Related Transactions Research Articles

Making a difference? Attracting new generations into local government

ABSTRACT The nature of local government work has radically changed over the past fifty years. Local government officers could once be characterised as processing transactional work (e.g. rent collection). However, the changing nature of public services and increasing expectations of citizens have required more transformational and relational work, alongside new roles and skills. This context may now be shifting again. Fiscal pressures may prompt a return to narrow definitions of statutory responsibilities and transactional relationships. We focus here on the implications of these changes for newer generations of public servants, particularly so-called Millennials. Younger workers express a desire to ‘make a difference’ and don’t necessarily see local government as the sector in which to do this. To recruit and retain the best public servants, local government needs to provide a vision of hope for the future and to articulate how it can be the sector where people can make a difference.

Barter, Prostitution, Abuse? Reframing Experiences of Sexual Exchange during the Holocaust

ABSTRACT Early postwar narratives by Holocaust survivors contained many descriptions of sexual exchange, sexual coercion, and sexual violence. However, Holocaust scholars have hardly investigated these experiences until the mid-1990s. And although their inquiry has grown considerably since, the ways in which researchers deal with experiences of sexual exchange remain problematic. Well into the 1970s, sexual barter between women and men was generally thought of as either sexual promiscuity or as prostitution. To counter this, feminist scholars since the late 1980s have stressed the structural power imbalance present in such sexual exchanges. Yet while the assessment has shifted significantly, the issue remains complicated due to the often unclear and hierarchical nature of such transactional relationships, obscuring the line between sexual consent and coercion. This article discusses two challenges central for scholarship on sexual barter: how to conceive of consent and choice when survival is at stake, and how to reconcile divergent interpretations if the researcher’s assessment differs from that of the survivor. It does so by examining sex and sexual exchange in the works of two female survivors – Olga Lengyel’s Five Chimneys: The Story of Auschwitz and Molly Applebaum’s Buried Words. A consideration of sexual exchange in these two works and their respective reception, alongside scholarly work on sexual barter, allows for an analysis of the changes in the understanding of this subject and highlights the challenges that it continues to present.

Information flow in the FTX bankruptcy: A network approach

This paper investigates the cryptocurrency network of the FTX exchange during the collapse of its native token, FTT, to understand how network structures adapt to significant financial disruptions, by exploiting vertex centrality measures. Using proprietary data on the transactional relationships between various cryptocurrencies, we construct the filtered correlation matrix to identify the most significant relations in the FTX and Binance markets. By using suitable centrality measures - closeness and information centrality - we assess network stability during FTX’s bankruptcy. The findings document the appropriateness of such vertex centralities in understanding the resilience and vulnerabilities of financial networks. By tracking the changes in centrality values before and during the FTX crisis, this study provides useful insights into the structural dynamics of the cryptocurrency market. Results reveal how different cryptocurrencies experienced shifts in their network roles due to the crisis. Moreover, our findings highlight the interconnectedness of cryptocurrency markets and how the failure of a single entity can lead to widespread repercussions that destabilize other nodes of the network.

Critical elements of successful partnership in public health-A case study.

Intersectoral action is integral in promoting population health and health equity. In South Australia, public health partnership authorities (PHPAs) are one mechanism to promote intersectoral collaboration for addressing complex public health issues. This case study examined contemporary evidence on the critical elements of successful partnerships, explored the role of formalisation in success, and examined how identified critical elements were operationalised over time in an existing PHPA. In the first phase, a scoping review was conducted. The second phase was a retrospective longitudinal case study of a government-academic PHPA agreement, involving partnership document review and key informant interviews. Data triangulation and iterative thematic analysis were performed. The critical elements of successful partnership, triangulated through multiple data sources, are mutuality, governance, communication, resources, leadership, and interactions and relationships. These elements have a high degree of interdependence. Trust supports and is reinforced by these elements, particularly during times of change or crisis. Formalisation of a partnership supports success in many ways but is insufficient on its own. Operating in dynamic environments, a partnership requires dedicated time and effort to be successful. Attention to the strength and interconnectedness of the critical elements over the course of a partnership is crucial. SO WHAT?: This case study describes how the elements of successful partnership can be applied to progress beyond transactional relationships towards authentic collaboration and overcome cross-border and cross-boundary public health challenges to promote population health and well-being.

The cross-lagged relationship between adolescent school bullying and loneliness——The predictive role of childhood emotional maltreatment

School bullying and loneliness have become common problems in adolescent interpersonal relationships. The increase of school bullying in recent years is closely related to adolescents’ loneliness, and loneliness may also affect the implementation of school bullying. Meanwhile, childhood emotional maltreatment plays an important role in interpersonal relationship problems triggered by adolescence, which has attracted a lot of attention from researchers. The purpose of this study was to explore the mutual and transactional relationship between loneliness and school bullying under childhood emotional maltreatment. A total of 1214 Chinese high school students (Mage = 15.46, SD = 0.71) completed the measures of childhood emotional maltreatment, loneliness, and school bullying. They provided data in three waves (T1, T2, and T3, 6 months apart). The results reality that loneliness under childhood emotional abuse and school bullying are correlated and that childhood emotional abuse significantly predicts loneliness and school bullying in adolescence. Specifically, loneliness positively predicted school bullying, but the predictive effect of school bullying on loneliness was influenced by gender. Moreover, childhood emotional maltreatment can lead to the perpetration of school bullying by triggering loneliness in adolescents. The results of the study, although unexpected, also reveal social problems and provide new ideas for studying adolescent interpersonal problems.

Robbing the cradle: Factors promoting lecturer-on-student transactional sex relationships at a South African university

While universities have been lauded as sanctuaries of peace where students and staff pursue educational goals, there has been a marked increase in the victimisation of students by staff members who have been known to hound students for sexual favours. This increase in unethical conduct continues regardless of "sound" policies regulating university student and staff relationships. Against this background, this study sought to explore the factors shaping the pervasive practice of transactional sex between staff and students at a university in rural South Africa. Underpinned by the sexual exchange theory, the study utilised an exploratory sequential mixed-methods design. The findings categorised into four key themes—academic reasons, impunity and power dynamics, financial constraints, and peer pressure and influence—highlight the entrenched nature of this practice within the university setting. The study recommended implementing and enforcing strict policies with clear consequences for perpetrators and establishing confidential reporting systems and dedicated support units for victims.

Balancing risk and reward: exploring women’s transactional sexual relationships with Blessers in South Africa

Transactional sexual relationships (TSRs) take varied forms, with research emphasizing TSRs’ inherent risks, primarily to women. In South Africa, Blessed relationships have emerged as a prominent type of TSR. Blessers have become coveted male partners due to their relative wealth and willingness to ‘bless’ female partners with financial and material gifts, as well as the improved social status that accompanies such partnerships. Given the limited literature on Blesser partnerships, we investigated women’s implicit and explicit negotiated rewards and their perceived risk and ability to employ risk mitigation strategies, utilizing risk as a sociological concept to enhance understanding of risks women assume, and subsequent gendered implications. This qualitative study was conducted in 2017-2018 in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) province, South Africa, a high HIV prevalence setting, with 22 women, using purposive and snowball sampling methods. We found that women in relationships with a Blesser recognize and navigate a number of risks, including: the threat of HIV acquisition, falling pregnant, experiencing an emotional void following a TSR, and expressed feelings of guilt and shame, as segments of South African society remain judgmental of TSRs. These risks are then weighed against the pursuit of sustained financial and social rewards achieved through such relationships.

Developmental Trajectories of Transactional Sex and Age-Disparate Relationships During Adolescence: An HPTN 068 Analysis.

Transactional sex and sexual relationships with older partners increase HIV risk in adolescent girls and young women (AGYW), yet little is known about how these behaviors co-evolve over time. We characterize temporal patterns of transactional sex and age-disparate relationships among AGYW in South Africa. Longitudinal data are from a randomized controlled trial (HPTN 068) of school-aged, HIV-negative, AGYW who attended ≥ 3 study visits. We used group-based trajectory modeling to identify trajectories of transactional sex and age-disparate relationships (partner ≥ 5 years older) in the last year and assessed the interrelationship (conditional probability) between both trajectories. At baseline, median age was 14 years, 14.5% of girls were sexually active, and transactional sex (2.1%) and age-disparate relationships were uncommon (2.7%). We identified two trajectories for transactional sex ("low" [81.9%] and "increasing" [18.1%]) and two for age-disparate relationships ("low" [91.7%] and "increasing" [8.3%]). In a separate joint trajectory analysis, nearly a third (28%) had increasing trajectories for both transactional sex and age-disparate relationships, but most (53%) had a low trajectory of both outcomes. Baseline reporting of early sexual debut, depression, and inequitable gender norms were highest in the increasing transactional sex group. Prior pregnancy, early sexual debut, and IPV were highest among those with increasing age-disparate relationships. AGYW who engage in transactional sex or age-disparate partnerships in early adolescence are more likely to experience sustained engagement in both behaviors as they transition to adulthood, increasing HIV risk. Engaging girls early may maximize effectiveness of behavioral and biomedical HIV prevention efforts.

From the Sidelines to the Frontlines: Black Student-Athlete Organizations as Counterspaces at Predominantly White Institutions

Abstract: Significant moments of Black college athlete activism and mobilization marked 2020. One noticeable way Black college athletes mobilized was by creating Black student-athlete organizations (BSAOs). Given college athletics’ long-standing relationship to racism and racial capitalism, it is important to understand how BSAOs function within the athletic subculture and how they may facilitate belonging and community for Black college athletes. Thus, this study explored the purpose and function of BSAOs and the impact of engagement in these organizations on Black college athletes’ experiences at PWIs. Grounded in Case and Hunter’s (2012) conceptualization of counterspaces, the findings reveal insights related to acts of resistance, narrative identity work, and direct relational transactions. The paper concludes with implications for student leaders, practitioners, and future research.

The Accounting Treatment of Cryptocurrencies: The Perspective of Current Accounting Standards

Cryptocurrencies are digital currencies void of any support from regulatory body that is currently in vogue as a medium of exchange and an investment security. This paper examines the accounting treatment for cryptocurrency from the perspective of IFRS and AAOIFI accounting standards and propose actions to standard setters on the best way to treat the Crypto transactions in accounting reports. A proper accounting treatment will allow for a fair reporting of crypto related transactions and facilitate users of financial statements to make objective assessment of this new invention. A content analysis was conducted to review all major accounting standards issued by accounting standards setting bodies for possible accounting treatment for cryptocurrencies. To better understand the issue in practice, an analysis of accounting treatment of cryptocurrencies by 2 companies also was conducted. This study found that there is no suitable accounting standard that could objectively be applied for cryptocurrencies. For example, from the perspective of the current accounting standards, cryptocurrencies match the definition of inventory if it is used as a commodity for broker-trader and intangible asset for others respectively. It is suggested that there an urgent need for the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) to comprehensively develop accounting standard for cryptocurrency, specifically to develop a specific category for this type of assets to allow a standard treatment for cryptocurrency and fill the gap in the IFRS.

Transactional sex and risky sexual practices in Jamaica.

Transactional sex relationships (TSRs) create financial and emotional support for men and women, as well as an increased sexual risk. Studies have reported high HIV and STI transmission rates among young women in transactional sex relationships. However, little is known about TSR prevalence in Jamaica and risky sexual practices among participants. This study investigates the sexual behaviour of Jamaicans in TSR. Secondary data analysis of a national survey revealed that 586 participants (38%) self-reported being in at least one TSR in the last 12 months. We also identified a third category called "Benefluids", who play both roles of benefactor and beneficiary in transactional sex relationships. 59 percent of male Benefluids had two to five transactional sex relationship partners in the last 12 months, compared to 40% of female Benefluids. Twenty-eight percent of female Benefluids reported sexually transmitted infection symptoms in the last 12 months compared to 13.5% of male Benefluids. While females reported more sexually transmitted infection symptoms, young men had the highest sexual risk precursors. People in transactional sex relationships often play the role of beneficiaries and benefactors to meet material and sexual needs but this increases the risk of STI symptoms.

Supply-chain finance digitalization and corporate financial fraud: Evidence from China

Recently, supply chain finance (SCF) digitalization, which integrates emerging digital technologies with traditional SCF, has been attracting worldwide attention. While previous studies have highlighted the adoption of SCF digitalization, little is known about how it shapes corporate behaviors. Using a sample of Chinese A-listed firms from 2008 to 2021, this study investigates the relationship between SCF digitalization and corporate financial fraud. Based on the results of the propensity score matching and difference-in-differences approach and mechanism analysis, SCF digitalization is found to inhibit corporate financial fraud by reducing a firm's relational transactions with its suppliers and customers. Additionally, cross-sectional analysis reveals that the governance effect is more pronounced for small- and medium-sized enterprises and for companies with higher information asymmetry, more financial linkages, and lower financial flexibility. Overall, our findings facilitate the understanding of how the digital economy influences corporate behaviors.

Impacts of blockchain technology in agrifood: exploring the interplay between transactions and firms’ strategic resources

PurposeDespite the growing interest in blockchain technology (BCT) applications in the agri-food industry, evidence of their economic and strategic implications remains scarce. This study aims to contribute to filling this gap by jointly investigating how BCT adoption affects transactional relationships, and how it contributes to the firm’s strategic resources.Design/methodology/approachAn explanatory case study is conducted based on a theoretical framework grounded on transaction cost economics and the resource-based-dynamic capabilities view. Six BCT implementations by agri-food firms are studied. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analysed using thematic analysis.FindingsFindings reveal that BCT benefits depend on how companies integrate technology across their supply chains. In fact, the results suggest that overall transaction efficiency within the supply chain is enhanced only for those firms prioritising stakeholder engagement during technology implementation and leveraging existing trust relationships with economic agents. Moreover, the results suggest that BCT is not yet perceived as a strategic resource, but rather that it has the potential to enhance firms’ operational-adaptive, absorptive and innovative capabilities. When all supply chain actors clearly understand blockchain’s functionality and value, the development of these capabilities becomes more pronounced.Practical implicationsThe study identifies two BCT adoption configurations. One primarily focuses on enhancing supply chain efficiency and transparency (dynamic BCT), while the other uses BCT mainly for marketing purposes (static BCT). These configurations lead to varied possibilities for leveraging BCT’s potential advantages. Furthermore, they show how a mismatch between a strategic approach and its chosen configuration could work against any positive impact and lead to disillusionment with the BCT. Thus, managers should assess carefully the impact of such different configuration choices on performance.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to attempt to analyse the economic implications of adopting BCT in the food sector from both a firm and supply chain perspective. Additionally, it shows how interpreting these impacts is contingent on the diverse modalities for embedding BCT into existing supply chains.

Rules on the Certainty of Future Accounts Receivable

Before the enactment of the Civil Code of the People’s Republic of China, the legislative recognition of future receivable factoring in China underwent a transformation from non-recognition to limited recognition only for receivable with underlying transaction relationship. Although the Civil Code acknowledges that future receivable is eligible for factoring, it does not explicitly restrict its transferability. Many foreign countries and international conventions recognize the eligibility of future receivables as factoring assets but require determinacy and certainty. The need for determinacy arises because future receivables are considered future claims therefore must meet the requirement of specific identification. In addition, to ensure the possibility of reasonable expectations for factoring parties, future receivables should be clearly identifiable. Given the fact that future receivables have yet to materialize, the concept of relative determinacy is employed to describe the degree of certainty, and the verification of the contractually agreed amount and the period when future receivables arise is adopted as the method for determination. In order to mitigate the risk of fictitious receivables arising from the lack of determinacy, the understanding of Article 763 of the Civil Code should be interpreted as "know or should have known". Factoring parties bear a reasonable duty to conduct appropriate due diligence for certainty examination and the minimum standard approach is recommended.

A Relational Graph Convolution Network-Based Smart Risk Recognition Model for Financial Transactions

The financial transaction relationships between existing entities are complex and diverse. In this situation, traditional risk control methods mainly ignored such complex and implicit relationship characteristics, remaining difficult to cope with complex and ever-changing financial risks. To address this issue, this paper proposes a novel relational graph convolution network (GCN)-based smart risk recognition model for financial transactions. Firstly, the classic GCN is simplified based on spatiotemporal effect. Then, feature extraction is conducted for financial transaction data, and a transformer encoder-based GCN model is proposed for risk recognition. The proposed model in this work is named as graph transformer graph convolutional network (GT-GCN) for short. In addition, fuzzy evaluation method is added into it. Finally, some experiments are conducted on real-world financial transaction data to make validation for the proposed GT-GCN. The research results indicate that the GT-GCN can not only effectively identify risks in financial transactions, but also has high accuracy and predictive ability. The application of GT-GCN to actual datasets also has good scalability and adaptability, and it can be resiliently extended into many other fields.

Developmental cascades from early childhood attachment security to adolescent level of personality functioning among high-risk youth.

This study examines associations between early childhood attachment security and adolescent personality functioning in a high-risk sample within a developmental psychopathology framework. Data from 2,268 children (1165 male; 1103 female) and caregivers participating in Future of Families and Child Well-Being Study (FFCWS) were used to examine (1) effects of genetic polymorphisms of the serotonin transporter (5-HTTLPR) and dopamine D4 receptor (DRD4) genes and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) on attachment security and emotional and behavioral dysregulation in early childhood and (2) longitudinal associations and transactional relationships among attachment security, dysregulation, negative parenting attitudes and behaviors, social competence, and adolescent personality functioning. Results revealed that ACEs predicted attachment security over and above sex or the genetic risk, and gene × environment interactions did not increment prediction. Results of cascade models showed that greater early childhood attachment security predicted higher adolescent level of personality functioning via pathways through intermediary variables. Limitations and future research directions are discussed.

#Blessed

This article explores the creative use of allusion as a literary device in the description of transactional sex relationships in the following selected literary texts; The Blessed Girl by Angela Makholwa (2018), Bare: #The Blesser Game by Jackie Phamotse (2017) and The Y in yOUR Man is Silent: Book 1 by Yvonne Maphosa (2019). The discovery of the dearth of literature on the portrayal of transactional sex relationships in fiction catalysed this article. Thus this article sought to explore the diverse creative ways in which allusion is employed to describe the relatively new phenomenon of transactional sex relationships. In this article, a qualitative desktop literary analysis was the methodology of choice. The article employed the critical lens of Lipstick Feminism which advances the use of make-up and sexual appeal as an empowerment tool for women without regarding how it sustains the commodification of transactional sex relationships. The significant finding of the study was that the creative use of allusion was crucial as they exemplify the blessee's lifestyle. The brand names are significant in shaping the blessee's archetype and image. In conclusion, allusion was effectively used in the selected works of fiction to describe the new phenomenon of transactional sex relationships.

From our ivory towers: Enacting our collective daily resistance through ungrading in a feminist co-mentoring group

Grading has been central to schooling of all levels. Aligned with many critical educators, we argue that conventional grading systems in higher education contexts perpetuate a transactional relationship between student and professor and student and university. In this collaborative self-study, we, three pre-­tenured teacher educators at the same midsize, midwestern university, formed a feminist co-mentoring group and explored ungrading in our own teacher preparation classrooms. Through narrative inquiry, our data uncovered themes of (1) traditional grading practices limit; (2) renewed resolve in ungrading despite obstacles; (3) ungrading as an act of resistance.

Outlier Detection in Auditing: Integrating Unsupervised Learning within a Multilevel Framework for General Ledger Analysis

ABSTRACT Auditors traditionally use sampling techniques to examine general ledger (GL) data, which suffer from sampling risks. Hence, recent research proposes full-population testing techniques, such as suspicion scoring, which rely on auditors’ judgment to recognize possible risk factors and develop corresponding risk filters to identify abnormal transactions. Thus, when auditors miss potential problems, the related transactions are not likely to be identified. This paper uses unsupervised outlier detection methods, which require no prior knowledge about outliers in a dataset, to identify outliers in GL data and tests whether auditors can gain new insights from those identified outliers. A framework called the Multilevel Outlier Detection Framework (MODF) is proposed to identify outliers at the transaction level, account level, and combination-by-variable level. Experiments with one real and one synthetic GL dataset demonstrate that the MODF can help auditors to gain new insights about GL data. Data Availability: The real dataset used in the experiment is not publicly available due to privacy policies. JEL Classifications: M410, M42.

Academic Service Partnerships: A 21st Century Business Strategy to Integrate Physician Assistant Learners Into a Value-Based Health Care Delivery Model.

Although there has been a surge in physician assistant (PA) programs in the United States, PA programs have concurrently experienced challenges with partnering with a sufficient pool of clinical training sites. During the long-lived fee-for-service era, many programs have relied on transactional relationships with individual clinicians, hospitals, community health centers, private practices, and other entities to provide the required clinical experiences for PA learners. These arrangements often involved bargaining a supervised clinical experience in exchange for continuing medical education credit or other incentives included in a clinician's benefits package. However, with the recent transformation of the US health care delivery system into a value-based care model, academic service partnerships have emerged as valuable solutions. Academic service partnerships uniquely integrate health professions learners into health systems by providing more sustainable, results-driven clinical experiences that benefit the program, the clinical training site, and the patients.