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Article
Publication date: 6 September 2011

Reini D. Wirahadikusumah and Krishna S. Pribadi

The paper aims to describe the challenges faced by a developing country (case of Indonesia) in the effort to improve the quality of national construction industry through…

1329

Abstract

Purpose

The paper aims to describe the challenges faced by a developing country (case of Indonesia) in the effort to improve the quality of national construction industry through “certification” requirement for professionals and skilled labors. It also aims to identify root problems and propose a recommendation for rethinking the “certification” systems. Indonesia's experiences can be regarded as lessons learned by other developing countries struggling to strengthen their construction industries.

Design/methodology/approach

The study is based on an exploratory study including a focus group discussion with stakeholders representing the various professional associations, construction company associations (contractors and consultants), the Ministry of Manpower, and the Ministry of Public Works. An analysis based on the findings about implementation issues of “certification” requirement resulted in the identification of the root problems and the recommendation for restructuring the system.

Findings

The paper provides empirical insights about how “certification” requirement for all professionals and skilled labors have been implemented in a developing country. Although the requirement seemed to be tactical, it resulted in a circumstance in which there are numerous types of highly specialized certificates/licenses. The mechanism in the administration of these licenses has been problematic because of institutional issues, i.e. the extensive authority of the Construction Services Development Board and the inadequate controls from the government.

Research limitations/implications

The recommendations may lack details and practicality, while the recommendation for rethinking and restructuring requires changes of fundamental conceptions in all stakeholders.

Practical implications

The paper includes recommendations for the development of Indonesia's construction industry. The recommendations include the distinction between voluntary and mandatory certificates, putting more authority back to the government in the administration of the mandatory certificates/licenses, and the establishment of an independent licensing board. Other developing countries can learn from Indonesia's experience.

Originality/value

This paper fulfils an identified need to rethink the certification/licensing system.

Details

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, vol. 18 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-9988

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 January 2013

Oskar Engdahl

The paper discusses how proficiency‐based licensing of professionals may promote a culture of fair play and thus counteract economic and white collar crime in markets…

468

Abstract

Purpose

The paper discusses how proficiency‐based licensing of professionals may promote a culture of fair play and thus counteract economic and white collar crime in markets characterised by unilateral focus on financial targets and a culture of competition.

Design/methodology/approach

The crime prevention potential of licensing schemes is analysed using disciplinary sanction decisions, documentation of how the licensing scheme for professionals working in the Swedish securities market is organised, interviews with representatives of the scheme and previous research.

Findings

Licensing schemes have good potential to strengthen a culture of fair play and thereby prevent criminality and mismanagement. Particular emphasis should be put on the opportunity to use such schemes to raise regulatory awareness in the industry and thereby suppress the growth of criminogenic sub‐cultures in firms. When combined with the potential of this self‐regulatory approach to give licence holders a sense that obligations and sanctions arising from the licensing scheme emanate from the industry itself, the crime‐preventing effect may be substantial.

Originality/value

Even though licensing of professionals has become an increasingly common phenomenon in securities markets worldwide, licensing schemes have yet to be documented, analysed, or studied. Nor are there any research overviews devoted to the mechanisms which more precisely explain how unilateral focus on financial targets is a causal factor in economic and white collar crime. Understanding of the organisation and potential effects of licensing schemes would be very useful when initiating and further developing action programmes.

Article
Publication date: 10 July 2023

Annika Meschnig, Carolin Decker-Lange and Anna Dubiel

Drawing on transaction cost economics, the authors conceptualise brand licensing as a form of alliance. Its performance may be affected by a licensee’s potential opportunism…

Abstract

Purpose

Drawing on transaction cost economics, the authors conceptualise brand licensing as a form of alliance. Its performance may be affected by a licensee’s potential opportunism resulting from an imbalance of specific investments in brand-building prior to signing the licensing agreement. From the licensor’s perspective, brand licensing represents a trade-off between brand protection and additional revenues. This study aims to examine how this trade-off shapes licensors’ evaluations of the attractiveness of brand licensing opportunities.

Design/methodology/approach

In a vignette study, 121 brand licensing professionals evaluated the attractiveness of up to eight hypothetical brand licensing opportunities with different levels of risk and profitability.

Findings

From a licensor’s perspective, high brand quality and distribution risks decrease the attractiveness of a licensing opportunity, although the latter risks are more pronounced. High potential profitability has a positive and significant effect on attractiveness.

Research limitations/implications

The risks outlined in this study refer to licensee behaviour. The licensor may also behave opportunistically. The authors encourage research designs that enable a dyadic evaluation of licensing opportunities because a comparison of a licensor’s and a licensee’s assessments of the same scenario would be illuminating.

Practical implications

The findings enable the development of an evaluation template that directs brand owners’ attention to the risks and gains of brand licensing opportunities. It supports licensors in choosing the “best” opportunity.

Originality/value

This study identifies risks emanating from a licensee’s potential opportunism from a licensor’s perspective. It juxtaposes these risks with the potential profitability of brand licensing opportunities. It is thus one of the first studies to address a licensor’s decision-making trade-offs in a large-scale empirical setting.

Details

European Journal of Marketing, vol. 57 no. 9
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0309-0566

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 19 October 2012

Chad Albrecht, Ricardo Malagueno, Daniel Holland and Matt Sanders

The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether the existence of a professional oversight body and certain country‐specific education regulations in auditing are associated…

1241

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether the existence of a professional oversight body and certain country‐specific education regulations in auditing are associated with a country's perceived level of corruption.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing on data from the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) database, the authors used the Mann‐Whitney U analysis technique to test the difference between countries' perceived level of corruption based on whether they have or have not developed professional oversight bodies and licensing regulations.

Findings

Results suggest that countries that have established an audit profession oversight body are, indeed, perceived to be less corrupt. Similarly, countries that require practical experience, academic study, and a licensing examination in order to practice auditing are perceived to be less corrupt. On the other hand, the analysis shows that requiring auditors to fulfil continuing education requirements is not significantly related to a perception of lower levels of corruption.

Practical implications

The paper provides important insights for policy makers, business leaders, education and the audit profession as a whole.

Originality/value

This paper provides some of the first empirical support for the relationship between corruption and the use of oversight bodies and licensing regulations in professional auditing at a country level.

Article
Publication date: 9 January 2024

Conor Norris, Edward Timmons, Ethan Kelley and Troy Carneal

This paper aims to discuss a new source of data detailing state level occupational licensing requirements for 50 professions.

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to discuss a new source of data detailing state level occupational licensing requirements for 50 professions.

Design/methodology/approach

This study's research team gathered state level licensing requirements for 50 profession in all 50 states and DC from 2022 to 2023. The authors include the type of regulation, entry requirements like fees, education, training, good moral character provisions and renewal requirements. The authors include Standard Occupational Classification industry codes to allow researchers to merge it with other publicly available data sources. Finally, the authors present descriptive statistics and provide a comparison of licensing requirements for audiologists, an occupation with variation in entry requirements.

Findings

The mean number of the 50 professions licensed in states is 36. On average, these professions require a bachelor's degree, $271 in licensing fees and 26 h of continuing education to renew. For the audiologist profession, there is considerable variation between states in entry requirements like fees and education.

Originality/value

Despite a large body of work on occupational licensing, data limitations still exist. Most analysis focuses on whether a profession is licensed or not. However, there is considerable variation between states for the same profession, providing an avenue for work estimating the effects of specific licensing requirements. A new source of data is introduced and discussed for researchers to use in future analyses of occupational licensing.

Details

Journal of Entrepreneurship and Public Policy, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2045-2101

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 8 January 2020

Bruce Robert Elder and Laurie Swinney

The purpose of this study is to investigate the extent to which a character component is required for occupational licensing by state, industry and occupation. This study also…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate the extent to which a character component is required for occupational licensing by state, industry and occupation. This study also investigates whether the good moral character (GMC) is defined and how GMC is defined in state statutes. Investigating the GMC requirement is important to society at large because character is a vital factor for trust and trust is an essential component to voluntary exchange and free markets. Investigating the GMC requirement is also important to the thousands of rehabilitated individuals who may be denied work in licensed occupations because of past transgressions.

Design/methodology/approach

The quantitative research data were collected from state licensing statutes. The number of licensed occupations within each of the 50 states that require GMC was tabulated, as well as the number of states that require GMC for licensing by industry group. In addition, an occupation that requires GMC in a high number of states was compared to an occupation that requires GMC in a low number of states within 11 industry groups. Finally, regulatory statutes were searched to determine how good moral character is defined by each of the state licensing boards for the select occupations.

Findings

This paper reports that the inclusion of a character component within regulatory licensing statutes varies widely by occupation and by state. The number of occupations requiring GMC ranged from 8 to 119 per state. The number of states requiring GMC ranged from 12 to 49 per industry group. Occupations within industry groups that are more frequently licensed are also more likely to require GMC than occupations that are less frequently licensed. Occupations that are more frequently licensed, however, are generally not more likely to define GMC in their regulatory statutes. Only accounting, an occupation that requires GMC in most states, also defines GMC in more states than any of the other select occupations.

Research limitations/implications

Only state regulatory statutes were searched for definitions of GMC. Definitions could be included in other government documents such as rules or regulations. As these additional sources were not searched, the number of states that define GMC for the select occupations cited in this study may be understated.

Originality/value

Prior research has included only studies of the GMC requirement relating to the licensing of attorneys and accountants. The current research explores the extent that good moral character is required for licensing across states, industries and select occupations. This research agrees with prior research that GMC, although providing an important foundation for public trust, is typically not well-defined. To counter criticism of the requirement, this paper concludes with a call for the inclusion of a GMC definition within occupational licensing statutes that is “narrowly and precisely construed, avoiding problems of both vagueness and over breadth” (AICPA and NASBA, 2018).

Article
Publication date: 1 December 2000

Julia Evetts

Discusses the importance of professions within states asking questions such as “are these occupations monopolies whose anti‐competitive effects distort the social and economic…

Abstract

Discusses the importance of professions within states asking questions such as “are these occupations monopolies whose anti‐competitive effects distort the social and economic organisation of society?” Continues by considering whether professions can serve both public and private interests. Looks at the international dimension and how professions are responding to the development of European Feferations, and attempts to assess their influence.

Details

International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, vol. 20 no. 11/12
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-333X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 23 November 2018

Hiral Patel and Anilkumar Hanumappa

The purpose of this paper is to identify various legal issues that affect libraries in India.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify various legal issues that affect libraries in India.

Design/methodology/approach

The method adopted in this study was to identify and analyze all cases filed in the Indian Supreme Court, High Courts and Tribunals and Commissions and reported in the Westlaw India database for the 10-year period from 2008 to 2017.

Findings

Among the identified cases that were related to libraries or library professionals, a large majority of them were issues related to service or employment such as pay scales, promotion, age of superannuation and service termination. There were very few cases related to library work, such as library access, services provided and copyright.

Research limitations/implications

The current study is based on study of cases that have been reported and mentioned in Westlaw India Legal Database and occurring during the limited period from 2008 to 2017. The implications of the study are manifold, with the main implication being the urgent need to introduce basic legal education and training to library professionals. The other implication is the need to further research in this domain due to lack of sufficient studies on the topic and enrich the library and information science (LIS) literature.

Originality/value

This study would not only help create awareness about legal issues related to libraries and library professionals but also help in understanding the main areas of litigation involving libraries and library professionals. The study also makes a case for introduction of basic legal education for LIS professionals. The paper adopts a novel research approach that can be replicated by researchers in other countries to enable international comparisons.

Details

Global Knowledge, Memory and Communication, vol. 68 no. 1/2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2514-9342

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 12 July 2011

Nick French

In the last ten years, there has been much debate about the need for the licensing and regulation of property valuers in Europe. The European Union has “hinted” at the need for a…

1777

Abstract

Purpose

In the last ten years, there has been much debate about the need for the licensing and regulation of property valuers in Europe. The European Union has “hinted” at the need for a pan‐European licensing scheme in keeping with the model of licensing in the USA. This paper seeks to discuss the option of regulation available and the role of the RICS in introducing a comprehensive self‐regulatory process.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper looks at the evolution of the “RICS Valuers Registration Scheme” and the potential impact it will have on raising the standards of valuations not just in the UK but worldwide.

Findings

The RICS Standards require the valuer to undertake valuations in an appropriate and professional manner. The potential impact of the “RICS Valuers Registration Scheme” is that it will educate the profession and thus increase overall standards. Although the system does have sanctions, if required, the intent is not to penalise but to encourage and promote good practice.

Originality/value

This paper is a review of the “RICS Valuers Registration Scheme”. It outlines the history of the development of the scheme and the potential impact that it will have on the quality of valuations worldwide.

Details

Journal of Property Investment & Finance, vol. 29 no. 4/5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1463-578X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 May 2002

Frances Plimmer

In the light of Europe’s experience of its Directive on mutual recognition of professional qualifications and the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) intention to achieve a global…

1793

Abstract

In the light of Europe’s experience of its Directive on mutual recognition of professional qualifications and the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) intention to achieve a global marketplace for professional services by identifying “disciplines” which can be applied to all professions, this paper considers a potential methodology for achieving a global system for the free movement of professionals. The paper explains the process of mutual recognition as implemented within the European Union and discusses the approach which the WTO is likely to adopt towards the globalisation of services. The problems which face the surveying profession (including the problem of identifying the various surveying professions which exist in different countries), the role of professional organisations, the nature of “professional competence” and the threshold standards applied to professional competence as a vital component of any mutual recognition process are also discussed.

Details

Property Management, vol. 20 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0263-7472

Keywords

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