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Book part
Publication date: 1 November 2018

Bobby Alexander, Stephen P. Ferris and Sanjiv Sabherwal

This study examines whether dividend payout, an internal corporate governance mechanism, is a substitute for or an outcome of product market competition, an external corporate…

Abstract

This study examines whether dividend payout, an internal corporate governance mechanism, is a substitute for or an outcome of product market competition, an external corporate governance mechanism. The sample includes firms in six of the world’s most prominent economies. We find that firms in more competitive industries pay less in the way of dividends to their shareholders, which is consistent with the notion that dividends and competition are substitutes. We also determine that the above negative relationship is weaker in countries with stronger regulation protecting minority shareholders against corporate self-dealing. Furthermore, the relationship has attenuated following the passage of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act that increased regulation and enhanced governance standards. Collectively, our findings provide consistent evidence across countries that the two corporate governance mechanisms examined in the study are substitutes, and greater regulation weakens the substitution effect. Our empirical findings are robust to alternative measures of dividend payout, industry definition, and shareholder protection.

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International Corporate Governance and Regulation
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78756-536-4

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Book part
Publication date: 11 August 2014

Umma Habiba, Md. Anwarul Abedin, Rajib Shaw and Abu Wali Raghib Hassan

Salinity is one of the major problems in the coastal region of Bangladesh that contributes to 20% of the total land area. About 53% of the coastal region is affected by different…

Abstract

Salinity is one of the major problems in the coastal region of Bangladesh that contributes to 20% of the total land area. About 53% of the coastal region is affected by different degrees of salinity. Salinity intrusion in this area is mainly derived through climate change as well as anthropogenic factors that make this region more vulnerable. Hence, salinity intrusion has adverse effects on water, soils, agriculture, fisheries, ecosystem, and livelihoods of this region. To ensure the availability of food as well as drinking water, this chapter highlights how individual and community people have endeavored several adaptation measures to minimize salinity effects. Moreover, it further discloses governmental and other development organizations’ actions toward salinity to reduce its impacts.

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Water Insecurity: A Social Dilemma
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78190-882-2

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Book part
Publication date: 2 July 2012

Ruth V. Aguilera and Kurt A. Desender

Purpose – This chapter discusses the role that indices of corporate governance have had in comparative corporate governance research.Design/Methodology/Approach – The authors…

Abstract

Purpose – This chapter discusses the role that indices of corporate governance have had in comparative corporate governance research.

Design/Methodology/Approach – The authors begin with a short discussion of what corporate governance is and its main debates. Then, the authors review the main indices (which are also summarized in Table 1), highlighting their strengths and limitations as well as describing some of the findings that emanate from them. Then, the authors discuss the methodological and conceptual assumptions of corporate governance indices that may compromise their construct validity. The authors conclude with some encouraging suggestions for key methodological and research design issues to take into account in future comparative corporate governance.

Findings – Many methodological issues in the measuring and analysis of (comparative) corporate governance remain to be solved. First, although corporate governance practices have a direct effect on some of the firms’ strategic decisions, they may only have an indirect effect on firm performance. Second, it is possible that, after all, causality goes the other way around, i.e., the firm performance explains the adoption of certain governance practices. Third, there are also important challenges in measuring firm financial performance as well as measuring and comparing corporate governance effectiveness between firms from different governance settings.

Originality/Value – This is one of the first chapter to give an overview of the most current corporate governance indices, both academic and commercial, to discuss their underlying assumptions and limitations, and, finally, to provide specific directions for future research regarding comparative corporate governance.

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West Meets East: Building Theoretical Bridges
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78190-028-4

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Abstract

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Developing Leaders for Positive Organizing
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78714-241-1

Content available
Book part
Publication date: 1 November 2018

Abstract

Details

International Corporate Governance and Regulation
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78756-536-4

Book part
Publication date: 16 August 2014

Daphne Gondhalekar, Adris Akhtar, Pascal Keilmann, Jenny Kebschull, Sven Nussbaum, Sonam Dawa, Phuntsok Namgyal, Lobzang Tsultim, Tsering Phuntsog, Stanzin Dorje, Tsering Mutup and Phunchok Namgail

This chapter studies the link between urban planning and health. Access to safe drinking water is already a very serious issue for large urban populations in fast-growing…

Abstract

Purpose

This chapter studies the link between urban planning and health. Access to safe drinking water is already a very serious issue for large urban populations in fast-growing economies such as India. Water availability is further being impacted by climate change, leading to the drastically increased spread of water-related diseases.

Design/methodology/approach

Leh Town, which is located in an ecologically vulnerable semi-arid region of the Himalayas in Ladakh, has been considered for this study because it is undergoing large-scale transformation due to rapid growth in its tourism industry. In 2012–2013 our interdisciplinary group comprising researchers from Germany and India conducted field surveys, including geographic information system-based (GIS) mapping of point sources of water pollution, questionnaire surveys of 200 households and 70 hotels and guesthouses and semi-structured interviews. We also reviewed secondary medical data.

Findings

We found that diarrhoeal incidence has increased in the local population in Leh in the past decade, which may be linked to water pollution: Further, we found that rapidly increasing water consumption coupled with a lack of adequate water and sanitation infrastructure is causing serious water pollution.

Research limitations/implications

Further, data is needed for causal connections between water pollution and health impacts to be conclusively drawn.

Practical implications

This study discusses the use of GIS to support a call for the need for more integrated urban planning and decision-making that holistically addresses water and health challenges in Leh and advocates the development of a decentralized or hybrid sanitation system to support water resources conservation as a central dimension of an integrated health management approach.

Social implications

GIS is also a very useful platform for supporting participatory urban planning in Leh.

Originality/value

With such an integrated urban planning approach, Leh would be a lighthouse example for other towns in the region.

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Ecological Health: Society, Ecology and Health
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78190-323-0

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Book part
Publication date: 19 July 2022

Eliška Walterová

The aim of this essay is to contribute to the international discussion on the consequences of the pandemic in education. This essay focuses on the case of school education (ISCED

Abstract

The aim of this essay is to contribute to the international discussion on the consequences of the pandemic in education. This essay focuses on the case of school education (ISCED 1–3) in the Czech Republic, where a complete, long-term, nationwide school closure was implemented. Schools faced an unprecedented situation and rapidly changing teaching practices. First, the Czech context is briefly introduced with a description of the year-long anti-pandemic measures. A critical reflection of school experiences during the pandemic follows, mainly focused on the roles and activities of main actors, teachers, parents, and students in distance education. Changes in the forms, methods, and contents of teaching and learning are reflected, as is the role of governmental policy toward schools. Further economic consequences and impacts of the anti-pandemic measures on the health of the Czech school population are pointed out. Following a review of the main shifts in schooling, the concluding considerations discuss challenges for the future and possible inspiration from on-line education for the further development of school education. The essay is based on data from monitoring and thematic reports, national surveys, public discussions, and continuous observations made by the author during the course of the pandemic.

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Annual Review of Comparative and International Education 2021
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80262-522-6

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Book part
Publication date: 26 January 2012

M.A. Abedin, Umma Habiba and Rajib Shaw

The southwest coastal region is part of an inactive delta of large Himalayan rivers and is protected from tidal surge by the Sundarbans mangrove forest. This area is the hub of…

Abstract

The southwest coastal region is part of an inactive delta of large Himalayan rivers and is protected from tidal surge by the Sundarbans mangrove forest. This area is the hub of all types of disasters such as cyclones, tidal surges, floods, drought, salinity intrusions, repeated waterlogging, and land subsidence. Cyclonic tidal surges and floods are the more common disasters, and their effects are frequently experienced at the local level. But silent and invisible disasters such as increased salinity, arsenic contamination, and drought affect local livelihoods, people, and environments in this region. The vulnerability of southwest region to increased salinity, arsenic contamination, and drought are the result of a complex interrelationship among biophysical, social, economical, and technological characteristics of the country. Moreover, in the current and foreseeable future, the country is likely to be affected by the biggest, most long-lasting, and global scale but silent disaster: increased salinity, natural arsenic contamination, and drought. Therefore, this region is thought to be the most disaster-prone region in Bangladesh because of natural disasters and highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change.

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Environment Disaster Linkages
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-0-85724-866-4

Abstract

Purpose

The goal of this chapter is to analyse the decisions of the Croatian Competition Agency in the field of grocery retail mergers in the 2004–2009 period. In particular, various criteria used by the Competition Agency to evaluate grocery retail mergers are identified and discussed.

Design/methodology/approach

Using the comparative approach the author attempts to detect the relevant sources for certain solutions embraced by the Competition Agency by examining especially the relevant practice of the European Commission as well as relevant decisions adopted by some competition authorities in EU member states.

Findings

The grocery retail market in Croatia has seen a flurry of mergers since 2004 with the largest competitor spreading to various local markets. For the Croatian competition authority this merger wave has perhaps been the biggest challenge since its inception. In the face of growing market concentration, the authority saw fit to shift from initially providing green light to duly notified transactions to subsequently addressing serious competition concerns by ordering a number of remedies. The Croatian competition authority relied extensively on EU acquis when deciding on specific merger cases, especially as regards the relevant market definition.

Originality/value

The value of the chapter is reflected in the fact that this kind of comparative analysis of Croatian merger cases in the field of grocery retail mergers was not available before. It is especially in the light of the accession of Croatia to the EU, as foreseen on 1 July 2013, that this kind of study becomes useful both for domestic but also EU audience.

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Challenges for the Trade of Central and Southeast Europe
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78190-833-4

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 23 September 2020

Veronica Margaret Makwinja

Higher education in Botswana is believed to transform life through the provision of job opportunities for those with the privilege to access it. Parents believe that when their…

Abstract

Higher education in Botswana is believed to transform life through the provision of job opportunities for those with the privilege to access it. Parents believe that when their children graduate with degrees, this will alleviate them from poverty, and hence encourage their children to work hard and perform to their best ability. Higher education is viewed as the pinnacle a good life – an assurance of a better future for the extended family kinship.

Unfortunately, access to higher education institutions is a prerogative of those who can attain high marks in their last national or international examinations. When students do well, they receive full scholarship from the Botswana Government to attend any institution of higher learning of their choice. However, most students from the marginalized or minority groups tend to fail to access higher education due to various socio-economic challenges they face.

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Developing and Supporting Multiculturalism and Leadership Development: International Perspectives on Humanizing Higher Education
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-83909-460-6

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Book part (16)
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