Doing well by doing good: why is investing in university social responsibility a good business for higher education institutions cross culturally?

PurposeThis paper aims to corroborate the importance of university social responsibility (USR) for universities and to establish a rationale for their investment in a strategically implement socially responsible initiatives and programmes and gain returns from such investments. This purpose can be achieved by examining a complex conceptual model connecting USR with many desired student-related outcomes that leverage the university's competitiveness, long sustainability and contribution to the triple bottom line – "people, planet, and profit”.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conducted a cross-country comparative study using quantitative techniques. Their analysis was guided by a holistic conceptual model constructed and experimentally evaluated using obtained primary data. The robustness of the suggested model was evaluated using structural equation modelling with partial least squares.FindingsThe findings validate the hypothesized associations and indicate that adopting USR initiatives increases student satisfaction and alumni loyalty through student-university identification, perceived university image, and service quality. In addition, the cross-country analysis finds no variation in the strength of the connections owing to cultural variations, except for the association between service quality and institution image.Practical implicationsIncorporating USR at the centre of university's strategy not only complements its teaching and research goals but also answers the requirements and expectations of stakeholders, increases competitiveness and assures sustainable performance.Originality/valueThis cross-cultural USR study uses a mix of methods to show that, even though USR is important, until now, its importance has been overlooked.

A Global South Perspective: The Intersection of COVID-19 and Intimate Partner Violence

Making matters more complicated, the COVID-19 pandemic has proven to be challenging on many fronts, with IPV taking center stage as a major global public health concern, in response to pandemic-related strategies like lockdowns.3,4 In this issue of AJPH, Fereidooni et al. (http://bit.ly/3NV9xG8) undertook an investigation that examined the prevalence of IPV during COVID-19 among Iranian women. [...]they provide empirical data documenting the impact COVID-19 public health prevention measures had on increasing IPV risk for women, with an emphasis on the Global South. [...]they found that a male partner becoming unemployed increased IPV risk for his female partner and that socioeconomic status served as a protective factor for women, both of which are true in Western countries.6 The Fereidooni et al. study serves to further the argument made in other studies that we should unify efforts to address violence against women by providing yet more evidence that IPV is a global public health problem that is not bound by hemisphere, continent, or region.7 CORRESPONDENCE Correspondence may be sent to Regardt Ferreira, School of Social Work, Tulane University, 127 Elk Place, New Orleans, LA 70112-2627 (e-mail: rferrei@tulane.edu).

Demystifying the effectiveness of emergency remote teaching during global pandemic: Evidence from India

Given the adverse impacts of the global pandemic COVID-19 on higher educational institutions worldwide, this study aims to examine the effectiveness of emergency remote teaching (ERT), especially in the developing country context, India. In addition, this study investigates the antecedents and consequences of academic performance and explores social media use as a moderator in these relationships. A carefully crafted survey instrument was distributed. Data was collected from 719 respondents from the affiliated arts and science college of a renowned university in southern India. After checking the psychometric properties of the constructs using the Smart Partial Least Squares (Smart-PLS) of structural equation modelling, and hierarchical regression was used to test the hypothesized relationships. The results of this research indicate that course content, instructor-learner interaction, and student expectation are positively associated with academic performance;social media use moderate the relationship between (i) course content and academic performance, (ii) student expectation and academic performance, and (iii) learning platforms and academic performance. The results also support the positive relationship between academic performance and students' satisfaction with ERT. https//doi.org/10.34105/j.kmel.2022.14.022

Examining ecological strategies adopted by agricultural exporting firms in an emerging country

PurposeThe rising food demand around the globe goes hand in hand with the rapid development of the agriculture industry. However, this development at the same time has detrimental effects on the natural environment. Hence, promoting ecological strategies in agriculture is essential for environmental sustainability. This study aims to investigate the institutional determinants of ecological strategies adopted by agricultural exporting firms and how these strategies enhance the firms' competitive advantage and financial performance.Design/methodology/approachA survey was conducted to collect data from 218 managers of agricultural exporting companies in Vietnam, which is a major exporter of agricultural products. The data were analyzed using different techniques including partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM).FindingsThe results reveal that market pressure, regulatory pressure and competitive pressure motivate the adoption of ecological strategies among the surveyed agricultural exporting firms. Furthermore, such strategies help these firms obtain competitive advantage, which in turn increases their export financial performance. In addition, larger firms, compared to smaller firms, are more likely to adopt ecological strategies.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the literature by developing and validating a unique model examining the institutional pressures of ecological strategies and their outcomes in export markets. The study extends current knowledge about ecological exporting strategies for agricultural products, and its findings have several managerial and policy implications for promoting these strategies among agricultural exporting firms in emerging countries like Vietnam.

Collaborative corporate social responsibility praxis: case studies from India

Purpose>This study aims to explore how corporate social responsibility (CSR) has assumed a new meaning today, with the COVID-19 pandemic. This, in turn, has changed the way companies now view the impact of their activities on the environment, customers, employees, community and other stakeholders.Design/methodology/approach>This paper uses a qualitative case study approach and draws a critical lens to document the complex interplay between dimensions of CSR, business sustainability and social issues, applying theoretical tools such as social capital theory and stakeholder theory to elucidate the nature of collaborative managerial responses to the organisation's challenges during the pandemic. This is a case study paper. This paper applies multi method approach to develop a case study analysis through participant observation and report analysis to investigate the CSR approaches undertaken in India by Infosys Genesis, a global leader in technology services and consulting, and Akshaya Patra Foundation, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), which operates the world's largest lunch school program. This was an appropriate methodology since the focus was on an area that was little understood, while the analysis required an in-depth understanding of a complex phenomenon through observation and a case study. In addition, case study research has been recommended for how, why and what type of research questions that focus on contemporary events (Saunders et al., 2003;Yin, 1994), such as CSR participation in the existing business environment. Furthermore, the issue under investigation is a real-life situation where the limitations between the phenomenon and the body of knowledge are unclear (Yin, 1994). This was the case because CSR has been probed by numerous disciplines through the application of various theoretical frameworks, each interpreting the context from their own perspective. Leximancer was used for the analysis (a text-mining software for visualising the structure of concepts and themes across case studies). This process differs from the traditional content analysis in that specific word strings are not needed;instead, Leximancer recognises what concepts are present in a set of texts, permitting concepts to be automatically coded in a grounded fashion (Cretchley et al., 2010, p. 2). The paper will be looked at from three levels comprising themes, concepts and concept profiling to create rich and reliable dimensions of a theoretical model (Myers, 2008). The themes are created in Leximancer software and are built on an algorithm that looks for hidden repeated patterns in interactions. The concepts add a layer and discover which concepts are shared by actors. The concept profiling allows to discover additional concepts and allows to do a discriminant analysis on prior concepts (Cretchley et al., 2010). Words that come up frequently are treated as concepts. Although the limited number of cases does not represent the entire sector, it enabled collection of rich data through quotes revealing some of the most crucial aspects of large organisations and non-profits in India.Findings>The findings demonstrate how these robust, innovative, collaborative CSR initiatives between a multinational firm and an NGO have been leveraged to combat manifold issues of education, employment and hunger during the pandemic.Research limitations/implications>Despite significant implications, this study has limitations. A response from only two companies is investigated to the COVID-19 pandemic. The scope of this study is only India, a developing nation, thereby, cross country research is recommended. A comparative study between developed and developing countries may be conducted. A quantitative approach may be used to get empirical findings of the COVID-19 pandemic and post-pandemic policies of companies from an international perspective. Hence, there is ample opportunity to research organisations' response to the pandemic and CSR as a strong arm to deal with critical disasters.Practical implications>The paper offers new insights into exploring research and praxis agenda for collaborative potentials towards the evolution of CSR and sustainability.Social implications>The findings develop new initiatives and combat manifold issues of education, employment and hunger during the pandemic to provide quick relief.Originality/value>The paper offers new insights into how companies are considering issues related to the crisis, including avoidance of layoffs and maintaining wage payments, and may be in a better position to access fresh capital, relief programs and emergency funds. Taking proactive health and safety measures may avert legal risks to the company. It is likely that the way in which companies are responding to the crises is a real-life test on resilience and adaptation.

Improving water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), with a focus on hand hygiene, globally for community mitigation of COVID-19

Continuity of key water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) infrastructure and WASH practices—for example, hand hygiene—are among several critical community preventive and mitigation measures to reduce transmission of infectious diseases, including COVID-19 and other respiratory diseases. WASH guidance for COVID-19 prevention may combine existing WASH standards and new COVID-19 guidance. Many existing WASH tools can also be modified for targeted WASH assessments during the COVID-19 pandemic. We partnered with local organizations to develop and deploy tools to assess WASH conditions and practices and subsequently implement, monitor, and evaluate WASH interventions to mitigate COVID-19 in low- and middle-income countries in Latin America and the Caribbean and Africa, focusing on healthcare, community institution, and household settings and hand hygiene specifically. Employing mixed-methods assessments, we observed gaps in access to hand hygiene materials specifically despite most of those settings having access to improved, often onsite, water supplies. Across countries, adherence to hand hygiene among healthcare providers was about twice as high after patient contact compared to before patient contact. Poor or non-existent management of handwashing stations and alcohol-based hand rub (ABHR) was common, especially in community institutions. Markets and points of entry (internal or external border crossings) represent congregation spaces, critical for COVID-19 mitigation, where globally-recognized WASH standards are needed. Development, evaluation, deployment, and refinement of new and existing standards can help ensure WASH aspects of community mitigation efforts that remain accessible and functional to enable inclusive preventive behaviors.

Remittances as a Vital Tool for Economic and Human Security in Latin America 1

While a wide range of extensive literature deal with migration as a security concern, much less attention is aimed at migrant remittances regarding security. However, vulnerable communities in developing regions such as Latin America tend to rely upon the sum of money received from migrants working abroad. In the shadow of the Covid-19 pandemic, it has again become apparent that migrant related monetary remittances play a vital role in disaster relief. In this paper it is argued that remittances have been a crucial tool for economic and human security in Latin America especially during the pandemic. Examining primary and secondary statistical sources, the analysis also tries to find explanations for the resilience and increasing volume of cross-border remittances with regard to the Latin American region, exceeding earlier estimates to a great extent.

Does Online Learning Impact Accounting Students' Performance? An Empirical Answer from Kuwait

This study aimed to empirically assess and document the impact of online learning on the academic performance of accounting students at a business college in Kuwait. The main value of this study would be its effort to fill some of the gaps in the existing local and regional remote (distance) accounting education literature as e-learning is considered to be a new phenomenon in most developing countries including Kuwait. A linear regression model (OLS), correlation, and t-tests analyses using a sample of 143 accounting students, who were enrolled before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, were used to test the study's hypotheses. The results indicate that there was a statistically significant association between learning systems (class delivery models) and accounting students' performance explaining the superiority of the academic performance of accounting students utilizing online learning over the performance of the same group of students using traditional learning and showing the significant impact of learning systems on accounting students' performance. The study concluded by considering the implications of these findings, which can provide decision-makers with a useful benchmark for improving accounting programs by considering online learning as an alternative system to traditional learning and provide insights for future academic research.

Woe is the dark Web: the main challenges that governments of the Commonwealth Caribbean will face in combating dark Web-facilitated criminal activities

PurposeThis paper aims to investigate the potential challenges that governments in the Commonwealth Caribbean are likely to face combating crimes facilitated by the dark Web.Design/methodology/approachThe "lived experience” methodology guided by a contextual systematic literature review was used to ground the investigation of the research phenomena in the researchers' collective experiences working in, living in and engaging in research with governments in the Commonwealth Caribbean.FindingsThe two major findings emerging from the analysis are that jurisdictional and technical challenges are producing major hindrances to the creation of an efficient and authoritative legislative framework and the building of the capacity of governments in the Commonwealth Caribbean to confront the technicalities that affect systematic efforts to manage problems created by the dark Web.Practical implicationsThe findings indicate the urgency that authorities in the Caribbean region must place on reevaluating their administrative, legislative and investment priorities to emphasize cyber-risk management strategies that will enable their seamless and wholesome integration into this digital world.Originality/valueThe research aids in developing and extending theory and praxis related to the problematization of the dark Web for governments by situating the experiences of Small Island Developing States into the ongoing discourse.

Financial Disruption and Microentrepreneurs: Empirical Study on Adoption of E-Wallet Among Micro-Entrepreneurs in India

The COVID-19 pandemic is expeditiously stirring the global economy. The impact of this pandemic has implications on the sustenance of industries worldwide. This study investigates the influence of various endogenous and exogenous factors affecting e-wallet adoption among micro entrepreneurs in India. A sample of 287 micro enterprises were identified in NCR (National Capital Region) region on the basis of random sampling. Structured questionnaires were administered to the respondents. Structural equation modelling was used to analyse the data with the help of Smart PLS 3. The main findings of the study show that self-belief, personal innovativeness, and satisfaction are the key indicators affecting the e-wallet adoption among the microentrepreneurs. Microentrepreneurs contribute greatly to economic development in developed and developing nations. Digitalisation of this segment of industry can turn India into a cashless country, thereby reducing the cash burden of the economy. Microentrepreneurs can also act as a catalyst for financial inclusion.

Prospects for employment of persons with disabilities in the post-covid-19 era in developing countries

The global environment has been hit with a pandemic of cataclysmic proportion. The COVID19 has created havoc on all countries and has claimed the lives of over 3 million individuals and affected over 100 million persons at the time of writing this paper. Countries have been forced to implement measures to safeguard their population. Included in these measures is work from home strategies. The crisis, whilst catastrophic in nature;has created some opportunities for groups such as persons with disabilities through remote employment. The author examines through a case study, the prospects for employment of persons with disabilities using the concept of remote employment. The Business Process Outsourcing sector is the focus of study. The fundamental question to answer in the study is to what extent can the Business Process Outsourcing sector employ more persons with disabilities in the Post-COVID19 era? The article is completed with some recommendations.Points of interestThe COVID-19 pandemic presents challenges and opportunities for persons with disabilities.This article is about the possibilities of working from home by persons with disabilities in the after COVID-19 environment through the use of new technologies.The article is prepared by looking at a fast growing employment sector which showed that there is a big growth in working from home and that the chances are great for the employment of persons with disabilities through this means, with the aid of new technologies.Most of the public facilities across poor and middle-income countries are unfriendly to persons with disabilities and making some of these individuals work from their homes is a very good means of employing some of them in the labour market.This research is therefore important in showing how poor and middle-income countries can add to the employment of persons with disabilities by working from home with the use of new technologies and some recommendations are made on how to achieve this objective.

The effect of utilitarian and hedonic motivations on mobile shopping outcomes. A cross‐cultural analysis

Mobile devices are ubiquitous in the lives of modern consumers, who use them for information‐seeking and purchasing activities, fostering the emergence of m‐commerce. This trend has been exacerbated by the COVID‐19 pandemic, which has boosted m‐commerce growth in both developed and developing countries. Hence, there is a need for cross‐cultural research concerning the factors affecting behavioural intentions. Drawing upon the hedonic information systems model, we measure the impact of utilitarian factors on satisfaction, repurchase intention, and eWOM through the mediation of enjoyment across two countries characterized by different stages of m‐commerce readiness and culture: China and Italy. Findings suggest that the impact of utilitarian factors on satisfaction is stronger among Italian users than Chinese users. On the contrary, for Chinese users, who use their mobile phones as a primary device to shop online, the mediation effect of enjoyment on satisfaction and eWOM is stronger. With this study, we contribute to cross‐cultural research in m‐commerce and provide guidelines to mobile retailers operating in diverse international markets.

An Empirical Investigation of Global Media Framing, COVID-19, and the Vaccination Debate

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), COVID-19 is currently associated with an increase in fatalities across the globe. [...]COVID-19 vaccinations will both lessen the pandemic and advance long-term health security in both developed and developing nations. According to this study, the media fabricates distinct narratives regarding the COVID-19 vaccine debate in an effort to shape public opinion around the world. According to the location of the media dependence theory, the media will become increasingly significant in people's life as they become more reliant on it to meet their needs.

Fragility of FDI flows in sub-Saharan Africa region: does the paradox persist?

The circumstances of the SSA region regarding the inflow of foreign direct investment (FDI) present a puzzle. In spite of the high rate of return on investment, the inflow of foreign investments keeps eluding the region, and the COVID-19 pandemic even perplexes the flow fragility the more. What factors then determine FDI flows aside from return on investment? Could there be more persuasive relative cost complexes? The study aimed at testing the effects of determining factors that influence FDI flows and their impact on economic development, considering the COVID-19 period. The study used cross-country pooled data from 30 SSA countries collected between 2001 and 2020. The study utilized five panel estimation techniques, namely Pooled Regression, Fixed Effect (FE), Random Effect (RE), Panel Two-Stage Least Square and Differenced Generalized Moments of Method (DGMM). The study found that the inflow of FDI has significant positive impact on economic development in the sub-Saharan African region. It is also ascertained that the outflow of FDI, and political stability has an inverse relationship with economic development. The study recommends that governments of host economies should hence ensure an enabling framework for their economies, so as to improve infrastructure, political stability, and institutional quality, in order to sufficiently encourage the inflow of FDI into the SSA region and make the environment inviting, sustainable, and beneficial for foreign investors and host economies alike.

Identifying the factors impacting upon personal tax compliance: a study involving tax affairs officers of Malaysian businesses

It is assumed from the literature reviews in taxation that a tendency for tax non-compliance exists among the officers who deal with tax matters in their business establishments in Malaysia when they do not comply with their respective tax systems. The hitherto published studies have not yet explored the tax compliance behaviour of tax affairs officers. Given this gap in the literature, this study endeavours to investigate the factors that impact corporate tax affairs officers' personal tax compliance behaviour in Malaysia. Using purposive and snowball sampling techniques, the data was collected from 392 tax affairs officers of businesses in Malaysia. SmartPLS is used to analyse the data and test the hypotheses. The findings of this study reveal that peers' tax compliance, audit probability, service quality of tax authority, and satisfaction with government spending strongly impact upon personal tax compliance behaviour of corporate tax affairs officers. This study opens a gateway to producing extensive and expeditious empirical evidence that could support the relation between tax affairs officers' personal tax compliance and their decision-making on corporate tax compliance.

Mecanismos fiscales en el marco de la COVID-19: una mirada a las desigualdades económicas en América Latina

El objetivo del presente artículo fue identificar las políticas fiscales implementadas en América Latina, sus efectos y el enfoque en la visualización de las desigualdades económicas en el marco de la pandemia originada por la COVID-19. Para tal propósito, la metodología desarrollada consistió en la revisión de literatura de los años 2020 y 2021 en las bases de datos especializadas Scopus y Redalyc en investigación y estadísticas temáticas;para ello, se tomaron como muestra los países con mayores resultados en cuanto a investigaciones realizadas: Argentina, Brasil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, México y Perú. Los resultados indicaron que, aunque las estructuras tributarias en estos países son similares, el mayor recaudo, en años recientes, estuvo en Brasil y México;en cuanto a las medidas tomadas en política fiscal y monetaria, la mayor cantidad fueron implementadas por Brasil y Colombia;en lo referente al gasto social como porcentaje del producto interno bruto (PIB), la región estuvo por debajo del promedio en comparación con países de diferentes niveles de ingreso, a excepción de Brasil y Argentina, que contaban con el 31,8 % y 30 %, respectivamente. Cabe destacar, como conclusión, la problemática en la estructura fiscal que quedó en evidencia con la pandemia en los países en vías de desarrollo y la neutralidad de los mecanismos fiscales al no provocar efectos positivos frente a las desigualdades económicas.Alternate : This article consists of identifying the fiscal policies implemented in Latin America, their effects and the focus on the visualization of economic inequalities in the context of the pandemic caused by COVID-19. The methodology developed is the literature review of the years 2020 and 2021, in specialized research and thematic statistics databases Scopus and Redalyc. The countries with the highest results in terms of research carried out were taken as a sample: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico and Peru. The results indicate that although the tax structures in these countries are similar, the highest collection in recent years is in Brazil and Mexico, in terms of the measures taken in fiscal and monetary policy, the largest amount were taken by Brazil and Colombia, in spending as a percentage of GDP, the region is below average compared to countries with different income levels except Brazil and Argentina with 31,8 % and 30 % respectively. The conclusions highlight the problems in the tax structure that became evident with the pandemic in developing countries and the neutrality of the tax mechanisms as they do not have positive effects on economic inequalities.

Public health interventions: the elephant in the room of the health system crisis

Since 2020, the "rules of engagement" for our health system, the expected and relatively predictable level of ill-health in the community, have changed.1 COVID-19 has increased demand for healthcare through multiple pathways. [...]through managing those acutely unwell with COVID-19 infection, which during 2022 has been a significant source of hospitalisation over the three waves. [...]by creating a large burden of "catch up" care needed for those people whose care was delayed due to beds being occupied by those infected with COVID-19. While there is common perception that pub- lic health actions take decades to have impacts, the authors of these blogs identified a wide range of interventions that would have such as vaccination, raising alcohol taxes, lowering drink driving levels, a health-based approach to drug harms, speed limit reductions, increasing benefit levels, alterations to streets to promote cycling and walking and reformulation of processed foods.12-17 These interventions would impact on a wide range of health conditions, both physical and mental.

Malaysia's low-cost housing solid waste management in the era of COVID-19: the role of fourth industrial revolution technologies

Purpose>Studies have shown that managing household solid waste from low-cost housing in urban and sub-urban communities is challenging, especially in developing countries and COVID-19 era. Previous research proved that the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) technologies could be engaged to improve urban public services such as household solid waste. Thus, the study investigated 4IR role in improving low-cost housing solid waste management (LCHSWM) in the COVID-19 era across Malaysia's cities.Design/methodology/approach>The researchers selected four Malaysian cities (Pulau Pinang, Kuala Lumpur, Kuching and Putrajaya) to achieve the study's objectives via a qualitative research design. The study engaged forty experts through semi-structured virtual interviews. A thematic approach was used to analyse the collected data.Findings>Findings identified initial high implementation and maintenance costs, unwillingness to accept change, inadequate knowledge and skilled personnel to manage the operation, amongst others, as the perceived challenges facing 4IR technologies in managing low-cost housing solid waste across Malaysian cities in the COVID-19 era. Also, the study proffered measures to improve 4IR technologies usage.Research limitations/implications>This paper is limited to the perceived contributory challenges and proffered measures to improve 4IR technologies usage in managing LCHSW across Malaysian cities in the COVID-19 era.Practical implications>Proffered measures will stir policymakers and the political class (city councils) to start thinking of an all-inclusive approach to addressing the issue of LCHSW in the 21st century. As part of the practical implications, the possible outcome might enhance collaboration between the public and private sectors to better service delivery to mitigate environmental degradation.Originality/value>As revealed in the review, there is a paucity of literature regarding digital technology's roles in mitigating LCHSW across Malaysian cities in the COVID-19 era.

Impact of Institutional Investors on Indian Stock Market Performance

The paper analyzes the impact of Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) and Domestic Institutional Investors (DIIs), as these are the two primary institutions on which the Indian stock market is dependent. The research design and statistical tools used in the study are: Vector Error Correction Model (VECM), Granger Causality, Variance Decomposition Analysis, and Impulse Response Function. During the Covid-19 pandemic, high volatility was witnessed in the global markets, so it is important to evaluate the behavior of the Indian stock market with respect to the inflows and outflows of institutional investors on a daily basis. The paper concludes that Indian stock market return (Nifty 50) has more significant impact on FIIs, as compared to DIIs (mutual funds).