Tahir M. Nisar

Value for money drivers in public private partnership schemes

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate value for money drivers in public private partnership (PPP) schemes.Design/methodology/approach – Three case studies of PPP construction projects in the UK were undertaken.Findings – PPP contracts commonly require the private agent to take responsibilities for the performance of the asset over a long term, at least for a significant part of its useful life, so that efficiencies arising from long term asset management can be obtained. The evidence is finely balanced on the usefulness of such initiatives in realizing efficiency gains, although there is clear benefit of risk transfer.Practical implications – The findings highlight the challenge of designing and implementing innovative partnership plans to manage public services more effectively. More emphasis needs to be placed on strategies for the transfer of risk, value for money drivers and project expertise for the successful conclusions of PPP contracts.Originality/value – The paper contributes to t...

Performance effects of venture capital firm networks

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the networking effects of venture capital (VC) firms on portfolio companies. VCs can bring specific skills and abilities to their ongoing relationships with their portfolio companies and thus add value by influencing key portfolio company operations. High levels of engagement also translate into giving advice and support, helping with the team culture, creating strategic alliances, or exercising corporate governance. A particular mechanism through which these support services are delivered is syndication investment.Design/methodology/approach – Using network theory tools the paper investigates the effects of syndication on VC firm performance.Findings – The paper finds that networked VC firms are better placed to benefit from their investments.Originality/value – The paper sheds light on the importance of network relationships in the venture capital industry.

Organisational determinants of e‐learning

Managers now view e‐learning as an important instrument for obtaining skill‐based organisational outcomes. Not all organisations are likely to implement this training strategy, however, because there are significant trade‐offs involved in terms of both costs and benefits. This article examines the organisational determinants of e‐learning: larger establishments, organisations which employ educated workforce and well established internal labour markets are more likely to adopt an e‐learning strategy. The influence of many such factors requires that a value‐based analysis is undertaken to help organisations make optimal decisions about the choice of e‐learning.

The significance of employee skill in flexible work organizations

Pressures for flexibility among enterprise employees have been explained in previous studies to be largely the result of exogenous factors driven by market pressures for improved product variety, quality and service. This paper derives new insights into the concept of flexibility based on the premise that manufacturing systems based on traditional hierarchical control have significantly given way to enterprise practices that stress a direct connection between employee skill enhancement, market outcomes and rewards. Through an analysis of the 1998 Workplace Employee Relations Survey (WER98) the study provides a more substantive explanation of the variables associated with flexibility, which have become significant in the transition process towards modern enterprise practices. Flexibility is demonstrated to be not only market driven but also dependent on endogenous factors directly promoted by management that stress workforce participation, collaborative working and multifaceted skills development. We provide empirical support for these arguments from an analysis of WERS98.

Investor Influence on Portfolio Company Growth and Development Strategy

The way in which investments are structured to provide appropriate incentives and to enable effective monitoring and control is the key feature of private equity and venture finance. However, the extent and method of involvement of private equity firms in portfolio companies are variable. When these firms do involve themselves, they do so mainly through influencing company strategy and through using their knowledge and contacts to introduce portfolio companies to networks of suppliers and customers, professionals, and alternative sources of finance. Private equity firms also focus on the quality of management and help professionalize the human resource base. Using a case study approach, the author empirically investigates these ideas, especially how investors, through a network of contacts, affect portfolio company growth and development strategy.

E-Learning in Public Organizations

Public sector managers now view e-learning as an important instrument for obtaining skill-based organizational outcomes. This is partly due to special emphasis on interactive citizenship. Not all organizations are likely to implement this training strategy, however, because there are significant tradeoffs involved in terms of both costs and benefits. This article examines the organizational determinants of e-learning: larger establishments with multiple public services, organizations that employ educated workforces and well-established internal labor markets are more likely to adopt an e-learning strategy. The influence of many such factors requires that a value-based analysis is undertaken to help organizations make optimal decisions about the choice of e-learning.

Entrepreneurship and organizational design: investor specialization

Purpose – This paper seeks to investigate the impact of venture capital firm organization (VC) on operations at portfolio companies, emphasizing particularly value added and involvement.Design/methodology/approach – Prior literature indicates the importance of organizational design on the VC firms engagement and monitoring practices. A survey methodology is used to examine such relationships, including the significance of human capital for the process of investor engagement.Findings – The paper finds that VC organizations with a market focus and deal specialization are much more involved in portfolio companies than the firms who diversify their portfolios. This suggests that organizational focus is an important construct for explaining the degree of support accorded to portfolio companies by venture capitalists. The research also evaluates the performance outcomes of VC firm organization.Originality/value – The research emphasizes the importance of organizational factors in the investment strategies of v...

E-governance in revenue collection and administration

E-government is about the use of information communication technologies (ICTs) to offer better public service at a lower cost. However, there is a trade-off to be made between implementing e-government with ICTs and the public ability to reach and access electronic information. Access to all official information and service offerings of a public agency is generally of e-government’s primary focus. This paper presents the findings of a research into the issues regarding the role of e-governance in tax administration especially incorporating ICTs technologies. Recent trends in public taxation stress the need of developing a system of tax assessment and collection that involves internet services. Using a case study of the UK government department of HM Revenue and Customs, the paper examines the use of internet service for self-assessment, payment by internet and Pay As You Earn service for employers. The findings suggest that substantial progress has been made over recent years in developing an effective system of e-taxation by the UK government. The paper also identifies further requirements of the use of ICTs in e-taxation and potentials for future direction and initiatives.

The Determinants and Performance Effects of Diverse Nationality Boards

Corporate boards are the focal points for companies’ decisions on strategy and investment, and hence they embody the key features of firm production and management. Researchers and policy makers alike thus invariably ask “who makes these decisions?” A stream of research examines the demographic characteristics of board members such as gender and race as a way of understanding the nature and effects of board decisions. In this paper, using a unique dataset of listed firms, we examine the determinants of board diversity based on directors’ nationalities and ask whether the presence of foreign directors on boards contributes in some way to firms’ operations and performance. Our results show that boards containing diverse nationalities are positively associated with shareholder heterogeneity and firms’ international market operations. National diversity is also positively and significantly related to firm performance. These results underline the role that diversity plays in the higher echelons of management and corporate governance.

Manifestation of Unethical and Immoral Acts in Higher Education

The world has witnessed a number of academic scandals relating to poor managerial decisions built around unethical behaviors. Thus, unethical behaviors deserve better attention in higher education ...