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1 – 10 of 137Donald S. Siegel and Maija Renko
Opportunity recognition is an important aspect on entrepreneurship, especially for technology‐based ventures. Drawing on Austrian economic theory, recent studies have emphasized…
Abstract
Purpose
Opportunity recognition is an important aspect on entrepreneurship, especially for technology‐based ventures. Drawing on Austrian economic theory, recent studies have emphasized the importance of market knowledge in opportunity recognition. Although insightful, these studies do not take account of relationships that exist between different types of knowledge (e.g. technology and market knowledge). The authors aim to address this gap by integrating the Schumpeterian theory of opportunity development with Kirzner's theory of opportunity discovery to examine these relationships.
Design/methodology/approach
The data consist of a longitudinal sample of 42 new biotechnology ventures from the USA, Finland, and Sweden.
Findings
The paper finds that both market knowledge and technological knowledge (measured as the number of patents) contribute to firms' subsequent recognition of entrepreneurial opportunities.
Originality/value
The results show the value and importance of early market knowledge and technological knowledge for subsequent opportunity recognition. The empirical findings are reflected in the light of current research on Kirznerian and Schumpeterian opportunity recognition.
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Fernanda Sousa Gimenes and Roberta Souza Piao
This study aims to examine the drivers prompting business leaders to support corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices in Brazil.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine the drivers prompting business leaders to support corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices in Brazil.
Design/methodology/approach
The research design selected is a qualitative exploratory multiple-case approach. Data were collected through 16 in-depth interviews with leaders of Brazilian companies.
Findings
Evidence is found that the main drivers prompting leaders to support CSR in Brazilian companies are linked to firm performance (economic opportunities and risk management) rather than ethical or external drivers (national policies and stakeholder pressure). In addition to this, the study identifies that for Brazilian business leaders, CSR practices have little to do with individual responsibility and personal fulfilment, but rather with a search for better overall effectiveness of the firm.
Originality/value
This study adds to a relevant and increasing body of literature on organisational behaviour from a societal perspective, offering an understanding of what catalyses organisations to engage in CSR practices.
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Mei Peng Low and Donald Siegel
This paper aims to study the knowledge development and research dissemination on employee-centred CSR research through a social network approach by adopting bibliometric analysis.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to study the knowledge development and research dissemination on employee-centred CSR research through a social network approach by adopting bibliometric analysis.
Design/methodology/approach
By using the bibliometric data obtained from Scopus, descriptive analysis using social network analysis together with visualisation tool to examine the knowledge development and research dissemination on employee-centred CSR. The publications were identified by limiting search in Scopus database through keywords, namely, Corporate Social Responsibility, Employee and/or Internal Corporate Social Responsibility, from 2000 to 2018 in all document types and access type. The data were analysed by year, source of publication, author, country, affiliation, subject area and term analysis.
Findings
The findings reveal that the Journal of Business Ethics and Social Responsibility Journal are the two key journals publishing in employee-centred CSR. The USA and the UK are the two main countries that dominate the publication production. Most of the publications are in the area of business, management and accounting. Main publications are contributed by Andriukaitiene, R., Swaen, V. and Vveinhardt, J. The number of publication increases marginally from year to year. More focus linkages were established between employee-centred CSR with organisational commitment and firm performance in the late 2016.
Research limitations/implications
The analysis and findings are only limited to data retrieved from the Scopus database from year 2000 to 2018 on 31 December 2018. Besides, the selection of the quality criteria is based on researchers’ definition of suitable empirical basis.
Practical implications
The findings of this paper provide insights to the researchers on the development of CSR research has expanded to internal stakeholders. It also contributes by identifying the sources of research and its development trends in employee-centred CSR research.
Social implications
The findings provide a holistic picture of domino effects of CSR initiatives in organisational behaviour. It also further reinforces the awareness internal CSR being another important perspective of CSR.
Originality/value
The originality of this paper lies in its contribution in the bibliometric approach to study the dissemination trend of employee-centred CSR research from the Scopus database.
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Andrew Bradly and Ganesh Nathan
This paper aims to introduce the concept of institutional CSR and explains its antecedents, key characteristics and the potential implications arising from private firms providing…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to introduce the concept of institutional CSR and explains its antecedents, key characteristics and the potential implications arising from private firms providing public goods and services in developing economies.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper conceptualises institutional CSR using key insights from institutional theory along with legitimacy theory. It integrates the antecedents of CSR at the state and society levels and shows how firms may respond to these antecedents within an integrated institutional CSR framework.
Findings
The paper derives six distinct characteristics of institutional CSR and presents a conceptual model to inform how institutional CSR occurs in practice.
Practical implications
This paper brings to the attention the need for private firms that undertake institutional CSR activities to engage more closely with the state to ensure better societal outcomes.
Social implications
The paper identifies the importance of resource coordination between the state and the firm for the efficient and effective provision of public goods and services. Without such coordination, moral hazard, resource imbalances and long-term viability concerns pose a risk for institutional CSR activities. It furthermore highlights important implications for societal governance.
Originality/value
The paper makes an important contribution to the literature on CSR practices within developing economies by conceptualising institutional CSR in providing public goods and services.
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Matthew T. Luth and Donald J. Schepker
The purpose of this research is to better understand how industry conditions affect corporate social performance (CSP). To accomplish this objective, the authors develop and test…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this research is to better understand how industry conditions affect corporate social performance (CSP). To accomplish this objective, the authors develop and test a theoretical argument that task environment managerial discretion plays an important role in determining a firm’s level of CSP.
Design/methodology/approach
In this research, the authors utilize a longitudinal data set of archival data nested across year, firm and industry. They then test their research model using multilevel techniques, which account for the nested nature of their research design.
Findings
Firms exhibit higher levels of CSP when their industry’s environment is high in dynamism and product differentiation. Conversely, firms exhibit lower levels of CSP when capital intensity is high. Finally, the authors find that firms exhibit higher levels of both positive and negative CSP as industry munificence increases.
Research limitations/implications
A number of researchers have called for investigation into the antecedents of CSP. This research provides an important next step in understanding the factors that influence firm CSP. Specifically, this research illustrates how the task environment affects stakeholder management by influencing the degree to which firms engage in CSP.
Practical implications
Managers should be mindful of the task environment’s conditions for managerial discretion and how these conditions affect stakeholder support for CSP. Moreover, managers should understand how industry conditions affect the firm’s ability to achieve competitive advantage through the use of CSP strategies.
Originality/value
While there has been much research aimed at understanding the potential CSP-firm performance link, there has been relatively little attention paid to understanding what influences firm CSP in the first place. This research suggests that industry-level characteristics of managerial discretion strongly influence firm strategic actions toward social performance.
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Communications regarding this column should be addressed to Mrs. Cheney, Peabody Library School, Nashville, Tenn. 37203. Mrs. Cheney does not sell the books listed here. They are…
Abstract
Communications regarding this column should be addressed to Mrs. Cheney, Peabody Library School, Nashville, Tenn. 37203. Mrs. Cheney does not sell the books listed here. They are available through normal trade sources. Mrs. Cheney, being a member of the editorial board of Pierian Press, will not review Pierian Press reference books in this column. Descriptions of Pierian Press reference books will be included elsewhere in this publication.
Households are exposed to a wide array of risks, characterized by a known or unknown probability distribution of events. Disasters are one of these risks at the extreme end…
Abstract
Households are exposed to a wide array of risks, characterized by a known or unknown probability distribution of events. Disasters are one of these risks at the extreme end. Understanding the nature of these risks is critical to recommending appropriate mitigation measures. A household’s resilience in resisting the negative outcomes of these risky events is indicative of its level of vulnerability. Vulnerability has emerged as the most critical concept in disaster studies, with several attempts at defining, measuring, indexing and modeling it. The paper presents the concept and meanings of risk and vulnerability as they have evolved in different disciplines. Building on these basic concepts, the paper suggests that assets are the key to reducing risk and vulnerability. Households resist and cope with adverse consequences of disasters and other risks through the assets that they can mobilize in face of shocks. Asustainable strategy for disaster reduction must therefore focus on asset‐building. There could be different types of assets, and their selection and application for disaster risk management is necessarily a contextual exercise. The mix of asset‐building strategies could vary from one community to another, depending upon households’ asset profile. The paper addresses the dynamics of assets‐risk interaction, thus focusing on the role of assets in risk management.
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The purpose of this paper is to document the racist undertones of Donald Trump’s Presidential campaign rhetoric and draw implications regarding its impact on equality, diversity…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to document the racist undertones of Donald Trump’s Presidential campaign rhetoric and draw implications regarding its impact on equality, diversity, and inclusion. Most contemporary individuals reject explicitly racist beliefs and strive to present themselves as having egalitarian attitudes toward other races and ethnicities. However, commonly held implicit biases toward historically marginalized racioethnic groups drive negative effect that is often unconscious and unacknowledged. Inconsistency between the conscious and unconscious aspects of contemporary racism generates a population of individuals who are uncomfortable with their attitudes, creating an opening for politicians willing to leverage racist rhetoric and gain support by resolving this inconsistency.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper applies social psychological theory and research to address the questions of what attracts otherwise non-racist individuals to racist-tinged rhetoric. The paper also provides theory-based interventions for reducing the attractiveness and impact of racist political campaigns.
Findings
Supporters of racist politicians resolve the conflict between their negative feelings toward racioethnic minorities and their espoused anti-racist views by distancing themselves from racist rhetorical content in three ways: by denying that racist statements or actions occurred, denying that the statements or actions are racist, and/or by denying responsibility for racism and its effects. These techniques provide supporters with validation from an authority that they can express their negative affect toward out-groups and still consider themselves to be good people and not racists.
Practical implications
Distancing from racism has allowed contemporary American extremists to reframe themselves as victims of closed-minded progressives seeking to elevate undeserving and/or dangerous out-groups at the in-group’s expense. Effective anti-racism techniques are needed to counter implicit biases in order to limit the attractiveness of extremist views. Implicit biases can be effectively reduced through training in counter-stereotypic imaging, stereotype replacement, and structured inter-group interaction. Effectively countering denial of the facts involves affirming the audience’s belief system while building skepticism toward the sources of misinformation.
Social implications
While countering racist politicians requires commitment, these efforts are essential for protecting the identity of the USA as a society striving toward equality, diversity, and inclusion.
Originality/value
By articulating the social psychological principles underpinning racist-tinged populist rhetoric, this paper explains the attractiveness of racist statements by politicians, which tends to be under-estimated.
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This beautifully produced and exciting book is in the best sense a descriptive catalogue of the creative works of children in a small, all‐age country school in New Zealand. The…
Abstract
This beautifully produced and exciting book is in the best sense a descriptive catalogue of the creative works of children in a small, all‐age country school in New Zealand. The publishers, the designer (Mr. Roy Cowan), the author, and the children have combined to produce a book whose narrative is threaded with a rich and varied collection of illustrations. These include numerous black and white photographs, large and detailed, of the children at work and play, full‐colour reproductions of paintings, and a magnificent array of lino‐prints, in single colours. The book itself is a fitting testimony to the conception of education through the arts which Mr. Richardson evolved at Oruaiti School.