Managing risks is crucial for efficient and resilient maritime supply chain. For Nigeria’s seaports, the sources of supply chain risks and the best practices for managing them is yet to be sufficiently understood. This paper leveraged the experiences of 67 seaport operators, cargo owners, and shipping professionals in Nigeria to delineate the robust practices in managing supply chain risks. Data collection was via the structured questionnaire and analysed descriptively. Results identified nine main sources of seaport supply chain risks with congestion within port terminals ranked the highest. In addition, six practices were considered as robust for managing seaport supply chain risks: Developing risk feedback mechanism; frequent risk assessment; risk mitigation documentation; keeping records of disruption incidents; regular cargo status update; and better stakeholder relationship management. We recommend that increased level of investment in port digital technologies and regular capacity building in supply chain risk management could be provide the relevant intervention for resilient seaport operations in Nigeria.

PurposeThe aim of this research work is to consider the relevance of corporate social responsibility (CSR)-related social media communication in franchise networks, with a focus on the perceptions and expectations of franchisors and franchisees and franchisors and franchisees' customers.Design/methodology/approachThree studies were conducted as part of this research: two qualitative studies with franchisors and franchisees in the first instance (N = 39) and franchisors and franchisees' customers in the second instance (N = 13), as well as an online ethnographic study of customer reactions (N = 871) to different CSR communications from the networks already interviewed.FindingsThe results show that CSR communication remains very important in a context characterised by a growing interest in CSR commitment in companies in general and in franchise networks in particular. However, different conditions of effectiveness of this CSR communication have been identified. The different conditions can avoid CSR's detrimental effects and increase CSR's credibility.Practical implicationsIn franchise networks, the task of communicating about CSR is complex. This requires the integration of franchisees, which are very important to CSR's success. CSR communication also requires integrating customers by studying their expectations at this level. This study gives the basic keys to the success of CSR communication in franchise networks, from the point of view of franchisors, franchisees and the customers of franchisors and franchisees.Originality/valueThis study focusses on a topic that has received very little attention, particularly in franchise networks. The various studies conducted allow us to better understand the particularities of CSR communication, particularly in the context of tripartite franchisor–franchisee–customer relations.

Using newly collected data at the city level between 1910 and 1938, this article shows that, after World War I, France experienced an unprecedented expansion in bank branches mostly due to the creation of temporary branches in rural areas. The banking crisis in early 1930s paused this expansion. Nevertheless, the number of bank branches per capita remained four times higher than before the war. Also, the expansion of bank branches was not associated with an increase in the ratio of bank assets to national income. These findings re-evaluate the Great Reversal hypothesis in banking and reveal the disconnection between geographical expansion of banks and standard measures of financial development. Both trends can be reconciled if one considers that banks are multi-product firms – not just lenders – and that competition for new customers is not always associated with greater credit activity.

AbstractIn this paper, we apply a general equilibrium occupational choice model to the study of the impact of optimism on the earnings of entrepreneurs and workers. We extend the work of Lucas (1978 Bell Journal of Economics 9, 508–523) by assuming a fraction of individuals are optimistic about their ability as entrepreneurs. The model shows that optimism leads to a misallocation of talent and inputs, which raises input prices and lowers output. The model is calibrated to match salient features of the UK economy and the British Household Panel Survey. The calibration shows that optimism can account for more than half of the size of the entrepreneurial earnings puzzle in the UK.

This article focuses on the conflicts over market access rules on the two primary Italian stock exchanges, Milan and Genoa. These conflicts disrupted the quality of information produced by the two markets. Official brokers aimed to defend their monopoly on brokerage and capture rents by limiting market access. Banks wanted wider access so as to avoid paying these rents, create an opaque market and maximize the benefit from their informational advantage. At the turn of the twentieth century, the Milan Exchange implemented a transparent market organization while the Genoa Exchange remained opaque, creating a complementarity between them which fostered the development of the securities market overall. When in 1907 a violent crisis erupted in the dominant Genoa Exchange, legislation was adopted to harmonize the organization of the Italian exchanges.

Financial markets derive their political and societal legitimacy from their ability to produce fair and accurate prices. However, reviewing the literature on how stock exchanges price securities, we find an inherent tension between market organization and price disclosure, which is borne out by this special issue's historical case studies.

Doing business with ease depends on many factors. For Nigeria’s oil-rich Niger Delta region, the ease of starting and running a small-scale business depends on so many factors. This paper aims to leverage the experiences of 103 small business owners and managers to examine the socio-economic factors influencing the ease of doing business in the Niger Delta region. Data collection was via the structured questionnaire administered via Google Form. Data analysis involved simple percentages, mean and ranking. The findings reveal that lack of power supply, getting credit and resolving insolvency are the major hindrances to the ease of doing business in the region. The study recommends setting up effective policies and programmes in the areas of attracting investment to the energy sector. The government should enlighten the masses about National Collateral Registry and its importance to business owners. Keywords: Business, National Collateral Registry, Niger Delta region, World Bank indices;