Richard M. Friend, Samarthia Thankappan, Bob Doherty, Nay Aung, Astrud L. Beringer, Choeun Kimseng, Robert Cole, Yanyong Inmuong, Sofie Mortensen, Win Win Nyunt, Jouni Paavola, Buapun Promphakping, Albert Salamanca, Kim Soben, Saw Win, Soe Win and Nou Yang
Agricultural and food systems in the Mekong Region are undergoing transformations because of increasing engagement in international trade, alongside economic growth, dietary…
Abstract
Agricultural and food systems in the Mekong Region are undergoing transformations because of increasing engagement in international trade, alongside economic growth, dietary change and urbanisation. Food systems approaches are often used to understand these kinds of transformation processes, with particular strengths in linking social, economic and environmental dimensions of food at multiple scales. We argue that while the food systems approach strives to provide a comprehensive understanding of food production, consumption and environmental drivers, it is less well equipped to shed light on the role of actors, knowledge and power in transformation processes and on the divergent impacts and outcomes of these processes for different actors. We suggest that an approach that uses food systems as heuristics but complements it with attention to actors, knowledge and power improves our understanding of transformations such as those underway in the Mekong Region. The key transformations in the region include the emergence of regional food markets and vertically integrated supply chains that control increasing share of the market, increase in contract farming particularly in the peripheries of the region, replacement of crops cultivated for human consumption with corn grown for animal feed. These transformations are increasingly marginalising small-scale farmers, while at the same time, many other farmers increasingly pursue non-agricultural livelihoods. Food consumption is also changing, with integrated supply chains controlling substantial part of the mass market. Our analysis highlights that theoretical innovations grounded in political economy, agrarian change, development studies and rural livelihoods can help to increase theoretical depth of inquiries to accommodate the increasingly global dimensions of food. As a result, we map out a future research agenda to unpack the dynamic food system interactions and to unveil the social, economic and environmental impacts of these rapid transformations. We identify policy and managerial implications coupled with sustainable pathways for change.
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The purpose of this study is to conduct a comprehensive and precise investigation into the influence of office environments on employee performance. Office workers spend a…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to conduct a comprehensive and precise investigation into the influence of office environments on employee performance. Office workers spend a considerable amount of time inside a building, and the office environment in which they work has a profound impact on their overall well-being and directly affects their effectiveness and productivity. Yet, the previous studies opted out the importance of hygiene factors like office environment and there is a need to uncover hidden causes and shed light on office environment areas that can be improved.
Design/methodology/approach
This research adopts a descriptive research design using a quantitative research method to study the relationships between office environment facilitations and employee performance. The technique of survey questionnaires was employed, and a total of 829 samples were analyzed. Measurement model, structural model and hypothesis testing using PLS-SEM software version 4.1.0.0 were briefly explained.
Findings
The study investigated the direct and indirect effects of the office environment on employee communication, interactions, productivity and performance. The findings revealed significant outcomes, indicating that the office environment does indeed have an impact on these employee-based factors. Both communication and interactions, as well as employee productivity as an indirect effect, were found to significantly mediate the connection between the office environment and employee performance.
Research limitations/implications
Insufficient data and analysis exist regarding the factors influencing the effect of employee performance on business. The constraints of time, cost and scope impede comprehensive surveys and thorough analysis. Regrettably, only four specific aspects of the office environment were examined in relation to employee performance, neglecting other significant factors. By acknowledging the potential problems highlighted in this study concerning different office concepts, organizations can endeavor to establish a more conducive working environment. It is imperative to acknowledge that the absence of a well-structured office environment that meets employees’ expectations may lead to unfavorable consequences.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors knowledge, this is the first study of office environment facilitations related to employee behavioral attitude and employee performance in Yangon, Myanmar and this study will help discover new insights of the importance of employee performance in least developing countries.
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The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the conceptualisation of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) as a mode of governance in marketisation via the perspective of historical…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the conceptualisation of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) as a mode of governance in marketisation via the perspective of historical institutionalism.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper is based on a qualitative case study of the marketisation of Danish passenger rail from the 1990s to date where marketisation has been set on hold since 2011 due to the activities of the SOE.
Findings
The paper shows that market governance was layered on the hierarchal governance of the SOE that was later turned into a hybrid governance mode through corporatisation. This layered set-up provided the state with a double governance grip that drove marketisation until 2011. However, the SOE as a hybrid created ripple effects between the market and the hierarchy that hampered the marketisation. The hierarchical governance turned towards centralisation and market governance was put on hold. The hybridity of the SOE was endogenously displaced via closing down of commercial activities, leading to a re-conversion of the SOE towards the hierarchical mode.
Originality/value
The paper contributes to the discussions about hybridity and re-centralisation in post-NPM era. It presents a case on how hybridity is altered and evolves in SOEs as a hybrid mode of governance between hierarchy and market in marketisation and how this can lead to re-centralisation.
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Outlook for military leadership changes and presidential contenders.
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DOI: 10.1108/OXAN-DB201246
ISSN: 2633-304X
Keywords
Geographic
Topical
Myanmar's anti-corruption measures.
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DOI: 10.1108/OXAN-DB235798
ISSN: 2633-304X
Keywords
Geographic
Topical
The higher education (HE) sector in Myanmar is currently in a fragile, backward-looking state. Its fragility is due to the 2021 coup with its consequent civil disobedience…
Abstract
The higher education (HE) sector in Myanmar is currently in a fragile, backward-looking state. Its fragility is due to the 2021 coup with its consequent civil disobedience movement, continued conflict between the military and people’s defence force, the junta’s spurious delivery of a post-Covid and post-coup education system, and the junta’s apparent abandoning of the previous civilian government’s progress with the National Education Strategic Plan. It is backward-looking because the current junta, like previous juntas in Myanmar, use education as a tool for military propaganda and to populate the education system with civil servants that are loyal, or at least supine, to the military. The task of this chapter is to provide an overview of HE in Myanmar and how its current condition aligns with Sustainable Development Goal 4.3. This task is contextualised by considering the role of universities in the history of socio-political uprisings in Myanmar. Universities as theatres of communicative action have been and continue to be spaces of public resistance. This resistance and its accompanying vertical tension continue to shape the physical constitution of universities and the delivery of HE in Myanmar.
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The Burmese military has been ruling Burma (Myanmar) since Burma's independence from the British in 1948. With increased militarization has come increased ethnic conflicts and the…
Abstract
The Burmese military has been ruling Burma (Myanmar) since Burma's independence from the British in 1948. With increased militarization has come increased ethnic conflicts and the creation of armed ethnic groups. For instance, the Burmese military has been fighting with the Karen armed ethnic group since 1957, making it the longest conflict in the world. The recent coup in 2021 escalated the civil war in Burma. This conflict and war have led to devastation and destruction in ethnic regions, resulting in many ethnic people fleeing to neighboring countries for safety and security. It has also led to increased incidences of gender-based violence and human trafficking. This chapter will examine the history of military rule and ethnic conflicts in Burma. It will explore the impact of war on women's lives including their security, migration, and sustainability. This chapter will also highlight the importance of women's roles in the recent movement against the coup and the importance of women's involvement in social and political movements for peace, democracy, security, and sustainable development.
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Min Zhang, Ruixi Long, Qingmei Tan and Keke Wei
This study aims to examine the impact of corporate social responsibility (CSR) awards on firms’ market value considering these awards as a signal and proxy for the effectiveness…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine the impact of corporate social responsibility (CSR) awards on firms’ market value considering these awards as a signal and proxy for the effectiveness of CSR practice.
Design/methodology/approach
There are 342 announcements of CSR awards in China from 2006 to 2017 screened and analyzed using the event study methodology.
Findings
The stock market reacts significantly negatively to CSR award announcements in the short term. Firms that are state-owned, belong to the manufacturing industry, outside east China, repeatedly win awards and are listed in the Chinese H-share market, experience a stronger stock market reaction. Interestingly, the long-term stock returns of award winners are significantly positive for multiyear holding periods.
Practical implications
The findings offer stakeholders clear guidelines on how to manage communications in the market to extract enhanced financial performance from CSR award announcements.
Originality/value
This study chooses CSR awards as a proxy for the effectiveness of excellent CSR practice. This study also contributes to the CSR literature by analyzing how investors use the award information to make investment decisions.
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The Treasury Department soon after activated one provision of the EO by designating ten individuals in the Myanmar military and three military-linked companies for sanctions…
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DOI: 10.1108/OXAN-DB259796
ISSN: 2633-304X
Keywords
Geographic
Topical
Political transition to democracy is hampered by human rights abuses by the military junta against ethnic minorities that constitute a third of the country's population. Human…
Abstract
Political transition to democracy is hampered by human rights abuses by the military junta against ethnic minorities that constitute a third of the country's population. Human rights violations are unprecedented in terms of human suffering, extra judicial killings, torture, forced labour and displacement, rape and rapine. The situation has further deteriorated due to a bloody conflict between the armed opposition groups from ethnic minority states and central authorities. Armed opposition groups are demanding a greater autonomy, which the military government has been denying. Although the military government signed over a dozen cease-fires with armed groups, there has been no real progress to reach a permanent political solution. As a result, human rights abuses are on the increase, especially in Shan, Kayin (Karen), Kayah (Karenni), and Mon minority states where the military junta's army is engaged in counter-insurgency operations against armed groups.