Corporate governance and corporate social responsibility synergies: Evidence from New Zealand

© 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited. Purpose: This paper aims to provide exploratory evidence on corporate governance (CG) and corporate social responsibility (CSR) interfaces. Although there remains a voluminous literature on CG and CSR, very little effort has been put forward to explore the nature of this relationship. Design/methodology/approach: Using interviews with Senior Executives of New Zealand Stock Exchange listed firms, this research assesses CG and CSR practices, identifies barriers for CG and CSR adoption and investigates the nature of the relationship between CG and CSR. Findings: The results indicate a moderate level of CG and CSR practices, with a lack of resources and cost-time balance as common barriers for CG and CSR adoption. However, despite these barriers, we note that the majority of executives appreciate the increasing convergence between CG and CSR, and believe that a more robust CG framework will lead to more sustainable CSR practices. Originality/value: These findings have important implications for managers and policymakers interested in understanding the CG-CSR nexus and promoting responsible business practices

Posterior reversible encephalopathy and status epilepticus in Takayasu arteritis

Takayasu arteritis (TA) is a rare, systemic, chronic inflammatory condition causing granulomatous vasculitis of medium-sized and large arteries of unknown etiology. A possible relationship between Takayasu arteritis and tuberculosis has been suggested but not proven until now. Posterior Reversible Encephalopathy Syndrome (PRES) and seizure are rare complications. We report a case of Takayasu arteritis with lymph node tuberculosis presented with status epilepticus and Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome

Biology 4920F: Introduction to CRISPR

Let’s Talk Science at Western supports learning and skill development of youth using science, technology, engineering and mathematics, otherwise known as STEM. The following showcases hands-on activities to introduce the concept of CRISPR to elementary school students. The activities start by introducing the fundamental concepts required to understand the role of CRISPR, then proceed to explain CRISPR itself

AccountAbility’s AA1000AP standard: A framework for integrating sustainability into organisations

Purpose: This study aims to evaluate corporate sustainability integration by evaluating corporate practices against the sustainability principles of inclusivity, materiality, responsiveness and impact outlined in AccountAbility’s AA1000 Accountability Principles (AA1000AP) standard. Design/methodology/approach: Data comprise 12 semi-structured interviews with senior managers of listed New Zealand companies. Findings are evaluated against AccountAbility’s principles of inclusivity, materiality, responsiveness and impact, which are based on a normative view of stakeholder theory. Findings: In terms of inclusivity, stakeholder engagement is primarily monologic and is directed more towards traditional stakeholder groups. However, social media, which is gaining popularity, has the potential to facilitate greater dialogic stakeholder engagement. While most companies undertake a materiality assessment (with varying degrees of rigour) to support sustainability reporting, only some use it to drive planning and decision-making. Companies demonstrate responsiveness to stakeholder concerns through corporate governance and sustainability initiatives. Companies are monitoring and measuring their impact on stakeholders using sustainability key performance indicators (KPIs). However, measuring traditional metrics is easier than measuring areas such as the community. In rare instances, the executive’s remuneration is linked to these sustainability KPIs. Practical implications: The study findings offer useful examples of the integration of sustainability into corporate processes and systems. Practitioners may find the insights useful in understanding how sustainability is currently being integrated into corporate practices by best practice New Zealand companies. Regulators may consider incorporating AA1000AP into their corporate governance guidelines. Finally, academics may find the study useful for teaching business and accounting courses and to guide the next generation of business managers. Originality/value: First, the study brings together four streams of research on how sustainability reports are prepared (inclusivity, materiality, responsiveness and impact) in a single study. Second, the findings offer novel insights by evaluating corporate sustainability against the requirements of a standard that has received little academic attention

Does COVID -19 Effect Intention to Adopt Mobile Banking Services? Role of Decomposed Theory of Planned Behavior

Abstract: This study aims to measure the impact of this disruption on customers’ intention to adopt Mobile Banking Services (MBS) offered during the pandemic.  This model is designed based on DTPB with a modification of COVID-19. The data were collected from 150 respondents through the convenience sampling technique. The data were analyzed on SPSS and Jamovi, to measure the structure model. According to the results, the relationship of attitude with behavioral intention is significantly positive. However, Social influence does not show any significant direct relationship with behavioral intention. The results also showed the significant positive effect of the direct impact of perceived behavioral control over behavioral intention. The variable representing COVID-19 also showed a direct significant effect on behavior. The findings revealed that the COVID-19 pandemic positively impact the customer’s behavioral intention to adopt MBS and significantly mediated the impact of PBC and social influence. However, customers’ attitudes did not alter by this pandemic. Study provides implications for banking managers to optimize their advanced MBS to attract customers and enhance their attraction towards mobile banking applications. Especially the customers of rural areas can be beneficial for the banking sector. Along with this, banks can also target the educated section of society who has the skill and capabilities to use the technology for their benefit and are technology savvy. The incorporation of DTPB in the banking sector during COVID-19 could implicate theoretical contribution in disruption situations

Study the Level of Awareness Among Housewives About Environmental Education

The purpose of this paper was to study the level of awareness among housewives about environmental education. For this task review of existing literature was carried out. Being descriptive study, survey method was adopted for data collection. A group of 50 housewives from Bahawalnagar District of Division Bahawalpur was recognized as sample to accomplish the study. Closed ended questionnaire for housewives were developed on Likert scale and data was collected. Data collected through questionnaire was tabulated, analysis and discussed. The analysis was arranged on the basis of respondents and the housewives’ opinions were analyzed. The result from the findings of this study showed that active learning of the housewives has appeared with the expansion of their actions in the Green Future. With the presence at the Eco conductors Training course as an opening, they come to join in the Eco conducting Activity and developed Green Future into an essential association connected to the eco-environment in the society. Their Eco-conducting movement was based on the outcome of knowledge from the teaching courses, in which the accessible expert in Eco conducting skilled them. At the end some recommendations were made to improve housewives’ skills and awareness about environmental education

Mathematical Understanding of Sequence Alignment and Phylogenetic Algorithms: A Comprehensive Review of Computation of Different Methods

Pairwise sequence alignment is one of the ways to position two biological sequences to identify regions of similarity that may suggest the functional, structural and evolutionary relationship among proteins and nucleic acids. There are two strategies in pairwise alignment: local sequence alignment (Smith Waterman algorithm) and global sequence alignment (Needleman Wunsch algorithm). In the prior approach, two sequences that may or may not be related, are aligned to find regions of local similarities in large sequences, whereas in the later one, two sequences of same length are aligned to identify their conserved regions. Moreover, similarities and divergence between biological sequences also has to be rationalized and visualized in the form of phylogenetic trees, so the dendrogram construction approaches were developed and divided into distance-based and character-based methods. In this review article, different algorithms of sequence alignment and phylogenetic tree construction were meditated with examples and compared by looking into the background computation for the better understanding of the algorithms, which will be helpful for molecular biology, computational sciences and mathematics/statistics novices. Phylogenetic trees are constructed through various methods, some are computationally robust but does not provide precise evolutionary insight, whereas some provide accurate evolutionary understandings, but computationally exhaustive and cumbersome. So, there is a need to understand the implicit mathematics and intricate computation behind the dendrogram construction for improving the existing algorithms and developing new methods.  Keywords: Local sequence alignment; Global sequence alignment; UPGMA; Neighbour joining; Fitch Margoliash; Maximum-Parsimony; Maximum-Likelihood  

Does corporate eco-innovation affect stock price crash risk?

We examine the effect of corporate environmental innovation (hereafter eco-innovation) on stock price crash risk and document a significant negative association. Utilising a large sample of publicly listed U.S. firms for the period 2003 to 2017, we find that an increase in eco-innovation from the 25th to the 75th percentile is associated with 17.62% reduction in stock price crash risk. This outcome remains robust to a variety of sensitivity tests and after accounting for potential endogeneity concerns. Eco-innovative firms attract more institutional investors and equity analyst following and disclose more information leading to lower stock price crash risk. Additional tests reveal that the negative effect of eco-innovation is contingent on the political leadership\u27s ideology and environmental sensitivity. Our paper contributes to the ongoing discourse on the costs and benefits of eco-innovation, documenting the value-enhancing perspective of eco-innovation

Board demographic, structural diversity, and eco-innovation: International evidence

Research question/issue: We examine whether and how board diversity, measured by demographics (i.e., board gender, cultural diversity, tenure, social capital, expertise, and age) and structural diversity (i.e., board independence, size, board seat accumulation-chair, board compensation, and board meeting frequency), influence corporate eco-innovation. Research findings/insights: Utilizing a global sample of publicly listed companies for the period 2004–2019, we find that a one-standard deviation increase in demographic and structural diversity translates into 4.66% and 7.11% higher corporate eco-innovation, respectively. Furthermore, we discover that demographic and structural diversity promotes eco-innovation by offsetting the negative effects of political risk. In an additional analysis, we find evidence that, in the absence of greater external monitoring (institutional investors and analyst following), organizations benefit more from the monitoring role of board diversity. Theoretical/academic implications: By adopting the concept of “bundling the governance mechanisms,” our study adds to the ongoing discourse about the function of board diversity in addressing corporate climate footprints by offering original evidence that board diversity heterogeneity—demographic and structural diversity—matters for corporate eco-innovation. Practitioner/policy implications: Given the increasing pressure on companies to manage their environmental impacts and carbon footprints, our paper has significant ramifications for those involved in promoting eco-innovative business practices, such as policymakers, regulators, and practitioners