This study attempts to further the development of family business theory by providing for a more detailed understanding of the differences between family and non-family firms’ profitability, growth, exporting and networking behaviour. Utilising data from 2190 Australian SMEs, the study compares the Australian experience of differences between family and non-family firms with those found among B...

In empirical corporate finance, firm size is commonly used as an important, fundamental firm characteristic. However, no paper comprehensively assesses the sensitivity of empirical results in corporate finance to different measures of firm size. This paper fills this hole by providing empirical evidence for “measurement effect” in “size effect”. In particular, this paper studies the influences ...

This paper investigates an unexplored rationale for organizations to enter into joint ventures. After a review of the theoretical and empirical literature on joint ventures, it develops a model in which projects require investments over time under conditions of autocorrelated productivity shocks. Internal and external interest groups are likely to pressurize owners into paying out early revenue...

Rural ICT initiatives in India are not a new phenomenon. Identifying the performance attributes of these initiatives and preparing a road map for e-governance projects is essential. Any successful ICT initiative should undergo “user-centered design” process. But the real task is to create a useable “demand driven” ICT initiative for the rural sector. Scaling up of these chosen initiatives is an...

The development of e-Government in China could be traced back from 1980s1. In the metropolis like Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, the e-Government systems has already been upgraded to the last stage, Stage 3: Enabling Constituents, according to the roadmap to effective e-Government2. In other words, the systems and websites in these cities are supposed to deal with most administrative work onli...

This paper introduces the support for dynamic law evolution in the XMLaw governance approach. This approach provides mechanisms for managing unpredicted law changes on the fly. We propose a generic software design for developing mechanisms to support dynamic law evolution. The implementation of the proposed design is also presented considering two possible underlying software solutions: OSGi an...

Systems thinking offers a particularly useful worldview for dealing with increasing complexities faced by individuals. This paper explores the nature, assessment, and implications that systems thinking holds for individuals challenged by the shifting landscape of modern complex system governance. Following an introduction that identifies the main attributes of complex systems faced by individua...

In Europe, the energy transition by means of a governance shift through liberalization is followed by a transition and shift towards community energy initiatives, with a particular view of supporting the demand for greater energy sustainability. What institutional legal consequences, as constraints and opportunities for lawful behaviour, follow from a shift in legal governance towards facilitat...

A conceptual framework for systematically studying and analysing risk governance is introduced. The framework, which is influenced by design science, is particularly valuable for relating the way risks are handled at the micro-level to aspects at the macro-level. Three central concepts are included in the framework: purpose, function, and form. A function is used to denote what a specific syste...