Board interlocks are a phenomenon of widespread prevalence and one of the most vibrant topics in corporate governance research. However, despite sustained academic interest in…
Abstract
Purpose
Board interlocks are a phenomenon of widespread prevalence and one of the most vibrant topics in corporate governance research. However, despite sustained academic interest in interlocks, there has not been a comprehensive review of the literature in nearly two decades. To address this need for an up-to-date review, this paper aims to conduct an assessment and integration of the empirical research on board interlocks.
Design/methodology/approach
In reviewing the board interlocks literature, the “systematic review” approach, which emphasizes methodological rigor and transparency, has been used. Using this method, 81 empirical papers that became the focus of this analysis have been identified.
Findings
This review reveals that board interlocks research can be categorized based on the theoretical lens used, its focus on antecedents or outcomes of interlock activities and the perspective of the study (i.e. firm- or director-level). Moreover, a number of commonly examined themes have been identified. Several unexpected omissions in the literature have also been uncovered. For instance, it was found that scholars have neither examined the implications of engaging in interlocks in a global context nor have they explored the phenomenon of international interlocks (i.e. interlocks between firms located in different countries).
Originality/value
In developing a deeper understanding of the board interlocks literature, this review identifies several topics and disciplines that, if pursued, could enrich the literature and open promising avenues for future research.
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Nai Hua Lamb, Frank Butler and Philip Roundy
Scholars are devoting increasing attention to understanding a specific type of strategic initiative in family firms: corporate social responsibility (CSR). Prior studies have…
Abstract
Purpose
Scholars are devoting increasing attention to understanding a specific type of strategic initiative in family firms: corporate social responsibility (CSR). Prior studies have focused on the strengths of family firms’ CSR performance. However, to more fully understand family firms and their engagement in CSR, a granular approach is needed that teases apart the strengths and concerns of CSR performance and examines the specific dimensions that comprise CSR performance. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to theorize about six negative (i.e. concern-oriented) dimensions of family firms’ CSR performance.
Design/methodology/approach
To examine the interrelationship between a firm’s percentage of family ownership and its CSR concerns, a sample of 71 public firms from Fortune 500 companies was constructed. The sample includes 13 years of firm-level data spanning 1994-2006 and represents over 600 firm-year observations.
Findings
As predicted, a higher percentage of family owners’ equity is positively related to diversity-oriented CSR concerns and negatively related to employee relations and environmental CSR concerns. However, the percentage of equity owned by family members is not associated with community, product quality and safety, and corporate governance CSR concerns.
Originality/value
The paper addresses substantive omissions in existing research on the influence of family ownership on CSR performance.
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Deborah M. Mullen, Kathleen Wheatley and Nai Lamb
This case investigation used firsthand statements, reports, testimony and regulatory records. While widely publicized in the popular press, this case is based on primary…
Abstract
Research methodology
This case investigation used firsthand statements, reports, testimony and regulatory records. While widely publicized in the popular press, this case is based on primary documents. On their website, many documents were obtained from Wells Fargo’s Corporate newsroom, such as the internal audit report shared with shareholders and press releases. Most other sources were from US regulatory websites (.gov) or congressional testimony. In a few places, quotes and comments came from reliable journalistic sites that cite their sources and follow a journalist’s code of ethics and conduct, ensuring that the reported remarks and data were verified.
Case overview/synopsis
Since 2016, Wells Fargo Bank has faced multiple customer mistreatment investigations and resultant fines. Public outcry and distrust resulted from Wells Fargo employees creating hidden accounts and enrolling people in bank services without their knowledge to meet desired levels of sustained shareholder growth. Over the past five years, Wells Fargo has been fined and returned to customers and stockholders over $3bn. Wells Fargo executives spent the first year of the scandal citing improper behavior by employees. Leadership did not take responsibility for setting the organizational goals, which led to employee misbehavior. Even after admitting some culpability in creating the extreme sales culture, executives and the Board of Directors tried to distance themselves from blame for the unethical behavior. They cited the organizations’ decentralized structure as a reason the board was not quicker in seeing and correcting the negative behaviors of these ‘bad apple’ employees. Wells Fargo faced multiple concurrent scandals, such as upselling services to retirees, inappropriately repossessing service members’ vehicles, adding insurance and extra fees to mortgages and other accounts and engaging in securities fraud. As time has passed, the early versions of a handful of “bad apples” seem to be only a part of the overall “poison tree.”The dilemma, in this case, is who is responsible for the misbehavior and the inappropriate sales of products and services (often without the customer’s knowledge)? Is strategic growth year-over-year with no allowances for environmental and economic factors a realistic and reasonable goal for corporations? This case is appropriate for undergraduates and graduate students in finance, human resources, management, accounting and investments.
Complexity academic level
An active case-based learning pedagogical approach is suggested. The materials include a short podcast, video and other materials to allow the faculty to assign pre-class work or to use in the classroom before a case discussion.
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Anna Marie Johnson, Claudene Sproles and Robert Detmering
The purpose of this paper is to provide a selected bibliography of recent resources on library instruction and information literacy.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide a selected bibliography of recent resources on library instruction and information literacy.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper introduces and annotates periodical articles, monographs, and audiovisual material examining library instruction and information literacy.
Findings
The paper provides information about each source, discusses the characteristics of current scholarship, and describes sources that contain unique scholarly contributions and quality reproductions.
Originality/value
The information may be used by librarians and interested parties as a quick reference to literature on library instruction and information literacy.
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Few areas of public service exist in which those who work to provide them receive the recognition their efforts justly deserve, and regretably no where more so than in the local…
Abstract
Few areas of public service exist in which those who work to provide them receive the recognition their efforts justly deserve, and regretably no where more so than in the local health and consumer protection services. These services have a long history of public indifference, which in years past bordered on contempt. They were labelled “public servants” in a manner that implied they were the personal servants of ratepayers, apointed by them and paid from monies they provided.
The objective of this study was to look closely at how domestic violence is represented in Pakistani drama serials to see if portrayals are reinforcing stereotypical and/or…
Abstract
Purpose
The objective of this study was to look closely at how domestic violence is represented in Pakistani drama serials to see if portrayals are reinforcing stereotypical and/or patriarchal values, or breaking the rigid norms.
Design/methodology/approach
With the help of dispositive analysis within the critical discourse approach, the prominent and non-dominant discourses about domestic violence were identified and discussed. Episodes from two popular drama serials, Kaisa Yeh Naseeban and Khaas, released in 2019, were watched with special focus on texts on domestic violence alongside objects and actions.
Findings
Analysis showed that both drama serials gave importance to socio-systemic and liberal humanist instrumentalism discourses, which describe domestic violence as a result of social structures and that abuse is used to assert control, respectively. However, some instances were noted where patriarchal values were encouraged.
Originality/value
As media has become a powerful tool of influence and awareness in the recent times, it is imperative that the content watched on it by millions of people be studied and analyzed. It is claimed that Pakistani drama serials with wide following and that are made on social issues around women aim to raise awareness and empower them. Domestic violence is a prevalent issue in Pakistan, and no research till date has examined representation of domestic violence on Pakistani popular media, which may influence response to domestic violence, which this paper aims to do.
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Man has been seeking an ideal existence for a very long time. In this existence, justice, love, and peace are no longer words, but actual experiences. How ever, with the American…
Abstract
Man has been seeking an ideal existence for a very long time. In this existence, justice, love, and peace are no longer words, but actual experiences. How ever, with the American preemptive invasion and occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq and the subsequent prisoner abuse, such an existence seems to be farther and farther away from reality. The purpose of this work is to stop this dangerous trend by promoting justice, love, and peace through a change of the paradigm that is inconsistent with justice, love, and peace. The strong paradigm that created the strong nation like the U.S. and the strong man like George W. Bush have been the culprit, rather than the contributor, of the above three universal ideals. Thus, rather than justice, love, and peace, the strong paradigm resulted in in justice, hatred, and violence. In order to remove these three and related evils, what the world needs in the beginning of the third millenium is the weak paradigm. Through the acceptance of the latter paradigm, the golden mean or middle paradigm can be formulated, which is a synergy of the weak and the strong paradigm. In order to understand properly the meaning of these paradigms, however, some digression appears necessary.
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In the 1960s those on the political left flattered themselves that the vast number of publications by socialists, anarchists, feminists, and other groups on that wing of the…
Abstract
In the 1960s those on the political left flattered themselves that the vast number of publications by socialists, anarchists, feminists, and other groups on that wing of the political spectrum were evidence of the rich intellectual life of the struggle to create a progressive America. Conversely, the lack of publishing by the right was evidence of a general lack of intelligence. But that was then, and this is most certainly now. The right in America has moved from margin to center over the last two decades, vindicating former Attorney General John Mitchell's boast that “the country is going so far to the right that you won't recognize it.”
This paper aims to explore how consumer's purchase intentions and word-of-mouth (WOM) intentions of local tea are influenced by the signal effects of geographical indication…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explore how consumer's purchase intentions and word-of-mouth (WOM) intentions of local tea are influenced by the signal effects of geographical indication labelling (GIL) on the basis of theory of reasoned action and social identity theory.
Design/methodology/approach
This study has developed a structural equation model (SEM) to explain the effects of consumer's attitudes, social norms and social identities on behavioural intentions, considering purchase of foods with geographical indication labels. This study collected responses from 318 consumers of tea in Taiwan.
Findings
Three main results are reported: (1) the prevention-focused benefit, which is a risk-aversion consideration, and the promotion-focused benefit, which is a taste and joy of quality, have higher influence compared to perceived concerns (price) on attitude towards GIL produce. (2) Compared to subjective norms, consumer attitude affects purchase intention more, yet the effects are opposite when they influence the WOM intentions. (3) Global identity impacts purchase intentions but not WOM intentions, whereas local identity influences both intentions.
Originality/value
Findings indicate attitude, social influence and social identity play critical roles in affecting consumer behavioural intentions. Global identity and local identity play different roles in purchase intention and WOM intentions.