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The purpose of this paper is to discuss the new “Guidance Note on Cooperation with the SFC” released by the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (“SFC”) on 12 December 2017, which updates the SFC’s previous guidance note issued in 2006.

This paper explains key features to the guidance note, the SFC’s current approach in investigations and enforcement and the impact on regulated parties and senior management. In particular, the authors discuss what cooperation means in disciplinary, civil court and market misconduct tribunal proceedings.

The new guidance note confirms that the SFC will play an increasingly active role in investigations and that taking proactive steps at an early stage, including involving senior management, will have a positive impact on the outcome of the investigation.

Commentary and practical guidance from experienced securities enforcement and financial services regulatory enforcement lawyers.

Few empirical studies have been conducted to explore the mechanisms and drivers of service exchange and value co‐creation. In particular, no study has compared a service system design informed by service‐dominant logic (SDL) with a service system design informed by goods‐dominant logic (GDL). The purpose of this paper is to address this knowledge gap. The research question is: does a service‐dominant system design result in a more favourable customer experience than a goods‐dominant service system?

An experiment was carried out on a group of habitual bus travellers. The subjects were asked to plan a specific journey using two online journey planning systems. Two hypotheses were tested: first, an SDL informed service system will evoke a better overall customer experience than a GDL informed service system. Second, this better customer experience arises out of seven service system design characteristics. Both objective and subjective data were gathered to compare the customers' experiences of using the two service systems.

The results show that a service‐dominant service system outperforms a goods‐dominant service system in terms of both objective and subjective criteria. Moreover, the experiment elucidates the subjects' perceived importance of the characteristics of a service‐dominant service system. Analysis of the subjects' perception of the two service systems reveals that certain characteristics set the service‐dominant service system more distinctly apart from the goods‐dominant one.

The paper contributes by extending the empirical foundation for service‐dominant logic, providing new knowledge on value co‐creation and design characteristics of service systems, and identifying the most important service system characteristics perceived by the customer.

Research suggests that service‐dominant designs are superior to goods‐dominant; but why? The purpose of this paper is to answer three questions. First, in what way is a service system based on service‐dominant logic (SDL) superior to one based on goods‐dominant logic (GDL)? Second, which characteristics of the service system facilitate the co‐creation of value‐in‐context as perceived by the customer? Third, how do customers describe the contents of these characteristics?

In an experiment, the authors compared two different service systems designed with different mindsets. The experiment was carried out with a group of habitual bus travellers to plan a specific journey using two online service systems by two different organizations; one exhibited a goods‐dominant mindset, and the other a service‐dominant mindset. The subjects' opinions of the two systems were gathered, and sentiment analysis was performed on the opinions to uncover the rationale behind the operational superiority of an SDL‐based system in value co‐creation.

The sentiment analysis identified three key differentiators: intangibles; operant resources; and information symmetry as the reason why an SDL‐based service system is superior to a GDL‐based system. The study also identified specific attributes linked to the key differentiators that could be built into a service system design and verified during a review of that design.

The paper contributes to research by: showing why an SDL based service system is superior to a GDL based one; proposing guidelines for service system design based on SDL to arrive at a favourable customer experience; and to managers by showing that customers have much to contribute in service development and realisation.

This article presents a pedagogical model that utilizes students as primary researchers in the identification, interviewing, and then reporting on women entrepreneurs as a major component of a multidisciplinary entrepreneurship course. The purpose of the course is to attract students who may not be familiar with the entrepreneurship concept itself, the role of women in such economic ventures, or the possibilities for people like themselves in such a career avenue. Students are exposed to the accomplishments of women entrepreneurs throughout U.S. history in the broad categories of agriculture and mining; construction; communication; manufacturing; service (both for profit and not-for-profit); transportation; and wholesale and retail trade. This content experience is then enhanced by the studentsʼ own direct interaction with and interviewing of women entrepreneurs. The implementation, potential outcomes, and possible adaptations of the course are described, and this transformational learning process model is illustrated.

In recent decades, governments in developing countries have experienced relentless pressure from key supranational finance providers (particularly the World Bank) to focus on the achievement of financial efficiency. This pressure persists despite evidence that basic institutions necessary for sustainable infrastructure and competitive commercial arrangements are often not present. This paper aims to examine the steering of urban water management in Ghana as it progressed through a first failed public-private partnership in this sector (from 2005 to 2011), and beyond to 2017. Throughout this 12-year period, the authors consider progress and barriers to the achievement of steering for sustainable development.

Publicly available documentation is examined through the lens of steering for sustainable development (Voß et al., 2007) to consider the challenges of urban water management between 2005 and 2017.

Progress towards a more sustainable approach to urban water management was achieved through greater democratic governance, public accountability and public engagement. This acted as a counter foil to power and affected improvements of knowledge and clarity of related goals. Effective sustainable management continued to be challenged, however, by on-going World Bank pressure to focus on financial efficiency.

The provision of a sustainable water supply continues to be a significant challenge for many developing countries, including Ghana. This study provides insights into how progress beyond crippling financial dependency might begin to be achieved.

Safe and sustainable water supply is critical for both the health and economic progress of citizens in developing countries such as Ghana. This study provides insight into the value of drawing from a broad range of stakeholders in seeking viable pathways towards those goals.

While water management challenges for developing countries have been significantly researched, particularly in the context of private financing arrangements, little empirical insight is provided into how governments can move forward with sustainable progress beyond the failure of such arrangements. Water management in Ghana beyond 2011 provides that unique context.

This study aims to explore the level of independence among persons with disabilities (PWDs) towards their use of public buildings’ facilities, as well as assess the anxiety and relevant challenges regarding such use.

In a cross-sectional survey design, 91 consenting PWDs were recruited via purposive sampling at diverse locations and invited to complete self-report questionnaires on their use of public buildings’ facilities.

Only 19 PWDs (20.9%) were able to independently use such facilities. The participants’ level of anxiety, observed to be mostly severe (41.7%), was significantly associated with sex and affected body region (p < 0.05). Most PWDs identified “lack of amenities” (85.7%), “inconvenience” (78%) and “safety issues” (59.4%) as relevant challenges towards the use of public buildings’ facilities.

This research emphasises the urgent need to universally improve PWDs’ level of independence towards the use of public buildings’ facilities alongside eradicating anxiety and challenges experienced towards such use. Accessibility ought to be promoted among PWDs, with specific attention given to women and those affected in multiple body regions; as such populations are prone to experiencing substantial anxiety. This approach should entail the provision of barrier-free facilities as well as ensuring their safe and convenient use by PWDs.

This study sought and provided key feedback from PWDs on the current built environment, which ought to be considered by relevant stakeholders to improve accessibility, promote well-being and contribute towards meeting the global goals of reducing inequality and making cities/communities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.

This study aimed to investigate the factors that influence job satisfaction of academic librarians in university libraries in Edo and Delta states in Nigeria.

The study adopted a descriptive survey design using 88 academic librarians in the university libraries in the two states. Total enumeration sampling technique was used for this study. All 88 librarians in the federal, state and private university libraries in Édo and Delta states of Nigeria were considered appropriate for this study. The instrument used for data collection was self-structured questionnaire, and all 88 respondents in this study responded to the questionnaire.

Five factors capable of influencing job satisfaction of employees – work environment, remuneration, fairness, promotion and training – were expatiated upon to ascertain their influence on librarians’ job satisfaction. The result revealed that all the variables significantly influence librarians’ job satisfaction which serves as stimulus for employee’s productivity and delivery of quality services to clientele.

This research is the first to ascertain the factors that influences job satisfaction of academic librarians in university libraries in Edo and Delta states of Nigeria.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the anti-corruption performance of the Philippine government, particularly under the leadership of President Benigno Aquino III.

The paper evaluates the anti-corruption measures as represented by pertinent laws as well as anti-corruption agencies (ACAs) under the Aquino administration.

The Aquino government has exercised remarkable political will in acting on high-profile cases involving former government officials, including former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. However, the government’s overall anti-corruption performance is hampered by outdated and conflicting laws, lack of compliance with anti-corruption laws and regulations by public officials and employees, poor ACA operational capacities, judicial inefficiency, deficient organizational systems and change-resistant government agencies, and selective and partial enforcement of anti-corruption laws. These problems are characteristic of Philippine political administrations and are arguably rooted in a system long characterized by fragile state institutions, strong oligarchic control, and weak citizenship.

The paper is intended to update scholars, policy makers, and anti-corruption practitioners interested in corruption, ACA performance, and political reform in the Philippines. It discusses corruption-related problems of public administration within the purview of political economy. Based on this perspective, it argues that the key to effective control of corruption is a change in the political system’s configuration rather than the mere change in leadership.