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1 – 10 of over 1000This chapter has two focal points. First, it concentrates on the increasing impact of climate change on human mobility, emphasising the most vulnerable regions and populations…
Abstract
This chapter has two focal points. First, it concentrates on the increasing impact of climate change on human mobility, emphasising the most vulnerable regions and populations. Second, it introduces the concept of ‘nexus dynamics’, which primarily refers to the entanglement of climate change and disasters with political, economic and social factors.
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Revecca Pedi and Katerina Sarri
Nurturing resilience of states and societies in its neighbourhood has become a strategic priority for the European Union (EU). This chapter reviews the concept of resilience…
Abstract
Nurturing resilience of states and societies in its neighbourhood has become a strategic priority for the European Union (EU). This chapter reviews the concept of resilience across different European External Action Service's (EEAS) strategic documents, investigates the means and the ends that accompany it and explores the potential of fostering resilience through entrepreneurship. The latter is becoming a multi-dimensional tool associated not only with economic development but also with peace fostering, responsible citizenship, social innovation, opportunities management, risk-taking, decision-making, problem-solving, creativity, adaptability etc. We examine how entrepreneurship deals with the EU's approach to resilience and whether the EEAS harnesses entrepreneurship potential. This is an interdisciplinary research project bringing together insights from EU studies, diplomatic studies and entrepreneurship. In terms of methodology we use a content analysis approach of primary resources combined with semi-structured interviews with EEAS staff and secondary sources review. Our findings indicate that EEAS could meet resilience goals through entrepreneurship; yet the use of entrepreneurship as a tool for EEAS′ purposes is sporadic, scattered and unidimensional. We suggest that the EEAS should adopt a cohesive strategy for entrepreneurship promotion connecting internal with external policies. Acting this way would also serve the purpose of a more ‘joined-up union’ and reinforce the EU's power of attraction.
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The purpose of this study is to explore the link between aggregate production efficiency and the extent of linguistic clustering in Indonesia.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to explore the link between aggregate production efficiency and the extent of linguistic clustering in Indonesia.
Design/methodology/approach
The author draws on the stochastic frontier model and applies it to the data on Indonesian provinces to compute the effects of various determinants on these provinces' aggregate production efficiency. The key determinant is the spatial index of linguistic clustering that the author believes has never been applied before in this context.
Findings
Linguistic clustering is an important determinant of aggregate production efficiency. Linguistic diversity is positively associated with productive efficiency if members of a specific linguistic group are not clustered beyond a certain level.
Originality/value
To the best of the author’s knowledge, this is the first study that links the spatial index of linguistic clustering (because of Massey and Danton) to production efficiency. In other words, the contribution of this study is to introduce a geographical dimension to the mainstream analysis of the association between ethnic diversity and economic performance.
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Håkon Bergseng Brannan, Christian Pjaaka, Are Oust and Ole Jakob Sønstebø
In periods of economic distress, expectations for businesses change and there is a heightened need for reporting quality. This study investigates the impact of crises on earnings…
Abstract
Purpose
In periods of economic distress, expectations for businesses change and there is a heightened need for reporting quality. This study investigates the impact of crises on earnings management in the real estate sector.
Design/methodology/approach
The data consisted of financial statements from 2005 to 2021 from real estate firms listed on 10 European stock exchanges. Estimated discretionary accruals from four standard accruals models were used as a proxy for earnings management, using cross-sectional industry and firm fixed effects models. The authors examined earnings management during three crises: the financial crisis (2008–2009), the debt crisis (2011–2012) and the COVID-19 pandemic (2020–2021).
Findings
The results showed less earnings management during the COVID-19 crisis and more earnings management during the financial crisis, though with slightly weaker evidence. The authors did not find significant evidence of earnings management related to the debt crisis. These results suggest that stakeholders in the real estate sector should be extra vigilant in crisis periods.
Originality/value
This study is the first to investigate earnings management in European real estate firms, focusing on the impact of crises.
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Sarayut Rueangsuwan and Supavinee Jevasuwan
The main purpose of this study is to examine the determinants of firms’ earnings management (EM) activities during natural disasters, specifically the 2011 floods in Thailand. The…
Abstract
Purpose
The main purpose of this study is to examine the determinants of firms’ earnings management (EM) activities during natural disasters, specifically the 2011 floods in Thailand. The motivation for conducting this study is that although disasters stem from natural processes, such events affect firms’ actions, resulting in adverse economic and social outcomes.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on data from listed companies in Thailand and using a sample of 5,786 firm-year observations from 2008 to 2013, this study uses the differences-in-differences method to estimate the relation between earnings quality (EQ) and floods. Additionally, this study uses the same research design to observe how fast firms engage in EM, as reflected by the trends in EQ following the floods.
Findings
This study finds that firms engage in EM to increase their earnings numbers and misrepresent their performance after experiencing the 2011 floods in Thailand. The evidence is consistent with the hypothesis that natural disasters are related to EQ. In addition, this study finds that firms’ responses are observed only in the year after the floods (2012).
Originality/value
This study contributes to the literature on EM and quality in two ways. First, this study provides new evidence that during crisis situations such as natural disasters, firms strive to signal good news to capital markets, consistent with the market expectation hypothesis. Second, this study shows that natural disasters are as useful and equal as other exogenous shocks such as financial crises for economic research.
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Anake Pomprapa, Danita Muanghong, Marcus Köny, Steffen Leonhardt, Philipp Pickerodt, Onno Tjarks, David Schwaiberger and Burkhard Lachmann
The purpose of this paper is to develop an automatic control system for mechanical ventilation therapy based on the open lung concept (OLC) using artificial intelligence. In…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to develop an automatic control system for mechanical ventilation therapy based on the open lung concept (OLC) using artificial intelligence. In addition, mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) is stabilized by means of a decoupling controller with automated noradrenaline (NA) dosage to ensure adequate systemic perfusion during ventilation therapy for patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).
Design/methodology/approach
The aim is to develop an automatic control system for mechanical ventilation therapy based on the OLC using artificial intelligence. In addition, MAP is stabilized by means of a decoupling controller with automated NA dosage to ensure adequate systemic perfusion during ventilation therapy for patients with ARDS.
Findings
This innovative closed-loop mechanical ventilation system leads to a significant improvement in oxygenation, regulates end-tidal carbon dioxide for appropriate gas exchange and stabilizes MAP to guarantee proper systemic perfusion during the ventilation therapy.
Research limitations/implications
Currently, this automatic ventilation system based on the OLC can only be applied in animal trials; for clinical use, such a system generally requires a mechanical ventilator and sensors with medical approval for humans.
Practical implications
For implementation of a closed-loop ventilation system, reliable signals from the sensors are a prerequisite for successful application.
Originality/value
The experiment with porcine dynamics demonstrates the feasibility and usefulness of this automatic closed-loop ventilation therapy, with hemodynamic control for severe ARDS. Moreover, this pilot study validated a new algorithm for implementation of the OLC, whereby all control objectives are fulfilled during the ventilation therapy with adequate hemodynamic control of patients with ARDS.
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Aida Brito, Carlos Pinho and Graça Azevedo
The present study aims to identify the determinants of the capital structure of restaurants firms in Portugal, as well as to analyze the application of capital structure theories…
Abstract
The present study aims to identify the determinants of the capital structure of restaurants firms in Portugal, as well as to analyze the application of capital structure theories in those companies.
In order to reach the objectives, a sample of 400 companies belonging to the restaurant sector was used. The analysis was carried out between 2008 and 2017, and multiple linear regression, based on panel data, was applied.
The obtained results allowed to verify that the considered variables have different effects on the capital structure of the companies under study and that the restaurant sector partially applies the trade-off, pecking order and signaling theories.
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This paper presents the effects of replacing fine aggregate (FA) with waste foundry sand (WFS) in natural aggregate and construction waste aggregate concrete specimens without and…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper presents the effects of replacing fine aggregate (FA) with waste foundry sand (WFS) in natural aggregate and construction waste aggregate concrete specimens without and with superplasticizer (SP), silica fume (SF) and fiber (F) to solve the disposal problems of various wastes along with saving the environment. This study aims to investigate the effect of construction waste, WFS along with additives on the stress-strain behavior and development of compressive strength with age.
Design/methodology/approach
The various concrete specimen were prepared in mix proportion of 1: 2: 4 (cement (C): sand: coarse aggregate). The water-cement ratio of 0.5 (decreased by 10% for samples containing SP) to grading 1: 2: 4 under air-dry condition was adopted in the preparation of concrete specimens. The compressive strength of various concrete specimen were noticed for 3, 7 and 28 days by applying load through universal testing machine.
Findings
Upon adding construction and demolition waste aggregates, the compressive strength of concrete after 28 days was comparable to that of the control concrete specimen. An enhancement in the value of compressive strength is perceived when FA is replaced with WFS to the extent of 10%, 20% and 30%. If both construction and demolition waste aggregate and WFS replacing FA are used, the compressive strength increases. When FA is interchanged with WFS in natural aggregate or construction demolition waste aggregate concrete including usage of SF or F, the compressive strength improves significantly. Further, when construction and demolition waste aggregate and WFS replacing FA including SP are used, the compressive strength improves marginally compared to that of control specimen. The rate of strength development with age is observed to follow similar trend as in control concrete specimen. Therefore, construction and demolition waste and or WFS can be used effectively in concrete confirming an improvement in strength.
Originality/value
The utilization of these wastes in concrete will resolve the problem of their disposal and save the environment.
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Johann Valentowitsch, Michael Kindig and Wolfgang Burr
The effects of board composition on performance have long been discussed in management research using fractionalization measures. In this study, we propose an alternative…
Abstract
Purpose
The effects of board composition on performance have long been discussed in management research using fractionalization measures. In this study, we propose an alternative measurement approach based on board polarization.
Design/methodology/approach
Using an exploratory analysis and applying the polarization measure to German Deutscher Aktienindex (DAX)-, Midcap-DAX (MDAX)- and Small Cap-Index (SDAX)-listed companies, this paper applies the polarization index to examine the relationship between board diversity and performance.
Findings
The results show that the polarization concept is well suited to measure principal-agent problems between the members of the management and supervisory boards. We reveal that board polarization is negatively associated with firm performance, as measured by return on investment (ROI).
Originality/value
This exploratory study shows that the measurement of board polarization can be linked to performance differences between companies, which offers promising starting points for further research.
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Laura Parte-Esteban and Pilar Alberca-Oliver
This paper aims to investigate the determinants of dynamic efficiency in the Spanish hotel industry. The study also aims to introduce a large number of variables potentially…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to investigate the determinants of dynamic efficiency in the Spanish hotel industry. The study also aims to introduce a large number of variables potentially related to efficiency and performance measurement. In particular, it seeks to explore the association between efficiency scores and firm-specific factors (variables related to market conditions, business factors, audit variables, organisational forms and subsidiary variables).
Design/methodology/approach
In this study, the data envelopment analysis (DEA) double-frontier approach is used according to firm size in conjunction with non-parametric tests (Mann–Whitney U and Kruskal–Wallis tests), a dynamic Tobit regression model and a bootstrapping procedure. The tests are performed using 1,805 hotels from the years 2002 to 2011. This allows the authors to overcome several of the major limitations of previous papers, namely, the low number of observations, the static or cross-sectional analysis referring to a single period and the use of conventional DEA models, among others.
Findings
The results show significant differences in dynamic efficiency among Spanish hotel companies. In addition, the evidence suggests the levels of efficiency are related to the hotel's location, the hotel's size, internationalisation, the first source of the hotel's activity, audit service and management variables.
Research limitations/implications
One limitation of the study is related to the input and output variables specified in the DEA model. The selection of inputs and outputs was based on data availability and the previous literature on hotel efficiency, but the results might change if the hotel sample and the selected input and output variables were changed. Another limitation is the availability of data on ownership structure and subsidiary variables for very small businesses.
Originality/value
The paper contributes to the tourism literature by offering new insights into hotel performance: dynamic efficiency evaluation and its main determinants. The paper presents strategic market implications for hoteliers, government decision-makers and destination management organisations.
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