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Open Access
Article
Publication date: 28 March 2023

Avitus Agbor Agbor

Over a decade since the Special Criminal Court (SCC) was established in Cameroon, hundreds of individuals have been indicted, tried and convicted. Sentences have been imposed…

Abstract

Purpose

Over a decade since the Special Criminal Court (SCC) was established in Cameroon, hundreds of individuals have been indicted, tried and convicted. Sentences have been imposed, most of which include a term of imprisonment (principal punishment/penalty) and confiscation as accessory penalty or punishment. Research focus has not been directed at the sentences which, as argued in this paper, are inconsistent, incommensurate with the amounts of money stolen and a significant departure from the Penal Code. This paper aims to explore the aspect of sentencing by the SCC.

Design/methodology/approach

To identify, highlight and discuss the issue of sentencing, the paper looks at a blend of primary and secondary materials: primary materials here include but not limited to the judgements of the SCC and other courts in Cameroon and the Penal Code. Secondary materials shall include the works of scholars in the fields of criminal law, criminal justice and penal reform.

Findings

A few findings were made: first, the judges are inconsistent in the manner in which they determine the appropriate sentence. Second, in making that determination, the judges would have been oblivious to the prescripts in the Penal Code, which provides the term of imprisonment, and in the event of a mitigating circumstance, the prescribed minimum to be applied. Yet, the default imposition of an aggravating circumstance (being a civil servant) was not explored by the SCC. Finally, whether the sentences imposed are commensurate with the amounts of monies stolen.

Research limitations/implications

This research unravels key insights into the functioning of the SCC. It advances the knowledge thereon and adds to the literature on corruption in Cameroon.

Practical implications

The prosecution and judges at the SCC should deepen their knowledge of Cameroonian criminal law, especially on the nature of liberty given to judges to determine within the prescribed range of the sentence to be imposed but also consider the existence of an aggravating factor – civil servant. They must also consider whether the sentences imposed befit the crime for which they are convicted.

Originality/value

The paper is an original contribution with new insights on the manner in which sentencing should be approached by the SCC.

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 25 August 2023

Kenneth Butterfield, Nathan Robert Neale, Eunjeong Shin and Mengjiao (Rebecca) He

The current management literature suggests that when employees engage in wrongdoing, managers typically respond with punishment. The emerging moral repair literature suggests an…

Abstract

Purpose

The current management literature suggests that when employees engage in wrongdoing, managers typically respond with punishment. The emerging moral repair literature suggests an alternative to punishment: a reparative response that focuses on repairing harm and restoring damaged relationships. However, little is currently known about restorative managerial responses, including why managers respond to employee wrongdoing in a reparative versus punitive manner. The purpose of this paper is to examine a variety of cognitive and emotional influences on this managerial decision.

Design/methodology/approach

This study used a scenario-based survey methodology. The authors gathered data from 894 managers in sales and financial services contexts to test a set of hypotheses regarding individual-level influences on managers’ punitive versus restorative responses.

Findings

This study found that managers’ restorative justice orientation, retributive justice orientation, social considerations (e.g. when employees are relatively interdependent versus independent), instrumental considerations (e.g. when the offender is highly valuable to the organization) and feelings of anger influenced their reparative versus punitive responses.

Research limitations/implications

Data are cross-sectional, so causality inferences should be approached with caution. Another potential limitation is common method bias due to single-source and single-wave data.

Practical implications

The findings of this study show that managers often opt for a restorative response to workplace transgressions, and this study surfaces a variety of reasons why managers choose a restorative response instead of a punitive response.

Social implications

This study focuses on social order and expectations within the workplace. This is important to victims, offenders, observers, managers and other stakeholders. This study seeks to emphasize the importance of social factors, a shared social identity, social bonds and other relationships within this manuscript. This is an important component of organizational-focused restorative justice research.

Originality/value

This is the first study, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, to explicitly test individual-level influences on managers’ reparative versus punitive responses to employee wrongdoing.

Details

Organization Management Journal, vol. 20 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2753-8567

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 13 November 2023

Chiara Natalie Focacci and Pak Hung Lam

According to statistics by the US National Sexual Violence Resource Center, more than 50% of women claim they have been raped by an intimate partner or an acquaintance. In this…

Abstract

Purpose

According to statistics by the US National Sexual Violence Resource Center, more than 50% of women claim they have been raped by an intimate partner or an acquaintance. In this experiment, the authors test whether exposing individuals to different types of images portraying the victim and their perpetrator influences individuals' perception of (1) the perpetrator's deserved punishment and (2) the role played by the victim in her rape.

Design/methodology/approach

In an experimental survey, the authors randomly treat groups of individuals with manipulated facial and physical expressions of the same photographs.

Findings

The authors find that news about rape are more or less effective in uncovering the seriousness of the crime independent of the pictures accompanying them, suggesting media should avoid their misusage.

Originality/value

While the role of the narrative of rape has been extensively discussed in the literature from a theoretical perspective, this research provides original evidence based on actual behavioural response.

Details

International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, vol. 43 no. 13/14
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-333X

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 11 October 2023

Wing-hong Chui, Henry Kao and Aaron H.L. Wong

The paper aims to recommend legal and regulatory reforms to better prevent child abuse in childcare institutions in Hong Kong.

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Abstract

Purpose

The paper aims to recommend legal and regulatory reforms to better prevent child abuse in childcare institutions in Hong Kong.

Design/methodology/approach

A summary of investigation report and news reports are referred to in describing the abuse incidents which occurred in a children’s residential home. Routine Activity Theory (RAT) is used as the framework for identifying the causes. Local and overseas legislation, regulations, case law, and policies are analysed to provide recommendations for reforms.

Findings

There are systematic failures such as workload issues, inadequate supervision, and the absence of continuing professional development (CPD) that contributed to the incidents. The regulations governing the operation of childcare centres and criminal laws against child abuse are long overdue for an update in Hong Kong. On the institutional side, this paper recommends enacting regulations that mandate CPD, lower the staff-to-child ratio, and strengthen the Social Welfare Department’s (SWD) supervisory powers over childcare centres. From the criminal law perspective, it is recommended that “reasonable chastisement” be abolished as a defence of corporal punishment, and that there be new offences for failure to report suspected child abuse incidents and causing or allowing the death/serious harm of a child.

Originality/value

The child abuse incidents, occurring in a childcare institution, have drawn wide public concern. Reform is required to protect vulnerable children and regain public confidence.

Details

Public Administration and Policy, vol. 26 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1727-2645

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 15 April 2022

Linlin Xie, Ting Xu, Tianhao Ju and Bo Xia

The alienation of megaproject environmental responsibility (MER) behavior is destructive, but its mechanism has not been clearly depicted. Based on fraud triangle theory and the…

1542

Abstract

Purpose

The alienation of megaproject environmental responsibility (MER) behavior is destructive, but its mechanism has not been clearly depicted. Based on fraud triangle theory and the fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) method, this study explored the combined effect of antecedent factors on alienation of MER behavior.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on the fraud triangle theory and literature review, eight influencing factors associated with the alienation of MER behavior were first identified. Subsequently, the fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis was used in this study to reveal configurations influencing alienation of MER behavior.

Findings

The study found nine configurations of MER behavioral alienation antecedent factors, integrated into three types of driving modes, i.e. “economic pressure + learning effect,” “institutional defect + moral rejection,” and “information asymmetry + economic pressure + expectation pressure.”

Originality/value

By analyzing the configuration effects of various induced conditions, this study puts forward a comprehensive analysis framework to solve the alienation of MER behavior in the megaprojects and a practical strategy to control alienation of MER behavior.

Details

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, vol. 30 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-9988

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 17 October 2023

Divaries Cosmas Jaravaza, Joshua Risiro, Paul Mukucha and Nomuhle Jaravaza

The main purpose of the study was to synthesise the role of COVID-19 social media messages and indigenous religious beliefs on public health promotion initiatives among rural…

Abstract

Purpose

The main purpose of the study was to synthesise the role of COVID-19 social media messages and indigenous religious beliefs on public health promotion initiatives among rural consumers in Zimbabwe.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative approach was adopted. Population consisting of 15 interviews and six focus groups was purposively sampled from Manicaland, Mashonaland Central and Masvingo provinces in Zimbabwe. A thematic approach was used to present and analyse the data.

Findings

Rural consumers believed WhatsApp messages posted by people whom they know or influential personnel like health workers. Credibility of WhatsApp messages was enhanced through its ability to send videos and audios. Teachings and indoctrination by indigenous churches and misinformation were found to be an impediment in believing COVID-19 WhatsApp messages and vaccination by rural consumers. Faith healers in indigenous churches used various practices and artefacts like holy water, stone pebbles, clay pots, flags and wooden rods to pray and treat patients suffering from COVID-19 and other ailments.

Practical implications

Social media messages, religious teachings and indoctrination may be a hindrance to rural consumers in adopting government public health promotion initiatives; hence, public health professionals need prior emic understanding and co-option of local leadership in vaccination campaigns.

Originality/value

This study outstretches the theoretical landscape in consumer behaviour and also practical contribution to health practitioners and marketers on breaking indigenous religious barriers and social media misconceptions on vaccination uptake through promotional strategies earmarked for rural consumers.

Details

International Journal of Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Marketing, vol. 18 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1750-6123

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 6 June 2023

Gazi Mizanur Rahman

The British East India Company (EIC) made connections between the Malay Archipelago and Bengal and established a penal settlement at Bencoolen, followed by the Straits Settlements…

Abstract

Purpose

The British East India Company (EIC) made connections between the Malay Archipelago and Bengal and established a penal settlement at Bencoolen, followed by the Straits Settlements for the Indian convicts. The convicts from different parts of South Asia today were generally described as “Indian”, such generalisation often hides the identity of specific convicts from South Asia. Among the Indian convicts, the Bengalis were transported to Bencoolen and the Straits Settlements. However, the generic term has made it difficult to reconstruct the history of Bengali convicts’ experiences and pathos. Therefore, this paper attempts to “rediscover” the afterlife of transportation of Bengali felons in the Malay Peninsula.

Design/methodology/approach

By examining a range of archival records and current scholarships, this article shows the inclusivity, diversity and accessibility of convict labourers with mainstream society. This study will open up a new avenue of convict histories and subaltern studies on Asia.

Findings

The Bengali convicts in the Straits Settlements, one of the oldest migrant sections, have largely been ignored in historical literature. Though the Bengalis, among other South Asian convicts, constituted a significant portion, they were categorised under the generic term “Indian” (Rai, 2014). Their manual labour was invaluable for the colonial economy and the development of the Straits Settlements.

Research limitations/implications

Researcher faced difficulties to get the descendant of Bengali convicts.

Originality/value

This article is a research paper based on mostly archival records; therefore, it is an original contribution to the existing knowledge on the convict history.

Details

Southeast Asia: A Multidisciplinary Journal, vol. 23 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1819-5091

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 2 January 2024

Xiaolin Sun, Jiawen Zhu, Huigang Liang, Yajiong Xue and Bo Yao

As after-hours technology-mediated work (ATW) becomes common in organizations, the increased workload and interference to life caused by ATW has induced employee turnover. This…

1018

Abstract

Purpose

As after-hours technology-mediated work (ATW) becomes common in organizations, the increased workload and interference to life caused by ATW has induced employee turnover. This research develops a mediated moderation model to explain how employees' intrinsic and extrinsic motivations for ATW affect their turnover intention through work–life conflict.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey was conducted to collect data of 484 employees from Chinese companies. Partial Least Square was used to perform data analysis.

Findings

The results show that intrinsic motivation for ATW has an indirect negative impact on turnover intention via work–life conflict, whereas extrinsic motivation for ATW has both a positive direct impact and a positive indirect impact (via work–life conflict) on turnover intention. This study also helps find that time spent on ATW can strengthen the positive impact of extrinsic motivation for ATW on turnover intention but has no moderation effect on the impact of intrinsic motivation for ATW. Furthermore, this study reveals that the interaction effect of time spent on ATW and extrinsic motivation on turnover intention is mediated by employees' perceived work–life conflict.

Originality/value

By discovering the distinct impact of employees' intrinsic and extrinsic motivations for ATW on turnover intention, this research provides a contingent view regarding the impact of ATW and offers guidance to managers regarding how to mitigate ATW-induced turnover intention through fostering different motivations.

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 25 October 2022

Janice Kathleen Moodley, Bianca Rochelle Parry and Marie Claire Van Hout

The menstrual health and menstrual hygiene management (MHM) of incarcerated women remains relatively low on the agenda of public health interventions globally, widening the…

1396

Abstract

Purpose

The menstrual health and menstrual hygiene management (MHM) of incarcerated women remains relatively low on the agenda of public health interventions globally, widening the inequitable access of incarcerated women to safe and readily available menstrual health products (MHP). The COVID-19 pandemic has adversely impacted on the MHM gains made in various development sectors in the global North and South, through its amplification of vulnerability for already at-risk populations. This is especially significant to developing countries such as South Africa where the incarcerated female population are an often-forgotten minority.

Design/methodology/approach

This viewpoint highlights the ignominious silence of research and policy attention within the South African carceral context in addressing MHM. The ethical and political implications of such silences are unpacked by reviewing international and local literature that confront issues of inequality and equitable access to MHP and MHM resources within incarcerated contexts.

Findings

Structural inequalities in various contexts around the world have exacerbated COVID-19 and MHM. Within the prison context in South Africa, women face multiple layers of discrimination and punishment that draw attention to the historical discourses of correctional facilities as a site of surveillance and discipline.

Research limitations/implications

This study acknowledges that while this viewpoint is essential in rising awareness about gaps in literature, it is not empirical in nature.

Practical implications

The authors believe that this viewpoint is essential in raising critical awareness on MHM in carceral facilities in South Africa. The authors hope to use this publication as the theoretical argument to pursue empirical research on MHM within carceral facilities in South Africa. The authors hope that this publication would provide the context for international and local funders, to assist in the empirical research, which aims to roll out sustainable MHP to incarcerated women in South Africa.

Social implications

The authors believe that this viewpoint is the starting point in accelerating the roll out of sustainable MHP to incarcerated females in South Africa. These are females who are on the periphery of society that are in need of practical interventions. Publishing this viewpoint would provide the team with the credibility to apply for international and national funding to roll out sustainable solutions.

Originality/value

It is hoped that the gaps in literature and nodes for social and human rights activism highlighted within this viewpoint establish the need for further participatory research, human rights advocacy and informed civic engagement to ensure the voices of these women and their basic human rights are upheld.

Details

International Journal of Prisoner Health, vol. 19 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1744-9200

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 14 October 2019

Rasha Kamal El-Deen El-Mallah, Alia Abd el Hamid Aref and Sherifa Sherif

The purpose of this paper is as follows: First, understanding the nature of the relationship between corporate adoption of the concept of societal responsibility [availability of…

49427

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is as follows: First, understanding the nature of the relationship between corporate adoption of the concept of societal responsibility [availability of environmental awareness, clear vision of the impact of societal responsibility on financial performance, managers informing employees of the latest developments in societal responsibility programs, managers' response to their corporate social responsibility (CSR) proposals] in the form of an annual report that supports the success of the company's objectives, the company's management encourages employees to participate collectively in societal responsibility programs and to protect the environment from pollution in the petrochemical industry. Second, understand the nature of the relationship between the dimensions of corporate social responsibility concept (cultural, social, economic, ethical and legal) and protect the environment from pollution in the petrochemical industry. Third, the research also seeks to show the role of societal responsibility and its application in the petrochemical companies to protect the environment from pollution in The Governorate of Alexandria – Egypt, and come out with results and recommendations that could help protect the environment from the forms of environmental pollution resulting from the production processes of this industry.

Design/methodology/approach

The researcher has relied on each of the following approaches: Case study methodology is a research strategy aimed at solving a problem or facing a particular situation. It is based on preliminary hypotheses through full analysis of all data collected and recorded. Which depends on the study of a limited number of cases or vocabulary in-depth comprehensive study through the study of all or a large number of variables overlapping and interrelated and influential on the problem under consideration. Thus, it provides a deep and rich understanding of what is going on around the research and the processes that are related to it, and not only the external or apparent description of the situation or phenomenon; it cares about the total description and looks at the particles, in relation to the whole. Quantitative approach: by giving a numerical description indicating the size or size of the phenomenon or the degree of association with the phenomenon. Other phenomena. Accordingly, the role of the petrochemical companies in Alexandria Governorate, and the social responsibility programs carried out within the governorate in terms of importance, growth and requirements, and the most important characteristics and constraints and components and methods of work and developments have been described. Thus, the researcher can analyze the relationship between CSR and environmental protection from pollution in Alexandria Governorate.

Findings

There is paucity in the studies that dealt with the relationship between CSR and environmental protection against pollution in public organizations. There is agreement among the sample on the importance and feasibility of adopting the concept of social responsibility and placing it at the top of the top management concerns, especially in the field of petrochemical companies. With the need to take concrete implementation measures to support social responsibility programs aimed at serving the community among all stakeholders. The effective implementation of the mechanisms for the implementation of meaningful social responsibility programs requires fundamental changes in management practices, existing organizational structures and the quality of personnel working in the relevant departments, in general, and the social responsibility group, in particular, which may be difficult for political and economic reasons.

Research limitations/implications

Time: The study period was set from 2015 to 2017. Place: The study focuses on the petrochemical companies operating in Alexandria. Humanity: The study focuses on the employees of the petrochemical companies operating in Alexandria Governorate.

Practical implications

The adoption of social responsibility positively affects the protection of the environment from pollution, and this effect shows that the adoption of the concept of corporate social responsibility is influenced by the following factors: increasing the participation of workers with healthy environmental contributions to the productive process; increasing the companies' economic and social activities toward protecting the environment from pollution; increasing the capacity of companies to pay greater costs to preserve the environment; increasing the awareness of green consumers with the products it offers Companies; development of continuous internal work environment companies; and clearly defined strategy followed in social responsibility programs.

Social implications

The social responsibility of the public organizations derives their strength through, first, the keenness of these organizations to analyze the variables of the ethical dimension of social responsibility and their availability, which will lead the organizations to provide their services with the highest quality and sincerity. That this analysis (ethics of individuals) as training members of the social responsibility team to solve problems using brainstorming and provide employees with official data related to improving work (ethics of leadership), such as the identification of business objectives through the participation of managers with subordinates, and the punishment of workers who exhibit immoral behaviors (ethics of productive processes) as a decision-making process to ethical standards regardless of the costs involved. When there is an immoral behavior and managers are responsible for implementing the changes needed to reach the targeted outcomes), second, promote partnerships with other relevant sectors for community service.

Originality/value

According to the results of the previous studies and the applied study results, the researcher would like to submit a mechanism to the directors and heads of the boards of directors of the Egyptian petrochemical companies under study.

Details

Review of Economics and Political Science, vol. 8 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2356-9980

Keywords

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