Dialectic tensions in the financial markets: a longitudinal study of pre- and post-crisis regulatory technology

This article presents the findings from a longitudinal research study on regulatory technology in the UK financial services industry. The financial crisis with serious corporate and mutual fund scandals raised the profile of compliance as governmental bodies, institutional and private investors introduced a ‘tsunami’ of financial regulations. Adopting a multi-level analysis, this study examines how regulatory technology was used by financial firms to meet their compliance obligations, pre- and post-crisis. Empirical data collected over 12 years examine the deployment of an investment management system in eight financial firms. Interviews with public regulatory bodies, financial institutions and technology providers reveal a culture of compliance with increased transparency, surveillance and accountability. Findings show that dialectic tensions arise as the pursuit of transparency, surveillance and accountability in compliance mandates is simultaneously rationalized, facilitated and obscured by regulatory technology. Responding to these challenges, regulatory bodies continue to impose revised compliance mandates on financial firms to force them to adapt their financial technologies in an ever-changing multi-jurisdictional regulatory landscape

KEY FACTORS INCREASING THE TRUST AND INTENTION TO ADOPT STANDARD CLOUD-BASED APPLICATIONS

A generic standard cloud-based application such as Google Docs are generally among the first to be considered for adoption by end-users. Thus, it is worthy to examine what factors influence trust and the intention of continuing use for such a cloud-based application. Unlike traditional, on-premise applications, familiarity is not an issue for trusting generic, simple cloud-based applications. Moreover, perceived risk is low enough that it has negative, as opposed to the usual positive, impact on trust and the intention of continuing use. The results of this study also imply that the agile adoption of standard cloud-based applications needs to consider factors, including perceived privacy control, system quality, and user satisfaction because these factors can increase the trust of users. Theoretical and practical implications were drawn from the findings of this study

Election Law and White Identity Politics

The role of race in American politics looms large in several election law doctrines. Regrettably, though, these doctrines’ analyses of race, racial identity, and the relationships between race and politics often lack sophistication, historical context, or foresight. The political status quo is treated as race-neutral, when in fact it is anything but. Specifically, the doctrines rely upon sanguine theories of democracy uncorrupted by white identity–based political calculations, while in fact such calculations, made on the part of both voters and political parties, are pervasive. In this Article, I appraise the doctrine pertaining to majority-minority voting districts, racial gerrymandering doctrine, the doctrine governing ballot access disputes, and campaign finance doctrine through the lens of white identity politics. Drawing from research in political science, sociology, and history, I argue that these doctrines are blighted by what I identify as “racial blind spots” that are inconsonant with political reality. Given the role that courts play in enunciating these doctrines, their failure to meaningfully engage with the significance of white identity politics renders their governing frameworks and remedial prescriptions inapt. The Article concludes by offering a number of suggestions, both doctrinal and legislative, for how to mitigate white identity politics

Organizational Preparedness Required for System Implementation

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems are currently in high demand as organizations seek to streamline, synchronize, and synthesis operational information, efforts, and resources to make decisions swifter and operate more efficiently and effectively. As the results and benefits of system output are realized within the market, organizations seek to implement ERP systems but are not successful because their organizations are not prepared prior to implementing the system. As a result, organizations search for a roadmap or collection of best practices as a guide for organizational preparation prior to system adoption and implementation. But these materials are lacking within the industry. The purpose of this research project is to illuminate the research problem of the lack of organizational preparedness required to successfully adopt and implement ERP systems to decrease supply chain disruptions and increase profitability. This research project was conducted using a constructivism paradigm within a flexible design and was executed using the single case study method. The participating organization and 15 volunteer participants allowed the researcher to use tools such as surveys, interviews, and performance metric extraction to obtain information and data, and to code, sort, and analyze it for the discovery of themes. Anticipated themes were discovered and confirmed through research findings. Data was triangulated to further verify the feedback’s validity, creditability, and reliability. Persistent themes highlighted research results and the critical need for organizational preparation prior to system adoption and implementation, providing a basis for insight into additional areas for further study

A Mechanism-Based Explanation of the Institutionalization of Semantic Technologies in the Financial Industry

Part 3: Creating Value through ApplicationsInternational audienceThis paper explains how the financial industry is solving its data, risk management, and associated vocabulary problems using semantic technologies. The paper is the first to examine this phenomenon and to identify the social and institutional mechanisms being applied to socially construct a standard common vocabulary using ontology-based models. This standardized ontology-based common vocabulary will underpin the design of next generation of semantically-enabled information systems (IS) for the financial industry. The mechanisms that are helping institutionalize this common vocabulary are identified using a longitudinal case study, whose embedded units of analysis focus on central agents of change—the Enterprise Data Management Council and the Object Management Group. All this has important implications for society, as it is intended that semantically-enabled IS will, for example, provide stakeholders, such as regulators, with better transparency over systemic risks to national and international financial systems, thereby mitigating or avoiding future financial crises

YARD: A Tool for Curating Research Outputs

Repositories increasingly accept research outputs and associated artifacts that underlie reported findings, leading to potential changes in the demand for data curation and repository services. This paper describes a curation tool that responds to this challenge by economizing and optimizing curation efforts. The curation tool is implemented at Yale University’s Institution for Social and Policy Studies (ISPS) as YARD. By standardizing the curation workflow, YARD helps create high quality data packages that are findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable (FAIR) and promotes research transparency by connecting the activities of researchers, curators, and publishers through a single pipeline

An examination of tensions in a hybrid collaboration : a longitudinal study of an empty homes project

We analyse the tensions in a hybrid collaboration (specifically, a social alliance comprising three social enterprises and a local council) and how these are mitigated using boundary-spanning community impact, leading to compatibility between distinctive institutional logics. Our qualitative longitudinal study undertaken during 2011–2016 involved reviewing literature and archival data, key informant interviews, workshop and focus groups. We analysed common themes within the data, relating to our two research questions concerning how and why hybrids collaborate, and how resulting tensions are mitigated. The findings suggest a viable model of service delivery termed hybridized collaboration in which the inherent tensions from different institutional logics do not prevent success. Paradoxically, multiple logics are a basis for the partnership’s existence, but the ability to achieve different and occasionally conflicting aims simultaneously (including “value for money” and local community benefit) can be difficult, resulting in tensions. We offer two novel insights. First, we highlight how social enterprise hybrids collaborate locally and in multi-organizational relationships. We found that the initial opportunity to collaborate was catalysed by the existence of shared objectives (to address housing need and unemployment). Pre-existing relationships between organizations, and the existence of synergistic capabilities also influence the choice of partners. Secondly, we identify how tensions arise (from differences in organizational size and available resources; ambitions for growth; and issues related to values and ethics), and are mitigated via several factors including the pre-existing relationships, allowing for regular “spaces of negotiation” between collaborators, the shared social mission, community social impact, the resulting public relations, and shared resources and knowledge