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1 – 10 of 154Michael A. Clemens and Todd J. Moss
The purpose of this paper is to examine the historical origins of the international goal for rich countries to devote 0.7 per cent of gross national income (GNI) to aid, in order…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the historical origins of the international goal for rich countries to devote 0.7 per cent of gross national income (GNI) to aid, in order to assess its present relevance.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper reviews all the original documents, interviews decision makers of that era, and uses their same essential method to estimate a new goal with today's data.
Findings
First, the target was calculated using a model which, applied to today's data, yields ludicrous results. Second, no government ever agreed in a UN forum to actually reach 0.7 per cent – though many pledged to move toward it. Third, ODA/GNI per se does not constitute a meaningful metric for the adequacy of aid flows.
Research limitations/implications
Any further work on aid targets must be based on a country‐by‐country assessment of realistic funding opportunities.
Practical implications
The 0.7 per cent goal has no modern academic basis, has failed as a lobbying tool, and should be abandoned.
Originality/value
Anyone who studies or works on the ways that rich countries can assist the development process must confront the 0.7 per cent goal sooner or later. The paper shows for the first time that it arose from an economic model with no modern credibility, and that – contrary to conventional wisdom – none of the UN documents contains a promise to meet the goal.
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David Gras, Todd W. Moss and G. T. Lumpkin
The purpose of this study is to assess the current prevalence of empirical research in the field of social entrepreneurship. Further, we identify secondary datasets and explain…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to assess the current prevalence of empirical research in the field of social entrepreneurship. Further, we identify secondary datasets and explain their relative strengths and weaknesses for use by social entrepreneurship scholars.
Methods
The authors conducted a search of academic articles in the EBSCO and ProQuest databases mentioning social entrepreneurship, social venture(s), social enterprise(s), or social entrepreneur(s) in the title, abstract, or keywords published from 2009 to 2013. Papers were coded and analyzed based upon the nature of their methods.
Findings
We find that while qualitative studies are still the norm, quantitative methods are increasing, thanks to the creation of large-scale datasets and the use of analysis techniques new to the field. Three such large-scale datasets – the PSED II, GEM, and nonprofit tax collections – are discussed in depth. We find several strengths and weaknesses for each dataset, yet each provides social entrepreneurship scholars with fruitful opportunities.
Value of chapter
Through a deeper understanding of empirical research and sources of social entrepreneurship data, scholars may be more attracted to social entrepreneurship, better equipped to conduct high-quality research and publish in high-quality outlets. Moreover, by moving beyond case studies and small-sample research to engaging larger pools of subjects and producing more generalizable findings, social entrepreneurship scholars will have the ability to impact a much broader scope of practitioners.
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Adam J. Vanhove, Tiffany Brutus and Kristin A. Sowden
In recent years, a wide range of psychosocial health interventions have been implemented among military service members and their families. However, there are questions over the…
Abstract
In recent years, a wide range of psychosocial health interventions have been implemented among military service members and their families. However, there are questions over the evaluative rigor of these interventions. We conducted a systematic review of this literature, rating each relevant study (k = 111) on five evaluative rigor scales (type of control group, approach to participant assignment, outcome quality, number of measurement time points, and follow-up distality). The most frequently coded values on three of the five scales (control group type, participant assignment, and follow-up distality) were those indicating the lowest level of operationally defined rigor. Logistic regression results indicate that the evaluative rigor of intervention studies has largely remained consistent over time, with exceptions indicating that rigor has decreased. Analyses among seven military sub-populations indicate that interventions conducted among soldiers completing basic training, soldiers returning from combat deployment, and combat veterans have had, on average, the greatest evaluative rigor. However, variability in mean scores across evaluative rigor scales within sub-populations highlights the unique methodological hurdles common to different military settings. Recommendations for better standardizing the intervention evaluation process are discussed.
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The strategic management literature emphasizes the concept of business intelligence (BI) as an essential competitive tool. Yet the sustainability of the firms’ competitive…
Abstract
The strategic management literature emphasizes the concept of business intelligence (BI) as an essential competitive tool. Yet the sustainability of the firms’ competitive advantage provided by BI capability is not well researched. To fill this gap, this study attempts to develop a model for successful BI deployment and empirically examines the association between BI deployment and sustainable competitive advantage. Taking the telecommunications industry in Malaysia as a case example, the research particularly focuses on the influencing perceptions held by telecommunications decision makers and executives on factors that impact successful BI deployment. The research further investigates the relationship between successful BI deployment and sustainable competitive advantage of the telecommunications organizations. Another important aim of this study is to determine the effect of moderating factors such as organization culture, business strategy, and use of BI tools on BI deployment and the sustainability of firm’s competitive advantage.
This research uses combination of resource-based theory and diffusion of innovation (DOI) theory to examine BI success and its relationship with firm’s sustainability. The research adopts the positivist paradigm and a two-phase sequential mixed method consisting of qualitative and quantitative approaches are employed. A tentative research model is developed first based on extensive literature review. The chapter presents a qualitative field study to fine tune the initial research model. Findings from the qualitative method are also used to develop measures and instruments for the next phase of quantitative method. The study includes a survey study with sample of business analysts and decision makers in telecommunications firms and is analyzed by partial least square-based structural equation modeling.
The findings reveal that some internal resources of the organizations such as BI governance and the perceptions of BI’s characteristics influence the successful deployment of BI. Organizations that practice good BI governance with strong moral and financial support from upper management have an opportunity to realize the dream of having successful BI initiatives in place. The scope of BI governance includes providing sufficient support and commitment in BI funding and implementation, laying out proper BI infrastructure and staffing and establishing a corporate-wide policy and procedures regarding BI. The perceptions about the characteristics of BI such as its relative advantage, complexity, compatibility, and observability are also significant in ensuring BI success. The most important results of this study indicated that with BI successfully deployed, executives would use the knowledge provided for their necessary actions in sustaining the organizations’ competitive advantage in terms of economics, social, and environmental issues.
This study contributes significantly to the existing literature that will assist future BI researchers especially in achieving sustainable competitive advantage. In particular, the model will help practitioners to consider the resources that they are likely to consider when deploying BI. Finally, the applications of this study can be extended through further adaptation in other industries and various geographic contexts.
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IN order to be able to discriminate with certainty between butter and such margarine as is sold in England, it is necessary to carry out two or three elaborate and delicate…
Abstract
IN order to be able to discriminate with certainty between butter and such margarine as is sold in England, it is necessary to carry out two or three elaborate and delicate chemical processes. But there has always been a craving by the public for some simple method of determining the genuineness of butter by means of which the necessary trouble could be dispensed with. It has been suggested that such easy detection would be possible if all margarine bought and sold in England were to be manufactured with some distinctive colouring added—light‐blue, for instance—or were to contain a small amount of phenolphthalein, so that the addition of a drop of a solution of caustic potash to a suspected sample would cause it to become pink if it were margarine, while nothing would occur if it were genuine butter. These methods, which have been put forward seriously, will be found on consideration to be unnecessary, and, indeed, absurd.
The purpose of this paper is to explore the consequences of appraisal smoothing in the estimation of the risks and returns of farm real estate. It examines the degree to which the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the consequences of appraisal smoothing in the estimation of the risks and returns of farm real estate. It examines the degree to which the risk and return characteristics of farm real estate are an artifact of the methods used to measure aggregate property values.
Design/methodology/approach
A multifactor asset pricing model is estimated using farm real estate returns in a manner consistent with prior research, as well as using farm real estate returns calculated using two synthetic unsmoothing procedures developed in the real estate finance literature.
Findings
The model suggests that unsmoothed farm real estate returns exhibit characteristics that differ from those suggested by prior research. The unsmoothed returns suggest a stronger correlation with economy wide investment risks.
Originality/value
This is the first study to evaluate the impacts of appraisal smoothing in a farm real estate context. It provides a simple framework for addressing many of the pricing anomalies associated with farmland.
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Yen-Chun Chen, Todd Arnold, Ping-Yu Liu and Chun-Yao Huang
This research aims to investigate how entrepreneurial orientation influences a firm’s differentiation–cost advantage ambidexterity (DCAA) and performance indirectly through…
Abstract
Purpose
This research aims to investigate how entrepreneurial orientation influences a firm’s differentiation–cost advantage ambidexterity (DCAA) and performance indirectly through dynamic capabilities, while also investigating the impact of the interactive effect of the level and consistency of entrepreneurial orientation on dynamic capabilities. The goal of this study is to better understand the importance of consistently following an entrepreneurial orientation, as well as the linkage of such a consistently implemented strategy upon gaining both a cost and differentiation positioning enhancement.
Design/methodology/approach
Two empirical studies are conducted to test the proposed hypotheses – one longitudinal with multiple forms of data (i.e. text data, survey data and archival data) from 100 Taiwanese electronics firms and the other using primary data from a survey of senior managers.
Findings
Entrepreneurial orientation improves dynamic capabilities, which in turn promote superior DCAA and enhanced firm performance. In addition, as captured through a unique measure of consistency allowed through computer-aided text analysis, the results indicate that the effect of entrepreneurial orientation on dynamic capabilities is amplified when a firm consistently adopts entrepreneurial decisions and actions.
Research limitations/implications
The specific context was a sample of electronics firms in Taiwan. This limits the generalization of findings, as would be possible with assessing the hypotheses in other industries.
Practical implications
This research clearly demonstrates the significance of consistency in pursuing a strategic orientation. The consistent support and deployment of resources facilitates an organization’s achieving positive outcomes associated with an entrepreneurial orientation.
Originality/value
While entrepreneurial orientation contributes to firm performance, extant knowledge on the internal process through which entrepreneurial orientation affects performance is relatively limited. The findings not only highlight the full mediating role of dynamic capabilities and DCAA, but also shed light on the importance of consistency in entrepreneurial orientation over time.
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