No / Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of visible body piercings (VBP) in explaining the extent of self‐reported workplace sexual orientation discrimination. Design/methodology/approach – Using the 2002 wave of the UK Gay Mens’ Sex Survey, OLS and logit equations are estimated to analyse the extent of self‐reported denial of job opportunities. Findings – The possession of visible body piercings is shown to increase the level of discriminatory activity. There is evidence that tongue piercings are the major contributory type of body decoration. The overall effect is seemingly ameliorated for those gay men who engage in more extensive concealment effort with regard to their sexual orientation. Research limitations/implications – The sample is to some extent self‐selecting, which may affect the results. Further studies using alternative methodologies would be required to explore this issue. Practical implications – This paper sheds light on the importance, or otherwise, of presumed visual clues such as body piercing in triggering discriminatory behaviour towards gay men. Originality/value – This is the first study to examine the self‐reported experience of post‐entry discrimination by gay men using a major national survey comprising over 15,000 observations.

Yes / This paper examines the effect of textual risk disclosure on the amount of firm-specific information incorporated into share prices, as measured by stock price synchronicity, for Chinese listed firms during 2007-2011. We find that synchronicity is inversely associated with risk disclosure, suggesting that risk disclosure is firm specific and useful to investors. In addition, our results document that the usefulness of risk information is statistically and economically more pronounced among internationally oriented firms than their domestically oriented peers, consistent with the necessity for risk disclosure to be more meaningful when it relates to greater uncertainty. Finally, we find that internationally oriented firms tend to disclose more risk factors than their domestically oriented counterparts. Our findings are robust to a variety of specifications and the use of alternative measures of risk disclosure, stock price synchronicity and international orientation. Our paper has practical implications since its findings shed light on the current debate on whether or not narrative sections of annual reports convey useful information to investors.

Yes / This research examines the extent to which immigrant consumers' use of social networking sites affect their socialization and political engagement in the Netherlands. The study uses self-administered questionnaires to collect data from 514 Turkish-Dutch respondents of various ages, occupations, levels of education and locations in the Netherlands. The study finds that the propensity to share information, the intensity of use, and privacy concerns positively impact socialization on online social networking sites. In addition, a significant positive relationship between socialization and political involvement positively impacts voting intentions. The study also examines the interaction effects of enculturation and acculturation orientations on the relationship between socialization and political involvement. The study's findings point to a positive moderating role of acculturation in this relationship but a negative one for enculturation. The study is the first to investigate simultaneously the drivers of socialization on social networking sites in the context of immigrant consumers and the impact of their socialization on political involvement and voting intention. The research further contributes to the scholarly work by exploring the interaction effects of acculturation and enculturation orientation. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Yes / Despite the growing research on the influence of stakeholder integration on organizational outcomes, our understanding of the specific firm-level conditions that may mediate the relationship between stakeholder integration and financial performance is lacking. Using primary data gathered from 233 small and medium-sized enterprises in Ghana, we found empirical support for our contention that the link between stakeholder integration and financial performance is mediated by a firm’s environmental sustainability orientation. In addition, our study demonstrated that competitive intensity moderates the indirect relationship between stakeholder integration and financial performance in such a way that the indirect effect through environmental sustainability orientation is stronger for higher levels of industry competition. We discuss theoretical and managerial implications of these findings.

Yes / Prior studies show the impact of various facets of individual characteristics in driving a firm’s entrepreneurial orientation (EO). The present study complements this line of research by deriving insights from the conservation of resources (COR) theory to examine the effects of resource-induced coping heuristics (acquiring, protecting, and developing resources) on EO. Additionally, it investigates the underlying conditions influencing these relationships. Data were collected from new ventures in two developing countries (Ghana, N=204, and Ethiopia, N=214). Utilizing the moderated hierarchical regression analysis, the results show that the three dimensions of resource-induced coping heuristics positively relate to EO and these relationships are amplified when environmental dynamism is high. These findings provide a nuanced understanding of the relationships among the different types of resource-induced coping heuristics and EO. In this way, the study extends the boundaries of the resource-induced coping heuristics, EO, and broader entrepreneurship literature.

Three groups of Southern Baptist foreign missionary parents, career, former, and new missionaries, numbering 492, reported their perceptions of the cognitive, social, emotional, and spiritual needs of young missionary children by rating sixteen goals for a pre-departure orientation on the variables of importance, responsibility and attainability. Mean scores of each of the variables were used to compute a criticality quotient, based on the Westinghouse Needs Assessment Model, to be used in determining the priority of each goal. Data analysis included total response, group response, and response by geographic location of the respondents. Implications were then drawn for the development of an orientation program for missionary children. No one category of need (cognitive, social, emotional, or spiritual) emerged as the most consuming for young missionary children. Rather, the goals related to the categories were well dispersed throughout the priority ranking. / Ed. D.

No / The orientation-sensitive performance of the Schlumberger array, when used to survey narrow, linear features, has long been recognized in geophysical prospecting for geology. However, in spite of frequent use of the array for archaeological survey, particularly in eastern Europe and the Far East, this directional effect is not apparent in the survey of walls and ditches. In order to examine the array's performance some experiments were carried out in a shallow electrolytic tank using insulating and conducting cylinders. Broadside and longitudinal traverses with systematic expansion of the current electrode spacing facilitated the production of pseudosections. The results confirmed the high selectivity of the Schlumberger response to the orientation of the feature. Broadside traverse of the conductor and longitudinal traverse of the insulator produced very large changes: much smaller signals were recorded for the alternative orientations. A subsequent experiment, however, on a simulated ditch in bedrock revealed no signal. The directional effect for a linear insulator was confirmed in field studies of a simple stone-walled structure. Implications for survey of low-contrast linear archaeological features are discussed.

This thesis investigates the innovative and entrepreneurial strategies of professional development training companies in Sweden, focusing on how they maintain competitive advantage. Through a qualitative study of 11 Swedish training companies, we explore the application of innovations across the dimensions of Product, Process, Position, and Paradigm. Our research reveals a variety of innovation strategies driven by the founders' entrepreneurial orientation (proactiveness, risk-taking, and innovativeness), which significantly impacts their companies' adaptability and competitiveness in a rapidly evolving market. The study adds nuanced insights into the intersection of entrepreneurship and innovation, highlighting how strategic adaptations in service offerings and business models are critical for sustaining growth and relevance in the professional development industry. Findings suggest that differentiation through innovation in service offerings, operational processes, market positioning, and business models is critical for sustaining growth and relevance. This research enhances the existing literature by detailing the nuances of entrepreneurial orientation in innovation within the professional development industry through continuous and strategic educational advancements.

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