1970–2000. This chapter traces developments at Stanford and puts the contributions of its researchers and scholars in the context of the many influences that shaped the study of organizational culture during this period. In addition to the historical account, there is speculation about why the culture movement at Stanford more or less ended but might yet be revived, either by those studying institutionalization processes or by those who resist them.
John Dumay, Geoff Frost and Cornelia Beck
The purpose of this paper is to present a case study of how two organisations deal with disclosing non-financial information (NI). This is of interest because the reporting of NI…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present a case study of how two organisations deal with disclosing non-financial information (NI). This is of interest because the reporting of NI by companies to disclose environmental, social and governance issues to their stakeholders and society is continuing to grow.
Design/methodology/approach
To investigate, the authors examine the manner in which two of Australia’s largest companies approach disclosing NI from a legitimacy perspective utilising Suchman’s (1995) “institutional and strategic legitimacy” perspectives to explore the choices made by the companies when disclosing NI.
Findings
The paper presents a model of legitimacy influenced disclosure based on “material legitimacy”, which we define as the form of legitimacy that enables organisations to blend what is important to the organisation (strategic legitimacy) with the primary concerns of its major stakeholders (institutional legitimacy). In this sense, the model outlines how companies try to achieve mutually beneficial “win–win” outcomes for themselves and their stakeholders. However, the difficulty is in judging what issues become “material” and whether they should be disclosed.
Originality/value
The paper is novel because it presents a model of legitimacy-influenced disclosure based on “material legitimacy” and transparency to explain what and how NI is disclosed.
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Appraises existing management information for primary careprescribing within the NHS. Examines the two most important managementproblems facing primary care prescribing: budegtary…
Abstract
Appraises existing management information for primary care prescribing within the NHS. Examines the two most important management problems facing primary care prescribing: budegtary control and quality assurance. Reviews management information needs and evaluates existing prescribing information systems. Identifies the four main factors contributing to current problems: professional pressures, payment imperatives, reactive administration, managerial deadlock. Discusses future prospects for management information in primary care prescribing reaching the conclusion that budgetary control is close to being achieved, while quality assurance is still subject to a managerial deadlock.
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The purpose of the paper is to explore the power of values based leadership in connecting colleagues and clients to an organisation and in doing so creating sustainable business…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of the paper is to explore the power of values based leadership in connecting colleagues and clients to an organisation and in doing so creating sustainable business success.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper is based on a model of values based leadership and case study examples of where the model is being successfully used in organisations.
Findings
It was found that the organisations cited in the article who are using a values based approach such as Apple and Unilever create a connection with their organisations, that has a significant impact on organisational performance.
Originality/value
The paper uses a new model of values based leadership to demonstrate its impact on organisational performance. The different elements of the model are explored using current successful organisational case studies. It will therefore be of value to anyone using or considering a values based approach to developing an exciting and successful leadership culture.
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Leadership is as widely used as it is misused and misunderstood. This paper seeks to argue that in an educational context it is important not only to revisit and reframe…
Abstract
Purpose
Leadership is as widely used as it is misused and misunderstood. This paper seeks to argue that in an educational context it is important not only to revisit and reframe conceptions of leadership but also to see it as having an essentially subversive purpose. The paper aims to dicuss subversion in an intellectual, moral and political sense, as a sacred mission to confront the “noble lies” of politicians, the superficiality of the designer culture and the line of least resistance opted for by overworked and demoralised teachers.
Design/methodology/approach
The empirical base for this paper is a seven‐country three‐years study entitled Leadership for Learning which brought together staff from 24 schools in seven countries to explore the connections between learning and leadership and to arrive at some common understanding which could be tested in practice across national and linguistic boundaries.
Findings
While recognising the unique contexts and differing cultural traditions as diverse as those of Australia and Austria, the USA and Greece, engaging in an international discourse through face‐to‐face workshops, virtual conferencing and exchange visits led one to five key principles held in common.
Originality/value
The paper offers intriguing and insightful discussion into the subject of leadership as a subversive activity.
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The purpose of this paper is to challenge the view that there is nothing wrong with fiat money, debt and interest or Islamic banking, by re-examining the monetary performance of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to challenge the view that there is nothing wrong with fiat money, debt and interest or Islamic banking, by re-examining the monetary performance of the USD, analyzing US economic projections of debt at interest and evaluating the contribution of Islamic banking within a financial system that does not recognize the Shari’ah.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper constructs gold and commodity price indices from 1792 to 2023 to re-examining the performance of the USD over the long-term; through library, document and content research, analyzes the impact of debt and interest on the US economy and re-examines whether US institutions are offering genuine Islamic financial alternatives.
Findings
US$1.00 in 1792 is now worth less than US$0.01 in 2023. The monetary balance sheet of the USD is now 97% backed by debt. Within the next 10 years, the USA will be unable to service its debt. There has been no progress in Islamic banking in the USA, with all products involving risk-free debt transactions priced at interest.
Research limitations/implications
By adopting a monetary theory of value, the devaluation of the USD resulted in increased prices due to the debt-based fiat standard and an exponential increase in public debt and interest.
Practical implications
The USD and the US economy are unsustainable in the long term, and US Islamic banks should transform into Islamic investment managers.
Social implications
Muslims should create and preserve wealth through genuine Islamic intermediation based on Islamic partnerships and Islamic social finance.
Originality/value
The US fiat standard is debt organized into currency, which is exponentially increasing and confiscating wealth through inflation and transferring it via interest to the banking system. US Islamic banking products replicate the practices of conventional banks.