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Article
Publication date: 21 November 2023

Diab M. Al-Badayneh, Anis Ben Brik and Amr Elwakad

This study aims to examine social determinants and social strains of cyberbullying victimization among expatriate populations in high-income countries such as Qatar. The authors…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to examine social determinants and social strains of cyberbullying victimization among expatriate populations in high-income countries such as Qatar. The authors argue that expatriate students will be exposed to stains and pressures due to several factors, such as feeling alienated, lonely, homesick, insecure and helpless. This study examines a partial assumption of general strain theory (GST), which posits that expats’ cyberbullying victimization can create negative stimuli that lead to negative feelings and, as a result, to delinquent behavior. The delinquent behavior can be seen as a coping method in encountering strains. Logistic regression analysis is applied (using SPSS v. 21) to test the hypothesis that the victimization of expats’ cyberbullying could lead to strain and delinquency.

Design/methodology/approach

A sample of 2,428 expatriate students (46% males and 54% females) was randomly selected from seven public schools in Qatar. The average number of siblings in the household was 2.7. Around 10.8% of the sample reported victimization by cyberbullying. Most came from intact families (80.6%) compared to 19.4 living in broken homes. Concerning the birth order of the student in the family, 25% of the sample were firstborn, and 20% were middle-born. Students’ mother relationships were higher than students’ father relationships (69% vs 51%, respectively). Fathers were higher in undergraduate education than mothers (60% vs 49%, respectively). Considering that 58% of women did not have a job, most fathers work in administrative positions (47% in administrative work and 39% in professional positions) as opposed to mothers’ positions (15% and 21%, respectively). The survey was distributed among expatriate students by trained researchers, teachers and social workers in public schools. The researchers explained the purpose of the study, confidentiality and potential risks and provided directions for completing the survey. Parents and their children provided signed informed consent before participation, following the institutional review boards of Qatar University’s Human Subject Research Committee and the Ministry of Social Development. The victimization of cyberbullying is measured at the dichotomy level by asking a general cyberbullying question (In the last 12 months, had you been bullied by other students using mobile messages, email, voice or video messages? Responses were 1 – yes and 0 – no). A definition of cyberbullying was included in the questionnaire. Independent measures are as follows: (1) demographic variables: gender, belief, health, number of friends and exposure to violence; (2) family variables: delinquent family, coercive parenting, family relations, family disputes, father absence and family ties; (3) school variables: school satisfaction, school violence, student fighting, teachers' violence, school truancy and going late to school; (4) imprudent behavior: smoking, alcohol, not using a seat belt, gambling, stealing less than 100 QR, chewing tobacco, stimuli, volatile drugs, sexual harassment, throwing garbage out of the car, cheating, vandalism and victimization.

Findings

Findings showed that n = 255, 10.8% of the expats’ sample N = 2,428 reported victimization of cyberbullying, of whom 46% were males and 54% were females. A total of 24% of the victims of cyberbullying were males, and 5.8% were females. About a third of the sample were cyberbullying perpetrators (n = 716, 29.5%). Victims of cyberbullying came from intact families (62.4%) compared to broken families (37.6%). A round third of the victims reported the absence of a father during their childhood (n = 78, 31.7%). Most of the victims came from a typical community compared to the delinquent community (71.2% vs 28.2%). About a third of the victims reported it was easy to talk with the father when needed (32% compared to 42.7%), who said it was easy. More than half of the victims do not use seat belts. A low percentage of them were gambling (n = 68, 27% or 2.9% of the total sample). Regarding escaping imprudent and delinquent behaviors, findings showed that a third and more than a tenth of the cyberbullying were smokers and alcoholics (n = 69, 27.4% and n = 42, 16.7% respectively). Moreover, among the most serious, widely spread student problems, around a quarter of the victims reported using chewing tobacco (Sweeka is the local name) (n = 54, 21.4%). Finally, drug use among victims was more than a tenth of them (n = 41, 16.3%). About a quarter of the victims reported stealing less than 100 QR (n = 67, 26.8% or 2.9% of the total sample). Concerning the crimes committed by victims, findings showed that more than forth of them committed assault (n = 71, 28.3%), student fights (n = 202, 80.8%), school violence (n = 117, 46.6%) and half of the victims (50.2%) were also victims of face-to-face bullying. Little below half of the sample was exposed to violence (n = 120, 48.6%) and was the victim of violence in the past 12 months (n = 100, 40.8%). A significant gender differences was found in the victimization of cyberbullying (1 = yes, 0 = no) (a = 000). Moreover, significant mean differences were found between expatriates student victimization of cyberbullying at (a = 000) in all strain variables. Using binary regression analysis to examine the equality of probability of being a victim of cyberbullying as accounted for by the independent variables, the model’s predictability was 89.4%. The Hosmer and Lemeshow test and omnibus tests support the model’s fit (a = 000). Nagelkerke R2 shows that the stain variables accounted for 24% of the variance in the expat's student victimization of cyberbullying.

Research limitations/implications

Conceptualization and determination of what constitutes cyberbullying from the criminal law perspective are needed. Cyberbullying is defined as a form of violence and crime involving new technologies (Sun et al., 2016, p. 62). Policymakers should provide accessible and equitable access to the criminal justice system, the integration of expatriates and the provision of support services to avoid delinquency.

Practical implications

A social cohesion, inclusion and well-being policy is needed for expatriate students and their families in Qatar. In particular, cultural diversity policy and programs, a source of strength and enrichment should be promoted in educational settings. Social inclusion and cultural diversity programs could ease the alienation and marginalization that expatriate students may encounter in their host societies to prevent stains and negative emotions that lead to delinquency and criminal behaviors. Access to support services without discrimination to avoid health and psychological strains and risk factors. This includes but is not limited to avoidance of stigmatization, embarrassment, sense of helplessness, humiliation and other negative feelings toward expatriates. Awareness and promotion of cultural diversity values are needed to enhance cultural acceptance to reduce victimization among the expatriate population. Criminal law and security implications conceptualization and determination of what constitutes cyberbullying from the criminal law perspective are needed. Cyberbullying is a form of violence and crime involving new technologies (Sun et al., 2016). Policymakers should provide accessible and equitable access to the criminal justice system, integrating expatriates and providing support services to avoid delinquency. There is a pressing need for further research within the realm of crime and law to establish the precise legal boundaries surrounding cyberbullying and to delineate the potential scope for legislative measures aimed at safeguarding against victimization in Qatar. Although the state of Qatar has taken steps to address cyberbullying by incorporating it into relevant legal frameworks, there remains a gap in terms of specifically targeting cyberbullying involving children and adolescents. Despite the introduction of the new Cybercrime Prevention Law, the issue of cyberbullying among these vulnerable groups is not adequately addressed.

Social implications

Social implication includes but is not limited to avoidance of stigmatization, embarrassment, sense of helplessness, humiliation and other negative feelings towards expatriate. Awareness and promotion of cultural diversity values is needed to enhance cultural acceptance to reduce victimization among expatriate population.

Originality/value

The present study examines some strain theory assumptions and the victimization of the cyberbullying expatriate population. This study tests a partial assumption of GST, which states that the expatriate population’s exposure to the victimization of cyberbullying can lead to negative stimuli that, in return, create negative feelings and, as a result, imprudent and delinquent behavior. The cyberbullying behavior can be seen as an escaping and coping method in encountering strains. This study underscores the presence of cyberbullying within high schools among expatriate students, exerting significant effects on their personal, social and emotional behaviors. The novel insights gleaned from this investigation contribute substantively to the comprehension of both the pervasiveness and repercussions of cyberbullying on the well-being of expatriate students. This contribution is particularly vital, given the dearth of research in the field, largely attributable to the growing dependence of students on the internet for various cyber activities. This study examines a partial assumption of GST (in non-Western country). Moreover, it uses an advanced statistical analysis and large sample.

Details

Journal of Criminological Research, Policy and Practice, vol. 10 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2056-3841

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 18 October 2021

Deepa Mangala and Neha Singla

This study aims to investigate the role of corporate governance practices in restraining earnings management in Indian commercial banks.

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Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the role of corporate governance practices in restraining earnings management in Indian commercial banks.

Design/methodology/approach

Estimation of earnings management is based on discretionary loan loss provision and discretionary realised security gains and losses using Beatty et al. (2002) model. The effect of corporate governance on earnings management is examined by performing two-way least square dummy variable regression. Data for a period of five years (2016–2020) is collected from the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy ProwessIQ database, Reserve Bank of India website, annual report of banks, National Stock Exchange and bank’s website.

Findings

Regression results exhibit that number of board committees, size and independence of audit committee and joint audit are significantly effective in curbing earnings management. Other board-related variables (size, independence, meetings and diligence) and audit committee variables (meetings and diligence) are not effective in restraining earnings management in Indian banks.

Practical implications

The findings may prove to be helpful to regulators, board of directors and investors. It shows the weak area of corporate governance in India that is lack of autonomy to independent directors, which needs regulators attention and it also suggests that the number of independent auditors should be adequate for audit purposes. The board of directors must ensure the formulation of an adequate number of committees, which perform their own super specialised functions. This study brings an alarm to investors not to rely on reported earnings alone as they may be manipulated.

Originality/value

This paper substantiates the scant literature on the role of corporate governance practices in restraining earnings management in banks of emerging markets and to the best of the authors’ knowledge impact of joint audits on earnings management is previously unexplored in Indian banks, which are examined in this study.

Details

Journal of Financial Reporting and Accounting, vol. 21 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1985-2517

Keywords

Abstract

Details

Positive Psychology for Healthcare Professionals: A Toolkit for Improving Wellbeing
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80455-957-4

Article
Publication date: 11 October 2023

Hania Waleed Tawfik El-Feel, Diana Mostafa Mohamed, Hala Magdy Amin and Khaled Hussainey

This paper aims to provide insights into the complicated relationship between earnings management (EM) and corporate social responsibility (CSR) during the financial downturn…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to provide insights into the complicated relationship between earnings management (EM) and corporate social responsibility (CSR) during the financial downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Design/methodology/approach

Parametric t-tests and non-parametric Wilcoxon rank-sum tests accompanied by ordinary least squares regression analysis, augmented with Newey–West procedure approaches, are used for a sample that consists of 1,984 firms from 47 countries for the period of 2014–2020. EM was proxied once with discretionary accruals using the modified Jones model (1995) and once with real earnings management (REM) using the Roychowdhury model (2006). This study uses environmental, social, and governance scores from the Thomson Reuters database as a proxy for CSR.

Findings

The results reveal that firms tend to engage more in EM practices during the pandemic and that more socially responsible firms tend to be honest and transparent during the financial reporting process. Interestingly, it was found that more socially responsible firms engaged less in REM practices during the pandemic.

Research limitations/implications

The findings of this research help lenders, investors, policymakers and managers gain a better understanding of EM practices during a negative shock and shed light on the importance of CSR in being ethical.

Originality/value

The findings extend both the literature on the role of CSR in promoting financial reporting quality and the literature on the impact of COVID-19 on accrual and REM practices.

Details

Journal of Financial Reporting and Accounting, vol. 22 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1985-2517

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 6 October 2023

Wenlong Liu, Wangjie Li and Jian Mou

This study explores whether and how Internet usage improves the subjective health of middle-aged and older adults by analyzing the mediating role of social engagement and…

Abstract

Purpose

This study explores whether and how Internet usage improves the subjective health of middle-aged and older adults by analyzing the mediating role of social engagement and heterogeneity of different living arrangements.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study, the ordinary least squares (OLS) method is adopted to explore the relationship between Internet usage and the subjective health of middle-aged and older adults. Propensity score matching method (PSM) is used to alleviate self-selection bias in the samples. The bootstrap method is adopted to test the mediating role of social engagement, and generalized structural equation modeling (GSEM) is employed to resolve endogeneity. A permutation test is adopted to examine the heterogeneous effects of Internet usage on different living arrangements.

Findings

Internet access can help relieve depression among middle-aged and older adults and enhance their self-rated health, leading to perceived changes in health status. However, Internet usage is not directly associated with health satisfaction among middle-aged and older adults. Nevertheless, Internet usage can enhance middle-aged and older adults' subjective health by facilitating social engagement and significantly influences middle-aged and older adults living with their children.

Originality/value

This study reveals the underlying role of Internet usage among older adults and provides insights for governments and families to help middle-aged and older adults actively adapt to a digital society and improve their health.

Details

Industrial Management & Data Systems, vol. 124 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0263-5577

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 4 October 2022

Muhammad Ali, Susan Freeman, Lei Shen, Lin Xiong and Muhammad Adnan Zahid Chudhery

This study clarifies how intra-organizational social capital (IOSC) and unit-organizational ambidexterity (UOA), using resource-based view and dynamic capability theory, together…

Abstract

Purpose

This study clarifies how intra-organizational social capital (IOSC) and unit-organizational ambidexterity (UOA), using resource-based view and dynamic capability theory, together support organizational value creation. While there is research in strategic human resource management (SHRM) exploring the role of resources and its uses, there remains limited understanding of how resources are linked and their effective utilization in the service sector. This study aims to examine the mediating process linking employee-experienced service-oriented high-performance work systems (SHPWS) experienced by employees and service performance by integrating IOSC and UOA.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses time lagged data from managers and employees of different branches of Chinese state-owned banks. To test the proposed hypotheses, path analysis was applied.

Findings

The path analysis results reveal that employee-experienced SHPWS is an important antecedent of service performance. Moreover, IOSC (as resources) and UOA (uses) strongly mediate the theorized relationship.

Originality/value

This study attempts to refine theory and practice with clearer, more insightful and coherent means to better understand and help unpack the ‘black box’ between SHPWS-performance relationships through a new linkage model.

Article
Publication date: 26 June 2023

Jingke Sun, Xiongbiao Xie, Min Zhou and Liang Yan

While the theory and practice of open innovation networks are flourishing, green innovation in manufacturing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is stagnant. This study…

Abstract

Purpose

While the theory and practice of open innovation networks are flourishing, green innovation in manufacturing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is stagnant. This study explores the mechanism driving green innovation in manufacturing SMEs under open innovation networks based on the role of innovation platforms' relational governance.

Design/methodology/approach

A quantitative study was conducted using questionnaires to collect data from 270 manufacturing SMEs in Zhejiang Province and employing a structural equation model to test the developed hypotheses.

Findings

The results revealed that innovation platforms' relational governance positively affects green innovation in manufacturing SMEs. Furthermore, the collaborative innovation atmosphere and risk perception mediate this relationship through a respective mediating role and a chain-mediating role.

Originality/value

This study is the first to empirically investigate the mechanism of the influence of innovation platforms' relational governance on green innovation in manufacturing SMEs, provide a new perspective for understanding the antecedents of green innovation under open innovation networks, and expand the theoretical research on open innovation management.

Details

Management Decision, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0025-1747

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 26 March 2024

Doris Chenguang Wu, Chenyu Cao, Ji Wu and Mingming Hu

Wine tourism is gaining increasing popularity among Chinese tourists, making it necessary to thoroughly examine tourist behavior. While online reviews posted by wine tourists have…

Abstract

Purpose

Wine tourism is gaining increasing popularity among Chinese tourists, making it necessary to thoroughly examine tourist behavior. While online reviews posted by wine tourists have been extensively studied from the perspectives of destinations and wineries, the perspective of the tourists themselves has been overlooked. To address this gap, this study aims to identify significant attributes intrinsic to the tourism experiences of Chinese wine tourists by adopting a text-mining approach from a tourist-centric perspective.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors use topic modeling to extract these attributes, calculate topic intensity to understand tourists’ attention distribution across these attributes and conduct topical sentiment analysis to evaluate tourists’ satisfaction levels with each attribute. The authors perform importance-performance analyses (IPAs) using topic intensity and sentiment scores. Furthermore, the authors conduct semistructured in-depth interviews with Chinese wine tourists to gain insights into the underlying reasons behind the key findings.

Findings

The study identifies eleven attributes for domestic wine tourists and seven attributes for outbound wine tourists. From the reviews of both domestic and outbound tourists, three common attributes have been identified: “scenic view”, “wine tasting and purchase” and “wine knowledge”.

Practical implications

According to the results of the IPAs, there is a pressing need for enhancements in the wine tasting and purchasing experience at domestic wine attractions. Additionally, managers of domestic wine attractions should continue to prioritize the positive aspects of the family trip experience and scenic views. On the other hand, for outbound wine attractions, it is crucial for managers to maintain their efforts in providing opportunities for wine knowledge acquisition, ensuring scenic views and upholding the reputation of wine regions.

Originality/value

First, this study breaks new ground by adopting a tourist-centric perspective to extract significant attributes from real wine tourism reviews. Second, the authors conduct a comparative analysis between Chinese wine tourists who travel domestically and those who travel abroad. The third novel aspect of this study is the application of IPA based on textual review data in the context of wine tourism. Fourth, by integrating topic modeling with qualitative interviews, the authors use a mixed-method approach to gain deeper insights into the experiences of Chinese wine tourists.

Details

International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-6119

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 10 February 2022

Tarit Mitra, Rohit Kapoor and Narain Gupta

The study examines the key drivers of the adoption of disruptive technologies (DTs) in the digital supply chain (DSC) in developing nations.

Abstract

Purpose

The study examines the key drivers of the adoption of disruptive technologies (DTs) in the digital supply chain (DSC) in developing nations.

Design/methodology/approach

The data were collected using well-established measures grounded in the diffusion of innovation (DOI) theory. The hypotheses were tested using the structural equation modeling (SEM) approach using SmartPLS. The authors control for the demographics and apply the required statistical diagnostics for robust findings.

Findings

The compatibility and IT expertise were the two key factors in adopting the DTs in DSC in developing nations. The organizations with higher compatibility and internal IT expertise and competence witness a higher level of adoption of DT. The perceived cost and complexity were not found statistically significant. This may be probably because developing nations such as India do not perceive the technology adoption complex.

Research limitations/implications

The research enhances DTs adoption, assuming it is organizational innovation. This study makes a theoretical contribution to the DOI literature.

Practical implications

The practicing managers should pay attention to addressing the existing technology compatibility issues and spend efforts on training employees to increase the IT expertise to improve the adoption of DT.

Social implications

The greater adoption of the DTs in DSCs can reduce wastages in supply chains by a faster sense and response and greater technological flexibility with transparency and information sharing.

Originality/value

The key antecedent to the acceptance of the DTs in developing nations is compatibility than complexity and IT expertise than the cost. The study's originality lies in the fact that most studies on technology adoption study a single technology, but this study captures a holistic view on a group of technologies under industry 4.0.

Details

International Journal of Emerging Markets, vol. 18 no. 10
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1746-8809

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 12 July 2023

Zhifeng Lin, Wei Zhang, Jiawei Li, Jing Yang, Bing Han and Peng Xie

As a common form of failure in industry, corrosion causes huge economic losses. At present, with the development of computational techniques, artificial intelligence (AI) is…

Abstract

Purpose

As a common form of failure in industry, corrosion causes huge economic losses. At present, with the development of computational techniques, artificial intelligence (AI) is playing a more and more important role in the field of scientific research. This paper aims to review the application of AI in corrosion protection research.

Design/methodology/approach

In this paper, the role of AI in corrosion protection is systematically described in terms of anticorrosion materials and methods, corrosion image recognition and corrosion life prediction.

Findings

With efficient and in-depth data processing methods, AI can rapidly advance the research process in terms of anticorrosion materials and methods, corrosion image recognition and corrosion life prediction and save on costs.

Originality/value

This paper summarizes the application of AI in corrosion protection research and provides the basis for corrosion engineers to quickly and comprehensively understand the role of AI and improve production processes.

Details

Anti-Corrosion Methods and Materials, vol. 70 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0003-5599

Keywords

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