Corporate social responsibility (CSR) reporting : A study of selected banking companies in Bangladesh
- Authors: Khan, Md Habib-Uz-Zaman , Halabi, Abdel , Samy, Martin
- Date: 2009
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Social Responsibility Journal Vol. 5, no. 3 (2009), p. 344-357
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- Description: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine corporate social responsibility (CSR) reporting by banks in the developing economy of Bangladesh. This paper also aims to examine the users' perceptions relating to CSR disclosures issues. Design/methodology/approach – The study collected two types of data. First the annual reports of 20 selected banking companies, which are listed in Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE), were considered. A questionnaire was also used to investigate the level of users' understanding and their perception of CSR reporting. Findings – The principal findings are twofold: first, the study shows that the selected banking companies did some (albeit little) CSR reporting on a voluntary basis. Second, that the user groups are in favor of CSR reporting, and would like to see more disclosure. The current disclosures by the selected banks, however, are not ample at all to measure the social responsiveness of the organizations. Originality/value – The paper provides useful informaiton on users' perceptions relating to CSR disclosures issues.
Governance in developing countries : Sri Lanka and South Africa compared
- Authors: Samaratunge, Ramanie , Pillay, Soma
- Date: 2011
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Public Administration Vol. 34, no. 6 (2011), p. 389-398
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- Description: In this article, we investigate the main features of the governance model in two developing democracies, Sri Lanka and South Africa. We believe that these two countries are interesting test cases for a comparative study. Both countries are former British colonies and have inherited a similar administrative system heavily influenced by the British colonial model and have experienced an ethnic conflict to different extents in the past. This comparison allows us to examine the determining factors for and against the level of effectiveness of governance in both countries. The findings suggest that the socio-political system within which they operate is dynamic and is an important influence for integrated governance. The study concludes that the outcomes of governance in both countries are better explained by taking into account the features described in an integrated governance model. This provides a better understanding of the dynamics of governance in developing countries.
Public service ethos : Developing a generic measure
- Authors: Rayner, Julie , Williams, Helen , Lawton, Alan , Allinson, Christopher
- Date: 2011
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory Vol. 21, no. 1 (2011), p. 27-51
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- Description: This article conceptualizes public service ethos as a multidimensional construct and develops a framework that explains first, why individuals are motivated by this ethos (Public Service Belief); second, how they deliver public services in accordance with this ethos (Public Service Practice); and third, what ends they perceive it to endorse (Public Interest). Despite considerable interest in public service ethos within the public administration literature, research is constrained by the absence of a measure of this ethos. This article therefore reports three studies conducted to advance theory and research through the development of a psychometrically sound instrument. Confirmatory factor analysis demonstrates support for a three-factor structure, where the dimensions are distinct but related aspects of public service ethos. Moreover, findings show this measure to be valid, reliable, and generalizable. As such it offers researchers an instrument with which to better explore the character and existence of a public service ethos.
To have and to hold: Modelling the drivers of employee turnover and skill retention in Australian organisations
- Authors: Smith, Andy , Oczkowski, Edward , Smith, Chris Selby
- Date: 2011
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Human Resource Management Vol. 22, no. 2 (2011), p. 395-416
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- Description: This paper examines the determinants of employee turnover and long-term skill retention in Australian organisations. Three new perspectives are examined: the difference between short-run turnover and long-term retention; the role of different high performance work systems philosophies and human resource practices; and an examination of turnover for various groups of employees based on skill level. The results suggest that the role of learning within organisations is of fundamental importance in reducing short-run turnover and improving long-term skills retention. A series of training and human resource practices have also been found to be important for individual-specific skill categories, but general conclusions for all skill categories cannot be readily made. Finally, different drivers to short-term turnover maybe at play when retention is considered from a long-term strategic perspective. © 2011 Taylor & Francis.
Exploring barriers, organisational support and demographics as predictors of whistle blowing intentions - an analysis of multi level variables
- Authors: Pillay, Soma , Ramphul, Needesh , Dorasamy, Nirmala , Meyer, Denny
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: 5th Biennal Conference of the Academy of World Business, Marketing and Management Development p. 590-615
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Microfoundations and Marxism
- Authors: King, John E.
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Economic and Labour Relations Review Vol. 26, no. 4 (2015), p. 652-659
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- Description: The 'microfoundations' metaphor had been used by mainstream macroeconomists with the intention of explaining macroeconomics in terms of microeconomics, or more precisely in terms of statements about individuals, viewed as representative agents with rational expectations who maximise lifetime utility, subject to shocks within a general equilibrium framework. Of the three reasons for rejecting this explanatory strategy, the focus here is on downward causation. Although individuals are heavily influenced by society, their decisions and behaviour are not sufficient as the explanatory foundations for a macrotheory. © The Author(s) 2015.
Assessing public participation initiatives in local government decision-making in Malaysia
- Authors: Manaf, Halimah , Mohamed, Ahmad , Lawton, Alan
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Public Administration Vol. 39, no. 11 (2016), p. 812-820
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- Description: ABSTRACT: Increased public participation in government decisions contributes significantly to the enhancement of grass-roots democracy. This article assesses the level of involvement of local citizens in local government decisions in Malaysia. Public participation was assessed using questionnaires on the range and extent of initiatives used by local government. The questionnaires also probed citizens’ perceptions of these initiatives and expectations for greater citizen empowerment. Data were gathered from 206 local citizens randomly selected from six local authorities in the northern region of Malaysia. The findings reveal a desire on the part of local citizens to participate in their local government decision-making process. © 2016 Taylor & Francis.
Funding Australian economics research : Local benefits?
- Authors: Doraisami, Anita , Millmow, Alex
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Economic and Labour Relations Review Vol. 27, no. 4 (2016), p. 511-524
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- Description: In Australia there is a systematic ranking of academic research performance, with a major impact metric being based on publications in prestigious journals. Other countries like Britain with its Research Excellence Framework also have similar metrics. While much analysis and publicity is devoted to the rankings of the quality of research, there has been very little focus on how this ranked research has then gone on to make a public policy impact. In the case of the economics discipline, there has been little exploration of the relationship between publication in a high-ranked journal and contribution to an analysis of Australia's most pressing economic issues. This article investigates the extent to which articles in the Diamond list of journals from 2001 to 2010 addressed Australian economic issues. Our results indicate that articles on current policy issues accounted for a very modest fraction of total Diamond list journal articles. One possible explanation for this finding, which is investigated further, is the correlation between an economics department's Excellence in Research Australia ranking and the number of staff who obtained their doctorates from an overseas university. Such a correlation has implications for the status afforded to economics research with a specific national focus. © University of New South Wales.
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.
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
Institutional isomorphism and whistle-blowing intentions in public sector institutions
- Authors: Pillay, Soma , Reddy, P. , Morgan, Damian
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Public Management Review Vol. 19, no. 4 (2017), p. 423-442
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- Description: Over the years the new institutionalism in public sector analysis has contributed significantly to our understanding of the dynamics of public sector institutions. While it has moved research away from behavioural explanations to recognizing political and cultural contexts, the focus on public sector institutions has been minimal. This research examines, by self-report questionnaire from employees in two government organizations, how institutional mechanisms shape whistle-blowing intentions within the context of a developing country. Despite the country context, findings from this study are encouraging in that participants’ intentions to blow the whistle were found, generally, to be strong. © 2016 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
Managerial tacit knowledge, individual performance, and the moderating role of employee personality
- Authors: Manaf, Halimah , Armstrong, Steven , Lawton, Alan , Harvey, William
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Public Administration Vol. 41, no. 15 (2018), p. 1258-1270
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- Description: This study investigates the relationship between knowledge-sharing mechanisms, managerial tacit knowledge, and individual performance in the Malaysian public sector. Moderation effects of employee personality on these variables were also examined. Findings from 308 Malaysian public sector managers suggest that individual performance is influenced by levels of accumulated managerial tacit knowledge (LAMTK), which were moderated by employee personality traits. The findings also show that individual performance has an impact on the effectiveness of knowledge-sharing mechanisms.
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.
Localisation of the sustainable development goals in an emerging nation
- Authors: Jain, Ameeta , Courvisanos, Jerry , Subramaniam, Nava
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Public Administration and Development Vol. 41, no. 5 (2021), p. 231-243
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- Description: The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), agreed to by all member countries of the United Nations, require urgent action on the world's most pressing problems. Success requires bottom-up participation of local stakeholders. This case study of Timor-Leste—a fledgling, fossil fuel-supported economy—maps the awareness and commitment of grassroots stakeholders to the SDGs and the roadblocks to localisation. Guiding this paper is Habermas’ view of societal evolution and communicative action, which aids analysing the socio-political and structural dynamics affecting SDGs localisation in a developing nation. This study reveals stakeholder inability to articulate a clear vision for the SDGs, lack of human capital and funds, a weak public-administrative system, strong socio-political nuances, and poor governance infrastructure to support multi-stakeholder relationships. This paper provides insights for developing a more nuanced and robust public intervention to support local stakeholders that will enable knowledge, cultural and communication transformations required for successful SDGs localisation. © 2021 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.