Organizational Governance Research Articles

Informal governance and China’s influence in the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank

This article develops a theoretical framework on the conditions and mechanisms of informal governance in international organizations by a major power. It argues that the condition for informal governance is that the major power has favourable outside options, i.e. the alternatives that bring about considerable gains in the absence of cooperation, while other countries do not. When conditions are not in place, the major power is unable to exert informal influence. Based on the theoretical lens of the conditions and mechanisms of informal governance by major powers in international organizations, this article assesses China’s influence in the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). It finds that China’s influence in the AIIB does not remain static. In the early years after the establishment of the AIIB, China was not in a position to exercise informal governance and did not demonstrate influence beyond the confines of the AIIB’s formal rules. As the situation of outside options for European countries worsening and as China’s outside options improving, China became well placed to implement informal governance. Under such circumstances, China’s preferences are well reflected in the AIIB’s decision-making.

Assessing the Potential of Using Artificial Intellect for Governing the Organization (illustrated by the Transportation and Logistics Holding Company)

The article provides results of the experiment in the form of an interview with chat-bot based on artificial intellect (AI) ChatGPT dealt with governing the transportation and logistics holding company. The research showed that AI systems had reached such a level of development, which allows us to use them for solving problems of organizational and strategic governance of the company. The system can give adequate answers to questions connected with various aspects of management, formulate suggestions and identify promising trends for strategic development. Chat-bot that deals with preliminary preparation of the material can be used to resolve analytical problems in order to save time of profile specialists. However, use of such systems can cause risks of sensitive information leakage and making incorrect decisions on the basis of wrong data. In spite of high assessment of such system potential, transportation and logistics companies and other organizations should use relevant technology with care.

The Role of IT Governance in Shaping Organizations’ Technology Adoption Decision

The Role of IT Governance in Shaping Organizations’ Technology Adoption Decision

Education and assistance in hydroponic plant cultivation for strengthening the self-reliant economy

Assistance with a hydroponic cultivation theme towards strengthening the self-reliant economy of Sukoreno Village is a manifestation of awareness in contributing to the development of a more modern agricultural system and Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) within the community. The partners for this activity are 10 members of the Sukoreno Village Youth Organization ("karang taruna"). The implementation method consists of three stages: planning, implementation, and evaluation. During the planning stage, the situation and potential of the Sukoreno Village community are analyzed. In the implementation phase, seminars are conducted to provide information and invite the local youth organization and village government officials to practice farming using hydroponic systems, which are more space-saving, environmentally friendly, and practical to maintain. This aims to raise awareness among the community that farmers do not always have to rely on large plots of land. Evaluation involves regular checks on the hydroponic growing media in the village's greenhouse. Based on the monitoring and assistance activities conducted by our group members, the cultivated plants have thrived and become assets for the village's youth organization. Furthermore, some residents have shown interest in practicing hydroponics in their own homes. This activity can be further expanded on a larger scale within the Sukoreno Village area.

Causal Configurations of SME Strategic Renewal in Crisis: Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) of Quebec Entrepreneurs amid COVID-19

ABSTRACT In times of crisis, SME entrepreneurs refresh and replace corporate resources and capabilities in the strategic renewal processes to sustain organizational resilience. Appearing in the form of internal development and external sourcing, the strategic renewal outcomes are explained by the synergy of individual, organizational and environmental-level factors that build up SMEs’ dynamic capabilities. This research presents a qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) of the conjunctural causality between multi-level dynamic capabilities configurations and SME strategic renewal outcomes. Based on the survey data of SMEs in Laval, Quebec amid COVID-19 pandemic, we find that entrepreneurs’ constraint awareness and partnership willingness are not the necessary conditions of strategic renewal. Complementarily, the individual-level microfoundation of dynamic capabilities must be combined with the organizational and environmental context to explain the strategic renewal outcomes. Specifically, we identify complex organizational processes, global connectivity, and government partnership as supplementary core conditions to explain SME strategic renewal in crisis.

Changes in corporate information policy in crisis conditions

Subject. The article addresses implementation of principles of sustainable development at the level of corporate governance in the context of international sanctions. Objectives. The focus is on the analysis of approaches to countering threats to information security at the corporate level. Methods. The study employs methods of comparative analysis. Results. I formulated recommendations to maintain a balance between information transparency and the need to reduce sanctions pressure on Russian corporations. The paper established that the policy of maximum openness, following Western models in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals in 2022 changed significantly. The amount of information reflected in corporate reporting decreased. Conclusions. While remaining committed to the general principles of sustainable development, it is necessary to develop approaches to the organization of corporate governance that meet the interests of Russia.

Creating an Enabling Environment for a Comprehensive Sexuality Education Intervention in Indonesia: Findings From an Implementation Research Study

PurposeThis study examines key factors that facilitated and hindered creating an enabling environment for the implementation of SEmangaT duniA RemajA/Teen’s Aspirations (SETARA), a comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) intervention in schools across three sites in Indonesia. MethodsData were collected through interviews with teachers, program implementers, and government officials; a review of program documents and monitoring and evaluation data; and a qualitative evaluation with SETARA students. ResultsOne of the most important factors for creating an enabling environment for CSE relates to how well the program is introduced to government officials for approval. Findings showed that the relationship between the implementing organization and city government officials was important for obtaining approval, support, and formal agreements on collaboration. Framing the curriculum within local policies and priorities made it easier to communicate to schools, community, and parents. Buy-in from school principals was important for creating a supportive environment. Complexity of the materials, lack of time to prepare and implement sessions, and teacher-level factors such as pedagogical skills and misaligned values remain key challenges despite trainings. DiscussionThe study suggests that it is possible to implement and create political support for CSE in conservative contexts, especially with a good introduction of the program. Potential solutions for implementation and scaling barriers may lie in the digitalization of the intervention and of capacity strengthening and technical support for teacher. More research is needed to investigate which content and exercises can effectively be delivered digitally and which should best be delivered by teachers to maintain the effect of breaching the taboo around sexuality.

From promise to practice: a guide to developing pooled procurement mechanisms for medicines and vaccines

IntroductionBuyers of medicines and vaccines are increasingly interested in pooling their procurement to improve access to affordable and quality-assured health commodities. However, the academic literature has provided no detailed description of how pooled procurement mechanisms are set up and develop over time. These insights are valuable as it increases our understanding of implementing and operating pooled procurement mechanisms successfully. Therefore, the aim of this paper is twofold. First, to explore how such mechanisms evolve over time. Second, to clarify the work that is needed to set up and sustain a pooled procurement mechanism. These findings have been translated into our Pooled Procurement Guidance document.MethodsThis qualitative study draws upon theoretical insights from organizational life cycles, collaborative and network governance, semi-structured interviews with procurement experts and academic and grey literature documents on pooled procurement of medicines and vaccines.ResultsWe identified four general developmental stages of pooled procurement mechanisms: promise, creation, early operational and mature. The promise stage is characterized by initiating engagement between participating actors, while they try to convert their perceived problem(s) or opportunities into a shared vision. The creation stage is where the participating actors formalize and design the mechanism through consensus-building, articulation of a shared plan, and mobilize resources to put the shared plan into action. The early operational stage is where the shared plan is being executed. The newly established or appointed procurement organization is required to learn fast from experience while showing flexibility to the changing needs of buyers and suppliers. Once operations are routinized, the mechanism enters the mature stage. During this stage, the pooled procurement organization develops into a trusted player that provides sufficient incentives for all actors involved. Importantly, pooled procurement mechanisms can stagnate or turn inactive at any time during the developmental process when alignment between actors is threatened.ConclusionsPooled procurement mechanisms evolve over time. Setting up such mechanisms is a collaborative process that relies on intentional efforts by key actors involved. To increase the lifespan of pooled procurement mechanisms, key actors need to sustain a relative alignment of goals, needs, motivations and purpose of the mechanism throughout its entire life cycle.

How is it effective for farmers to adopt environmentally friendly cultivated land protection technology: a configurational perspective

The adoption of environmentally friendly farmland conservation techniques by farmers is an important way to effectively curb agricultural surface pollution and promote the conservation of farmland quality. Based on 425 farmers’ in-depth interview data, a fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis method was used to construct a psychological cognition (farmers’ awareness and willingness to participate)—external context (organizational linkages and government regulation)—behavioral effect model to reveal the conditional configuration and multivariate paths of psychological cognition and external contextual factors influencing farmers’ behavioral effects on the adoption of environmentally friendly farmland conservation technologies. The results show that individual behavioral decision factors do not influence the behavioral effects of farmers. The results show that individual behavioral decision factors are not necessary to drive the effective adoption of environmentally friendly farmland conservation technologies and that multiple decision factors interact to form three sets of configurations that enhance the behavioral effectiveness of farmers, summarized as the willingness-to-participate dominant model, the internal and external constraints dominant model, and the external context dominant model.

Critical success factors in the FinTech World: A stage model

The financial sector is transforming while increasingly becoming crowded with FinTech firms. When operating in this sector, FinTechs must understand what factors contribute to success and in what way and when. This paper proposes a Critical Success Factor (CSF) stage model for FinTechs. The paper draws upon existing literature on success factors and insights from 18 interviews in the Danish FinTech sector. We identified nine CSFs: Funding, Networks, Responsiveness, Organizational Governance, Entrepreneurial Culture, Team, Internal Communication, Ease of Compliance, and Customer-Centricity. The first five factors are stage-specific, while the remaining four factors are stage-independent. Practically, our stage model may guide FinTechs to determine which factors to nurture for success during start-up, scale-up, or mature stage of development.

Integrated security management model: a proposal applied to organisational resilience

The purpose of this article is to contribute scientifically to the thematic areas of organisational resilience and security risk management by providing a model of a flexible security management system that can be integrated with other management systems and be applied to the operational dimension of organisational resilience. To this end, the literature on security risk and operational resilience has been reviewed, as well as on security governance models based on enterprise security risk management and other international standards that allow integration with business processes. During the study, an incipient production of specific models that determine the maturity of different management systems was observed in the academic sphere, with a gap being detected in terms of security management system maturity models linked to organisational governance and enterprise risk management, which would facilitate their inclusion in the organisation's integrated management system in a practical way. It is concluded that the proposed model provides scientific support to practitioners, and, to a greater extent, to companies and other organisations irrespective of their size, sector of activity or location.

Health care reform and financial crisis in the Netherlands: consequences for the financial arena of health care organizations.

Over the past decade, many health care systems across the Global North have implemented elements of market mechanisms while also dealing with the consequences of the financial crisis. Although effects of these two developments have been researched separately, their combined impact on the governance of health care organizations has received less attention. The aim of this study is to understand how health care reforms and the financial crisis together shaped new roles and interactions within health care. The Netherlands - where dynamics between health care organizations and their financial stakeholders (i.e., banks and health insurers) were particularly impacted - provides an illustrative case. Through semi-structured interviews, additional document analysis and insights from institutional change theory, we show how banks intensified relationship management, increased demands on loan applications and shifted financial risks onto health care organizations, while health insurers tightened up their monitoring and accountability practices towards health care organizations. In return, health care organizations were urged to rearrange their operations and become more risk-minded. They became increasingly dependent on banks and health insurers for their existence. Moreover, with this study, we show how institutional arenas come about through both the long-term efforts of institutional agents and unpredictable implications of economic and societal crises.

Global governance of human brain organoid research and applications: A role for the World Health Organization?

Human brain organoid research and applications have generated considerable ethical discussions, yet as with other technologies, anticipating potential transnational issues associated with research and cross-border commercialization of organoids would allow a proactive approach as the field advances rapidly. This policy piece explores the potential role of the World Health Organization in the global governance of human brain organoid research applications by examining its legal authority and recent scientific activities in grounding foresight to harness the power of science to better global health.

Efficient administrative management strategy for activities in international higher education institutions

This research article examines the significance of efficient administrative management in international higher education institutions and addresses the specific challenges faced in managing activities effectively. The objective of this study is to propose an administrative management strategy tailored to the context of Vietnam's international higher education institutions. Drawing upon existing literature, theoretical frameworks related to organizational management, leadership, governance, and strategic planning are explored to inform the development of the strategy. The unique characteristics and challenges of the Vietnamese higher education system, particularly in relation to internationalization efforts, are described, highlighting the importance of aligning administrative management strategies with local context while incorporating international best practices. Essential components of an efficient administrative management strategy, including organizational structure, decision-making processes, resource allocation, staff development and training, technology integration, and quality assurance, are identified and discussed in detail. Successful case studies and best practices from international higher education institutions are analyzed, providing valuable lessons and insights that are relevant and applicable to the Vietnamese context. Specific recommendations and guidelines are provided for Vietnamese higher education institutions seeking to enhance their administrative management practices, considering cultural, institutional, and regulatory factors.

How To Optimize My Blockchain? A Multi-Level Recommendation Approach

Aside from the conception of new blockchain architectures, existing blockchain optimizations in the literature primarily focus on system or data-oriented optimizations within prevailing blockchains. However, since blockchains handle multiple aspects ranging from organizational governance to smart contract design, a holistic approach that encompasses all the different layers of a given blockchain system is required to ensure that all optimization opportunities are taken into consideration. In this vein, we define a multi-level optimization recommendation approach that identifies optimization opportunities within a blockchain at the system, data, and user level. Multiple metrics and attributes are derived from a blockchain log and nine optimization recommendations are formalized. We implement an automated optimization recommendation tool, BlockOptR, based on these concepts. The system is extensively evaluated with a wide range of workloads covering multiple real-world scenarios. After implementing the recommended optimizations, we observe an average of 20% improvement in the success rate of transactions and an average of 40% improvement in latency.

Embracing whistleblowing for enhanced firm self-regulation

Whistleblowing is extraordinarily controversial because its occurrence is often reflective of fundamental failures in organizational governance, making leadership look bad. I argue that this perspective is shortsighted; rather, whistleblowing is a critical self-regulatory mechanism that, when properly actualized, protects asset value. I build on new research exploring a whistleblower orientation and integrate it with existing research on internal whistleblowing programs and whistleblowing cultures. Against this background, I present a novel, three-tier integrated program focused on promoting, supporting, and protecting a specific group of value-driven, highly moral—herein termed offended—whistleblowers to enhance firm self-regulation against fraud, sexual harassment, toxic cultures, and other malfeasances that occur both within firms and by their own actions. Whereas previous research has focused on organizational responses to whistleblowing, central to this program is identifying, nurturing, and supporting an idiosyncratic whistleblower orientation within key employees for a firm’s own protection. The implication is that owners and managers can harness the power of whistleblowing, thereby protecting their firms, with less risk of individuals taking their grievances outside, where they could instead harm firms.

Governance in regional sports organisations: An analysis of the Catalan sports federations

In recent decades there has been an increasing concern among stakeholders surrounding sport organisations regarding the implementation of governance principles and processes. It is believed that these can help them to overcome sustainability problems and to promote organisational success. This research aims to analyse the governance of Catalan sports federations (CSFs), an area that has not been analysed to date. The study, based on previous approaches in the sport management literature, proposes a model to measure three dimensions considered key to good governance in sport organisations: democracy and participation, ethics and integrity, and accountability and transparency, which are measured by quantitative performance indicators. 38 CSFs were assessed, and the results showed considerable room for improvement with respect to metrics in divergent areas of organisational governance. Six clusters were determined using the Hierarchical Ascending Classification, and statistical correlations were also found between the dimensions analysed and the size of the organisations. In addition to the interest for stakeholders in the context of Catalonia, the authors believe that this research supports recent calls for good governance in sport and can serve as a foothold for scholars to investigate other contexts.

Local intermediaries in energy transitions: bridging the gap from niche level to changing the regime

The energy transition represents a complex and longterm process taking place at different governance levels and representing a set of policies and structural changes. The local level, especially cities and regions, can be considered as a central level for the implementation of energy transitions. These transitions are only in part technical ones, but essentially embedded in, based on, and consisting of changes in social practices and in the organization of societal problem-solving transforming infrastructure governance. This paper demonstrates one central form of organizational change in local energy transition strategies: The creation of local intermediaries, defined by their function and position in between other actors. Based on a case study in Frankfurt/Main, Germany, and referring to the multi-level perspective on socio-technical transitions and the concept of social innovation, it analyses how systemic intermediaries can e.g. bridge the gap from niche to changing the regime.

Measuring industry managerial discretion: a comparative study in the UK

PurposeThe theory of managerial discretion and the direct insights it provides in the understanding of the varying impact strategic and operational actions have on organizational change and business fortunes is an area of research potential underexplored in the UK. This study aims to establish whether the measurement of managerial discretion is constant between the two similar societal corporate frameworks of the UK and the USA listed markets.Design/methodology/approachThe extant managerial discretion ranking model, established in the USA, is empirically assessed for its validity and effectiveness across a sample of high- and low-discretion companies from the FTSE 350.FindingsUsing accounting measures, a clear and significant difference is established between UK high and low managerial discretion entities. The results prove to be significant in enabling the differential comparative analysis of the institutional characteristics of corporates.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, no study of this nature has been conducted previously in the UK context. While the original model developed in the USA is now several decades old, the UK results reflect similar industry rankings as found originally in the USA, subject to some differences considered to be a result of the changing nature of global business since the 1990s. This study opens a new seam of novel research, which has the potential to uncover, at a granular level, the differential mores and character of management ethics, styles and practices in such issues as organizational change, corporate culture, governance and social responsibility.

Effects of ecological innovation, governance structure, and social development on the adoption of sustainable reporting in the global tourism industry

This study analyzes the effects of institutional factors on adopting sustainability reporting in the worldwide tourism industry. Initially, it compiled the data on the organizational environment, including environment, social and governance performance, and sector-level macroeconomic control variables such as economic growth, exports, and tourism receipts from 2001 to 2019. For empirical estimations, it applies multiple panel estimators; pooled ordinary least square (OLS), fixed effect, and random effects model, while dynamic Generalized Method of Moments is applied to address endogeneity issues in panel data. The results report that environmental, social, and governance indicators are essential for sustainable tourism. Mainly, ecological and social circumstances are more prominent than others. Further, ecological innovation is considered essential for sustainability in this sector. This research suggests an innovative theoretical approach that exposes the importance of sustainability reporting in the tourism industry. It also provides the guideline to the regulators that they should expand their focus on the regulations of sustainability reporting on the tourism industry.