Increasing the digital literacy skills of regional SMEs through high-speed broadband access
- Authors: Ollerenshaw, Alison , Corbett, Jennifer , Thompson, Helen
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Small Enterprise Research Vol. 28, no. 2 (May 2021), p. 115-133
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- Description: Universal challenges exist for small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) in regional and rural areas to utilize digital technologies for entrepreneurial advancement. Barriers include insufficient understanding of digital technologies and a lack of skills necessary for digital adoption. In Australia, training programs were introduced to enhance the digital uptake for the business and community sectors. Research was conducted to examine the impact on participants’ perceived digital literacy awareness and knowledge of online services, and their skills development. Survey data was collected from program participants (n = 101) comprising SMEs and not-for-profit organizations (NFP), and from program mentors/facilitators (n = 9). The findings show that training supports knowledge transfer, learning and skills development, fostering confidence about digital technologies. It is recommended that ongoing training is delivered regionally so that SMEs and NFPs can exploit digital innovations within their businesses and organizations.
The determinants of bank branch location in India : an empirical investigation
- Authors: Zhang, Quanda , Arora, Rashmi , Colombage, Sisira
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Bank Marketing Vol. 39, no. 5 (2021), p. 856-870
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- Description: Purpose: Bank branching plays a significant role in a wide range of economic activities. Existing studies on determinants of bank branching activities largely focus on developed countries; studies devoted to developing countries are scant. The purpose of this paper is to examine the determinants of bank branching activities in one of the largest developing country India. Design/methodology/approach: The authors employ a unique longitudinal data to study the determinants of bank branch location in India. These data are collected at the state level covering 25 Indian states for the period 2006–2017. The authors employ Poisson regression that are better suited for modeling counted dependent variable. Findings: First, region and bank specific factors such as size of population and bank deposits influence location of bank branches. Second, the relationship between these factors and branch locations is heterogeneous across different types of banks and across states with different business environments. Practical implications: First, from the view of banks, considering the factors of branch location are crucial in order to set out branching strategy. Irrespective of policy measures aimed at promoting financial inclusion in India, the authors show that banks consider economic activities in the region in locating their branches. Second, from the view of policy makers and regulators, such branching strategy could potentially contribute to financial exclusion. As a result, population in the less developed regions may be excluded from accessing financial services. Hence, policy makers and regulators should take into this account when formulating policies aimed at promoting financial inclusion. Originality/value: First, while existing studies largely focus on developed countries, studies devoted to developing countries are scant. To the best of our knowledge, the authors have not come across any study that investigates the determinants of bank branch location in India, so the authors reasonably believe that this study is a first-of-its-kind. Second, the study provides a new perspective concerning how regional and bank specific factors influence banks of different ownership in locating branches. Third, while traditional regression used to be a method of choice among early studies, the authors employ Poisson regression that is better suited for modeling counted dependent variable. © 2021, Emerald Publishing Limited.
Capital structure of SMEs : a systematic literature review and bibliometric analysis
- Authors: Kumar, Satish , Sureka, Riya , Colombage, Sisira
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Management Review Quarterly Vol. 70, no. 4 (2020), p. 535-565
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- Description: Capital structure is the outcome of market conditions, financial decisions taken by the firm, and credit rationing of fund providers. Research on the capital structure of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) has gained momentum in recent years. The present study aims to identify key contributors, key areas, current dynamics, and suggests future research directions in the field of the capital structure of SMEs. This paper adopts a systematic literature review methodology along with bibliometric, network, and content analysis on a sample of 262 studies taken from the Web of Science database to examine the research activities that have taken place on this topic. Most influential papers are identified based on citations and PageRank, along with the most influential authors. The co-citation network is developed to see the intellectual structure of this research area. Applying bibliometric tools, four research clusters have been identified and content analysis performed on the papers identified in the clusters. It is found that the major research focus in this area is around theory testing—mainly, pecking order theory, trade-off theory, and agency theory. Determinants of capital structure, trade credit, corporate governance, and bankruptcy are also the prominent research topics in this field. Also, this study has identified the research gaps and has proposed five actionable research directions for the future. © 2019, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.
International experience, attitudes toward women and the adoption of supportive HR practices
- Authors: Biswas, Kumar , Boyle, Brendan , Mitchell, Rebecca
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources Vol. 58, no. 1 (Jan 2020), p. 66-84
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- Description: Underpinned by upper echelons theory, this study examines a mediated model to understand the link between human resource (HR) managers' international experience and the adoption of supportive HR practices, and whether their attitudes towards women as managers and anticipated affective reactions mediate this link. Structural equation modelling based on a sample of 183 organisations in Bangladesh reveals that HR managers' international experience has both direct and indirect effects on theadoption of supportive HR practices. Our findings indicate that the extent to which supportive HR practices are implemented in the organisation is contingent upon the cognitive and affective evaluation of managers' attitudes towards the initiative of a gender-balanced top management team. Therefore, our study offers novel contributions to our understanding of how HR mangers' attitudes shape the adoption of supportive HR practices in organisations.
Organizational pathways for social innovation and societal impacts in disability nonprofits
- Authors: Taylor, Rachel , Torugsa, Nuttaneeya , Arundel, Anthony
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Voluntas Vol. 31, no. 5 (2020), p. 995-1012
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- Description: Using data from a sample of 301 Australian disability nonprofit organizations (NPOs), this study applies configurational thinking to identify combinations of organizational capabilities that lead to Nonprofit Social Innovation (NSI)—a new service or process that promotes social inclusion of people with disabilities—and examines whether NSI is a sufficient condition for high societal impacts to be achieved. The conceptualization and components of the NSI framework were developed in our previous research through a two-month researcher-in-residency at disability NPOs. In this study, we employ fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis to identify several “recipes” of capabilities (varying by organizational size and geographical location) for NSI development. The analyses find that high societal impacts from NSI occur when organizations adopt diverse perspectives, and embrace either person-focused approaches or operate in a risk-tolerant environment. These findings provide valuable linkages to managerial practice in nonprofits and advance emerging theoretical understandings of social innovation. © 2019, International Society for Third-Sector Research.
Social Innovation in Disability Nonprofits: An Abductive Study of Capabilities for Social Change
- Authors: Taylor, Rachel , Torugsa, Nuttaneeya , Arundel, Anthony
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly Vol. 49, no. 2 (2020), p. 399-423
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- Description: This study uses an abduction-based approach to identify the capabilities harnessed by nonprofit organizations (NPOs) as they develop social innovations. The context of this study is the Australian disability sector currently undergoing a once-in-a-generation social policy reform with the implementation of the National Disability Insurance Scheme. Data from extensive field observation and 52 interviews were collected during “researcher-in-residences” at two disability NPOs and analyzed using thematic coding and practice–theory iteration to arrive at a “working” hypothesis. The findings reveal many capabilities used by disability NPOs on the path to social innovation development. The complex interplay of these capabilities forms five pivotal capabilities (i.e., transformational empathy, place-based relationing, diversity learning, paradoxical change making, and complexity leadership) for eliciting nonprofit social innovation (NSI) with community and system-level impacts. © The Author(s) 2019.
Thriving at work as a mediator of the relationship between workplace support and life satisfaction
- Authors: Zhai, Qingguo , Wang, Saifang , Weadon, Helen
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Management & Organization Vol. 26, no. 2 (Mar 2020), p. 168-184
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- Description: Conservation of resources theory is employed to examine the effect of workplace support on thriving at work and the mediation of thriving at work on the workplace support and life satisfaction relationship using data on white-collar workers in China. We find that workplace support is positively related to thriving at work and thriving at work is positively related to life satisfaction. We also find that thriving at work fully mediates the relationship between life satisfaction and supervisor support, while the relationship between life satisfaction and coworker support is partially mediated by thriving at work. Consistent with the COR caravan and spillover hypothesis, we conclude that thriving at work is a mechanism that transmits the positive effects of workplace support on life satisfaction. The research findings suggest that an increase in workplace support can benefit both individuals and organizations by improving individuals' thriving at work and life satisfaction.
Transformed management scholarship and ways forward for exploring social innovation in organizations
- Authors: Taylor, Rachel , Torugsa, Nuttaneeya , Arundel, Anthony
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Studies of Management and Organization Vol. 50, no. 2 (2020), p. 107-129
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- Description: Inspired by recent calls for a transformation of management scholarship, we conduct a scoping review of empirical studies during 1998–2015 on the phenomenon of social innovation within organizations. Social innovations are novel solutions that address social problems and create value for society as a whole. We make several problem-based observations and suggest how the social innovation phenomenon can be empirically grounded and contextualized to make future research intellectually relevant and meaningful for practice. We propose that the way forward lies in using abduction as a logic of discovery, adopting complexity theorizing, and using set-theoretic analytical methods to reflect multiple realities. The application of these three methods will help link theory and research methods with practice, thereby improving the ability of research to tackle managerial and societal issues and hence strengthening management scholarship. © 2020, © 2020 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
From making do to making home : gender and housewifery on the Victorian goldfields
- Authors: Dernelley, Katrina
- Date: 2019
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Labour History Vol. , no. 117 (Nov 2019), p. 1-21
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- Description: Feminist historians have been strong advocates for the recognition of women's domestic lives, yet housework remains an underexplored area of labour history. Scholars of material culture have explored individual aspects of domestic life on the goldfields, particularly needlework; however, the broader focus has remained on women's activities outside the home. Although typically interpreted through narratives of masculine adventure, hardship and goldseeking, the goldfields were also domesticated landscapes. Both men and women consciously made attempts to create home, even when the concept of home was transitory. Commonly, the task of transforming an industrial landscape into a domestic one fell to women, who had been assigned the "natural" responsibility of household labour for centuries. The expectation was that women would attend to the daily labour-intensive work of creating and maintaining home.
Governance and leadership implications for academic professionals in the era of technological disruption
- Authors: Wells, Philippa , Ingley, Coral
- Date: 2019
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Management and Governance Vol. 23, no. 1 (2019), p. 21-32
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- Description: Whether employee unions have a role to play in Universities (and what that role might be) has always been troubling, with views ranging from philosophical antipathy to wholesale endorsement. In some jurisdictions, levels of membership and support also have varied in response to such external factors as statutory changes to governance structures of universities, voluntary unionism, changes to the direct role of unions in furthering the statutory responsibilities of employers such as in promotion of health and safety in the workplace, and such internal factors as casualisation, centralisation of power and decision making and policies of workforce flexibility via redundancy and other strategies. An emerging “threat” that is garnering increasing levels of concern is that of disruptive automation in the higher education sphere, not only in ancillary functions such as learning management systems, information processing and provision of student support services, but also going to the root of the academic function—the education experience. This development will have fundamental implications for higher education, as for other service industries, and poses essential challenges for employee unions in terms of their relevance, governance and leadership, particularly where that automation threatens job security and careers. This paper will explore those challenges by reference to analogous developments such as MOOCs, “cookie-cutter” courses and programs, casualisation and the growth in on-line, flexible and blended delivery modes. As a review and commentary, the exploration will focus on the Australian context but to ensure broader relevance, will be grounded in political economy, reflecting the tensions that emerge between the funders of universities, both public and private, who seek higher profits, control and power, and those who see universities as a fundamental social institution. Arguably, it is in the space created by such tensions that the future for unions is located. It is a matter of determining what that future looks like. This approach permits both contextualisation of the discussion and provides opportunities for international comparisons, thereby providing a basis for future research within the context of academic leadership.
Sustainable financing practices through green bonds : What affects the funding size?
- Authors: Barua, Suborna , Chiesa, Micol
- Date: 2019
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Business Strategy and the Environment Vol. 28, no. 6 (2019), p. 1131-1147
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- Description: Financing through the supply-driven green bonds market has significantly surged in recent years. In this paper, we examine the factors influencing the size of financing though green bond supply, using cross-section OLS regressions on a global dataset for 8 years (2010–2017) sourced from Bloomberg. We consider a set of tridimensional factors: bond characteristics, issuer characteristics, and market characteristics and examine their effects on issue size. Alongside whole sample estimation, we produce year-wise estimations to realize the evolution and persistence of the effects over time. We then produce estimates across rating grades of the bonds. Finally, we carry Blinder–Oaxaca decomposition to see if average issue size has significantly changed over time and whether the factors considered can explain the difference. We find a large number of factors affecting issue size asymmetrically; however, many of the effects do not persist over time and are heterogeneous across rating grades. In contrast to the aggregate market trend, we find no evidence of increases in average issue size in the recent year. Furthermore, the average financing size is found significantly lower for high-grade bonds. The paper provides a basis for encouraging green bond supply, particularly considering the rating of the bonds and the issuers.
An empirical study of 'green' workplace behaviours : Ability, motivation and opportunity
- Authors: Rayner, Julie , Morgan, Damian
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources Vol. 56, no. 1 (2018), p. 56-78
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- Description: Green human resource management contributes to an understanding of the role of human resource management (HRM) towards sustainability and environmental outcomes. This paper assesses employees’ environmental knowledge as well as self-perceptions of ability, motivation and opportunity (AMO) to practise green behaviours by operationalising the AMO framework towards a pro-environmental agenda. The study draws on a survey sample of 394 employees from five organisations in regional Australia. Key findings show that pro-environmental AMO are positively associated with green behaviours and that these are more prevalent at home than in the workplace. Further, line managers moderate the relationship between pro-environmental AMO and green behaviour although not the relationship between environmental knowledge and green behaviour. Such benchmark measurement informs HRM policies, practices and interventions and contributes to environmental management.
Emergency preparedness in fitness facilities : Bridging the gap between policy and practice
- Authors: Sekendiz, Betul , Norton, Kevin , Keyzer, Patrick , Dietrich, Joachim , Coyle, Ian , Gray, Shannon , Finch, Caroline
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Business Continuity and Risk Management Vol. 8, no. 1 (2018), p. 71-85
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- Description: Fitness facilities are an important contributor to economies through preventative health policies of governments. Therefore, it is crucial that they are capable of ensuring the health and safety of their users during emergency situations under relevant work health and safety (WHS) legislation. This study aimed to analyse emergency response preparedness in fitness facilities in Australia and develop evidence-based strategic recommendations, using a mixed methods approach. An onsite observational audit tool and in-depth interviews were conducted at a sample of regional and metropolitan fitness facilities. The results showed that fitness facilities showed a lack of operational emergency response practices that requires an integrated approach to risk management by fitness facility operators. This gap between policy and practice has significant implications for all stakeholders involved in fitness service provision, including government agencies, academia and industry governing organisations.
Item response theory analysis of the anxiety and mood disorders in clinic-referred children
- Authors: Gomez, Rapson , Vance, Alasdair
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Assessment Vol. 25, no. 2 (2016), p. 235-246
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- Description: There is evidence that the major anxiety and depressive disorders could reflect a single underlying internalization factor. For a group of 1,031 clinic-referred children, the study examined support for this factor, and used the two-parameter logistic model to examine the item response theory properties of the disorders in this factor. For the set of anxiety and depressive disorders, confirmatory factor analysis supported a one-factor model. The two-parameter logistic model analysis indicated that all the internalizing disorders in this factor were strong discriminators of the internalizing dimension. Also, they measured more of the internalizing dimension and with more precision in the upper half of the trait continuum. There was also support for the convergent validity of the internalizing dimension, in that it had large-to-medium effect size correlations with internalizing scores of other measures. The implications of the findings for clinical practice and clinical classification are discussed.
Understanding regional trades and labour councils : Sources for Australian labour history
- Authors: Steel, Kathryn
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Labour History Vol. , no. 115 (2018), p. 129-143
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- Description: An exploration of sources available to document the history of a specific type of Australian labour organisation, the regional trades and labour council, has been informed by a quest for the early history of the Gippsland Trades and Labour Council. This paper builds on previous surveys to investigate the variety, extent and relevance of sources available to document the formation of such organisations and the context within which they determine and carry out their strategies and campaigns. The paper also considers advances in technology and the challenges and opportunities they offer for accessing, appraising and making available labour history sources, both physical and born digital.
A mediated model of the effects of human resource management policies and practices on the intention to promote women : An investigation of the theory of planned behaviour
- Authors: Biswas, Kumar , Boyle, Brendan , Mitchell, Rebecca , Casimir, Gian
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Human Resource Management Vol. 28, no. 9 (2017), p. 1309-1331
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- Description: This study investigates the role of supportive human resource management policies and practices in senior HR managers’ intention to promote women to senior management positions. Based on the theory of planned behaviour, we argue a model in which supportive HR policies and practices affect managers’ attitudes towards the promotion of women to senior positions and their perception of organisational norms and control over the decision. We employ partial least squares based structural equation modelling to investigate data from a sample of 183 firms in Bangladesh. Our results support the utility of the theory of planned behaviour in understanding the positive effects of HR practices on the intent of senior managers to promote women. Our findings suggest that the role of HR policies and practices is not only to eliminate opportunity for discrimination but also to encourage the development of deeper attitudinal and normative acceptance of women’s role in senior management. © 2016 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
Enhancing care for older people living in nursing homes in rural Australia using action learning as a catalyst for change
- Authors: Penney, Wendy , Meyer, Julienne , Cash, Penelope , Clinnick, Lisa , Martin, Louise
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Action Learning: Research and Practice Vol. 14, no. 1 (2017), p. 62-71
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- Description: The implementation of action learning workshops in three nursing homes in rural Victoria, Australia has been critical in the re-visioning of how care can be enhanced for residents. The workshops were designed with the intent of improving quality of care for residents by providing health care staff with opportunities to learn together and effect cultural change. Valuing what was accomplished well in these nursing homes was the starting point. The project was funded by a Commonwealth Government Rural Education Grant and was based on ‘My Home Life’ a popular programme that promotes quality of life and delivers positive change in care homes for older people across the United Kingdom. This paper provides an account of the project including key components of the action learning workshops and subsequent evaluation of the programme conducted in Australia. The lessons learnt throughout this project have provided the impetus to continue using appreciative inquiry and action learning to involve participants in reflecting on their practice, valuing what they do well while identifying areas that require change. Working together in a safe and respectful space provides participants with opportunity to harness their own collective wisdom and as the health professionals in this project experienced, also learn valuable skills that support progressive action that makes a difference to older people’s lives. © 2017 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
Examining Nepalese forestry governance from gender perspectives
- Authors: Wagle, Radha , Pillay, Soma , Wright, Wendy
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Public Administration Vol. 40, no. 3 (2017), p. 205-225
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- Description: This article examines Nepalese forestry governance from gender perspectives. We argue that gendered institutional norms and values are associated with forest-governing institutions, such as forest bureaucracies, shaping the nature, and extent of women’s involvement in decision-making processes in the Nepalese forest bureaucracy. Studies on Nepalese forestry reveal that substantial progress has been made in forming policies and initiating activities for including women in forestry governance of Nepal; however despite this, gendered dynamics create difficulties for women to enter and progress in the forestry profession, thereby creating gendered employment territories through institutional, legislative, normative, and infrastructural measures. © 2017 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
From birth to death : The life of the standards board for England
- Authors: Lawton, Alan , Macaulay, Michael
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Public Administration Review Vol. 77, no. 5 (2017), p. 720-729
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- Description: Organizations wax and wane, and some cease to exist altogether. The Standards Board for England was abolished after a 10-year life. Created to regulate the ethical behavior of local politicians in England, the ethics of politics was undermined by the politics of ethics. This article analyzes the life of the Standards Board initially through the lens of a life-cycle approach to organizations but finds that a problem-cluster approach provides a sharper picture. Over its lifetime, the Standards Board faced a number of crises; its failure to resolve these crises and an unfavorable political climate led to its demise. © 2017 by The American Society for Public Administration
Hosting friends versus hosting relatives : Is blood thicker than water?
- Authors: Yousuf, Mohammad , Backer, Elisa
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Tourism Research Vol. 19, no. 4 (2017), p. 435-446
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- Description: Little research has been undertaken to examine visiting friends and relatives (VFR) travel from the perspective of hosts. Additionally, little research has explored the differences between VFs and VRs, treating VFR as one homogenous group. This research examined the hosts' perspective of hosting friends versus relatives through in-depth interviews with 34 local residents in three contrasting destinations in Australia. Key differences were found between the experiences of hosting friends versus relatives, with immigration a key aspect in impacting the outcome. This is the first study to examine hosting friends versus relatives and to consider how immigration and destination impact VFR travel experiences for hosts.