Research on the Driving Factors for the Development of Inclusive Finance in Rural Commercial Banks: Market Competition or Government Intervention?

Based on the survey data of 43 rural commercial banks in Jiangsu Province, China, from 2015 to 2018, 14 indicators among 3 dimensions—coverage, business implementation and service quality—were selected to establish the inclusive finance index of rural commercial banks. The impact of market competition and government intervention on the development of the inclusive finance of rural commercial banks and the mechanism were empirically tested. The heterogeneous performance of market competition and government intervention in different market conditions were also thoroughly discussed. The results show that both market competition and government intervention can help reduce the pricing level and broaden the service coverage of rural commercial banks, which can promote the development of inclusive finance. But the role of market competition has a stronger impact than that of government intervention. The heterogeneity test shows that market competition plays a more significant role in the regions with higher levels of market competition and financial development, and in the southern and central Jiangsu Province, where the economy is relatively more developed. However, in the regions with lower levels of market competition and financial development, as well as in the northern Jiangsu Province, with a relatively backward economy, government intervention significantly improves the degree of inclusive finance of rural commercial banks. Finally, we advocate that the roles of market and government should be applied according to local conditions, and the development of the inclusive finance in rural commercial banks needs to be continuously promoted.

Negotiation Power and the Impact of Gender Differences

This study focuses on the intersection of power and gender in negotiations, which is seldom challenged in previous research. In an experiment with 72 negotiators, we consider issue authority as a proxy of power in negotiations and investigate how different power allocations affect the negotiation success. We learn that an increase in issue authority for one of the two parties does not necessarily lead to an increase in success. Especially, female negotiators rely on their negotiation power, rather than systematically improving mutual utilities. This article contributes to Emerson’s power-dependence theory, social role theory, role congruity theory, and gender role conflict theory by combining analyzing the impact of gender differences and power on the success. This study attempts to close the gap in the literature by focusing on the prospective function of gender role orientation in explaining gender differences in negotiation. The theoretical contribution is that females are not per se inferior in negotiations, but their performance decreases in scenarios of power asymmetries. On the contrary, unbalanced power decreases the likelihood of success. Negotiators cannot rely on a power advantage to increase their success.

Microdosing of Psychoactive Substances in Business Practice

Abusing psychoactive substances has been a popular sport in the business world since the mid-19th century. First, they were appreciated for their stimulating or tonic effects, but later with psychedelics on the scene, their importance in subculture matured. In the last decade, it has become very popular to use LSD and cocaine in subtle doses, which provides users with a high that is enough to feel their psychoactive potential, but not as high that significant behavioral changes can be seen. Unlike regular use, microdosing is usually sufficient to affect a few without undue finish and withdrawal symptoms. It allows for abuse in the regular mode of the working week with a rest phase on the weekend. The diametric difference between the abuse of standard dosing and micro-dosing is also in the decreasing tolerance of the organism. Over time, an organism permanently exposed to microdosing of stimulants is sufficient to achieve a gradually decreasing dose effect that psychedelics develop resistance to. Case studies of such prolonged use were described and analyzed to show the role of microdosing in the creative world and for business managers. Initial field research, funded by the Newton University internal grant, focused on contamination mapping in office spaces for employees in target positions. Further research continues on the investigation of microdosing in conditions of corporate reality.

Influence or Preference? A New Look at Institutional Ownership and Earnings Management

Prior literature finds that earnings management is negatively correlated with institutional ownership. The question is whether institutional investors drive down earnings management of the firms they invest in, or they choose firms with lower earnings management. In this paper, we use the instrument variable design of the Russell 1000 and 2000 indices reconstruction to obtain an exogenous variation in institutional ownership. We find that institutional investors do not drive down earnings management. Instead, institutions choose firms with lower earnings management when they make investment decisions. To further support the preference hypothesis, we add measures of institution preference in the panel regression and find that the negative relation between institutional ownership and earnings management disappears.

The Impact of Entrepreneurship on Economic Growth within a City

Entrepreneurship usually takes place in innovative systems, mostly in cities. Cities, with unique features, may alter the impact of entrepreneurship. This paper employs multiple regression models to assess the impact of entrepreneurship on economic growth, considering the moderation effect of the city context. We use Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as the dependent variable and government spending, labor, fixed and financial capital and entrepreneurship as the independent variables. The data are from the 2003–2017 yearbooks of Zhaoqing, Shantou and Meizhou (three cities with distinct cultural and geographic features in Guangdong, China). We conclude that (1) the three cities’ GDPs highly rely on traditional factors of production (i.e., government spending, labor and fixed and financial capital) rather than entrepreneurship and (2) the city context of Meizhou is relatively unsupportive of its entrepreneurship contributing to the GDP, in comparison with that of Zhaoqing and Shantou. This study adds to the literature by empirically assessing and comparing three cities’ entrepreneurship development in China; it also informs scholars and practitioners of the moderation effect of the city context.

Development of Strategic Resilience Framework for Small Businesses Post-COVID-19

The detrimental transboundary effect of COVID-19 exhibits an unprecedented circumstance for organizational resilience. This proposed research paper aims to analyze the impact of COVID-19 on small businesses (SBs) worldwide towards developing a strategic resilience framework. This framework enables the development of resilient strategies that SBs can utilize to survive and sustain their livelihood post-COVID-19. It is profoundly challenging to cope with the consequences of a devastating global pandemic with enormous negative economic side-effects and survive given reduced income, jobs lost, etc. This paper utilizes different models, such as Meyer’s Model, the PESTEL model, and the Comprehensive Organizational Model, to discuss the process of adaptations to market shocks. This adaptation methodology consists of different anticipatory, responsive, and rehabilitation phases, leading to organizational resilience. A conceptual framework is proposed through a qualitative analysis of existing academic literature concerning strategic resilience for small businesses facing environmental jolts such as COVID-19. By developing the proposed strategic resilience framework, other methods and theories, including the adaptability of small- and medium-sized organizations, will be addressed.

Democratic Administration and Commitment of Members of Agricultural Cooperatives: A Case Study from a Prefecture in Greece

Cooperatives are democratic organizations, governed and controlled by their members, who are actively involved in their policy-making and decision-making process. The aim of this paper is to investigate the correlation between cooperative culture and the way that cooperatives are governed. To this end, a probability sampling method is used in the agricultural cooperatives of the Greek prefecture of Larissa, which is one of the most powerful and dynamic in the agricultural economy. The data collection was carried out to 100 members of agricultural cooperatives through the use of a closed-ended questionnaire. The findings highlighted that agricultural cooperatives are distinguished for their increased level of cooperative culture and commitment, provided that the conditions for the democratic governance of cooperatives are met. The role played by the level of education of the members of the agricultural cooperatives was also important, thus confirming the main purpose of the research, which was none other than to prove this correlation. Finally, this correlation can lead to the improvement of certain elements which contribute to the optimization of agricultural governance.

Impact of COVID-19 on Mergers, Acquisitions & Corporate Restructurings

Most economic downturns have stemmed from inefficiencies in the economic system. This research paper aims at investigating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic—an exogeneous health crisis—on global mergers and acquisition (M&A) activity. By gathering statistical data about global transaction volume, value, and type, the study aims at getting a pulse of how mergers, acquisitions, and other restructuring activities have been utilized to support corporate objectives amidst these unprecedented times. While the full-fledged impact of COVID-19 cannot be fully captured at the moment (early 2021), the study attempts to illustrate how this change to economic stability caused a Schumpeterian creative destruction of industries. As firms prepare for the growth that will follow this downturn, M&A will enable companies to look into a future infused with technology and structurally different business models. This research paper thus captures the deliberate transformation occurring in the deal world to discuss the possible outlook of the M&A deal market in the post-pandemic world.

Developing Innovative Integrated Business Solutions Using a Scrum Project Management Methodology

Innovative manufacturers have used Integrated Business Solutions (IBSs) as a means to co-create products and services to solve diverse business problems and more effectively compete in their field of endeavour. However, the efficacy and benefits of IBSs have been diminished due to the rigid method in which project management has been applied. This paper provides a conceptual approach for manufacturers to create new revenue sources in collaboration with their customers by adopting an agile project methodology that accommodates the interactive and iterative nature of IBS development. The research findings highlight the lack of success in IBSs using traditional project management as the delivery method. It provides an alternative solution in the use of an agile project management approach with its customer-centred and iterative mindset. This paper provides a conceptual model of the agile method known as Scrum and describes how it better aligns with innovative IBS development. Though both IBSs and agile have been around for several decades, their development is still in a state of infancy. This research adds to the body of literature on the application of agile in IBSs and presents an argument for converting its conceptual model into a practice delivery.

Supply Chain Responsiveness to a (Post)-Pandemic Grocery and Food Service E-Commerce Economy: An Exploratory Canadian Case Study

The focus of this study looks at the motivations and rationale from a national survey of over 7200 Canadians in November 2020 into why they use online services to purchase food. As a result of the global COVID-19 pandemic, food supply chains have been significantly altered. Consumers are purchasing foods with different dynamics, including when they buy in-person at groceries, at restaurants or at food service establishments. Elements of the food supply chain will be permanently altered post-pandemic. The study looks at a specific set of factors, captured in the survey, namely, consumer price sensitivity to the costs of online food purchasing, growing sustainability-related concerns over food packaging and waste, and product sensory experience related to how online purchasing changes from in-person food selection. The end goal, emerging from a case study, is insight into the strategies and preparedness with which CPGs, food services, and retailers can better manage the supply chain in their food product offerings in the post-pandemic era.