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Article
Publication date: 6 October 2023

Llewelyn Gray Curlewis

The purpose of this paper is to bring to light the present civil and criminal asset forfeiture procedures within the South African context and to make suggestions for reform…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to bring to light the present civil and criminal asset forfeiture procedures within the South African context and to make suggestions for reform thereof. While there exists and is a need for constant change and reform of the law to ensure that it remains transparent, up-to-date and applicable to all means through which economic crime can be committed, South Africa lacks the necessary resources and attitudes to accomplish this essential goal.

Design/methodology/approach

The approach used in this paper is purely qualitative using journal articles, textbooks, reports, periodicals, speeches and legislation as its basis. It is through a consolidation of this literature that this paper was formed.

Findings

While South Africa’s present system of asset forfeiture is producing some impressive results, the process still has vast room for improvement. There are key areas which this paper outlines for reform. However, the probability of improvement is relatively low owing to the levels of corruption, illicit activities and attitudes of mistrust within the South African society at large.

Originality/value

The concept of asset forfeiture is not new to any international jurisdiction, let alone South Africa itself. However, this paper aims to give insight into the specific South African experience of this procedure and how it can possibly be improved within the specific context.

Details

Journal of Financial Crime, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1359-0790

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 22 April 2024

Nikita Sakaria, Christopher Sanderson, Simon Watkins and Victoria Boynton

This service evaluation aims to understand the experiences of service users (SUs) who accessed an early intervention in psychosis (EIP) service during the Coronavirus pandemic…

Abstract

Purpose

This service evaluation aims to understand the experiences of service users (SUs) who accessed an early intervention in psychosis (EIP) service during the Coronavirus pandemic using qualitative and quantitative methodologies and compare these to a previous pre-pandemic study conducted within the same service (Watkins et al., 2018).

Design/methodology/approach

This paper collated experiences of individuals accessing an EIP service to inform service development. Questionnaires and individual interviews were conducted to provide quantitative and qualitative data. Descriptive statistics and T-test confidence intervals were created from the results and compared to findings of Watkins et al. (2018). Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed using Braun and Clarke’s (2006) thematic analysis.

Findings

Data showed participants were largely satisfied with all areas of the service with “work or education”, “living skills”, and “addictions” scoring highest. Though participants reported no overall dissatisfaction, satisfaction levels dropped in “social activities” compared to the findings of Watkins et al. (2018), perhaps due to the national restrictions put in place to manage the spread of Coronavirus during this time. Interview analysis identified three themes of importance consistent with prior literature, highlighting the importance of relationships and validation during recovery.

Research limitations/implications

This evaluation did not consider whether participants had accessed the service prior to the pandemic or only during, meaning that some participants could have a point of comparison with the service pre-pandemic, whereas others might not. Similarly, the participants were not the same as those of the Watkins et al.’s (2018) evaluation, meaning that direct comparisons of pre- and post-pandemic experiences were not possible. In addition, this evaluation collected data at only one time point early in the pandemic; therefore, it is unknown if client experiences of services differed as the pandemic and restrictions continued over time.

Originality/value

The Covid-19 pandemic has been an unprecedented challenge for health services, and the effects of this are becoming widely reported. This evaluation of clinical services offers a valuable perspective of service user experience of receiving mental health services during a global health crisis further offering a comparison to pre-pandemic services and the experiences of those who used them.

Details

Mental Health Review Journal, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1361-9322

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 25 January 2024

Sarah Waller, Simon Chester Evans, Jennifer Bray and Teresa Atkinson

There is increasing interest in the UK in developing environments that support people who are neurodiverse. This paper aims to report on a project to develop a cognitively…

Abstract

Purpose

There is increasing interest in the UK in developing environments that support people who are neurodiverse. This paper aims to report on a project to develop a cognitively supportive environmental assessment tool to improve the design of health centres, where the majority of National Health Service consultations take place, for all users, including people living with dementia and those who are neurodiverse.

Design/methodology/approach

A three-stage process was used: a literature review; the development of a matrix of key design features for people living with dementia, autism and other neurodiverse conditions; and the development of an environmental assessment tool and guide for users, which included easy-to-read versions to maximise service user involvement.

Findings

The overarching concepts of dementia-friendly design can be adapted to create designs for everyone, including those who are neurodiverse.

Research limitations/implications

There is a paucity of research in environmental design for primary care from the patient’s perspective, and, more generally, further research on design for adults with learning disabilities and autism is needed.

Practical implications

The tools are free to download. With adaptation, they have potential applicability across health and care settings.

Originality/value

This project has confirmed that the principles of dementia-friendly design are applicable, with modifications, to a wider group of neurodiverse people. Critically, each person’s response to sensory stimuli is individual rather than determined by their condition.

Details

Working with Older People, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1366-3666

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 15 August 2022

Avgousta Stanitsa, Stephen H. Hallett and Simon Jude

This study aims to raise awareness of the key challenges, opportunities and priorities for evidence-based strategies’ application to inform building and urban design decisions.

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to raise awareness of the key challenges, opportunities and priorities for evidence-based strategies’ application to inform building and urban design decisions.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses deductive qualitative content and manifest analysis, using semi-structured interviews undertaken with building and urban design professionals who represent a UK-based organisation.

Findings

The challenges associated with the practical implementation of frameworks, potential application areas and perceived areas of concern have been identified. These not only include the need to practically test their use, but also to identify the most appropriate forums for their use. Participant responses indicate the need to further develop engagement strategies for their practical implementation, clearly communicating the benefits and efficiencies to all stakeholders.

Research limitations/implications

Implications/ limitations of this study come with the fact that some of the respondents may possess inadequate professional experience in properly evaluating all the questions. Additionally, the information gathered is restricted to the UK geographical context, as well as coming from one organisation, because of data accessibility.

Practical implications

The findings of the study can be adopted by designers in the strategic definition level to overcome the key challenges associated with the use of evidence-based strategies, enhancing their decision-making processes.

Originality/value

As a theoretical contribution to knowledge, this study enhances the body of knowledge by identifying the challenges associated with the practical implementation of evidence-based strategies to inform building and urban design decisions. In practice, the findings aid urban planners, designers and academics in embedding and adopting strategies that enhance decision-making processes.

Details

Journal of Engineering, Design and Technology , vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1726-0531

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 19 March 2024

Lipsa Jena, Subash Chandra Pattnaik and Rashmita Sahoo

The present study purports to unravel the mechanism in relationship among leadership behaviour integrity, organisational career development and employee engagement. Further, it…

Abstract

Purpose

The present study purports to unravel the mechanism in relationship among leadership behaviour integrity, organisational career development and employee engagement. Further, it also aims to understand if the employee feedback self-efficacy has any moderating influence on the relationship between leader behavioural integrity and organisational career development.

Design/methodology/approach

Pre-existing questionnaires are used for collecting data from a total of 417 employees working in the information technology industry operating within India. Analysis of the data is done using structural equation modelling technique.

Findings

Results of the study show that organisational career development partially mediates the relationship between leadership behavioural integrity and employee engagement. It is also found that feedback self-efficacy plays a moderating role in the relationship between leadership behavioural integrity and organisational career development.

Originality/value

The study helps to understand the mechanism of the relationship between leadership behavioural integrity and employee engagement through organisational career development with the support of ethical theory and social exchange theory. It also shows the moderating role played by feedback self-efficacy in the relationship between leadership behavioural integrity and organisational career development using social learning perspective.

Details

Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Administration, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1757-4323

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 3 February 2022

Simon Lind Fischer and Maartje Roelofsen

This paper explores how Airbnb hosts' experiences with and responses to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) health crisis may differ according to their motivations to host and…

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Abstract

Purpose

This paper explores how Airbnb hosts' experiences with and responses to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) health crisis may differ according to their motivations to host and to the type and spatial layout of their Airbnb accommodation. Based on these insights, the paper reflects on the lessons that are learned for the future of short-term rentals.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a qualitative multi-method small-scale case study, which relies on in-depth interviews and a focus group discussion carried out with a group of hosts affiliated to the Airbnb Host Community in Aarhus, Denmark. Informed by an interpretivist approach, the study aims to make sense of people's subjective experiences with hosting on the Airbnb platform, and how they have continued and adapted their hospitality practices during the pandemic.

Findings

Participants' adaptive practices vary according to their motivations to host and the type of accommodation that they rent out. Although all hosts in this study now implement more intensive cleaning practices, hosts who stay with their guests onsite tend to take stricter preventative measures to avoid contamination and transmission of the virus in their social interactions with guests. On the contrary, hosts who rent out their entire properties and have minimal contact with their guests found themselves less affected by the pandemic's impacts and have had a continued demand for their properties.

Social implications

The COVID-19 pandemic has unevenly affected Airbnb hosts. Hosts who share their homes with guests require different adaptations to their daily behaviour and cleaning practices at home than hosts who do not stay with their guests and rent out entire properties. However, unlike professional hosts who largely or solely rely on Airbnb for their income, occasional home-sharing hosts tend to be more flexible in coping with cancelled or fewer bookings.

Originality/value

This study provides novel insights into the uneven impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on participants in the platform economies of tourism. It contributes to existing literature on the impacts of the pandemic on Airbnb's operations by showing how hosts' adaptive practices are informed by their subjective living conditions and the type of accommodation they can offer their guests.

Details

Journal of Tourism Futures, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2055-5911

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 25 January 2024

Fabíola M.M.G. Borges, Rosley Anholon, Izabela Simon Rampasso, Tiago F.A.C. Sigahi, Gustavo Hermínio Salati Marcondes de Moraes and Walter Leal Filho

This paper aims to understand the difficulties faced by Latin American oil and gas (O&G) companies in adopting integrated practices aligned with the UN Sustainable Development…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to understand the difficulties faced by Latin American oil and gas (O&G) companies in adopting integrated practices aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Agenda.

Design/methodology/approach

A Delphi study was conducted with 14 experts with extensive knowledge and experience in the O&G sector to collect opinions and investigate sustainable practices in the Latin American context.

Findings

A consensus was reached after two rounds, demonstrating a unified view of sustainability experts on the difficulties faced by O&G companies to adopt practices aligned with the SDGs. The difficulties identified through the Delphi method were allocated into five clusters named: “public sector and governments,” “civil society,” “corporate issues,” “technology and innovation” and “financial aspects.” These clusters were used to discuss the main challenges associated with implementing business practices that recognize the SDGs and their achievement as a synergistic reinforcing system rather than an additive structure.

Originality/value

This study provides further insights into the underexplored subject relating to the challenges experienced by Latin American O&G companies in the implementation of the SDGs, adopting the perspective of academic and industry experts in this field. The findings can help professionals in O&G companies implement sustainable practices, policymakers in debates about futures laws and regulations and academic in future research.

Details

Corporate Governance: The International Journal of Business in Society, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1472-0701

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 20 December 2022

Lilei Wang, Yumei Dang, Shufeng (Simon) Xiao and Xing'an Xu

By adopting learning theory and a guanxi perspective, this study aims to investigate the effects of interpersonal guanxi (interpersonal networks or connections) and relationship…

Abstract

Purpose

By adopting learning theory and a guanxi perspective, this study aims to investigate the effects of interpersonal guanxi (interpersonal networks or connections) and relationship learning on companies’ business performance when operating in a large emerging market.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a sample of 294 sales managers and salespeople in the Chinese hotel sector, the authors empirically test the authors' arguments through a structural equation modeling (SEM) approach.

Findings

The authors' findings indicate that strong interpersonal guanxi tends to generate more positive business performance. Furthermore, the authors find that relationship learning plays a mediating role in the association between interpersonal guanxi and hotel companies’ business performance in a Chinese context. Finally, the authors empirically explore the moderating effect of inter-firm dependence on the contribution of interpersonal guanxi to relationship learning. Findings demonstrate that this effect varies significantly based on inter-firm dependence, with interpersonal guanxi exhibiting a greater positive impact if such dependence is high.

Originality/value

This study enriches our understanding of interpersonal guanxi and of how companies can enhance the companies' business performance in an emerging market context.

Details

International Journal of Emerging Markets, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1746-8809

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 19 April 2024

Anthony K. Hunt, Jia Wang, Amin Alizadeh and Maja Pucelj

This paper aims to provide an elucidative and explanatory overview of decision-making theory that human resource management and development (HR) researchers and practitioners can…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to provide an elucidative and explanatory overview of decision-making theory that human resource management and development (HR) researchers and practitioners can use to explore the impact of heuristics and biases on organizational decisions, particularly within HR contexts.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper draws upon three theoretical resources anchored in decision-making research: the theory of bounded rationality, the heuristics and biases program, and cognitive-experiential self-theory (CEST). A selective narrative review approach was adopted to identify, translate, and contextualize research findings that provide immense applicability, connection, and significance to the field and study of HR.

Findings

The authors extract key insights from the theoretical resources surveyed and illustrate the linkages between HR and decision-making research, presenting a theoretical framework to guide future research endeavors.

Practical implications

Decades of decision-making research have been distilled into a digestible and accessible framework that offers both theoretical and practical implications.

Originality/value

Heuristics are mental shortcuts that facilitate quick decisions by simplifying complexity and reducing effort needed to solve problems. Heuristic strategies can yield favorable outcomes, especially amid time and information constraints. However, heuristics can also introduce systematic judgment errors known as biases. Biases are pervasive within organizational settings and can lead to disastrous decisions. This paper provides HR scholars and professionals with a balanced, nuanced, and integrative framework to better understand heuristics and biases and explore their organizational impact. To that end, a forward-looking and direction-setting research agenda is presented.

Details

Personnel Review, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0048-3486

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 7 July 2023

Wensheng Lin, Guangbin Wang, Yan Ning, Qiuwen Ma and Shuyuan Dai

Megaproject performance measurement (MPM) has received great attention in the project management community, but it primarily focused on the design of performance measures or…

Abstract

Purpose

Megaproject performance measurement (MPM) has received great attention in the project management community, but it primarily focused on the design of performance measures or frameworks. Yet, whether MPM utilization can improve megaproject performance and how project actors use MPM to improve megaproject performance is less well understood. This study aims to investigate whether and how the use of MPM can contribute to better megaproject performance.

Design/methodology/approach

Through the lens of the lever of control, this study conceptualizes MPM utilization as diagnostic use and interactive use. A holistic research model and related hypotheses integrating MPM use, project complexity and megaproject performance were established. The model was validated using a partial square-structural equation modeling method.

Findings

Based on 214-megaproject data collected through a questionnaire survey in China, the results show positive effects of diagnostic use and interactive use on megaproject performance. Both, however, have substitutional interaction effects. The moderating results suggest that the higher project complexity weakens the positive effects of MPM utilization on megaproject performance.

Originality/value

This study advances megaprojects performance measurement and management literature by validating the value of MPM utilization on performance. It also presents practical implications for project managers to improve performance by appropriate MPM utilization.

Details

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-9988

Keywords

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