The social-political roles of NGOs: a study on a triadic business network

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (5) ◽  
pp. 994-1004 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chee Wei Cheah
Keyword(s):  
Housing Market ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
Institutional Setting ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Real Estate ◽  
The Social ◽  
Political Roles ◽  
Housing Industry ◽  
The Government

PurposeThis study examines the institutional setting and decision-making structures among key industry actors in the Malaysian housing industry, using the IMP network approach and institutional theory as theoretical lenses. The purpose of this study is to uncover the role of NGOs, housing developers and the government at a collective level within a highly regulated housing market. This study uses “relationships” as the unit of analysis, focusing on triadic interactions of NGOs, housing developers and the government.Design/methodology/approachThis study applies the qualitative case-study-research approach, using 20 in-depth interviews from the purposefully selected industry actors within the housing market, online observations and documents.FindingsThe findings suggest that NGOs play an influential role in housing-industry interactions and outcomes. In particular, the Real Estate and Housing Developers Association can influence the members’ decisions through supportive and disruptive actions.Originality/valueThis study contributes to our understanding of how NGOs interact with their regulator and housing developers and how these three parties co-evolve and respond to institutional demands in a housing market that is bound by a highly restricted housing policy. By understanding how actors interact within a network and how it affects each other’s decision, it may assist policymakers in formulating policies that can improve market efficiency. It also aids businesses in formulating their collective strategies.

scholarly journals Case study research: opening up research opportunities

2019 ◽  
Vol 55 (1) ◽  
pp. 100-111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adriana Roseli Wünsch Takahashi ◽  
Luis Araujo
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Case Study Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
The Social ◽  
Internal Coherence ◽  
Opening Up

Purpose The case study approach has been widely used in management studies and the social sciences more generally. However, there are still doubts about when and how case studies should be used. This paper aims to discuss this approach, its various uses and applications, in light of epistemological principles, as well as the criteria for rigor and validity. Design/methodology/approach This paper discusses the various concepts of case and case studies in the methods literature and addresses the different uses of cases in relation to epistemological principles and criteria for rigor and validity. Findings The use of this research approach can be based on several epistemologies, provided the researcher attends to the internal coherence between method and epistemology, or what the authors call “alignment.” Originality/value This study offers a number of implications for the practice of management research, as it shows how the case study approach does not commit the researcher to particular data collection or interpretation methods. Furthermore, the use of cases can be justified according to multiple epistemological orientations.

Egypt's sanitation plan hinges on funding and strategy

2018 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Service Provision ◽  
Food Industry ◽  
Disease Burden ◽  
School Attendance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Real Estate ◽  
Sanitation Services ◽  
Disease Rates ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Government

Subject Egypt's rual sanitation programme. Significance To meet the social equity and wellbeing goals of the January 25 Revolution and to protect the health of the population, the government has embarked on a new National Rural Sanitation Programme (NRSP) targeting the country's poorest governorates. To remedy the shortfalls of the existing system, the government aims both to increase the coverage of public sewerage networks and to improve the effectiveness of service provision. Impacts The provision of sanitation services will promote investment in the real estate and tourism sectors. Reducing water pollution will benefit fisheries and the food industry. The new sanitation system will reduce the total disease burden and lead to healthcare savings. Decreased disease rates will lead to more productive working days among beneficiaries with access to the new sanitation services. Better health outcomes will lead to higher school attendance.

Campus sustainability in Chinese higher education institutions

2015 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 34-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin Lo
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Energy Conservation ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
Chinese Higher Education ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Campus Sustainability ◽  
The Government

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the focuses, motivations and challenges of achieving campus sustainability in Chinese higher education institutions (HEIs). Design/methodology/approach – A multisite case study was conducted in Changchun City, Jilin, where eight HEIs of various types were examined. Structured interviews with school managers, students and government officials were accompanied with analysis of relevant documents. Findings – The focuses of sustainability among the studied HEIs were on water and energy conservation and on non-technical initiatives. The focuses can be explained by motivations and challenges. The HEIs are motivated by government and financial pressures and face challenges in limited accessibility to funding. The reliance of non-technical initiatives has negatively impacted student welfare and has become unpopular among students. Practical implications – The government is advised to increase funding to HEIs in relation to sustainability and to make the funding more equitable. The HEIs are advised to modify sustainability practices that severely affect the daily lives of students, to share the benefits of water and energy conservation with their students and to involve students in sustainability governance. Originality/value – This paper adds to the existing literature in two ways. First, it expands the geographical reach of the literature to developing countries, in general, and to China, in particular. Second, it adopts the multisite case study research approach to study the whole spectrum of Chinese HEIs and highlights the differences among these HEIs when it comes to sustainability.

Meeting the expectations of the social housing recipients in South Africa: a myth or reality?

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Amoah ◽  
Kahilu Kajimo-Shakantu ◽  
van Schalkwyk
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Social Housing ◽  
Informal Settlement ◽  
Living Standards ◽  
Capital City ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Social ◽  
Housing Scheme ◽  
The Government

PurposeThe majority of South Africans were deprived of participation in the socio-economic activities in decades of the apartheid rule. The ANC government after coming to power in 1994 thus promised to improve the livelihood of people deprived of social intervention benefits by the apartheid regime through the provision of social housing. This research, therefore, sought to investigate if the expectations of the beneficiaries of the social housing scheme have been met by the government.Design/methodology/approachThe research approach adopted for this study is a quantitative survey. Questionnaires made up of closed-ended and open-ended questions were used to solicit data from 1893 randomly selected government social housing inhabitants in Bloemfontein. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data collected.FindingsThe results indicate that the government has been able to meet the expectation of the social housing recipients in some aspects such as improved living conditions as compared to the shack structures, good sanitary surroundings and a comfortable environment. However, the inhabitant's expectations such as a safe environment, houses with good finishes and fittings, good roads network and adequate houses to accommodate the family sizes have not been met. More so, where respondents acknowledged expectation achievement, they were benchmarking the conditions to the informal settlement (shack) environments rather than being actually happy with what they currently have. Thus, meeting the expectations of the social housing recipients by the government is currently a myth rather than a reality.Research limitations/implicationsThe survey was limited to only government social houses inhabitants in communities around the periphery of Bloemfontein, the capital city of the Free State Province of South Africa.Practical implicationsThe implication from these findings is that the government has been providing social houses that do not meet the expectation of the recipients since 1994. The government should, therefore, appraise the social housing scheme thoroughly and reconstitute the delivery strategy in order to supply houses that meet the need and expectations of the beneficiaries and thereby fulfilling the goal of improving the living standards of previously disadvantaged individuals through the social housing scheme.Originality/valueThe study has come up with recommendations that if followed by the government supply houses that meet the need and expectations of the beneficiaries and thereby fulfilling the goal of improving the living standards of previously disadvantaged individuals through the social housing scheme and make the programme sustainable.

Why firms exploit the dual marketing strategy? A network-institutional perspective

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chee Wei Cheah
Keyword(s):  
Marketing Strategy ◽  
Housing Market ◽  
Government Intervention ◽  
Private Investment ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Institutional Perspective ◽  
Consumer Market ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Business Market ◽  
The Government

Purpose Using a combined Industrial Marketing and Purchasing’s network approach and institutional theory, this paper aims to explore why firms exploit dual marketing strategy that targets both the consumer (business-to-consumer) and business markets (business-to-business). This study uses the regulated housing market as its research context in examining how housing developers cope with government intervention when implementing a dual marketing strategy. Design/methodology/approach This study applies a qualitative case study research approach, using 19 in-depth interviews, from the purposefully selected industry actors within the housing market, observations and documents. Findings The findings uncover housing developers’ struggles in dealing with government intervention when they adopt a dual marketing strategy. When dealing with the regulated consumer market, developers formed an issue-based net with other competitors and used their association to bargain with the government for flexibility in public policy. When selling to the business market, in which the private investment club emerged as a powerful actor, they initiated strategic net and influenced property developers’ pricing and selling strategies. The findings also demonstrate that the restrictions imposed on the consumer market have a spillover effect on the business market, which reflects the contextual embeddedness of the two markets. Originality/value This study contributes to the understanding of how actors strategize and co-evolve when implementing a dual marketing strategy. It helps policymakers, business actors and other connected actors to understand the interactions of all actors within a network that affects each other’s decisions.

Management of Records in Adapted Buildings as Records Centres in Zimbabwe

Mousaion ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Samson Mutsagondo ◽  
Getrude Maduyu ◽  
Godfrey Tsvuura
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Records Management ◽  
Personal Observation ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Design Data ◽  
Professional Management ◽  
The Government

This paper discusses the challenges of records management that arise from the use of adapted buildings as records centres in Zimbabwe, despite the advantages of using such buildings. A qualitative research approach was used as well as a case study research design. Data were collected from seven officers of the Gweru Records Centre through semi-structured interviews. Personal observation was used to triangulate findings from interviews. It was found that the use of adapted buildings as records centres was a cheaper and quicker way of establishing records centres throughout the country. However, a number of preservation, security and management challenges cropped up as the conditions of the buildings and the environment of the adapted buildings were not conducive to the proper and professional management of records. This study is important in that it explores the prospects and challenges of using adapted buildings as records centres in Zimbabwe, an area that has not been researched by many authors. This provokes archival authorities and the government to seriously consider establishing purpose-built records and archival centres.

The 2016 Police and Crime Commissioner elections

2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 41-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Joyce
Keyword(s):  
Public Awareness ◽  
Primary Source ◽  
Source Material ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Social ◽  
Key Issues ◽  
The Subject ◽  
The Government

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyse the 2016 elections for Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) and to compare them with those that took place in 2012. It seeks to evaluate the background of the candidates who stood for office in 2016, the policies that they put forward, the results of the contests and the implications of the 2016 experience for future PCC elections. Design/methodology/approach This paper is based around several key themes – the profile of candidates who stood for election, preparations conducted prior to the contests taking place, the election campaign and issues raised during the contests, the results and the profile of elected candidates. The paper is based upon documentary research, making particular use of primary source material. Findings The research establishes that affiliation to a political party became the main route for successful candidates in 2016 and that local issues related to low-level criminality will dominate the future policing agenda. It establishes that although turnout was higher than in 2012, it remains low and that further consideration needs to be devoted to initiatives to address this for future PCC election contests. Research limitations/implications The research focusses on the 2016 elections and identifies a number of key issues that emerged during the campaign affecting the conduct of the contests which have a bearing on future PCC elections. It treats these elections as a bespoke topic and does not seek to place them within the broader context of the development of the office of PCC. Practical implications The research suggests that in order to boost voter participation in future PCC election contests, PCCs need to consider further means to advertise the importance of the role they perform and that the government should play a larger financial role in funding publicity for these elections and consider changing the method of election. Social implications The rationale for introducing PCCs was to empower the public in each police force area. However, issues that include the enhanced importance of political affiliation as a criteria for election in 2016 and the social unrepresentative nature of those who stood for election and those who secured election to this office in these contests coupled with shortcomings related to public awareness of both the role of PCCs and the timing of election contests threaten to undermine this objective. Originality/value The extensive use of primary source material ensures that the subject matter is original and its interpretation is informed by an academic perspective.

Public services: a standard process model following a structured process redesign

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kamal K. Mukherjee ◽  
Laura Reka ◽  
Rudina Mullahi ◽  
Keldi Jani ◽  
Jonida Taraj
Keyword(s):  
Business Process ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Process Model ◽  
Public Services ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
Standard Process ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Process Redesign ◽  
Resource Reuse ◽  
The Government

PurposeDespite widespread adoption of business process reengineering (BPR) for better delivery efficiency of public services, a structured approach continues to elude the most value-adding phase of BPR: business process redesign. From another viewpoint, the rising currency of Whole-of-Government (WoG) and “shared services” initiatives signal an unmissable trend toward resource reuse across public service agencies (PSAs) through business process standardization (BPS). This research invokes BPS into process redesign to produce a process redesign framework (PRF) and deploys the same to build a standard process model (SPM) for services of the government of Albania (GoA).Design/methodology/approachThe methodology follows the design science research (DSR) paradigm, wherein best practices extracted from literature are synthesized with stakeholder inputs to design the PRF and SPM, both of which are then evaluated with case study research.FindingsAdoption of PRF/SPM on a WoG basis will not only reduce service lead time but also enable a variety of public services to share the same process, thereby further saving costs for GoA. The research outputs will accelerate reengineering and subsequent digitalization of public service operations.Research limitations/implicationsImplementing SPM will maximize resource reuse and help offer uniform and integrated public services to GoA's customers. It will also enable demand-driven staff mobilization across GoA agencies. The proposed PRF/SPM have limitations in that they consider only flow aspects of service processes with aspects of conversion being ignored.Originality/valueThis research fulfills the need for a systematic approach to process redesign and prepares GoA for a WoG treatment to its BPR efforts.

Evaluation and analysis of SDG reporting: evidence from Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Olayinka Adedayo Erin ◽  
Omololu Adex Bamigboye
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
Global Reporting Initiative ◽  
Survey Method ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Listed Firms ◽  
Business Reporting ◽  
Accounting Research ◽  
The Government

Purpose The 2030 Agenda and the sustainable development goals (SDG) have gained considerable attention in research and public debate. This calls for accounting research on the subject of SDG disclosure. Based on this premise, this paper aims to evaluate and analyze the extent of SDG reporting by 80 listed firms from 8 selected African countries for the period of 2016 to 2018. Design/methodology/approach The study adopts a content analysis and survey method to evaluate the extent of SDG reporting by the selected African countries. This paper conducted content analysis through the use of the PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) framework and Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) framework to gauge the extent of firms’ compliance with SDG reporting. Also, this paper uses the business reporting indicators for each SDG developed by GRI to determine the compliance level of the selected firms regarding SDG reporting. The survey was targeted at the big four audit firms (PwC, KPMG, Ernst and Young and Deloitte and Touche). Findings The evaluation of SDG disclosure by the 80 listed firms in Africa is still at a very low level except for South African firms. Also, the findings of the business reporting indicators for each SDG target show that most of the firms show little or no concern to report on SDG activities. The result of the research survey indicates that voluntary disclosure, lack of management commitment, lack of regulatory enforcement and cost implications account for low SDG disclosure by the selected African firms. Research limitations/implications This study fails to consider the qualitative research approach in determining the extent of SDG disclosure in Africa, as the study did not allow respondents to freely express their opinion on SDG disclosure, as a large part of the survey used close-ended questionnaires. Practical implications This study’s findings call for clear responsibility and a strong drive for SDG performance from corporate institutions in Africa. While the overall responsibility rests on the government, the actualization of SDG cannot be achieved without support from corporate organizations. The empirical approach used in this study emphasizes the need for corporate organizations to embrace sustainable practices and to integrate SDG information into their reporting cycle. Originality/value This study contributes to growing literature in the area of corporate reporting, sustainability reporting and SDG research in Africa and other emerging economies. Also, this study provides original insight into the contribution of accounting research toward the achievement of SDG.

scholarly journals Exploring the drivers of tensions in social innovation management in the context of social entrepreneurial teams

2019 ◽  
Vol 57 (6) ◽  
pp. 1344-1361 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frédéric Dufays
Keyword(s):  
Social Entrepreneurship ◽  
Social Innovation ◽  
Innovation Management ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Innovation Implementation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Entrepreneurial Teams ◽  
The Social ◽  
Entrepreneurial Team

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify tensions that are emerging in the invention and implementation of social innovation by social entrepreneurial teams and highlights elements that influence the type of tension encountered. Design/methodology/approach Four cases are selected theoretically, studied individually, and compared to one another to identify tensions and patterns of tensions. Findings The findings reveal the predominant tensions related to goals and identity during social innovation invention and those related to time and knowledge during social innovation implementation. The size of the entrepreneurial team, the nature of the social innovation, and the interest orientation – that is, the overlap between entrepreneurial team members and beneficiaries – are found to play a role in the type of tensions encountered and their content. Research limitations/implications The chosen research approach limits the generalizability of the research results. Replication in other settings and with other types of social innovation is therefore encouraged. Originality/value In contrast to most existing studies, this research focuses on nascent social innovation projects borne by teams. It proposes that social-business tensions are not necessarily predominant in social innovation management. It suggests the importance of interest orientation as an underestimated factor in the study of social entrepreneurship.

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