The engagement with business ethics

2014 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 286-304 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Callaghan ◽  
Greg Wood
Keyword(s):  
Business Ethics ◽  
Private Sector ◽  
Corporate Culture ◽  
Longitudinal Research ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Regulatory Requirement ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Cultural Contexts ◽  
Ethics Research

Purpose – The aim of this research was to determine the evolution of engagement with business ethics in the top 500 Australian corporations operating in the private sector from 1995 to 2010. Design/methodology/approach – Primary data were obtained via a non-sponsored and unsolicited self-administered mail questionnaire distributed to a census of the top 500 Australian companies operating in the private sector administered in both 1995 and 2010. This paper examines and compares the responses of the companies that possessed a code of ethics at those times. Findings – This paper finds that business ethics has continued to evolve over the period of the study and that, in most cases, such an evolution has been positive, with the majority of companies exhibiting high levels of engagement. Research limitations/implications – While the responses provided a rich picture of the evolution of Australian corporate engagement with business ethics, further longitudinal research exploring international and cross-cultural contexts would add to this understanding of organisational engagement. Practical and social implications – It would seem that codes of ethics have evolved beyond a regulatory requirement and are now considered an integral component of the corporate culture and commercial practice in the majority of Australia’s top 500 companies. Originality/value – Despite a history of business ethics research, longitudinal studies seeking to understand the evolution of corporate engagement to business ethics are exceedingly rare. This paper, unique and original in its focus on an Australian context, provides a basis for future studies focused on exploring international and cross-cultural contexts. This paper makes a substantive and valuable contribution to the literature as it quantifies the evolution of corporate engagement over a 15-year period.

scholarly journals Assessing the quality of collaboration towards the achievement of Sustainable Energy Innovation in PFI school projects

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 408-440 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sulafa M. Badi ◽  
Stephen D Pryke
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Private Sector ◽  
Sustainable Energy ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Limited Attention ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Energy Innovation

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the quality of collaboration towards Sustainable Energy Innovation (SEI) in Private Finance Initiative (PFI) projects. While the capacity of PFI to encourage collaboration towards innovation is largely advocated by its proponents; however, it remains to be supported by empirical evidence. Design/methodology/approach – Adopting the Complex Product System (CoPS) innovation management model, the authors assess the quality of collaboration at the interface between the innovation superstructure of public sector clients and users, and the innovation infrastructure of private sector designers, contractors and operators. Two interactional elements are examined upon which the quality of collaboration is assessed: openness of communication and alignment of objectives. The authors apply the model to four new-built PFI school projects within the context of the UK government Building Schools for the Future Programme. Semi-structured interviews with total of 50 key stakeholders were used as the primary data collection method. Findings – PFI has introduced a number of problematic issues weakening collaborative efforts towards innovation in the project environment. Particularly, the study underlines the restricting internal contractual relationships within the integrated Project Company and the misalignment of Design-Construction-Operation sustainability objectives. It also highlights ineffective communication with public sector clients and users brought in by the restricted nature of PFI engagement processes as well as the misalignment of public sector-private sector sustainability objectives. Research limitations/implications – The qualitative nature of the chosen research methodology limits the ability to generalise. The research findings need to be confirmed or rejected by means of quantitative research as representative of all PFI projects. Practical implications – The study emphasizes the public authority’s role in relation to providing the necessary conditions for the creation of a collaborative environment conducive to SEI in PFI projects. Originality/value – The study was able to expand the understanding of innovation and collaboration management processes in PFI projects in three respects: First, addressing the limited attention to innovation in PFI research, the study is the first to examine the quality of collaboration in PFI projects towards the implementation SEI. Second, examining the quality of collaboration in PFI projects through the lens of CoPS provides a new understanding of sustainability innovation and strongly indicates that the CoPS model should be expanded to account for the dynamics of innovation processes in the procurement of sustainable CoPS. Third, the explorative nature of the study was useful in generating research hypotheses that can form the basis for future research on SEI in PFI projects.

Y International Group (YIG): Surviving Vietnam's anti-China riots in 2014

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (5) ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Xiaojia Guo ◽  
Hao Chen ◽  
Peng Jiang
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Business Ethics ◽  
Bounded Rationality ◽  
Business Communication ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Cultural Management ◽  
Effective Manner ◽  
Management Concepts ◽  
Cross Cultural Management

Subject area This case describes a real-time crisis experienced by the co-founder (Mr Yang) of a multi-national Chinese company operating in Vietnam during the 2014 Vietnam riot. After the strike broke out, Mr Yang made several critical decisions to protect and save both his factory and employees. Study level/applicability This case is applicable to graduate-level management courses such as: Business ethics, Decision-making, Business Communication and Cross-Cultural Management. Students should have some knowledge in Decision-Making concepts (e.g. “bounded rationality”); in Cross-Cultural Management concepts (e.g. “culture norms”); and in Strategic management theory such as “institution-based view” (e.g. formal vs informal institutions). Case overview Part A of the case introduces the main character (Mr Yang) and his factory in Vietnam, the escalation of the strike and the course of the crisis. It also elaborates the important critical decisions Mr Yang made to save both his factory and employees. Part B of the case describes the rescue of Mr Yang and his Chinese employees, his actions after the crisis and strategic positioning in future business. Part C of the case introduces the aftermath of the riot and Mr Yang's reflection regarding the crisis. Expected learning outcomes The instructors may emphasize different learning objectives in different courses. Business Ethics: help the students learn to recognize, clarify, speak and act on their values when conflicts arise. Decision-Making: helps the students understand the logic of sense-making in crisis and the concept of bounded rationality. Business Communication: helps the students learn to raise issues in an effective manner and learn to deliver their own responses effectively. Cross-Cultural Management: helps the students identify and analyze the many ways in which managers can voice and implement their values in the face of critical moments in a different cultural environment. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email [email protected] to request teaching notes.

Intellectual structure of research in business ethics

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 100-120 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huilin Xiao ◽  
Yanling Wang ◽  
Weifeng Li ◽  
Zhenzhong Ma
Keyword(s):  
Business Ethics ◽  
Citation Analysis ◽  
Stakeholder Management ◽  
Leadership Role ◽  
Intellectual Structure ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Research Themes ◽  
Political Csr ◽  
Ethics Research ◽  
Time Periods

Purpose The study aims to map the intellectual structure of business ethics studies by analyzing 17,246 citations of 225 papers published in Business Ethics Quarterly (BEQ) in the year between 2005 and 2014. Specifically, the purpose of the study is to describe the current state of BEQ, identify the most influential journals and works, identify the key themes of business ethics studies during 2005-2014 and, at the same time, report the changes in themes by making a comparison between two time periods – 2005-2009 and 2010-2014. Design/methodology/approach First, the study presents the information of the authors, institutions and countries that contribute to BEQ with a statistical analysis. Second, the study identifies the most cited journals and works in BEQ during 2005-2014 with a citation analysis. Third, the study identifies the key research themes in business ethics studies with a co-citation analysis. With the help of factor and social network analysis (NA), the study groups the research themes and maps their links. Findings First, the statistical results show that many well-known researchers from famous US institutions publishing in BEQ. Second, the citation analysis results show that quite a few journals become mature gradually in business ethics domain. Besides, most of the influential works are normative and theoretical. Third, the co-citation results indicate that “stakeholder management” and “corporate social responsibility” (CSR) are two main themes in business ethics studies in the past decade. Specifically, “stakeholder management” attracts the most research interests in both two sub-time periods. In addition, compared with the pure studies on CSR during 2005-2009, increasing researchers are keen on the theme of “political CSR under globalization” in the second five years. Meanwhile, other focus like “society, state and business ethics” earns a certain degree of attention in the time window 2005-2009. And “accountability in MNCs” and “political philosophy” are the new concerns in the year between 2010 and 2014. Originality/value The study confirms BEQ’s leadership role in business ethics domain. And, it further proves that business ethics has evolved as an independent discipline. It also helps the researchers to have a concise knowledge of the main contents and key points of business ethics research. Methodologically, co-citation analysis combined with factor and NA provides clear results and visualized figures which can be understood easily by the researchers and practitioners.

Service quality in an Australian private dental network

2014 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 360-367 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan Edward Baldwin
Keyword(s):  
Service Quality ◽  
Dental Care ◽  
Longitudinal Research ◽  
Data Gathering ◽  
Dental Service ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Treatment Pathways ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Recommended Treatment

Purpose – This longitudinal research project seeks to monitor and report on the levels of patient satisfaction with the delivery of dental care provided by the Australian Unity Dental Centres (AUDC), which offer private dental care to people within Australia. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the above issue. Design/methodology/approach – The primary data gathering medium employed in this research was a survey based upon the SERVQUAL instrument. The research compares results obtained from the initial 2000 survey with the results of surveys conducted through to 2012. The key question addressed in this report is: how have patient perceptions of the service quality of care received at AUDC changed between the 2000 and 2012 survey periods? Findings – The level of expected service has improved over the study period, as has the level of perceived service delivered. A number of areas that would benefit from further improvement are identified and matched to specific actions that are being implemented by the business. Practical implications – A principal objective of the AUDC is to provide high-quality dental care to the patients. This objective can be best pursued through a regime that recognises that high-quality clinical outcomes are often dependent upon patients following recommended treatment pathways. This dependency pre-supposes that patients understand the treatment pathway's compliance requirements and, further, agree to comply with them. Originality/value – No other research projects have utilised eight iterations of SERVQUAL over a 13-year period in the dental service delivery sector.

Measuring of job satisfaction: the use of quality of work life factors

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 871-892 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pavitra Dhamija ◽  
Shivam Gupta ◽  
Surajit Bag
Keyword(s):  
Job Satisfaction ◽  
Private Sector ◽  
Work Environment ◽  
Banking Industry ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Quality Of Work Life ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Quality Of Work

PurposeBanking industry forms a part of financial services that has emerged itself as the most important source for India’s economic growth. Job satisfaction of employees is one of the important pre-requisites to ensure smooth functioning of banks. The purpose of this paper is to explore the association of job satisfaction with the quality of work life factors of bank employees (n=300), followed by the essential influential relationship of these concepts with socio-demographic characteristics, thereby, proving its own distinct contribution to the subsist body of literature.Design/methodology/approachThis study has considered five private sector banks in India and has used the technique of multi-stage sampling to collect primary data. The respondents from different cadres, namely, executive, associate and manager involved in customer-oriented interactions participated in this survey. The analysis has been conducted by applying descriptive statistics, regression analysis (impact of the quality of work life factors on job satisfaction) andχ2statistics (association of the quality of work life and job satisfaction with socio-demographic variables). The results have been compared with the Herzberg Theory of Job Satisfaction.FindingsThe results of the study show the presence of variance (R261.40 percent) in job satisfaction as explained by the quality of work life constructs. The unconducive work environment has confirmed negative association with job satisfaction. The study foresees to contribute useful information to the top management level in the organizations to enhance employees’ overall job satisfaction.Research limitations/implicationsThe opaqueness with which the Indian banking industry has its roots and existence in India, the present study clearly has limits: the small size of the sample and the study considered only private sector banks.Practical implicationsA planned approach at organizational and individual level is highly recommended. The bank management must realize the importance of their devoted staff by giving them quality work environment. The initiatives like regular exercise routines can be adopted to reduce stress. Some respondents expressed the need for intercity branch associations, which can help them to solve common problems, better learning opportunities with an informal atmosphere along with other training sessions organized formally.Originality/valueThe paper gives a theoretical explanation of the quality of work life and job satisfaction factors in the Indian private banks falling under the umbrella of Indian banking industry with respect to the employees of private sector banks.

scholarly journals An intelligent hot-desking model harnessing the power of occupancy sensing data

Facilities ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (13/14) ◽  
pp. 766-786 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Benjamin Cooper ◽  
Konstantinos Maraslis ◽  
Theo Tryfonas ◽  
George Oikonomou
Keyword(s):  
Real Estate ◽  
Private Sector ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Sensor Data ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Base Case ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Smart Building ◽  
The City ◽  
Work Type

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop a model to harness occupancy sensing in a commercial hot-desking environment. Hot-desking is a method of office resource management designed to reduce the real estate costs of professional practices. However, the shortcoming is often in the suitability and appropriateness of allocated work environments. The Internet of Things could produce new data sets in the office at a resolution, speed and validity of which that they could be factored into desk-allocation, distributing seats based on appropriate noise levels, stay length, equipment requirements, previous presence and proximity to others working on the same project, among many others. Design/methodology/approach The study utilises primary data from a commercial office environment in Central London (numerical building system data and semi-structured interviews) to feed a discrete events simulator. To test the hypothesis, the authors look at the potential for intelligent hot-desking to use “work type” data to improve the distribution of individuals in the office, increasing productivity through the creation of positive “work type environments” – where those working on specific tasks perform better when grouped with others doing the same task. The simulation runs for a typical work day, and the authors compare the intelligent hot-desking arrangement to a base case. Findings The study shows that sensor data can be used for desk allocation in a hot-desking environment utilising activity-based working, with results that outweigh the costs of occupancy detection. The authors are not only able to optimise desk utilisation based on quality occupancy data but also demonstrate how overall productivity increases as individuals are allocated desks of their preference as much as possible among other enabling optimisations that can be applied. Moreover, the authors explore how an increase in occupancy data collection in the private sector could have key advantages for the business as an organization and the city as a whole. Research limitations/implications The research explores only one possible incarnation of intelligent hot-desking, and the authors presume that all data have already been collected, and while not insurmountable, they do not discuss the technical or cultural difficulties to this end. Furthermore, final examination of the productivity benefit – because of the difficulty in defining and measuring the concept – is exploratory rather than definitive. This research suggests that not only human-centric smart building research should be prioritised over energy or space-based themes but also large-scale private sector collection of occupancy data may be imminent, and its potential should be examined. Practical implications Findings strongly suggest that the hot-desking may cost more in lost productivity than it gains in reduced rental costs and as such many commercial offices should revaluate the transition, particularly with a view to facilitate intelligent hot-desking. Companies should begin to think strategically about the wider benefits of collecting occupancy data across their real estate portfolio, rather than reviewing use cases in silos. Finally, cities should consider scenarios of widespread collection of occupancy data in the private sector, examining the value these data have to city systems such as transport, and how the city might procure it for these ends. Social implications This paper raises positive and negative social concerns. The value in occupancy data suggested herein, bringing with it the implication it should be collected en mass, has a noted concern that this brings privacy concerns. As such, policy and regulation should heed that current standards should be reviewed to ensure they are sufficient to protect those in offices from being unfairly discriminated, spied or exploited through occupancy data. However, the improved use of occupancy data improving workplaces could indeed make them more enjoyable places to work, and have the potential to become a staple in company’s corporate social responsibility policies. Originality/value This paper fulfils an identified need for better understanding the specific uses of occupancy data in the smart building mantra. Several sources suggest the current research focus on energy and rental costs is misguided when the holistic cost of an office is considered, and concepts related to staff – although less understood – may have an order of magnitude bigger impact. This research supports this hypothesis through the example of intelligent hot-desking. The value of this paper lies in redirecting industry and research towards the considering occupancy data in smart building uses cases including – but not limited to– intelligent hot-desking.

Trust and distrust in society and public perception of CSR: a cross-cultural study

2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyejoon Rim ◽  
Chuqing Dong
Keyword(s):  
South Korea ◽  
Public Perception ◽  
Public Trust ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Government

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate cross-cultural perspectives of corporate social responsibility (CSR) based on Carroll’s (1979, 1991) hierarchical CSR model. The present study examines the role of government and business trust in shaping publics’ expectations of business responsibility. Design/methodology/approach The primary data were derived from a cross-sectional survey in the USA, UAE and South Korea (N = 1,121). This paper compares publics’ prioritizations of business responsibilities across countries and examines how public trust in the government and business is related to CSR perceptions. Findings The paper presents evidence that publics’ perception of CSR differs significantly across the countries. Moreover, in a trusting society like the UAE, publics tend to put more emphasis on economic and philanthropic duties for business, whereas in a distrusting society like South Korea, publics consider legal and ethical responsibility to be important. Originality/value This study adds to the current understanding of diverse publics’ perception of CSR across culture and societies by highlighting the role of public trust in government in defining CSR.

An international telecom acquisition: lost in translation when Ya'alla met Boben Yang

2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-18
Author(s):  
Benjamin Morgan Swierczek ◽  
Fredric William Swierczek
Keyword(s):  
Customer Satisfaction ◽  
Cultural Values ◽  
Corporate Culture ◽  
Emerging Market ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Local Context ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Top Management ◽  
Strategic Choices ◽  
Content Type

Purpose This study aims to consider the transition that took place between two major telecom multinational companies (MNCs) during an acquisition in an emerging market, Laos. The differences in the orientation of top management, corporate culture and cultural distance led to the ineffective performance of the acquired telecom company. Design/methodology/approach Content analysis is used to identify the key factors in the case. The sources of data are annual reports, past interviews, market reports, and participant observation. Findings The ineffective performance of the acquisition was related to the lack of cultural compatibility of the new top management, a corporate culture that emphasized costs over customer satisfaction and the failure to close the cultural gap between the Middle Eastern cultural values and the Lao values. Research limitations/implications The data are mostly secondary data with some interviews of key managers. The case study would benefit with more extensive primary data, but the company was reluctant to respond. Practical implications The match between the top management leadership style, the complementarity of the new corporate culture with the existing one, and the reduction in the gap in national cultures are all critical in the continuing successful performance of an acquisition. A strategy of localization increasing the competencies of the local managers and professionals and the adaptation of the organization processes and practices to the local context are more effective in achieving positive performance. Social implications The change in corporate cultures from the collaborative/customer satisfaction emphasis of Tigo to a competitive/cost culture of Beeline led to a significant conflict with other telecom providers in Laos. This had performance consequences for Beeline and also the telecom sector. Originality/value This study is a unique demonstration of what happens in an acquisition of a telecom company in an emerging market. It is an interesting interplay of two major telecom companies with similar strategic choices but very different corporate culture orientations.

Meta-analytic comparison on the influencing factors of knowledge transfer in different cultural contexts

2014 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 278-306 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jing Hua Li ◽  
Xiao Ran Chang ◽  
Li Lin ◽  
Li Ya Ma
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Transfer ◽  
Influencing Factors ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Power Distance ◽  
Cultural Knowledge ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Cultural Dimensions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Cultural Contexts ◽  
Depth Analysis

Purpose – This paper provides a comprehensive assessment of the influencing factors on knowledge transfer through meta-analysis with an emphasis on the influence of cultural contexts. Design/methodology/approach – The approach involved the evaluation and analysis of 69 published empirical studies and the categorization of these studies into two groups based on different cultural contexts as described by Hofstede. A meta-analytic approach was then employed to provide a comparative analysis of the categorized studies. Findings – The results of the meta-analysis of the influencing factors of knowledge transfer are consistent with the results obtained in most previous studies, indicating a maturation of research in this area. Influencing factors such as knowledge ambiguity, tie strength, trust, and common cognition are shown to impact knowledge transfer in different cultural contexts, particularly with regard to the individualism-low power distance and collectivism-high power distance dimensions defined by Hofstede. Research limitations/implications – This analysis was limited to the correlation between the influencing factors and the general performance in knowledge transfer and did not specifically address more detailed dimensions such as efficiency and effectiveness. In addition, this analysis was restricted to the cultural contexts of only two cultural dimensions. However, the review of this broad range of studies provided sufficient data to allow an in-depth analysis of related influencing factors and helped to illustrate and exemplify the influencing mechanisms of culture on knowledge transfer. Practical implications – The results presented in this paper can help managers working in cross-cultural environments to understand the key influencing factors that affect knowledge transfer in the workplace. By understanding these factors, managers can more effectively implement methods and procedures that improve cross-cultural knowledge transfer in the work environment. Originality/value – This paper provides a detailed insight into the influencing factors found between two distinctive cultural contexts and offers a fresh analysis of influencing factors with regard to knowledge transfer in a cross-cultural environment.

Doing business in India: cross-cultural issues in managing human resources

2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 184-204 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seeta Gupta ◽  
A. Uday Bhaskar
Keyword(s):  
Human Resources ◽  
Work Experience ◽  
Professional Growth ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Cultural Issues ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Doing Business ◽  
Global Work ◽  
Set Up

Purpose – Given the increasing global significance of Indian markets, multi-national corporations (MNCs) are keen to do business here; however, cross-cultural issues can be barriers in managing human resources (HR) in international businesses. The purpose of this paper is to understand how MNCs can successfully do business in India, with special reference to cross-cultural issues and management of HR. Design/methodology/approach – In-depth interviews were conducted with executives working in MNCs and Indian MNCs based in India and abroad. Respondents were senior professionals, working in diverse sectors and had global work experience for about five years. Majority of the interviews were conducted in Delhi and some were conducted in Singapore. Interviews responses were qualitatively analysed. Findings – Findings reveal that MNCs wanting to do business in India need to have a long-term business focus, a well-defined expatriate policy and deep pockets to experience growth and payoffs on investments. In order to be successful, they need to understand India culturally and geographically, build trusting relationships with HCNs, partner with local players who are familiar with domestic challenges and localize the best practices of the west. Attrition and retention being the major challenges in India, compensation alone is not enough to attract and retain talent. Understanding Indian psyche and offering individuals a unique value proposition such as challenging roles and professional growth is imperative for creating an attractive employer brand in order to win the war for talent. Research limitations/implications – Though sample size is small, this research has implications for MNCs operating in India or planning to set up Indian operations. Originality/value – Inferences have been drawn out of primary data collected from senior executives who were handling core MNC operations and sharing their wealth of experience. The findings give fresh insights into the whole issues of MNC management involving cross-cultural and HR issues.

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