A growing body of research suggests that having more women in the boardroom leads to better corporate social responsibility (CSR) performance. However, much of this work views the CSR-enhancing effect of women directors as largely driven by their moral orientations and rarely considers other underlying mechanisms. Moreover, less explored are the firm-specific conditions under which such CSR-promoting roles of female directors might be performed more (or less) effectively. In this paper, we seek to bridge this gap in the literature by (1) proposing an additional account for the positive influence of female independent directors on the firm’s CSR and (2) illuminating the organizational context in which female directorship is likely to translate into good CSR performance. We argue that women independent directors might take CSR issues more seriously than their male counterparts not only because of their stronger moral orientations, but also because they have reputational reasons to do so. Further, we suggest that female directors’ concerns about CSR-relevant matters are more (less) likely to gain support from other members of the organization when their company is doing more (less) business in the product markets where reputation for CSR is more (less) vital for success. Using a sample of Standard & Poor’s (S&P) 1500 index firms (2000–2009) and the data on their board composition and CSR ratings, we find strong support for our argument. We find that the number (or proportion) of women independent directors is positively associated with a firm’s CSR ratings and that the strength of this relationship depends on the level of the firm’s consumer market orientation.

In this paper, we investigate the effect of an epidemic outbreak on consumer expenditures. In light of scanner panel data on consumers’ debit and credit card transactions, we present empirical evidence that outbreaks cause considerable disruption in total consumer expenditures with significant heterogeneity across categories. Our findings strongly imply that customers alter their behaviors to reduce the risk of infection. The estimated effect of an epidemic outbreak is qualitatively different from that of other macroeconomic factors. The implications of this research provide important guidance for policy interventions and marketing decisions aimed at sustaining economic growth.

This study investigates whether Pilates and yoga lead people to adopt generally health-promoting lifestyle elements and feel better about their physical and mental fitness. To this end, we designed an 8 week exercise program of Pilates and yoga reviewed by veteran practitioners and conducted an experimental study through which we collected the data from 90 volunteered adult subjects between ages 30 and 49 (mean age = 35.47), equally represented by women and men without previous experience with Pilates or yoga. In the 8 week long experiment, we assigned the subjects to three groups, where subjects in the two exercise groups regularly took part in either Pilates or yoga classes, and the control group participated in neither exercise classes. All participants completed two surveys, the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile (HPLP II) and the Health Self-Rating Scale (HSRS), before and after their assigned program. In our analysis of pre- and post-treatment differences across the three groups, we ran ANOVA, ANCOVA, and Sheffé test, implemented using SPSS PASW Statistics 18.00. Our results indicate that Pilates and yoga groups exhibited a higher engagement in health-promoting behaviors than the control group after the program. Subjective health status, measured with HSRS, also improved significantly among Pilates and yoga participants compared to those in the control group after the program. The supplementary analysis finds no significant gender-based difference in these impacts. Overall, our results confirm that Pilates and yoga help recruit health-promoting behaviors in participants and engender positive beliefs about their subjective health status, thereby setting a positive reinforcement cycle in motion. By providing clear evidence that the promotion of Pilates or yoga can serve as an effective intervention strategy that helps individuals change behaviors adverse to their health, this study offers practical implications for healthcare professionals and public health officials alike.

The potential applications of blockchain technology across various business functions and industries have generated significant interest. However, its underlying knowledge structure remains unclear. This study aimed to gain a deeper understanding of the technological domain and knowledge structure of blockchain technology by analyzing 4753 USPTO patent data from 2008 to 2019. We used multiple approaches, such as analyzing patent filing volumes, constructing co-citation networks, and examining text (patent abstract) data with a variant of bidirectional encoder representations from transformers (BERT). The results demonstrate the advantages of using an NLP-based BERT text analysis approach for examining technological knowledge and relationships within the blockchain technology field. Our findings reveal that the field of blockchain technology is expanding and diversifying, with increasing patent filings in both cryptocurrency and distributed ledger technologies and growing knowledge similarity between these two subdomains. We also found that patent assignees (companies) engage differently in innovative activities within the blockchain technology domain based on their prior experience in the field. These results hold potential for informing future research in emerging technology studies and guiding industry and policy decisions related to blockchain technology.

Social entrepreneurial ventures thrive on diverse motivations, evolving through stages. This research delved into the dynamic shifts in motivations guiding social entrepreneurs across projects and initiatives in Tanzania. Despite numerous attempts by scholars to study and theorize the motivations of social entrepreneurs, there remains a significant gap in understanding the primary focus of social entrepreneurs’ involvement in various social entrepreneurship projects. This research aimed to address this knowledge gap by exploring the motivations that drive social entrepreneurs in Tanzania to engage in social entrepreneurship ventures. The study specifically investigated the CHEMA and Gongali Model cases. The respondents consisted of 20 social entrepreneurs, with 9 from CHEMA and 11 from the Gongali Model. The findings highlight the influence of personal experiences and backgrounds in establishing innovative social enterprises, emphasizing the importance of achieving successful outcomes. The study suggests that social entrepreneurs are motivated not only by their individual needs and goals but also by the satisfaction derived from witnessing the positive impact of their work on others. Successful entrepreneurship, the study argues, requires a focus on effecting changes at both the macro and micro levels. When the intended purpose of social entrepreneurs is achieved, it serves as a significant indicator of success. The report delves deeper into how these findings influence the overall infrastructure and mindset of social entrepreneurs in Tanzania. This research introduces a novel motivational model and connects it with critical success characteristics in social innovation projects, contributing to the advancement of social entrepreneurship research. Additionally, it proposes fundamental innovations in governance and operations within the field of social entrepreneurship. From the organizational context perspective, the findings contribute to a better understanding of the factors that contribute to the formation and growth of social enterprises in Tanzania.