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The paper aims to flesh out the capability requirements of local government institutions in pre‐, during, and post‐disaster activities which can act as a useful guide for researchers, bureaucrats, and independent agencies in managing natural disasters.

The role of local government and the capability requirement for this institution have been major concerns in disaster discourse, since local government plays the most active role during disasters. It is the local government's responsibility to protect the community from vulnerability and to reduce disaster impacts. This paper critically summarizes the views of researchers, academicians, and government bodies. The sources of information are articles, books, web sites, and government reports.

In the critical stage of disaster management, the capability requirements in the mitigation stage are evaluation, monitoring, and dissemination, while in the preparedness stage, planning, exercise, and training are the important requirements in managing natural disasters. In the response stage, the capabilities required are need assessment, information exchange, and logistical expertise. At the last stage, which is recovery, expertise in damage assessment and debris removal and also disaster assistance skills are the capabilities most needed for local government bodies.

This paper develops the capability needed by local government for managing natural disasters. The paper also delineates the role and obstacles of local government bodies dealing in pre‐, during, and post‐disaster stages. These capability requirements can be applied to natural disaster management in developing countries.

The purpose of this paper is to study the unsteady boundary layer flow of a micropolar fluid past a circular cylinder which is started impulsively from rest.

The nonlinear partial differential equations consisting of three independent variables are solved numerically using the 3D Keller‐box method.

Numerical solutions for the velocity profiles, wall skin friction and microrotation profiles are obtained and presented for various values of time t and material parameter K with the boundary condition for microrotation n=0 (strong concentration of microelements) and n=1/2 (weak concentration of microelements). The results are presented along the points on the cylinder surface, starting from the forward to the rear stagnation point, for small time up to the time when the boundary layer flow separates from the cylinder.

It is believed that this is the first paper that uses the 3D Keller‐box method to study the unsteady boundary layer flow of micropolar fluids. In the last four decades, there has been overhelming interest shown by researchers in micropolar fluids and still many problems are unsolved. The paper shows not only the fundamental importance of this problem, but also the implications for situations of practical interest.

This chapter investigates the perceptions of social audit within the context of the garment companies of Bangladesh. The chapter highlights two recent incidents that claimed the lives of about 1,300 garment workers in Bangladesh. Based on the fact that Western clothing brands use social audits before sourcing their products from Bangladesh, this chapter investigates if any real change happens as a result of the information provided in the social audit reports.

The insights were gathered through conducting personal interviews with managers of social audit firms, corporate managers and various stakeholders of the textile and garment companies of Bangladesh. This chapter used the accountability theory to understand the perceptions of social audit.

The chapter finds that different stakeholders have different perspectives regarding social audits. The high-profile catastrophes within the supply chain garment factories of Bangladesh provided evidence that social audits did not help prevent such catastrophes in a different socio-economic context. The results have revealed stakeholder dissatisfaction with the procedures and content of social audits. It also finds that there is an expectation gap between the preparers and users of social audit reports.

The insights provided in this chapter would benefit garment manufacturers of developing countries and relevant stakeholders to demonstrate more accountability while conducting a social audit.

This is the first known chapter investigating stakeholders’ perceptions of social audit within the context of a developing country. More importantly, it focuses on responsible corporate behaviour in a socially sensitive industry.

This study aims to explore corporate managers’ perspectives regarding the disclosure (non-disclosure) of social- and environment-related governance information.

Insights into corporate managers’ perspectives are explored by conducting in-depth personal interviews with senior corporate executives of textile and garment companies in Bangladesh.

This study establishes that the use of traditional media, such as corporate annual reports, for corporate social responsibility (CSR)-related governance information disclosure can be limited in particular situations, including the case of garment companies, wherein the provision of extensive governance information is necessary, and the information users find special purpose reports, e.g. social audit reports, more comprehensive, credible, and beneficial than annual reports. The results reveal that corporate managers of Bangladeshi supply companies are motivated by financial returns, and they aspire to ensure that buyers (powerful stakeholders) obtain the required CSR-related governance information; this is neither driven by corporate accountability nor transparency. Upon using the managerial branch of the stakeholder theory, the result of this study shows that corporate managers are influenced by powerful stakeholders when they make decisions vis-à-vis the provision of CSR-related governance information.

This study provides an implication for academics and practitioners toward understanding that corporate managers often provide substantive disclosures of CSR-related governance information through alternative media that have not been previously documented in the literature. Herein, a metaphor – veil – is used to illustrate the visibility gap between societal expectations and managers’ perspectives.

The purpose of this paper is to explore stakeholders' expectations in relation to corporate social responsibility (CSR)–related corporate governance practices. The paper aims to understand how stakeholders' expectations potentially translate into the disclosure of information about CSR-related corporate governance practices.

The evidence for this study was collected using semi-structured in-depth personal interviews with 18 stakeholders. These include representative of multinational buying companies who source garments from Bangladesh, international as well as local NGOs, news media personnel, senior government officials, trade union leaders and social audit firm.

This paper finds evidence of stakeholders' dissatisfaction with the disclosures of governance information which tended to be viewed as limited and symbolic in nature. It also finds an apparent disconnection between stakeholder expectations and corporate disclosures.

This paper finds an alternative media of disclosures, for communicating social responsibility related governance information to the stakeholders, which has so far, been neglected by the social accounting researchers.

Like many developing countries, Bangladesh has been experimenting with decentralization for a long period. However, despite numerous efforts undertaken over the years, decentralized governance remains elusive in Bangladesh. Drawing on historical and contemporary evidence, this paper analyzes the factors underlying the non‐functioning of decentralization in Bangladesh.

The purpose of this paper is to explore corporate social and environmental reporting (CSER) practices and motivations in Bangladesh.

Using a mixed-methods approach, the paper attempts to understand what corporate social and environmental issues Bangladeshi firms are reporting and why. The paper first explores the motivations for CSER in line with O’Dwyer’s (2003) proposed classifications of proactive and reactive motivations through interviews and frames its findings using stakeholder theory. To provide a more holistic view, content analysis adapted from CSR Asia (2008) categorization (broadly guided by GRI) was conducted to enhance findings from engagement-based interviews with managers.

The paper finds that “community investment and development” and “governance codes and policies” received the highest amount of disclosure, while the least amount of disclosure was found in the “workplace/human rights” category. Although a philanthropic tone was found behind “community investment”, such as poverty alleviation activities, disclosure in this area is mostly motivated by proactive rationales with enlightened self-interest and image-building activities. In terms of reactive motivations underpinning CSER, the paper finds that companies also report reactively to reduce pressure from powerful stakeholders such as international buyers and government agencies. Contrary to other studies regarding reactive motivations, the authors argue that a director’s proactive motivation is the prime determinant of CSER in a developing country. They also argue that low-level disclosures on workplace environment/human rights need to be given more importance by policymakers, management and other relevant stakeholders.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the study is one of the few engagement-based field studies that uses a mixed-methods approach to seek managerial perspectives in an attempt to understand CSER practices in an emerging country context.

An estimated 52% of Pakistan’s population is under the age of 25, and like their counterparts elsewhere around the globe, Generation Z in Pakistan was born into a world overrun with technology, Internet, and social media. This generation of consumers possess information processing ability that is much faster than any other generation. Generation Z consumers in Pakistan are active users of social media platforms connecting with local and international users, brands and exchanging information, photos, videos, ideas, and opinions with people inside and outside Pakistan. To develop insights into the consumption patterns, preferences, attitudes, and preferences of this segment of consumers, this chapter provides an overview of cultural and social values underpinning consumption choices and social media preferences. The chapter identifies and discusses the dynamic nature of Generation Z in Pakistan by identifying some of its defining features: the generation consists of confident, able, and multilingual consumers who are largely collectivists in orientation but shows strong individualistic tendencies. Such consumers have a global outlook and actively seek engagement with brands via digital platforms and influencer marketers expecting authenticity, respect, and equality. The chapter discusses work-related implications such as the need for providing transformational leadership and training programs to harness the intellectual skills of Generation Z in Pakistan. The chapter concludes by identifying and discussing issues relevant to handling Generation consumers in Pakistan including effective marketing strategies.