25096 research outputs found
Sort by
From Their Own Voices: The Lived Experiences of Women on Corporate Boards in Nigeria
No full textPurpose
Drawing on social categorisation and institutional theories, this research seeks to examine the challenges faced by female board members in Nigeria, prior to and during their tenures, and to elucidate the strategies they employ to overcome these obstacles.
Design/Methodology/Approach
This study utilises a qualitative methodology, conducting focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews with 22 female board members from various Nigerian corporations. This approach enables an in-depth exploration of their experiences, allowing for the identification of key challenges and strategies for overcoming barriers to board participation and leadership in a weak institutional context.
Findings
We identify key impediments at the organisational, socio-cultural, and individual levels that obstruct women's access to and participation on corporate boards. Additionally, we explore how these women navigate and interpret these challenges, providing valuable insights into their experiences. Our analysis culminates in the proposal of strategic actions, as well as firm- and policy-level recommendations, aimed at enhancing opportunities for female board members and promoting improved corporate governance within the Nigerian context.
Originality/Value
This study offers a nuanced understanding of the multifaceted barriers to female board representation, examining both organisational and socio-cultural challenges as well as individual challenges. By providing practical insights, it aims to advance gender diversity in corporate leadership, particularly within developing economies, highlighting actionable strategies and policy recommendations to enhance the inclusion and effectiveness of female board members
Redistribution, growth, and inequality: Insights from experimental dynamic public good games
No full textThe file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.This paper investigates the interplay between income inequality, growth, and redistribution in a dynamic public good game. Redistribution, as expected, leads to lower inequality but it does not necessarily reduce growth. Especially in settings characterized by high initial inequality, a high tax rate can produce similar wealth levels as without taxation while reducing inequality. On average, we find that people tend to favor more redistribution over time, but there is substantial heterogeneity in this trend. We also find that individuals who are more favourable to redistribution contribute more to the public good
Peri-dyeing: Laser dye fixation for efficient textile colouration and design
No full textopen access articleConventional textile dyeing remains one of the most resource-intensive stages of garment production, characterised by high water and energy use and the generation of chemically contaminated effluent. This study explores an alternative approach to conventional dyeing through the development and evaluation of a laser dyeing process termed peri-dyeing, a digitally driven, non-contact colouration technique in which dye fixation was initiated by targeted laser irradiation directly at the fibre surface.
Optimisation of laser parameters and dye application methods enabled controlled surface colouration of wool fabrics. Colour measurements, SEM imaging, and tensile strength analysis confirmed that high dye fixation efficiencies (82–96%) were achieved without compromising fibre integrity. Standardised testing demonstrated strong wash and rub colour fastness, indicating technical performance compatible with commercial textile applications. Design sampling validated the technique's ability to produce fine linear detail, smooth tonal gradients, and multicolour imagery on both flat and textured substrates.
The peri-dyeing process demonstrates the technical feasibility of a digitally controlled approach to textile colouration that avoids immersion dye baths and enables targeted dye application. The results indicate potential for reduced resource use and increased production flexibility. The paper highlights opportunities for integration into direct-to-garment and on-demand manufacturing contexts, supporting the development of more efficient and adaptable textile colouration workflows
Extraction of wool polypeptides using L-cysteine and protease: a study of the successive hydrolysis of the fibres’ regions
No full textThe file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.Wool is a natural fibre with a diversity of applications in the textile industry. Its nature as a protein-rich fibre constituted of several distinct but interrelated regions, confers its unique mechanical properties. Due to the competition with superfine wools and the emergence of synthetic alternatives, coarser wools from the Northern hemisphere have suffered from a lack of valorising paths. Recently, studies successfully extracted wool polypeptides using sulphur-based reducing agents, such as sodium sulphite. These methods can separate fibres from textile blends for recycling purposes. In addition, the different wool protein types could be isolated to explore their post-consumer valorisation into new applications. In this study, the effectiveness of the amino acid, L-cysteine, as a sustainable reducing agent, combined with the activity of a protease on wool hydrolysis and proteins’ extraction was assessed, under different concentrations of L-cysteine and enzyme and duration of the reaction. Understanding the chronological order of the wool regions’ lysis during the extraction process is crucial for the control of specific parameters to selectively recover microfibrils or matrix proteins – which exhibit different protein structures. This selective recovery of the different wool proteins could support their regeneration into innovative materials, for applications in composites, packaging or construction
Man is the measure of all things: Evaluability and overpackaging
No full textThe file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.Despite the fact that overpackaging can signal better product protection and higher quality, it may also trigger perceptions of waste and diminish perceived value. With such a persistent tension, it remains unclear when and why overpackaging can be beneficial or harmful. To tackle this issue, this research leverages cue utilization theory and general evaluability theory to propose product evaluability as a boundary condition to explain consumer responses to overpackaging. A series of five studies, using a variety of operationalizations of evaluability and packaging, different research designs, and secondary data from both Eastern and Western cultural contexts, consistently show that consumers prefer overpackaging only when product evaluability is low, whereas they prefer non-overpackaging when product evaluability is high. Our research also reveals two asymmetric pathways through perceived value: when product evaluability is low, overpackaging increases purchase intention via boosting quality value, whereas when product evaluability is high, overpackaging decreases purchase intention via reducing price value. These findings reframe overpackaging from a universally wasteful practice to a context-dependent retail strategy, implying that packaging decisions should be matched to product evaluability rather than standardized across different product assortments
Climate Shifts, Corporate Drifts: How Climate Change Exposure Reshapes Multinational Offshoring
No full textThe file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.This study examines the contextual conditions that influence how climate change exposure (CCE) affects the extent of firms’ offshoring activities. Using data from U.S.-based multinational corporations (MNCs), we show that CCE significantly influences the degree of firms’ offshoring. Additional analyses indicate that regulatory and opportunity exposures, rather than physical exposure, are the primary drivers of strategic and proactive, rather than defensive, offshoring. We also find that CCE exerts its strongest influence on downstream activities. The interaction between climate change and offshoring decisions plays a critical role in determining whether MNCs relocate activities to advanced, low-carbon economies rather than to emerging, developing, or high-carbon economies. Our study extends international business research by elucidating how climate change exposure reshapes multinational firms’ downstream and upstream activities. Taken together, the findings provide actionable insights for policymakers, corporate strategists, and scholars and underscore the importance of integrating climate resilience with low-carbon objectives in global operations
The Impact of Sociocultural Aspects on Energy Consumption in Residential Buildings in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
No full textopen access articleThis study explores the intersection of sociocultural factors, particularly privacy, with energy consumption patterns in residential buildings in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. While cultural values around privacy have long been recognised as influential in residential design, the impact of these values on energy consumption is underexplored. This re-search aims to fill this gap by examining how privacy needs, residents' preferences, and open layouts affect energy efficiency, particularly in terms of natural light and ventilation. A mixed-methods approach was employed, including semi-structured interviews with engineers, data collected from 108 respondents via an online survey, a case study of a residential building in Riyadh, and building performance simulations using IES software. The study also assessed actual energy consumption data and in-door lighting as potential implications of privacy concerns, causing changes in behavioural control of systems (e.g., windows, blinds, lighting, etc.). It focuses on the relationship between privacy needs, energy use, and natural daylight distribution. The IES simulation results for the studied residential building show an annual energy consumption of 24,000 kWh, primarily due to cooling loads and artificial lighting caused by privacy measures applied by the residents. The findings reveal that privacy-driven design choices and occupant behaviours, such as the use of full window shutters, frosted glazing and limited window operation, significantly reduce daylight availability and natural ventilation, leading to increased reliance on artificial lighting and air conditioning. This study highlights the need for human-centric design approaches that address the interplay between sociocultural factors, particularly reinforcing cultural sensitivity, and building performance, offering insights for future sustainable housing developments in Riyadh and similar contexts
The Learner: Navigating the Senior Leader Apprenticeship Journey
No full textAlthough the Senior Leader Apprenticeship (SLA) will no longer be funded by the government from January 2026, prior studies have indicated that despite identified problems, it successfully develops future managers and business leaders. Public sector service employees, in contrast to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) have shown the largest take-up for this level. This chapter explores the lived experiences of SME learners studying for an SLA at a post 92-UK university. A small sample of learners were interviewed. Thematic analysis highlighted four themes: perceptions of programme benefits, balancing work and study time, mixed sector cohorts and managing the tripartite relationship. Findings indicate that challenges are due to several factors: a lack of awareness of the apprenticeship for SMEs, including perceptions of the term ‘apprenticeship’, internal support constraints that have a negative impact on work/study time balance, mentoring practice and the bureaucracy associated with mandatory processes. Peer support and collaboration emerged as a key relationship. Whilst the long-term outlook for Higher and Degree Apprenticeships (HDAs) is changing, future research should explore collaboration between all stakeholders in the SME tripartite relationship, with a focus on support networks (internal and external) and peer collaboration for learning and reflective practice
Extending the TCQ Framework: Redesigning Digital Customer Experience in High-End Luxury Service Contexts
No full textThe file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.Purpose
Amazon’s failed luxury stores initiative offers a critical case for examining the incompatibility between mass-market digital strategies and high-end service environments. This study extends the TCQ (touchpoints, context, qualities) framework by introducing a luxury-centric variant (L-TCQ), illuminating how symbolic, hedonic and prestige-driven value co-creation processes are undermined when convenience overtakes exclusivity.
Design/methodology/approach
A thematic analysis was conducted on qualitative data from 35 international MBA students specializing in luxury brand management. Participants evaluated Amazon luxury stores in real-time, generating experiential feedback based on structured digital journey immersion.
Findings
The results reveal that Amazon failed to deliver critical luxury-specific experiential qualities, including immersion, personalization and brand legitimacy. The study introduces “nonlinear process sequence” as a luxury-specific construct describing the nonlinear and symbolic navigation of digital services by high-end consumers.
Practical implications
Luxury service providers should design digital platforms using the L-TCQ framework to foster symbolic engagement, emotional immersion and prestige signaling – key elements absent from mainstream customer experience (CX) design.
Originality/value
This research contributes to services marketing by proposing the L-TCQ model, a theoretical refinement that incorporates luxury-specific service dimensions into the TCQ framework. It advances the field by theorizing how experiential, contextual and symbolic co-creation failures explain Amazon’s shortcomings and offers an actionable roadmap for digital luxury CX design
Good Enough Ethics by Design: AI and Alternative Digital Realities
Get PDFGood Enough Ethics by Design: AI and Alternative Digital Realities is based on research from the EU-funded SHARESPACE project, the book shows how GEE can be applied across emerging technologies and calls for an iterative, inclusive ethics culture - one that embeds reflection into innovation without stifling it.Good Enough Ethics explores how society can ethically navigate the accelerating complexity of technological innovation. Tracing developments from cave paintings to the industrial age to AI and the Metaverse, the book explores reactive approaches - such as GDPR and the Online Safety Act - and examines proactive strategies like Ethics by Design, which integrates ethics throughout product development. Yet such frameworks often prove too rigid or burdensome in practice. Inspired by Donald Winnicott’s idea of good enough parenting, the authors propose Good Enough Ethics (GEE) - a pragmatic, flexible model that balances ethical responsibility with real-world constraints. Rather than aiming for perfection, GEE emphasises empowering technologists to act ethically without paralysis. Based on research from the EU-funded SHARESPACE project, the book shows how GEE can be applied across emerging technologies and calls for an iterative, inclusive ethics culture - one that embeds reflection into innovation without stifling it
Data sources:
Access Repository Dashboard
Do you manage De Montfort University Open Research Archive? Access insider analytics, issue reports and manage access to outputs from your repository in the CORE Repository Dashboard!