Motivated by recent inconclusive debates on the natural resource ‘curse’ phenomenon, this paper reviews studies that have explored the causes and implications of natural resource endowments ‘curse’ ...within oil-rich developing countries (ODCs). Most of these studies find corruption, transparency, accountability, weak institutions and poor governance as causes of developing countries’ natural resource ‘curse’. However, recent studies identify a strong association between oil and gas multinational corporations (MNCs) as agents of globalisation and the resource-curse. First, we consider the international dimensions of this relationship and how MNCs have an influence on the resources of ODCs. Second, we link the impact of MNCs and their natural resource nexus to broaden debates on strategic organisational practices. We show that globalisation creates the platform for the natural resource ‘curse’ phenomenon. Our findings offer new insights into the natural resource ‘curse’ debates. We expand knowledge on the traditional focus of the resource-curse literature to include globalisation and how ethical practices of MNCs could avert the ‘curse’ or allow ODCs to experience the advantages of their natural resource wealth.
•We review literature on causes and implications of the natural resource curse (NRC).•We show that MNCs create the platform for the NRC.•Key determinants include corruption, transparency, accountability, weak institutions and poor governance.
Empirical research shows that developing countries that are rich in natural resources tend to suffer slow economic growth and development due to various factors such as quality of institutions, ...governance, among others. The phenomenon of slow growth is widely known as the ‘natural resource-curse’ within the energy sector literature, and past research suggests that the membership of international non-governmental organisations and transparency are key factors in supporting economic development. However, limited research has been conducted to explore the key factors and their impact on the ‘natural resource-curse’. This study utilizes 222 cases from 18 of Ghana's key stakeholders and finds that the membership of country's Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) and petroleum revenue management policies are insufficient to avert its ‘resource-curse’ unless they are complemented with country-level institutional factors such as the quality of institutions, quality of governance, government effectiveness, accountability, corruption control mechanisms, natural resource sustainability and effective accounting practices. Consequently, the study contributes to the deeper understanding of complex macro-level factors interlinked with the ‘natural resource-curse’. We also discuss the theoretical and practical implications of these findings, along with suggestions for future research.
•Natural resources rich developing countries suffer slow growth and development.•This phenomenon is widely known as the “natural resource-curse”.•We carried out a survey of 222 stakeholders in Ghana.•Country-level institutional factors are key determinants of natural resource-curse escape.
•We use gender-innovation data for 472 multinational corporations operating in 21 emerging economies.•We use multi-stage theoretical framework–institutional factors, Hofstede national cultural ...dimensions & firm level factors.•Our study is the first to empirically examine the effect of gender diversity on innovation for emerging economies.•National culture & country-level institutional quality has mediating influence on boardroom gender diversity & innovation.
This paper contributes to burgeoning research concerning the relationship between boardroom gender diversity and corporate innovation. The paper deploys a multi-theoretical framework comprising insights from the upper echelons, resource-dependency, and institutional theories, and the Hofstede's cultural dimensions framework. We test a panel dataset for 472 multinationals in 21 emerging economies, covering nine years (2009–2018). Our findings reveal that gender diversity is positively associated with corporate innovation. We also find that local factors such as national norms, cultural values, and country-level institutional quality influence boardroom gender diversity, level of investment in research and development (R&D), and corporate innovation. The paper concludes by providing policy and managerial recommendations on how to promote firm innovation within emerging markets contexts.
With the surge in economic growth in the global-north vis-a-vis social and economic inequalities in the global-south (north-south dichotomy), there is an increasing requirement for critical research ...and an examination of the policy implications with respect to human rights in emerging economies. This paper draws on the concept of convergence and institutional theories to enhance our understanding of how multinational corporations (MNCs) fulfil their profit maximisation agendas using capitalist principles; and the extent to which these ideologies produce human rights violations in emerging economies. Using multiple data sources from the Human Rights Watch, our study provides a comprehensive list of various human rights violations perpetrated by MNCs from 2002 to 2017. We verified 273 violations by 160 MNCs mostly from developed countries. More than 90% of our sample firms have CSR/sustainability committees, are signatories to the UN Global Compact and have reported compliance with the International Labour Organisation (ILO). This raises questions about the effectiveness of these programmes for CSR compliance. We contribute to the CSR/sustainability literature by providing new insights into the nature and location of human rights violations committed by MNCs.
•Blockchain technology is a remarkable technological innovation of the 21st century.•Our survey paper explores the opportunities and issues presented by blockchain.•We discuss the implications of ...blockchain for accounting, finance, taxation, banking and international trade.•We show how organisations and regulators can leverage blockchain to upscale business operations.
Blockchain is one the most remarkable technological innovations of the 21st century. The most notable application of blockchain is in the development and operation of cryptocurrencies (e.g. bitcoin, ethereum, among others). Besides the financial services industry, blockchain is also considered in other sectors such as international trade, taxation, supply chain management, business operations and governance. However, blockchain has not been examined comprehensively in all areas of relevant literature. This article conducts a survey of the literature to gain an understanding of the opportunities and issues presented by blockchain in various business functions. The article begins by providing a discussion regarding how the blockchain technology operates. The paper takes a broad focus in its analysis of the prospects of blockchain for various business functions, including banking and the capital markets, corporate governance, international trade, and taxation. The paper demonstrates how organisations and regulators can leverage blockchain to upscale business operations, enhance efficiency and reduce operational costs. The key drawbacks of blockchain that stakeholders need to bear in mind before adopting the technology are also highlighted. The article also reflects on how organisations can tap into blockchain to reap the full potential of the fourth industrial revolution.
Cybercrime continues to cause increasing threat to business processes, eroding stakeholders' trust in Internet technologies. In this article, we explore how six dominant algorithmic trust positions ...facilitate cognitive processing, which, in turn, can influence an organization's productivity and align its values and support structures for combating cybercrimes. This conceptual paper uses a cognitive perspective described as a throughput model. This modeling perspective captures several dominant algorithmic trust positions for organizations, providing a new, and powerful approach which seeks to enhance our understanding of the cognitive representation of decision-making processes. These trust positions are rational-based trust, rule-based trust, category-based trust, third-party based trust, role-based trust, and knowledge-based trust. Finally, we provide conclusion and implications for future research.
With the surge in economic growth in the global-north vis-a-vis social and economic inequalities in the global-south (north-south dichotomy), there is an increasing requirement for critical research ...and an examination of the policy implications with respect to human rights in emerging economies. This paper draws on the concept of convergence and institutional theories to enhance our understanding of how multinational corporations (MNCs) fulfil their profit maximisation agendas using capitalist principles; and the extent to which these ideologies produce human rights violations in emerging economies. Using multiple data sources from the Human Rights Watch, our study provides a comprehensive list of various human rights violations perpetrated by MNCs from 2002 to 2017. We verified 273 violations by 160 MNCs mostly from developed countries. More than 90% of our sample firms have CSR/sustainability committees, are signatories to the UN Global Compact and have reported compliance with the International Labour Organisation (ILO). This raises questions about the effectiveness of these programmes for CSR compliance. We contribute to the CSR/sustainability literature by providing new insights into the nature and location of human rights violations committed by MNCs.
•We report a comprehensive list of various human right violations committed by MNCs.•We uncovered 273 violations committed by 160 MNCs mostly from developed countries.•90% of our sample firms have social responsibility/sustainability committees.•These firms are also signatories to the UN Global Compact.•They have also reported compliance with International Labour Organisation (ILO).
The global market capitalisation of bitcoin has exponentially increased in recent years and there are concerns that the current prices of bitcoin do not reflect the true and fair underlying value of ...this particular type of digital asset. Applying Cue utilisation theory and signalling theory, and using a panel data on bitcoin prices from Bloomberg between 1st November 2019 and 31st May 2021, we examine the association between celebrity and government endorsements and volatility in bitcoin prices. We find that positive celebrity tweets and positive government sentiments towards bitcoin are significantly positively associated with positive changes in its prices. Our findings imply that although celebrity endorsements may cause a temporary ‘exponential rise’ in bitcoin prices, investors need to carefully diversify their portfolio to maximise their risk–return relationship.
Little research has been done on female board representation in emerging market multinational enterprises (EMNEs). Our paper considers the role of female board representation and its impact on open ...innovation (OI) in the unique context of emerging markets. We draw on upper echelons and institutional theories to understand how female board representation and cross-country institutional contexts influence coupled OI. Combining a 10-year (2009–2019) dataset with a rich in-depth content analysis of 183 (EMNEs) engaged in OI, our results reveal a significant positive association between female board representation and a firm's commitment to coupled OI initiatives. We also find that country-level institutional factors affect and positively moderate the relationship between female board representation and coupled OI. In emerging market environments where managerial perception and cultural beliefs sometimes hinder the promotion of females into top positions, our work has implications for EMNEs regarding how they harness diversity. We contribute to the OI literature by showing that female board representation enhances corporate OI investment within EMNEs.
•We examine the links between female board representation and open innovation (OI).•We found positive association between female board representation and firm's OI.•We use 2-step system GMM, quantile regressions to validate the results confirming impact of female board members on OI.•Firms to reconsider how to deal with female board representation in emerging market contexts.
Generating insights from a multimethod, multi-respondent qualitative study, we reveal the processes through which learning and development (L&D) signals the corporate brand and the heterogeneous ...responses of front-line employees (FLEs) in 4/5* hotels to these signalling efforts. Our insights reveal that L&D can play a key role in helping new employees reduce information asymmetry when it comes to the corporate brand and that employees do not respond to the signalling in a homogeneous way. Drawing on both signalling and construal level theories we conducted a sequential mixed method study across multiple respondents consisting of L&D professionals and FLEs in 30 4/5* hotels in Southeast Asia. We surfaced several important micro-foundations of the L&D signalling of corporate brand, including the use of multiple signal channels, different content elements, heterogeneous responses of FLEs to L&D signalling, and the importance of feedback. Our findings substantiate the key role that L&D plays as a signaller of corporate brand in 4/5*hotels and supports the view that FLEs will interpret these signals in different ways depending on their construal level. Our findings highlight important research implications and provide insights for managers and L&D professionals who wish to use L&D as part of corporate branding initiatives.
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