Revisiting the Honorable Merchant: The Reshaped Role of Trust in Open Innovation

We examine trust mechanisms in innovation within a number of inter‐ and intraorganizational contexts and outline the challenges posed by open innovation to those mechanisms. The organizational contexts that we have chosen for examination are supply chain development, clusters, and employee involvement. We argue, through an in‐depth literature review that is supported by examples, that trust is being highly reshaped to better suit the growingly open innovation environment, which in many ways resonates with the historical concept of the honorable merchant. Our findings provide a better understanding of how trust facilitates the flow of information in open innovation and show how trust is becoming increasingly intermediated. Our systematic overview provides a rich context for further empirical research and innovation management practice. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Investment–cash flow sensitivities,credit rationing and financing constraints in small and medium-sized firms

The controversy on whether investment–cash flow sensitivity is a good indicator of financing constraints is still unsolved. We apply a comprehensive approach by cross-validating our analysis with both balance sheet and qualitative data on self-declared credit rationing and financing constraints on a sample of mainly small and medium-sized firms. Our qualitative information shows that (self-declared) credit rationing is (weakly) related to both traditional a priori factors—such as firm size, age and location—and lenders’ rational decisions taken on the basis of their credit risk models. We use the qualitative information on firms which were denied (additional) credit to provide evidence relevant to the investment–cash flow sensitivity debate. The evidence shows that self-declared credit rationing significantly discriminates between firms which possess or not such sensitivity, while a priori criteria do not. The same result does not apply when we consider the wider group of financially constrained firms (which do not seem to have a higher investment–cash flow sensitivity), supporting the more recent empirical evidence in this direction.     

The primary schools (<Emphasis Type="Italic">sibyans</Emphasis>) in Ottoman Cyprus during the Tanzimat <Emphasis Type="Italic">reform</Emphasis> era (1839–1878)

The nineteenth century is a century of reform for the Ottoman state. The Tanzimat reforms hold a unique place in the Ottoman history of modernization. During the Tanzimat period (1839–1878), the state underwent a restructuring process in almost all of its institutions to establish a centralized modern state and many new institutions were established. The Ottomans paid special attention to education to train the new generation required for the continuity of modernization and the centralized bureaucratic structure. While they opened modern high schools and higher education institutions, they attempted to reform the existing s?byan schools, which were the primary education institutions. This process of restructuring education was also carried out in Cyprus, which had been an Ottoman island since 1571. These attempts remained restricted to efforts to increase the number of s?byan schools in Cyprus. There was a failure to replace the religious education given at schools with a secular program, curriculum or modern education system based on education management. This situation also adversely affected the quality of education at the Rü?tiye School in Nicosia, the first and only modern secondary school of the period and which was opened in Nicosia in 1864.     

Corporate social responsibility performance,financial distress and firm life cycle: evidence from Australia

This study examines the association between corporate social responsibility (CSR) performance and financial distress and additionally the moderating impact of firm life cycle stages on that association. Based on a sample of 651 publicly listed Australian firm‐years’ data covering the 2007–2013 period, our regression results show that positive CSR activity significantly reduces financial distress of the firm. In addition, the negative association between positive CSR performance and financial distress is more pronounced for firms in mature life cycle stages. Our results are robust to alternative proxy measures of financial distress, CSR performance and life cycle stages.     

Effects of tuition discounting on university’s financial performance

Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting - We study how tuition discounting affects the financial decisions of universities, their student recruitment, and reputation. Using a large panel data...     

Tourists’ destination image: an exploratory study of alternative tourism in Palestine

This study aims to understand how alternative tourism can contribute to the destination image of Palestine, given its negative image in the media. It proposes a framework for various destination image aspects and applies this framework in the context of alternative tourism in Palestine. It seeks to explore the key image formation factors, the perceived images of Palestine, and the post-visit behaviours of tourists who had engaged in alternative tourism in Palestine. This research contributes in fulfilling intriguing gaps in the Palestinian destination’s image literature, as well as the alternative tourism field that has emerged manifestly in Palestine. This study is exploratory in nature applying qualitative methodology by using open-ended questions in email interviews, and the interviews were analysed using thematic analysis. The empirical results proved that tourists who had visited Palestine and engaged in alternative tourism, had positive destination images, opposite to the ones portrayed in the media that show Palestine as a dangerous place to visit. Finally, this research provides academic and managerial implications.     

The comparative examination of promotion criterias of teachers in North Cyprus and Turkey as a manager and a supervisor in profession

The present study aims to examine and compare the promotion criteria of the teachers in North Cyprus and Turkey as a manager and a supervisor in their profession as well as determining its similarities and differences. Presenting the teachers’ criteria on the basis of promotion in their profession is the importance of this study. Document analysis has been used in this study in order to reach the aim. The criteria of both being a school principal and supervisor in North Cyprus and Turkey have been compared. Although it has been examined that in Turkey assigning school principals and supervisors depend on a selection based on years of teaching experience, in North Cyprus either teacher assignment or upper level assignments such as school principal and supervisor selections depend on certain rules and regulations which contain unbiased evaluation on professional portfolios and applied professional examinations set by the Public Service Commission (Kamu Hizmet Komisyonu).     

Identifying contextual effective factors on total fertility rate decline in Iran: a qualitative framework-based study

This study was conducted to explain the contextual factors associated with total fertility rate (TFR) decline to help policymakers. A qualitative approach and Leichter contextual analysis framework were applied to conduct this study. The participants were selected using purposive sampling method, and also the interviews continued until data saturation was reached. Individuals with knowledge and perspectives on population policies were included in the study to improve the research credibility. The data validity was achieved by applying the maximum variety in selecting the sample. The results were classified into four groups, including situational, structural, cultural, and environmental factors. Situational factors included political sanctions, drought, and road accidents. Structural factors involved government policies, the absence of monitoring, paying no attention to the required conditions, housing status, employment status, economic status, and other issues. Cultural factors were classified into the seven categories, including divorce, socio-economic development, women's employment, marriage age, urbanization, and other issues and factors included international treaties, and the western influence. Policymakers and administrators in the field of demographic policies can make more accurate strategies to increase TFR by recognizing the causes that reduce fertility with the help of providing the possibility to understand better the factors affecting the TFR decline.

     

Underpinning the benefits of green banking: A comparative study between Islamic and conventional banks in Bangladesh

This study aims to compare environmental motives and performance of conventional and Islamic banks in Bangladesh. Green compliance index was developed based on the Bangladesh Bank (the central bank of Bangladesh) guidelines whereas information regarding governance variables is collected from the annual reports of 9 Islamic and 31 conventional banks. Results show Islamic banks are more environmentally friendly compared to their conventional counterparts. Board size is negatively related to green compliance whereas board independence and auditor's type do not have any significant influence on green compliance for both clusters of banks. Compliance with green banking policies enhances the reputation for Islamic banks and accountability and profitability for conventional banks. Results of this study provide useful information for regulatory authorities to formulate policies that are conducive to enhance bank's environmental performance.     

The effects of labor regulation on firms and exports: Evidence from Indian apparel manufacturing

We examine the impact of labor regulations on firm outcomes and explore their differential effects on exporters. Building on a conceptual framework developed from standard theory and a detailed qualitative study of India's apparel industry, our econometric analysis exploits establishment-level data on formal Indian garment manufacturers between 2009-10 and 2013-14 and interstate variation in labor laws. We find a close fit between the implications of our conceptual framework, the qualitative evidence and the data. Apparel producers in states with pro-worker labor regulations tend to replace labor with capital. This choice of technique effect is smaller for exporting firms, which are more tightly bound to norms for organizing production in global supply chains. Pro-worker labor regulations also reduce output levels more for exporters than for non-exporters, consistent with exporters being bound to international pricing norms. Labor regulations thus have a particularly adverse impact on exporters. Our findings underscore the cost of poorly-designed and implemented labor regulations in a labor-abundant country wishing to spur exports, employment and industrial activity in labor-intensive industries.