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Open Access
Article
Publication date: 21 July 2020

Gonzalo Lizarralde, Holmes Páez, Adriana Lopez, Oswaldo Lopez, Lisa Bornstein, Kevin Gould, Benjamin Herazo and Lissette Muñoz

Few people living in informal settlements in the Global South spontaneously claim that they are “resilient” or “adapting” to disaster risk or climate change. Surely, they often…

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Abstract

Purpose

Few people living in informal settlements in the Global South spontaneously claim that they are “resilient” or “adapting” to disaster risk or climate change. Surely, they often overcome multiple challenges, including natural hazards exacerbated by climate change. Yet their actions are increasingly examined through the framework of resilience, a notion developed in the North, and increasingly adopted in the South. To what extent eliminate’ do these initiatives correspond to the concepts that scholars and authorities place under the resilience framework?

Design/methodology/approach

Three longitudinal case studies in Yumbo, Salgar and San Andrés (Colombia) serve to investigate narratives of disaster risks and responses to them. Methods include narrative analysis from policy and project documents, presentations, five workshops, six focus groups and 24 interviews.

Findings

The discourse adopted by most international scholars and local authorities differs greatly from that used by citizens to explain risk and masks the politics involved in disaster reduction and the search for social justice. Besides, narratives of social change, aspirations and social status are increasingly masked in disaster risk explanations. Tensions are also concealed, including those regarding the winners and losers of interventions and the responsibilities for disaster risk reduction.

Originality/value

Our findings confirm previous results that have shown that the resilience framework contributes to “depoliticize” the analysis of risk and serves to mask and dilute the responsibility of political and economic elites in disaster risk creation. But they also show that resilience fails to explain the type of socioeconomic change that is required to reduce vulnerabilities in Latin America.

Details

Disaster Prevention and Management: An International Journal, vol. 29 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0965-3562

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 June 1999

Rocco R. Vanasco

The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) of 1977 and its amendment – the Trade and Competitive Act of 1988 – are unique not only in the history of the accounting and auditing…

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Abstract

The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) of 1977 and its amendment – the Trade and Competitive Act of 1988 – are unique not only in the history of the accounting and auditing profession, but also in international law. The Acts raised awareness of the need for efficient and adequate internal control systems to prevent illegal acts such as the bribery of foreign officials, political parties and governments to secure or maintain contracts overseas. Its uniqueness is also due to the fact that the USA is the first country to pioneer such a legislation that impacted foreign trade, international law and codes of ethics. The research traces the history of the FCPA before and after its enactment, the role played by the various branches of the United States Government – Congress, Department of Justice, Securities Exchange commission (SEC), Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS); the contributions made by professional associations such as the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICFA), the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA), the American Bar Association (ABA); and, finally, the role played by various international organizations such as the United Nations (UN), the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC). A cultural, ethical and legalistic background will give a better understanding of the FCPA as wll as the rationale for its controversy.

Details

Managerial Auditing Journal, vol. 14 no. 4/5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0268-6902

Keywords

Executive summary
Publication date: 7 February 2018

HONDURAS: Police scandals threaten security gains

Details

DOI: 10.1108/OXAN-ES229621

ISSN: 2633-304X

Keywords

Geographic
Topical
Article
Publication date: 4 September 2017

Pedro Domingues, Paulo Sampaio and Pedro M. Arezes

The purpose of this paper is to report the results from a survey carried out among Portuguese companies with their management systems (MSs) certified according to, at least two of…

1194

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to report the results from a survey carried out among Portuguese companies with their management systems (MSs) certified according to, at least two of the following standards: ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001. In addition, the results from a second survey conducted amid a group of experts that pointed out several aspects that impact on the integration level will be dissected.

Design/methodology/approach

The phenomenon of MSs integration is hardly transferable to a contained environment so some of the common research methods traditionally adopted include case studies, surveys, interviews and observation in situ. The findings from two surveys online among Portuguese companies and Portuguese experts are reported in the current paper.

Findings

The results suggest that a set of common characteristics is present on the majority of the surveyed companies. On first hand, there is evidence of an effective integration of the policies and the existence of an integrated system manager on the organizational structure of the companies. On the other hand, results suggest that training was provided to top management concerning integration issues, an integrating concept was taken into account during the implementation process and tools, and methods and objectives of the subsystems are aligned.

Research limitations/implications

This paper addresses the issues raised in the mainstream scientific bibliography through the collection of information amidst Portuguese companies. At this stage, it is not possible to infer at which extent the conclusions may be transferable to other geographic contexts. The small number of companies that completed the survey precludes the statistical generalization of the findings but the analytical generalization is not impaired.

Originality/value

The authors believe that the conclusions of this paper may aid both practioneers and scholars in the understanding of a complex but manageable organizational phenomenon. In addition, through the contents of this paper companies may collect information regarding the pertinent issues to address when developing their IMSs.

Details

International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, vol. 34 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0265-671X

Keywords

Case study
Publication date: 25 November 2019

Sergio Morales and Oswaldo Morales

The contribution of the present case lies in the critical view that every business actor should exercise – be it general manager, middle management, supervisor or executive – when…

Abstract

Learning outcomes

The contribution of the present case lies in the critical view that every business actor should exercise – be it general manager, middle management, supervisor or executive – when building a strong organizational culture in corrupt political environments.

Case overview/synopsis

The purpose of this case study is to explore the dilemma in which Marcelo Odebrecht, once CEO of Odebrecht, found/determined whether to continue with the business model established by the founders of Odebrecht or take a new path for the organization. After exploring the corrupt acts of Odebrecht and the scope of Operation Lava Jato, the reader can reflect on the importance of organizational culture (according to the three levels proposed by Schein) in the face of the emergence of corruption. By generating discussions about organizational culture, business ethics, political culture and corruption, the organizational culture of Odebrecht is problematized in relation to its real behavior.

Complexity academic level

Students of administration, business and international business undergraduates and graduates, as well as members of senior management in companies in the infrastructure sector. Also, given the plurality of possible readings, it is recommended that the case also be used in courses or specializations in organizational psychology, organizational sociology or organizational anthropology.

Supplementary materials

Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes.

Subject code

CSS 5: International Business.

Details

Emerald Emerging Markets Case Studies, vol. 9 no. 3
Type: Case Study
ISSN: 2045-0621

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 7 November 2016

Daniel Oswaldo Santana de Souza and Patrícia Amélia Tomei

The purpose of this paper is to explore how demographic variables – such as age, gender, professional status, type of employment situation, and hierarchal level – affect perceived…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore how demographic variables – such as age, gender, professional status, type of employment situation, and hierarchal level – affect perceived fear of failure in the workplace among Brazilian employees.

Design/methodology/approach

For this purpose, the authors applied the Performance Failure Appraisal Inventory – (Conroy, 2002) to an intentionally non-probabilistic sample of graduate students from a university in Rio de Janeiro.

Findings

The results indicate that in terms of the sample, Brazilian civil servants have relatively higher indices of fear of failure than employees of private companies, despite the high stability related to their type of employment situation.

Research limitations/implications

The statistical treatment of the data indicated the occurrence of the phenomenon of “false low scores”, putting in evidence some limitations related to studies about the expression of feelings, especially negative ones, like fear. The authors also highlight the need to adjust the fear of failure construct and its scale to the Brazilian organizational setting.

Originality/value

Employees’ emotions, such as fear, have a real impact on organizational performance. Many factors contribute to the feeling of fear in the workplace. This, in most cases, is perceived as damaging, negatively effecting organizational dynamics. However, there are those who see a positive side to fear, as it prompts greater effort to attain results. The research, assessing the occurrence of this feeling among Brazilian employees, intends to contribute to a deeper understanding of the complexities related to the workplace.

Objetivo

O objetivo principal deste artigo é explorar como variáveis demográficas – tais como idade, gênero, status profissional, tipo de vínculo empregatício e nível hierárquico – afetam a percepção do medo de errar no ambiente de trabalho entre empregados brasileiros.

Metodologia

Com esse objetivo, foi aplicado o Performance Failure Appraisal Inventory – PFAI (Conroy, 2002) em uma amostra não probabilística de estudantes de pós-graduação de uma universidade do Rio de Janeiro.

Resultados

Nossos resultados indicaram que em nossa amostra, funcionários públicos brasileiros apresentaram índices de medo de errar maiores do que empregados de empresas privadas, apesar da alta estabilidade que possuem, relacionada ao seu tipo de vínculo empregatício.

Limitações de pesquisa/Implicações

O tratamento estatístico dos dados indicou a ocorrência do fenômeno de “falsos índices baixos”, destacando limitações relacionadas a estudos que tratam da expressão de sentimentos, especialmente de sentimentos negativos, como é o caso do medo. Nós também chamamos atenção para a necessidade de ajustar o construto do medo de errar e de sua escala de mensuração para o ambiente organizacional brasileiro.

Originalidade/Valor

As emoções dos trabalhadores, como o medo, por exemplo, têm um impacto real no desempenho organizacional. Muitos fatores contribuem para a ocorrência do medo no ambiente de trabalho. Isso, na maioria dos casos, é percebido como algo prejudicial, afetando negativamente a dinâmica profissional. Contudo, existem aqueles que veem um lado positivo no medo, como um potencializador de esforços em prol de melhores resultados. Nossa pesquisa, considerando a ocorrência desta emoção entre trabalhadores brasileiros, visa a contribuir para uma melhor compreensão das complexidades relacionadas ao ambiente de trabalho.

Details

Academia Revista Latinoamericana de Administración, vol. 29 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1012-8255

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 23 June 2022

Rebeca de Gortari Rabiela and María Josefa Santos Corral

The objective of the work is to show the way in which creativity can influence entrepreneurial activity in Latin America. To do this, a review was made of the work related to: the…

Abstract

The objective of the work is to show the way in which creativity can influence entrepreneurial activity in Latin America. To do this, a review was made of the work related to: the mechanisms and contexts that stimulate creativity in business activities both internationally and in the region; and those that account for the contextual frameworks that favor or inhibit the development of business activity. Based on the above, it was reviewed in a more specific way, to what extent the link between creativity and entrepreneurship works or does not work in different types of companies such as small rural companies, women's businesses, and informal ones. In the last section of the chapter, with data constructed from the GEM, the impact of the context is shown to understand the geographical, historical, cultural, and institutional variations in the actions of entrepreneurship and creativity in the region, and with it, qualify the global studies on their relation.

Details

The Emerald Handbook of Entrepreneurship in Latin America
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80071-955-2

Keywords

Case study
Publication date: 6 December 2019

Fidel Edgard Amesquita and Oswaldo Morales

The learning outcomes are as follows: to understand the problem of informality and how it develops, taking advantage of the control flaws of public and private institutions and…

Abstract

Learning outcomes

The learning outcomes are as follows: to understand the problem of informality and how it develops, taking advantage of the control flaws of public and private institutions and its growth by the legitimacy of society; to analyze the role of the regulatory body in its fight against informality from the area of its influence, which is the energy sector; to analyze the economic and social impact of a solution like the one proposed in the case; to analyze the impact at the level of public policies of solutions such as the one proposed in the case; and to review the strategy of the hand of technology that can achieve the development of original solutions to fight against informality.

Case overview/synopsis

The case study was written on the basis of a real success story that explains the development of a technological solution that allowed the Supervisory Agency of Energy and Mining of Peru to effectively deal with informality in the commercialization of fuels, which became a reference in the region. The story begins by recreating the system that existed for the commercialization of fuels and how the shortcomings of this system itself encouraged the appearance of informal merchants who benefited from the situation. It also explains how the regulatory authority decides to deal with this problem by creating a special unit that confronts this issue and how, after some failures, an original strategy was able to be designed with the help of technology to control informality.

Complexity academic level

Business schools, where different aspects can be analyzed, such as the strategy used in the supply chain of informal or formal commerce. It is also recommended for use in master’s programs in specific sectors, such as public management or energy management. Finally, it can also be used in entrepreneurship, given that informal entrepreneurship is considered as a new line of research in this field.

Supplementary materials

Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes.

Subject code

CSS 11: Strategy.

Details

Emerald Emerging Markets Case Studies, vol. 9 no. 4
Type: Case Study
ISSN: 2045-0621

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 10 March 2010

Ana Cristina Maldonado

The Revolution is 50, Raúl has succeeded Fidel, and many dissidents who participated in the 2002 Varela Project initiative are in jail. What hope for “cambio” (change) in Cuba…

Abstract

The Revolution is 50, Raúl has succeeded Fidel, and many dissidents who participated in the 2002 Varela Project initiative are in jail. What hope for “cambio” (change) in Cuba? Legal dissent – constitutional proposals, a legislative agenda, and grassroots civil rights organizing – may be the key. The Movimiento Cristiano Liberación (MCL), led by the Nobel Peace Prize-nominated Oswaldo Payá, presents the strongest challenge to the power of Cuba's 50-year-old Revolutionary government. This dissident group is at the heart of the development of the 2002 Varela Project and forms the core of the leaders arrested in the 2003 Cuban Spring crackdown. This paper traces the history of MCL's “legal dissent” strategy, from the evolution of the Varela Project to their development of an entire legislative agenda, crafted with nation-wide grassroots participation over the last six years since the crackdown. Using data from international NGO surveys conducted within Cuba, we analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the MCL's proposal vis-à-vis the political and economic concerns and interests of the broader population. Cuba's government seeks to consolidate its rule through its institutions, specifically, through the Cuban Communist Party. It remains to be seen whether the MCL's legal dissent strategy can successfully mobilize a broad segment of the Cuban population, and channel the political aspirations of reformers whose interests are not served under one-party rule.

Details

Research in Social Movements, Conflicts and Change
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-0-85724-036-1

Article
Publication date: 16 July 2019

Allan Oswaldo Villegas Mateos and José Ernesto Amorós

The entrepreneurial ecosystem approach tries to understand the mechanisms underlying new business creation and helps develop tools, governmental policies and support systems that…

Abstract

Purpose

The entrepreneurial ecosystem approach tries to understand the mechanisms underlying new business creation and helps develop tools, governmental policies and support systems that enhance the outcomes of entrepreneurship activities. To ensure a better understanding of those mechanisms, this study aims to contrast regional policies in emerging economies that are designed to foster local new business creation and development.

Design/methodology/approach

One of the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor’s surveys, the National Experts’ Survey, was applied to a sample of N = 675 key informants in Mexico at ten entities, seven of whom were categorized as non-centrally located. The authors used non-parametric statistics to compare the differences between centrally and non-centrally located experts.

Findings

The main results indicate that non-centrally located experts perceive their regions to be in a worse position than centrally located experts in terms of government policies regulation, post-school education and commercial and physical infrastructure, but surprisingly in a better position regarding financial access, general government policy, government programs, primary and secondary education, R&D transfer, market dynamism and openness and cultural and social norms.

Practical implications

These findings have policy implications for all levels of government in Mexico, which must prioritize the homologation of opportunities for people in both large and small cities.

Originality/value

The replication of a Chilean study contributes to the empirical literature of regional entrepreneurial ecosystems in emerging economies.

Details

Journal of Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies, vol. 11 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2053-4604

Keywords

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