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Book part
Publication date: 15 July 2015

Michael P. Krezmien, Jason Travers, Marjorie Valdivia, Candace Mulcahy, Mark Zablocki, Hanife E. Ugurlu and Lyndsey Nunes

Youth in juvenile corrections settings have significant academic, behavioral, and mental health needs. Additionally, a disproportionate percentage of them are identified with a…

Abstract

Youth in juvenile corrections settings have significant academic, behavioral, and mental health needs. Additionally, a disproportionate percentage of them are identified with a diagnosed disability, with Emotional Disturbance (ED) as the most common diagnosis. Despite these facts, appropriate education and intensive mental health care is often lacking in these settings. Furthermore, there is evidence to suggest that some facilities use methods such as disciplinary confinement as a response to behavioral infractions; a practice that is not only counterproductive to rehabilitation, but violates federal education law and established legal standards. This study examined the use of disciplinary confinement in a juvenile justice system and investigated factors associated with frequency of this practice and time spent in disciplinary confinement. Participants were 2,353 youth with and without identified disabilities at state-run juvenile corrections facilities. Results indicated that students with disabilities spent considerably more time in disciplinary confinement than students without disabilities. Students with ED spent considerably more time than students in other disability categories and students without disabilities. Additionally, Black students, Black students with ED, and Hispanic students with ED spent considerably more time in disciplinary seclusion than other groups. The authors discuss results with respect to disproportionate use of disciplinary confinement and provide subsequent recommendations including the reexamination of disciplinary confinement practices by leaders in juvenile corrections.

Details

Transition of Youth and Young Adults
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78441-933-2

Article
Publication date: 1 June 2015

Mark Mulcahy and Ray Donnelly

This paper aims to study the impact of a significant negative shock (the reporting of an initial loss) on the stickiness of corporate governance. This paper examines whether…

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Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to study the impact of a significant negative shock (the reporting of an initial loss) on the stickiness of corporate governance. This paper examines whether corporate governance changes in response to the reporting of an initial loss and also whether ex ante corporate governance weakness impacts on the propensity for change.

Design/methodology/approach

The study uses three years of corporate governance information spanning the report of an initial loss for companies listed on the UK Stock Exchange. An industry- and size-matched control sample is used in a difference-in-difference analysis to isolate the impact of the loss from underlying changes in governance.

Findings

The results indicate that an initial loss precipitates an improvement in corporate governance and that this improvement is significantly more pronounced in those companies which displayed either weak or extreme governance before the loss. There is also evidence that the improvement in corporate governance begins before the loss is actually reported.

Research limitations/implications

This study focuses on a three-year period in the UK only and so is a limitation of the research. Future research could be based on the findings from other jurisdictions or from using other conditioning variables.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the stream of research that examines negative shocks, and losses in particular, as an event likely to precipitate firm-level changes in corporate governance and offers insights into the reasons for firm-level corporate governance improvements. It demonstrates that, notwithstanding the recommendations of the Combined Code, firms tend to not make improvements without the impetus and need to do so, i.e. corporate governance is sticky.

Details

Corporate Governance, vol. 15 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1472-0701

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Article
Publication date: 4 November 2014

Mark B. Mulcahy

The purpose of this paper is to study the relationship between reporting a loss and changes in board quality. Low quality corporate governance is associated with adverse…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to study the relationship between reporting a loss and changes in board quality. Low quality corporate governance is associated with adverse accounting outcomes and is characterised by the lack of non-executive and independent directors on the board. Changes in these board quality indicators in response to the reporting of a loss and conditioned by the severity of the loss are examined.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses four years of board information spanning the report of an initial loss for companies listed on the UK stock exchange. An industry and size matched control sample is used in a difference-in-difference analysis to isolate the impact of the loss from underlying changes in board quality.

Findings

Overall the results indicate that more severe initial loss events precipitate improvements in board quality over and above the control sample as well as less severe loss events.

Research limitations/implications

Although unambiguous, the reporting of a loss is only one measure of underperformance. Also the board quality indicators used in this study are two from several individual corporate governance variables and amalgamations used in the extent literature.

Practical implications

The findings demonstrate that the relationship between corporate governance and performance is endogenous and that the majority of any improvement in board quality actually anticipates the reporting of the loss. Any celebration of improvements in governance need to be tempered by an understanding of the precariousness of the firms at which these improvements are made.

Originality/value

This study contributes to a research stream that examines negative shocks, and losses in particular, as an event likely to precipitate firm-level changes in board quality, i.e. firms tend not to make improvements to board quality without the impetus to do so.

Details

Journal of Applied Accounting Research, vol. 15 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0967-5426

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Article
Publication date: 11 November 2014

Mark Brendan Mulcahy

– This paper aims to add to the debate regarding the appropriate methodology to purify tainted components from shari’ah-compliant equities.

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to add to the debate regarding the appropriate methodology to purify tainted components from shari’ah-compliant equities.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on the Qur’anical prohibition against riba and an analysis of the purification methodology recommended by Accounting and Auditing Organisation for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI) shari’ah Standard 21, this paper highlights the shortcomings in Standard 21 and references the corporate finance literature to argue for the need to also purify the interest tax shield from debt.

Findings

Purification is a pivotal element of the Islamic investment process, yet Standard 21 permits a loose interpretation which causes portfolios to be under-purified. Standard 21 also makes no mention of the interest tax shield from debt even though the benefits are at odds with the principles of social justice in Islam. That there is no mention of the interest tax shield from debt in the (limited) literature on the purification of Islamic equities is puzzling.

Practical implications

This paper has implications for the Islamic funds industry and for devout Muslim investors.

Originality/value

The specific contribution of this paper is the identification of the interest expense tax shield (well-established in the corporate finance literature) as a significant non-compliant riba-related component that needs to be considered in the purification process.

Details

International Journal of Islamic and Middle Eastern Finance and Management, vol. 7 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1753-8394

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Article
Publication date: 1 March 1992

John Conway O'Brien

A collection of essays by a social economist seeking to balanceeconomics as a science of means with the values deemed necessary toman′s finding the good life and society enduring…

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Abstract

A collection of essays by a social economist seeking to balance economics as a science of means with the values deemed necessary to man′s finding the good life and society enduring as a civilized instrumentality. Looks for authority to great men of the past and to today′s moral philosopher: man is an ethical animal. The 13 essays are: 1. Evolutionary Economics: The End of It All? which challenges the view that Darwinism destroyed belief in a universe of purpose and design; 2. Schmoller′s Political Economy: Its Psychic, Moral and Legal Foundations, which centres on the belief that time‐honoured ethical values prevail in an economy formed by ties of common sentiment, ideas, customs and laws; 3. Adam Smith by Gustav von Schmoller – Schmoller rejects Smith′s natural law and sees him as simply spreading the message of Calvinism; 4. Pierre‐Joseph Proudhon, Socialist – Karl Marx, Communist: A Comparison; 5. Marxism and the Instauration of Man, which raises the question for Marx: is the flowering of the new man in Communist society the ultimate end to the dialectical movement of history?; 6. Ethical Progress and Economic Growth in Western Civilization; 7. Ethical Principles in American Society: An Appraisal; 8. The Ugent Need for a Consensus on Moral Values, which focuses on the real dangers inherent in there being no consensus on moral values; 9. Human Resources and the Good Society – man is not to be treated as an economic resource; man′s moral and material wellbeing is the goal; 10. The Social Economist on the Modern Dilemma: Ethical Dwarfs and Nuclear Giants, which argues that it is imperative to distinguish good from evil and to act accordingly: existentialism, situation ethics and evolutionary ethics savour of nihilism; 11. Ethical Principles: The Economist′s Quandary, which is the difficulty of balancing the claims of disinterested science and of the urge to better the human condition; 12. The Role of Government in the Advancement of Cultural Values, which discusses censorship and the funding of art against the background of the US Helms Amendment; 13. Man at the Crossroads draws earlier themes together; the author makes the case for rejecting determinism and the “operant conditioning” of the Skinner school in favour of the moral progress of autonomous man through adherence to traditional ethical values.

Details

International Journal of Social Economics, vol. 19 no. 3/4/5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0306-8293

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Article
Publication date: 7 May 2019

Christine Adel, Mostaq M. Hussain, Ehab K.A. Mohamed and Mohamed A.K. Basuony

This paper aims to report on the quality of corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosure in S&P Europe 350 companies. The paper also examines the impact of corporate…

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Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to report on the quality of corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosure in S&P Europe 350 companies. The paper also examines the impact of corporate governance structure and other firm-specific characteristics on the quality of CSR disclosure in European companies.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper uses a disclosure index adopted from Jizi et al. (2014). Moreover, the paper contributes to the CSR disclosure literature by developing a new index that includes all the aspects introduced by the Global Reporting Initiative version 4.The data of CSR reporting are manually collected from the firms’ reports. The population and sample of this study are related to 350 companies operating in 16 European countries. Tobit regression analysis is used to test the hypotheses.

Findings

The results reveal that directors’ ownership, the presence of a CSR committee and firm size positively affect the quality of CSR reporting. Further testing of the independent variables on each CSR sub-category is made. The CSR sub-categories used are, namely, community involvement, employees, environment, social product and service quality, supply chain sustainability and business ethics. The presence of a sustainability committee inside the company is the only factor that shows a strong positive effect on the disclosure of every CSR sub-category and the CSR inclusive index.

Research limitations/implications

The limitations of this research are that it focuses exclusively on the effect of the internal corporate mechanisms on the quality of CSR reporting; disregarding the economic, institutional, political and cultural factors that can play a role in influencing sustainability reporting of the companies.

Practical implications

Better CSR disclosure leads to the firm having a better image in the society; this, in turn, has implications on firm performance, attracting funds, as well as recruiting and retaining high profile employees. Stakeholders are placing cumulative significance to corporate transparency particularly in the area of CSR. Managers should exert more efforts into not only improving the disclosure of the various facts of CSR but also into using the various media available for disclosure. Companies should take the initiative of establishing a CSR committee to ensure effective formation and implementation of CSR policies and disclosure of CSR activities.

Social implications

The CRS research itself bears the merit of social implications. Moreover, the findings of this research pave the way for future researches to examine the effect of the adoption of global CSR initiatives and frameworks on the quality of CSR reporting.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to the CSR disclosure literature by developing a new index that includes all the aspects of CSR and exploring the relation between the rarely explored “presence of sustainability committee” and CSR disclosure, as well as testing a vast number of CSR sub-categories that is not extensively covered in previous studies. Moreover, the paper covers a large sample of companies across 16 European countries, in terms of their stand-alone sustainability reports, dedicated chapters of CSR in annual reports, integrated reports, website CSR information and any attachments/links provided on the websites for further CSR documents, brochures or data sheets.

Details

International Journal of Accounting & Information Management, vol. 27 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1834-7649

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Article
Publication date: 1 April 2020

Amelia Green and Steffen Gray

The purpose of this paper is to begin unfurling the cultural value of street art experiences by opening up an audience-centred research stream sensitive to the nuances of this art…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to begin unfurling the cultural value of street art experiences by opening up an audience-centred research stream sensitive to the nuances of this art form.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper develops a two-part model through which to investigate how everyday citizens experience street art. The methodology involves a purposeful literature review, and direct assessment of how the nuances of street art could pertain to audience experiences.

Findings

The first part of the model conceptualises the characteristics that distinguish contemporary street art from other art forms. To help further guide future research, the second part distinguishes six layers that frame street art audience experiences: (1) “the art”, (2) artist's intentions for the art, (3) the street artist, (4) experiential context, (5) social contexts and (6) audience interpretive lenses.

Research limitations/implications

The investigative model provides a constructive stimulus for substantive empirical inquiries into the dynamics, complexities and implications of everyday street art experiences.

Practical implications

The research stream developed could inform appropriate approaches to facilitating street art, and collaboration amongst street artists, facilitators, municipal representatives and policymakers.

Originality/value

The paper helps to open up an audience-centred approach to street art that intersects with recent developments in arts experience, cultural value and arts marketing.

Details

Arts and the Market, vol. 10 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2056-4945

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 December 1999

Joanne Coyle and Brian Williams

Studies of patient satisfaction are regarded by many as the most important way to obtain patients′ views. To date, relatively few studies have focussed specifically on…

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Abstract

Studies of patient satisfaction are regarded by many as the most important way to obtain patients′ views. To date, relatively few studies have focussed specifically on dissatisfaction. Concerns have been expressed about the validity of the concept of satisfaction. Dissatisfaction, however, has received little attention since it has been assumed to be the opposite of satisfaction and thus already defined. Therefore, a series of assumptions have also been made about dissatisfaction, which may or may not compromise its validity or usefulness. The aim of this review is to clarify the concept of dissatisfaction by examining what studies of patient satisfaction can and cannot tell us about dissatisfaction; identifying assumptions; and finally by suggesting how research might best be oriented to accommodate the complexity of patient experiences.

Details

Leadership in Health Services, vol. 12 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1366-0756

Keywords

Abstract

Details

Police Occupational Culture
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-0-85724-055-2

Article
Publication date: 15 March 2018

Timo Dietrich, Rory Mulcahy and Kathy Knox

There is growing evidence that serious games can be an effective tool in social marketing programmes. Although multiple (serious) game attribute frameworks exist, there is limited…

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Abstract

Purpose

There is growing evidence that serious games can be an effective tool in social marketing programmes. Although multiple (serious) game attribute frameworks exist, there is limited knowledge about which game attributes are applicable for sensitive social marketing issues. This research aims to fill this gap by compiling a taxonomy of game attributes for serious games based on the existing literature and investigating which of the game attributes users prefer in the context of an alcohol programme targeted at adolescents.

Design/methodology/approach

Three serious games were administered to a sample of adolescents as part of a larger trial. Game feedback data from 640 participants are coded and compared using the synthesised classification taxonomy of reward-based and meaningful game attributes.

Findings

Meaningful game attributes are more frequently preferred than reward game attributes across all three serious games.

Research limitations/implications

This study examined serious games targeting only one specific context (alcohol) in one market segment (Australian adolescents) on one gaming platform (online).

Practical implications

This study proposes that meaningful game attributes are more important than reward game attributes when designing serious games for (alcohol) social marketing programmes. Nevertheless, social marketers must also recognise that reward-based game attributes are important attributes, as they are essential for making and motivating gameplay.

Originality/value

This research is the first social marketing study that provides insight into game attributes which are preferred by users of serious games or gamified technology in social marketing programmes.

Details

Journal of Social Marketing, vol. 8 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2042-6763

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