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Return and risk performance of US thrift institutions during the period 1986–90 was inversely related to both firm size and the extent to which the thrifts engaged in non‐traditional activities. Our results contrast earlier studies which found economies of scale in the thrift industry. Most of these earlier studies were based on testing periods prior to the deregulatory activity in the early 1980's. The central question addressed in this paper is whether and how this deregulatory activity might have caused an industry which previously experienced economies of scale to experience performance inversely related to firm size. Our results suggest that at least part of this inverse relationship between size and performance is explained by self‐ serving managerial behavior.

The most significant event for the School has been the announcement of the creation of the National Centre for Management Research and Development. The Centre is due to open in 1986 and will provide research facilities for up to 20 major projects designed to improve the competitiveness of Canadian business practices.

Containing as it does many of the finest books published in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the Garrison Library of Gibraltar is no ordinary services' library. Its founding was due to that perceptive Captain (later Colonel) John Drinkwater, author of one of the most famous histories of the Great Siege of Gibraltar which lasted from 1779–1783, the History of the late siege (Spilsbury, 1785). Having suffered from a lack of reading material during the siege, Colonel Drinkwater saw the need for a good circulating library and club as a means of saving the officers of the garrison from “having their minds enervated and vitiated by dissipitation”. His appeal for books, shortly after the seige, attracted nearly 500 gifts which enabled the library to open pending the arrival of the 674 volumes on order from London, there being no bookshop in Gibraltar at that time.

The new cattle movement regulations of 1st March, 1960, mark the final stages of the plan to eradicate tuberculosis from cattle in this country. The last “ specified area ” under the Tuberculosis (Area Eradication) Order, 1950, it is hoped to declare about the same date. It comprises districts in the northeast and north midlands ; Scotland and Wales are already fully attested areas. Because of the need to prevent the re‐introduction of infection to the national herd now that the Scheme of eradicating bovine tuberculosis is moving towards completion—(it is estimated that 300,000 cattle remain to be tuberculin tested and that the eradication scheme costing about £130 millions will be finally completed by October 1st next)—cattle imported for immediate slaughter, unless “ accredited ” (attested) or of the “ once tested ” status, will be licensed from the landing places at ports only to a limited number of slaughter‐houses, mainly public, named in the regulations. Accredited or “ once tested ” cattle accompanied by the requisite veterinary certificate will be licensed to any slaughterhouse, subject to the provisions of the Tuberculosis (Area Eradication) Order, 1950, as amended, which means there will be no market in this country for untested store cattle after 1st March. This class of cattle will therefore go to swell the number of fat cattle imported from Eire for slaughter. Last year (1959) the latter numbered 72,000.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate executive compensation in the finance sector during the periods surrounding the crisis with a view to determining whether compensation incentives were associated with excessive risk taking.

The authors compare pay-for-performance sensitivity (PFPS) parameters for the finance sector before, during, and after the financial crisis. The authors also employ the technology sector as a comparison benchmark.

The authors find that CEO compensation is strongly associated with the accounting-based return on assets performance measure in the finance sector particularly in the pre-crisis period; the relationship is amplified in larger firms. In contrast, the technology sector exhibits PFPS only for the market-based stockholder return measure with smaller firms displaying greater sensitivity.

From a public policy perspective, it is desirable that PFPS for senior executives in the finance sector is muted. This is due to the risk-shifting incentives specific to the sector whereby profits flow to managers/stockholders while catastrophic losses can be socialized through taxpayer funded bailouts. The findings imply that compensation practices in the finance sector remain a potential concern for systemic stability. In addition to academics and practitioners, the paper may be of interest to financial regulators. In the authors opinion they should consider monitoring PFPS in addition to capital ratios, credit default swap spreads, and other metrics in their risk containment strategies.

Building information modeling (BIM) is a process of generating and managing building data during the building’s life cycle. To increase productivity in building design and construction, BIM uses three-dimensional (3D) real-time, dynamic building modeling software. Because of its versatile features, BIM use is on the rise and researchers are exploring its application in new disciplines. The purpose of this study is to map out how BIM is used in the construction industry, while identifying and highlighting the research gaps in the literature.

To investigate the status quo of knowledge about BIM, the authors conducted a comprehensive literature review. They applied and extended a methodology for reviewing BIM-related publications through a four-dimensional meta-analysis system and its categories, which has been partially adapted previously.

Majority of studies applying BIM for the construction phase of civil engineering projects were done within universities; none used BIM for the construction of intermediate railway stations.

To increase the construction efficiency of intermediate railway stations, applying the BIM concept for generation and management of station data should be considered for future research.

Furthermore, one of the main goals of this research paper is to explore the adoption of BIM in civil engineering construction projects, in particular the construction of intermediate railway stations.

The aim of this study was to describe the experiences of graduate students who participated in the community of practice (CoP) and identify areas for improvement to support academic success.

In total, 19 graduate students engaged in a CoP to facilitate social interactions, knowledge sharing and learning within a culture of scholarship. A descriptive qualitative research study was conducted using semistructured interviews with eight participants who had attended the CoP meeting.

All participants were from the School of Nursing and perceived the CoP to be beneficial, particularly international students who had challenges in adapting to new academic and social environments. Areas for improvement include creating a group structure that enhances belonging and learning.

This is the first CoP that was implemented at the Faculty of Health Sciences at the authors’ university. It has been the authors’ experience that a CoP can benefit graduate students through networking, knowledge sharing, social support and learning. The finding of this research will be used to inform a new CoP to address the needs of graduate students. The authors will be adapting the CoP to the current context that includes a virtual platform during the COVID-19 pandemic and will include content specific for international students.

This study aims to explore the extrinsic and intrinsic motivational factors that affect accounting students’ acceptance behaviour towards the online component of blended learning (OCBL) in the context of COVID-19.

A sample of 354 accounting students from a Malaysian public university was selected. Confirmatory factor analysis, correlation and regression analysis and an independent sample t-test were used for data analysis.

The results showed that the predictor motivational variables in this study affected the acceptance behaviour of the participants except for perceived ease of use. Moreover, perceived value appeared to be the most influential factor. The results also indicated that postgraduates tend to accept the OCBL more than undergraduates.

As the study participants were from only one public Malaysian university, generalisability is limited. In addition, this study only focussed on accounting students who were already enrolled in blended learning courses. Future studies could expand the population by considering those who have not signed up for such courses. Nevertheless, this study offers many theoretical and practical implications.

This study contributes to the OCBL literature, especially in accounting education, which was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. It also offers practical suggestions for educational institutions and technology system designers to expand on the usage of OCBL and improve users’ acceptance of it.