Business Commons^™

The Nigerian Press, The Public Sphere And Sustainable Development: Engaging The Post Amnesty Deal In The Niger Delta, Uzoechi Nwagbara

Dr Uzoechi Nwagbara

The coalescence of effective media and the public sphere is a synergy that brings about democracy, sustainable development and good governance. Irrespective of its shortcomings, the Nigerian media has been described as a bastion of people’s agitation, which impacts on the public sphere, a realm where private individuals meet to address societal questions with the state. This is the case with the Nigerian press, whose duties and ideals have been called to action in the wake of the amnesty deal in the Niger delta. In order to achieve peace and good governance in the region, serious grassroots and national information …

Inflation, Investment And Growth: A Money And Banking Approach, Max Gillman, Michal Kejak

Max Gillman

No abstract provided.

Supply Chain Configuration For Diffusion Of New Products: An Integrated Optimization Approach, Haitao Li, Mehdi Amini

Haitao Li

Dark Tourism: Towards A New Post-Disciplinary Research Agenda, Philip Stone Dr

Dr Philip Stone

Abstract: Over the past decade or so, dark tourism research –that is, the social scientific study of tourism and tourists associated with sites of death, disaster or the seemingly macabre – has witnessed a burgeoning of the literature base. Much of this research has a profundity that can and, undoubtedly, will contribute to broader social theories and to our understanding of culturaldynamics. Arguably, however, some dark tourism research has been characterised by a banality that either illustrates deficient conceptual underpinning or provides for limited disciplinary synthesis. Thus, in order to assuage any structural deficiencies in dark tourism as a coherent …

Introduction: Thinking About The Tourist Experience, Philip R. Stone

Dr Philip Stone

No abstract provided.

Tourist Experience: Contemporary Perspectives, Philip R. Stone

Dr Philip Stone

The Secret Weapon Of Globalization: China's Activites In Sub-Saharan Africa, Kehbuma Langmia

Kehbuma Langmia

Socio-Cultural Impacts Of Events: Meanings, Authorised Transgression And Social Capital, Philip R. Stone

Dr Philip Stone

No abstract provided.

Dark Tourism Experiences: Mediating Between Life And Death, Philip R. Stone

Dr Philip Stone

No abstract provided.

Workplace Consequences Of Electronic Exhibitionism And Voyeurism, William A. Herbert

William A. Herbert

The popularity of email, blogging and social networking raises important issues for employers, employees and labor unions. This article will explore contemporary workplace issues resulting from the related social phenomena of electronic exhibitionism and voyeurism. It will begin with a discussion of the international social phenomenon of individuals electronically distributing their personal thoughts, opinions, and activities to a potential worldwide audience while at the same time retaining a subjective sense of privacy. The temptation toward such exhibitionism has been substantially enhanced by the advent of Web 2.0. The article then turns to the legal implications of electronic voyeurism including employer …

Ethical Considerations Of Sales Channel Selection In The Field Of Entrepreneurship, Todd A. Finkle, Michael Mallin

Todd A Finkle

Of Revolution, Debt, And Social Unrest: The Challenges Of Political Risk, Beat Habegger, Kaspar Zellweger

Beat Habegger

No abstract provided.

Worldcat Quality: An Oclc Report, Karen S. Calhoun, Glenn Patton

Karen S Calhoun

This report describes OCLC's steps to make it easier to find items in WorldCat and get them from OCLC member libraries. It begins with a review of WorldCat's unprecedented growth since 2008--growth which has challenged OCLC's programs for managing duplicate entries and library location (holdings) information. OCLC's 2010 implementation of new duplication detection and resolution (DDR) software helped; however, WorldCat quality needs to be further strengthened. The authors describe a special project—GLIMIR—and other WorldCat quality improvement projects intended to improve the clustering of WorldCat records and holdings for the same work, thus reducing the complexity of search result displays and …

"Corporate And Social Responsibility: The Changing Context For Marketing Communications Practice", Art Stewart

Art Stewart

Spesa Innovativa, Impatto Dell’Innovazione E Profitti Nelle Imprese Italiane, Francesco Bogliacino, Matteo Lucchese, Leopoldo Nascia, Mario Pianta

Mario Pianta

La capacità delle imprese di trasformare la spesa innovativa in innovazioni di successo; la capacità delle innovazioni di condurre a profitti “schumpeteriani”; l’impegno delle imprese a reinvestire tali profitti in nuova R&S e spese innovative sono tre relazioni chiave analizzate in questo lavoro con un modello a tre equazioni, applicato al panel di imprese italiane in cui sono integrati dati tratti dai conti delle imprese e dalle indagini sull’innovazione e R&S relativi al periodo 1998-2007. Il lavoro verifica la presenza di un “circolo virtuoso” tra spesa innovativa, fatturato dovuto all’innovazione e profitti nelle imprese manifatturiere italiane che sono “innovatrici persistenti”, …

Un Programma Per L'Economia, Mario Pianta

Mario Pianta

No abstract provided.

Innovation And Development. The Evidence From Innovation Surveys, Francesco Bogliacino, Giulio Perani, Mario Pianta, Stefano Supino

Mario Pianta

In this article we investigate the existing evidence on innovation produced by innovation surveys in developing and emerging countries in Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America. We review the literature, discuss methodological issues, and analyse the results for the countries with the most comparable surveys, considering the well established findings of innovation surveys for Europe as a benchmark. From the evidence we considered, regional patterns are identified and some stylized facts on innovation and development are proposed, pointing out the specificity of innovation processes in economies engaged in industrialisation and catching-up.

Engines Of Growth. Innovation And Productivity In Industry Groups, Mario Pianta, Francesco Bogliacino

Mario Pianta

The diversity of technological activities that contribute to growth in labour productivity is examined in this article for manufacturing and services industries in eight major EU countries. We test the relevance of two “engines of growth”, i.e., the strategies of technological competitiveness (based on innovation in products and markets) and cost competitiveness (relying on innovation in processes and machinery) and their impact on economic performance. We propose models for the determinants of changes in labour productivity and we carry out empirical tests for both the whole economy and for the four Revised Pavitt classes that group manufacturing and services industries …

The Power Of “We”: Effects Of Psychological Collectivism On Team Performance Over Time, James A. Belohlav, Erich C. Dierdorff, Suzanne T. Bell

James A. Belohlav

No abstract provided.

Reward Fairness: Slippery Slope Or Manageable Terrain?, Dow Scott, T. D. Mcmullen, M. Royal

Dow Scott

No abstract provided.

Apple Inc.: Product Portfolio Analysis, Michael Mallin, Todd A. Finkle

Todd A Finkle

Richard Branson And Virgin, Inc., Todd A. Finkle

Todd A Finkle

Beyond Competing Theories Of The Hidden Economy, Colin C. Williams

Colin C Williams

Purpose – This paper aims to evaluate critically the validity of rival theorisations of the hidden economy that variously read this sphere as a leftover from a previous era, a by-product of a new emergent form of capitalism, a complement to formal employment or an alternative to the formal economy. Until now, the common tendency among economic theorists has been to either universally privilege one theorisation over others, or to represent each theory as valid in different places. Design/methodology/approach – To evaluate their validity to the city of Moscow, a survey is reported involving 313 face-to-face interviews with inhabitants conducted …

Evaluating The Nature Of The Relationship Between Informal Entrepreneurship And The Formal Economy In Rural Communities, Colin C. Williams

Colin C Williams

This paper evaluates critically the different theorizations of the nature of the relationship between informal entrepreneurship and the formal economy, which variously depict informal entrepreneurship as a leftover from a previous era, a survival practice for those excluded from the formal economy, and a complement or an alternative to participation in the formal economy. Reporting evidence from 350 face-to-face interviews in English rural communities, no single theorization is found to be universally applicable. Instead, all are shown to be valid in relation to different forms of informal entrepreneurship, and only by combining them is it feasible to achieve a finer-grained, …

The Illusion Of Capitalism In Contemporary Sub-Saharan Africa: A Case Study Of The Gambia, Colin C. Williams

Colin C Williams

Purpose – This paper aims to evaluate critically the meta-narrative that there is no alternative to capitalism. Building upon an emerging body of post-structuralist thought that has begun deconstructing this discourse in relation to western economies and post-Soviet societies, this paper further extends this critique to Sub-Saharan Africa by investigating the degree to which people in the Gambia rely on the capitalist market economy for their livelihood. Reporting the results of 80 household face-to-face interviews (involving over 500 people), the finding is that only a small minority of households in contemporary Gambian society rely on the formal market economy alone …

Rethinking The Nature Of Community Economies: Some Lessons From Post-Soviet Ukraine, Colin C. Williams

Colin C Williams

This paper contributes to a small but growing body of thought that has questioned the hegemony of capitalism by revealing the persistence of multifarious economic practices in everyday community economies. To further advance this school of thought, first, a conceptual framework is developed to map the diverse economic practices used by communities and second, this is applied through a survey of 600 households in Ukraine. The outcome is to reveal that just as multifarious economic practices prevailed under state socialism, the same applies in societies in transition to capitalism, suggesting that there are alternative futures for community economies beyond market …

Women Entrepreneurs In The Indian Informal Sector, Colin C. Williams

Colin C Williams

Purpose – Studies on women entrepreneurs either view women through a structuralist lens, as marginalised populations engaged in low-quality work, or through a neo-liberal lens, as engaged in relatively higher quality endeavour more as a rational choice. The aim of this paper is to evaluate critically these explanations in relation to women entrepreneurs in the informal sector in India. Design/methodology/approach – To evaluate the contrasting explanations of structuralist and new liberal approaches, questionnaire surveys were conducted in two phases, namely 2007 and 2010, over a period of several months. The sample design was stratified random and the sample was taken …

Technological Iatrogenesis: The Manifestation Of Inadequate Organizational Planning And The Integration Of Health Information Technology., Patrick Albert Palmieri

Patrick Albert Palmieri

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) views Health Information Technology (HIT) as an essential organizational prerequisite for the delivery of safe, reliable, and cost effective health services. However, HIT presents the proverbial double-edged sword in generating solutions to improve system performance while facilitating the genesis of novel iatrogenic problems. Incongruent organizational processes give rise to technological iatrogenesis or the unintended consequences to system integrity and the resulting organizational outcomes potentiated by incongruent organizational–technological interfaces. HIT is a disruptive innovation for health services organizations but remains an overlooked organizational development (OD) concern. Recognizing the technology–organizational misalignments that result from HIT adoption is …

On Equality: The Anti-Interference Principle, Donald J. Kochan

Donald J. Kochan

This Essay introduces the “Anti-Interference Principle” – a new term on the meaning of equality, or at least one not yet so-named in the equality lexicon – as a necessary foundation for achieving the goal of true equality. Equality has a long-standing place in the discussion of politics and jurisprudence and remains a struggle of definition today. Rather than rehash the mass of scholarship, this Essay seeks to summarize the general equality concept, and propose that the legal discourse on equality center on a requirement that governmental power must protect and respect equal treatment and opportunity, unconstrained, not equal outcomes. …

Strengthening Greater Manchester's Economic Base Through Science, Innovation And Research And Development: Report Of Panel, Manchester Developmental Panel

Martin Wain

This report offers the findings and conclusions of the Developmental Panel, which visited Greater Manchester at the invitation of the Commission for the New Economy and the Northern Way. The Panel’s goal was to inform thinking about how Greater Manchester can strengthen its economic base through science, innovation, and research and development in a context of economic and structural change. The Panel visited Manchester on February 23rd and 24th, 2011, meeting with representatives of public, private, university, community and other organisations engaged in innovation, business, and economic development in Greater Manchester. The Panel is grateful for the time and co-operation …