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Open Access
Article
Publication date: 15 March 2024

Andrew Ebekozien, Clinton Aigbavboa, Zinhle Mohlasedi, Opeoluwa Akinradewo and Emmanuel Bamfo-Agyei

Studies showed that stakeholders want the construction sector’s organisations to be more accountable and transparent regarding social and environmental issues through corporate…

Abstract

Purpose

Studies showed that stakeholders want the construction sector’s organisations to be more accountable and transparent regarding social and environmental issues through corporate social responsibility (CSR). There is a paucity of literature regarding CSR implementation in the construction sector, especially in developing countries like South Africa. Hence, the study evaluated CSR’s merits and hindrances and suggested solutions to enhance its implementation in the South African construction sector of Mpumalanga Province.

Design/methodology/approach

The researchers employed a questionnaire survey method to collect data from 68 useable respondents in the South African construction sector of Mpumalanga Province. The main section of the questionnaire was divided into three parts, each addressing an objective mean item score ranking technique.

Findings

Findings show management lacks willingness, absence of recognition for implementing CSR at tender adjudication, professionals regard CSR as a “soft issue,” inadequate ability to carry out CSR initiatives and lax CSR knowledge emerged as the key issues hindering construction stakeholders, especially construction companies, from participating in CSR in South Africa. The research suggests initiatives to enhance CSR in the construction industry.

Originality/value

The study shows that the findings can be used to improve the implementation of CSR engagement and possibly enhance a policy to stimulate friendly CSR in the South African construction sector.

Details

Property Management, vol. 42 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0263-7472

Keywords

Open Access
Book part
Publication date: 29 November 2023

Elliott Kulakowski

The International Network of Research Management Societies (INORMS) celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2021. It was established to increase communication among research management…

Abstract

The International Network of Research Management Societies (INORMS) celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2021. It was established to increase communication among research management societies. The need for a formal international research management community developed because there was (1) increased international funding of research, (2) the number of international research collaborations was growing, and (3) there was a need to understand research regulations in other countries. INORMS sought to address these issues through international congresses and by providing a forum for member societies to work more closely together on common issues. Membership in INORMS steadily increased over the years. The 20th anniversary meeting was highlighted with the signing of the Hiroshima Statement that described a research manager’s principles and responsibilities, which include collegiality, inclusiveness, professionalisation, innovation, and accountability. This chapter summarises the factors that led to the formation of INORMS and its history.

Details

The Emerald Handbook of Research Management and Administration Around the World
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80382-701-8

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 27 August 2024

Willy John Nakamura Goto, Douglas Wildgrube Bertol and Nardênio Almeida Martins

This paper aims to propose a robust kinematic controller based on sliding mode theory designed to solve the trajectory tracking problem and also the formation control using the…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to propose a robust kinematic controller based on sliding mode theory designed to solve the trajectory tracking problem and also the formation control using the leader–follower strategy for nonholonomic differential-drive wheeled mobile robots with a PD dynamic controller.

Design/methodology/approach

To deal with classical sliding mode control shortcomings, such as the chattering and the requirement of a priori knowledge of the limits of the effects of disturbances, an immune regulation mechanism-inspired approach is proposed to adjust the control effort magnitude adaptively. A simple fuzzy boundary layer method and an adaptation law for the immune portion gain online adjustment are also considered. An obstacle avoidance reactive strategy is proposed for the leader robot, given the importance of the leader in the formation control structure.

Findings

To verify the adaptability of the controller, obstacles are distributed along the reference trajectory, and the simulation and experimental results show the effectiveness of the proposed controller, which was capable of generating control signals avoiding chattering, compensating for disturbances and avoiding the obstacles.

Originality/value

The proposed design stands out for the ability to adapt in a case involving obstacle avoidance, trajectory tracking and leader–follower formation control by nonholonomic robots under the incidence of uncertainties and disturbances and also considering that the immune-based control provided chattering mitigation by adjusting the magnitude of the control effort, with adaptability improved by a simple integral-type adaptive law derived by Lyapunov stability analysis.

Article
Publication date: 7 June 2023

Gary Moore and Marc William Simpson

Using various proxies for the firms' return on equity (ROE) and retention ratios (b) the authors calculate 36 sustainable growth rates, on a rolling basis, for a comprehensive set…

Abstract

Purpose

Using various proxies for the firms' return on equity (ROE) and retention ratios (b) the authors calculate 36 sustainable growth rates, on a rolling basis, for a comprehensive set of firms over a 52-year period. The authors then assess the ability of these different sustainable growth rates to predict the actual, out-of-sample, five-year growth rates of the firms' earnings.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors compare the forecast to determine which method of estimating ROE and b produce the lowest mean-squared-errors and then determine the estimation method that works best for firms with different characteristics and for firms in different industries.

Findings

Overall, using the median ROE of all firms in the market and the 5-year average of the specific firm's retention ratio produces the lowest, statistically significant, forecast errors. Variations are documented based on firm characteristics, including dividend payout, level of ROE and industry.

Practical implications

The findings can guide practitioners in using the best earnings forecasting method.

Originality/value

Financial textbooks seem universally to suggest that one method of estimating the growth rate of a firm's earnings is to calculate the “sustainable growth rate” by multiplying the firm's ROE by the firm's b. At the same time, multiple methods of proxying for both ROE and b have been suggested; therefore, it is an interesting and useful empirical question, which, heretofore, has not been addressed in the literature, as to which estimation of the sustainable growth rate best approximates the actual future growth of the firm's earnings. The findings can guide practitioners in using the best earnings forecasting method.

Details

American Journal of Business, vol. 38 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1935-5181

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 12 September 2023

Daniel Adomako Asamoah, John Bowman Dinsmore and Kunal Swani

While few studies have examined business-to-business (B2B) mobile application (app) usage, none have examined the challenges in developing these technological assets. This study…

Abstract

Purpose

While few studies have examined business-to-business (B2B) mobile application (app) usage, none have examined the challenges in developing these technological assets. This study aims to examine B2B marketing executives’ perceptions regarding benefits, barriers and facilitators in app development.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey of 311 B2B marketing executives at selling firms in the USA was conducted to identify key themes related to the benefits, barriers and facilitators in developing B2B apps. The research featured “open-ended” questions exclusively, and advanced textual and thematic analysis of executives’ responses produced several key themes.

Findings

Results show that the perceived benefit of lowering customer servicing and costs drives development more so than trying to realize new revenue opportunities (e.g. “saving” vs. “making” money). Achieving internal buy-in/participation was perceived as a larger barrier than the commitment of financial resources. Additionally, training and education were viewed as the strongest facilitators of an app’s success over its design and functionality. Implications for B2B firms are discussed.

Research limitations/implications

The open-ended format of this research captures a greater breadth of perspectives at the expense of more granular analysis of any particular issue.

Originality/value

The themes generated from the responses offer novel insights into the benefits sought in developing an app, as well as the technological, organizational and environmental factors that act as barriers and facilitators. The open-ended format of this research captures a greater breadth of perspectives at the expense of a more granular analysis of any particular issue.

Details

Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, vol. 39 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0885-8624

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 18 September 2024

Berch Berberoglu

Abstract

Details

Class and Inequality in the United States
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80043-752-4

Content available
Article
Publication date: 29 September 2023

Maneerat Kanrak, Yui-yip Lau, Xavier Ling and Saksuriya Traiyarach

The rapid growth in cruise shipping coupled with increasing public awareness of climate change has led to increasing concerns about the impact cruise shipping poses on the…

Abstract

Purpose

The rapid growth in cruise shipping coupled with increasing public awareness of climate change has led to increasing concerns about the impact cruise shipping poses on the environment, especially regarding air emissions. This study analyses the cruise shipping network of ports in and around the emission control areas (ECAs) to understand the structural properties of the network and ports.

Design/methodology/approach

A complex network approach was used to analyse the network data of 239 voyages serviced by 14 international cruise lines, visiting 127 ports across 44 countries in the Caribbean Sea.

Findings

It is found that the network has a small-world property with a short average path length and a high clustering coefficient. The regulations affect connections among ports, in which most ports in ECAs have lower connections than ports outside ECAs. A few ports in ECAs play important key roles, but many ports outside ECAs play a more important role in the network because the regulations are barriers for cruise ships entering the ports.

Originality/value

The findings of this study have drawn useful guidelines for cruise lines and port authorities to improve their operations. Constrictive recommendations are suggested to policymakers for designing reasonable regulations to attract more cruise shipping to travel in ECAs.

Details

Maritime Business Review, vol. 8 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2397-3757

Keywords

Abstract

Details

Class and Inequality in the United States
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80043-752-4

Article
Publication date: 22 May 2024

Bright Owusu Asante, Stephen Prah, Kwabena Nyarko Addai, Benjamin Anang and John N. Ng’ombe

This paper aimed to examine the impacts of agricultural services on welfare of rural farmers in Ghana.

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aimed to examine the impacts of agricultural services on welfare of rural farmers in Ghana.

Design/methodology/approach

Using data from 1431 rural maize farmers, we employ multinomial endogenous switching regression and multivalued inverse probability weighted regression adjustment to assess the impacts.

Findings

Results show that 19.8%, 9.7% and 3.42% of farmers adopted solely irrigation, extension and mechanization, respectively. Furthermore, utilizing a range of agricultural services significantly improves maize yields, gross income and per capita food consumption.

Research limitations/implications

This study recommends strategies that target the adoption of combinations of agricultural services to enhance rural farmers’ welfare in Ghana and other developing countries.

Originality/value

While agricultural services are claimed to improve agricultural production and peasants’ welfare, their impacts are not studied exhaustively. This paper contributes by providing empirical evidence of the impacts of agricultural services on farmers’ welfare.

Peer review

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-11-2022-0745.

Details

International Journal of Social Economics, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0306-8293

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 23 September 2024

Muhammad Nurul Houqe, Michael Michael, Muhammad Jahangir Ali and Dewan Rahman

The purpose of this paper is to examine the association between company reputation and dividend policy.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the association between company reputation and dividend policy.

Design/methodology/approach

In this study, sample of 98,809 firm-year observations from 22 countries covering 2005–2016 were used.

Findings

Firm reputation concerns are associated with higher propensities to pay dividends and payout ratios. Further, this positive effect is more pronounced for firms with high free cash flows, high information asymmetry and low institutional monitoring. The results are robust to an instrumental variable approach, propensity score matching and the Heckman two-stage correction approach while addressing endogeneity concerns.

Practical implications

These findings have significant implications for various stakeholders, such as existing and potential investors, managers, policymakers and regulators, by providing insights into the relationship between corporate reputation and firm dividend payout decisions. Corporate reputation is highlighted as crucial for accessing finance, emphasizing the role of national regulators and policymakers in facilitating firms' efforts to improve their reputation. The study highlights the dynamics of corporate reputation and dividend payout, calling for proactive engagement from regulators and policymakers. Crafting policies conducive to reputation-building can enhance firms' financial prospects, indicating the need for strategic interventions at managerial, regulatory and policy levels. Understanding the influence of economic context is crucial for firms to tailor reputation management strategies and optimize funding opportunities in different economic environments.

Originality/value

Overall, results suggest that reputation serves as a disciplining mechanism, where firms will pay dividends to maintain their reputations.

Details

Meditari Accountancy Research, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2049-372X

Keywords

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