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PALGRAVE STUDIES IN CROSS-DISCIPLINARY
BUSINESS RESEARCH, IN ASSOCIATION
WITH EUROMED ACADEMY OF BUSINESS

The Synergy of
Business Theory and
Practice
Advancing the Practical Application
of Scholarly Research
Edited by Alkis Thrassou · Demetris Vrontis
Yaakov Weber · S. M. Riad Shams · Evangelos Tsoukatos
 Palgrave Studies in Cross-disciplinary Business
Research, In Association with EuroMed Academy
of Business

Series Editors
Demetris Vrontis
Department of Marketing
University of Nicosia
Nicosia, Cyprus

Yaakov Weber
School of Business Administration
College of Management
Rishon Lezion, Israel

Alkis Thrassou
Department of Marketing
University of Nicosia
Nicosia, Cyprus

S. M. Riad Shams
Newcastle Business School
Northumbria University
Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK

Evangelos Tsoukatos
Department of Accounting and Finance
Hellenic Mediterranean University
Heraklion, Crete, Greece
Reflecting the growing appetite for cross-disciplinary business research,
this series aims to explore the prospects of bringing different business
disciplines together in order to guide the exploitation of commercial
opportunities and the minimization of business risks. Each book in the
series will examine a current and pressing theme and consist of a range of
perspectives such as HRM, entrepreneurship, strategy and marketing in
order to enhance and move our thinking forward on a particular topic.
Contextually the series reflects the increasing need for businesses to move
past silo thinking and implement cross-functional and cross-­disciplinary
strategies. It acts to highlight the emergence of cross-disciplinary business
knowledge and its strategic implications.
Published in conjunction with the EuroMed Academy of Business,
books will be published annually and based on the best papers from their
conferences. Over the last decade EuroMed have developed a cross-­
disciplinary academic community which comprises more than 30,000
students and scholars from all over the world.

More information about this series at

http://www.palgrave.com/gp/series/15956
 Alkis Thrassou
Demetris Vrontis
Yaakov Weber • S. M. Riad Shams
Evangelos Tsoukatos
Editors

The Synergy of
Business Theory and
Practice
Advancing the Practical Application
of Scholarly Research
Editors
Alkis Thrassou Demetris Vrontis
Department of Marketing Department of Marketing
University of Nicosia University of Nicosia
Nicosia, Cyprus Nicosia, Cyprus

Yaakov Weber S. M. Riad Shams

School of Business Administration Newcastle Business School
College of Management Northumbria University
Rishon Lezion, Israel Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK

Evangelos Tsoukatos
Department of Accounting and Finance
Hellenic Mediterranean University
Heraklion, Crete, Greece

ISSN 2523-8167     ISSN 2523-8175 (electronic)

Palgrave Studies in Cross-disciplinary Business Research, In Association with EuroMed
Academy of Business
ISBN 978-3-030-17522-1    ISBN 978-3-030-17523-8 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-17523-8

© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland
AG 2019
This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether
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illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and trans-
mission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or
dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed.
The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication
does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant
protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use.
The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book
are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or
the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any
errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional
claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

This Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Switzerland AG
The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland
 Contents

1 Editorial Introduction: The Requisite Bridge from Theory

to Practice  1
Alkis Thrassou, Demetris Vrontis, Yaakov Weber, S. M. Riad
Shams, and Evangelos Tsoukatos
1.1 Book Context and Theoretical Foundations   2
1.2 Book Content and Structure   5
References 10

2 Theoretical Concepts and Practical Applications of

Accounting-Related Shared Service Centres in Medium-
Sized Firms 13
Stefan Bantscheff and Bernd Britzelmaier
2.1 Introduction  13
2.2 Literature Review  14
2.3 Research Design  21
2.4 Findings: Conception of Shared Service Centres  22
2.5 Findings: Implementation of Shared Service Centres  29
2.6 Findings: Controlling of Shared Service Centres  32
2.7 Conclusion and Industry Implications  33
References 35

v
vi Contents

3 From Theory to Practice of Formal and Informal

Palestinian Small Businesses 39
Suhail Sultan and Evangelos Tsoukatos
3.1 Introduction  39
3.2 Context  40
3.3 Formal and Informal Businesses  44
3.4 Methodology  46
3.5 Results and Analysis  48
3.6 Practical Implications  53
3.7 Conclusion  54
References 55

4 A Practicable Implementation of Training and

Development in Professional Services: The Case of
Accountants in Cyprus 59
Loucas Theodorou, Demetris Vrontis, and Michael Christofi
4.1 Introduction  59
4.2 Literature Review and Theory  61
4.3 Methodology  72
4.4 Data Analysis and Results  73
4.5 Discussion and Conclusions  80
References 82

5 The Role of Organizational Identity in Post-Merger

Integration 91
Yaakov Weber
5.1 Introduction  91
5.2 Literature Review  92
5.3 Propositions for Using the Identity Factor in M&A  96
5.4 Discussion and Conclusions  99
5.5 Future Research 101
5.6 Bridging Theory and Practice 103
References104
 Contents vii

6 Energy Business in Gambia: An Industry Review for

Theoretical and Practical Implications109
Musa Manneh and S. M. Riad Shams
6.1 Introduction 109
6.2 Energy Sector in Gambia: The Background of the Case
Study111
6.3 The Importance and Policy of the Gambian Energy
Sector113
6.4 Electricity, Renewable Energy and Petroleum Sub-
Sectors115
6.5 Liberalization and Competition and Regulation in the
Gambian Energy Sector 117
6.6 Investment Opportunities and Challenges of the
Gambian Energy Sector 119
6.7 Mitigation Scope for the Gambian Energy Sector:
Managerial Implications 121
6.8 Theoretical Implications, Future Trends and
Conclusion125
References126

7 Sustainable Customer Experience: Bridging Theory and

Practice131
Paola Signori, Irene Gozzo, Daniel J. Flint, Tyler Milfeld, and
Bridget Satinover Nichols
7.1 Introduction 131
7.2 Towards a New Definition of Sustainable Customer
Experience133
7.3 Sustainable Customer Experience in Practice 140
7.4 Sustainable Consumer Experience from the Customer
Point of View 152
7.5 Conclusions 160
References164
viii Contents

8 Industry Application of Assessment and Forecasting

Theories Through Comparative Financial Analysis: The
Case of Greek Pharmaceutical Industries Under Crisis
Conditions175
Klio Dengleri, Petros Lois, Alkis Thrassou, and Spyridon Repousis
8.1 Introduction 175
8.2 Literature Review 176
8.3 Data and Research Methodology 181
8.4 Research Results 188
8.5 Conclusions, Implications and Limitations 192
References195

9 Industry and Managerial Applications of Internet

Marketing Research199
S. M. Riad Shams
9.1 Introduction 199
9.2 Significance of Industry Review for Theorisation 201
9.3 The Trend in Online Marketing Management
and the Future Direction 203
9.4 Concluding Notes 209
References211

10 CSR Reporting Practices of Lithuanian and Italian

Academic Institutions215
Ligita Šimanskienė, Jurgita Paužuolienė, Erika Župerkienė, and
Mariantonietta Fiore
10.1 Introduction and Research Background 215
10.2 CSR Reporting and UN Global Compact 218
10.3 Research Methods Used 224
10.4 Research Ethics and Sample Description 225
10.5 Findings 227
10.6 How to Write a Good Quality Report on Social
Responsibility230
10.7 Conclusions and Implications for Practice 232
References233
 Contents ix

11 The Practicable Aspect of the Omni-­Channel Retailing

Strategy and Its Impact on Customer Loyalty239
Tandy Christoforou and Yioula Melanthiou
11.1 Introduction 239
11.2 Theoretical Foundation 240
11.3 Theoretical Elaboration: The Omni-Channel
Retailing Challenges 243
11.4 Research Methodology 249
11.5 Findings and Discussion 250
11.6 Industry Application, Research Limitations, Future
Research, and Conclusion 254
11.7 Conclusion 256
References256

12 Curative International Marketing, Corporate and

Business Diplomacy: A Triple Application for Migration261
Hans Rüdiger Kaufmann, Maria Paraschaki, Evangelos
Tsoukatos, Dolores Sanchez Bengoa, and Michael Czinkota
12.1 Introduction 262
12.2 Migration and Globalization 263
12.3 The Concepts of Diplomacy, Corporate and
Business Diplomacy 265
12.4 The Relationship Between Corporate/Business
Diplomacy and Curative International Marketing 271
12.5 Practical Suggestions Applying the Framework 274
12.6 Conclusion 278
References279

13 Sustainability in Project Management: Advancing the

Synergy of Practice and Theory285
Debu Mukerji
13.1 Introduction: Background and Context 285
13.2 Strategic Leadership and Sustainability 289
13.3 Leadership-of-Self Capacity: Engine of Sustained
Development292
x Contents

13.4 Leadership: Responsible Performance 296

13.5 Learning/Experiencing and Education for Leadership
Sustainability299
13.6 SPML Leaders: A Sustainable Performance Model 302
13.7 Conclusions and Implications 304
References304

Index311
 Notes on Contributors

Stefan Bantscheff is a research assistant in the master’s programme

Management Control, Finance and Accounting at Pforzheim University,
Germany. He is a lecturer in Management Control at Duale Hochschule
Baden-Württemberg (DHBW) Stuttgart, Germany. He holds a bache-
lor’s degree and a master’s degree in Management Control, Finance and
Accounting from Pforzheim University, Germany.

Dolores Sanchez Bengoa serves, since 2016, as the vice-president at the

University of Applied Management Studies in Mannheim, Germany. She
holds a PhD from Leeds Beckett University, England, and is Professor of
International Business and Intercultural Studies. She has undertaken sig-
nificant research in the fields of intercultural management, intercultural
competences, knowledge transfer and management; her over 40 works
have appeared in numerous international scientific journals and books,
and she has presented papers at various conferences. She also has over
25 years of international experience working as a consultant and living in
seven European countries.

Bernd Britzelmaier is Professor of Management Control, Finance and

Accounting at Pforzheim University, Germany. He has written and edited
20 books for publishing houses such as Pearson and Springer, and has
written a number of papers in the fields of business in China, finance,
xi
xii Notes on Contributors

accounting and management control. He is Associate Editor of the World

Review of Entrepreneurship, Management and Sustainable Development
and serves as a member of several editorial boards.

Michael Christofi holds a PhD in Business Administration from the

University of Gloucestershire Business School, Cheltenham, UK. He is
Senior Research Fellow in Marketing Strategy and Innovation at the
University of Nicosia in Cyprus, having previously served from various
R&D, sales and marketing positions within large organisations. His
research spans across the fields of corporate social responsibility, cause-
related marketing, strategic marketing, product innovation, strategic agil-
ity and organisational ambidexterity. His work has appeared in the Journal
of Business Research, International Marketing Review, Journal of Services
Marketing, and Marketing Intelligence & Planning, among others.

Tandy Christoforou holds a degree in Business Administration with spe-

cialisation in Management, and a master’s degree with distinction in Business
Administration specialised in Marketing and Real Estate. Both degrees were
attained from the University of Nicosia, Cyprus, EU. She focuses on research
in retail management and specifically omni-­channel retailing.

Michael Czinkota teaches international business and trade at the

University of Kent and at Georgetown University. He is also the chaired
professor emeritus of International Marketing at the University of
Birmingham, UK. He has held professorial appointments in Asia,
Australia, Europe and the Americas, and served in important positions in
the U.S. government during the Reagan and Bush administrations.
Having significant industry experience, he is a prominent academic.
Among numerous of his publications, he has also authored three leading
college texts, and serves on the Global Advisory Board of the American
Marketing Association, the Global Council of the American Management
Association, and on the Board of Governors of the Academy of Marketing
Science (among others). For his work in international business and trade
policy, he has been awarded honorary degrees from the Universidad del
Pacifico in Peru and the Universidad Pontificia Madre y Maestra in the
Dominican Republic, and was named a Distinguished Fellow of the
 Notes on Contributors xiii

Academy of Marketing Science, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts

in the United Kingdom. He also serves on several major corporate boards,
has worked with prominent international corporations and has acted as
advisor to the US government, the United Nations and the World Trade
Organization.

Klio Dengleri holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Management and

Economics from the University of Macedonia, in 2009. She also holds an
MBA degree from the University of Nicosia, graduating with distinction
in 2017. She has seven years of work experience in human resources,
marketing and business administration with specific expertise in recruit-
ment, employee training and coaching.

Mariantonietta Fiore is Aggregate Professor in Agricultural Economics

at the University of Foggia, Italy. She has held the positions of Expert/
Reviewer in Agricultural Economics (Italian Ministry of Agriculture
Policies-Ministry of University), Junior Residential Expert (Italian
Ministry of Environment, Land and Sea) and Associate Fellow of the
EMRBI. She took part in many international conferences, authored over
80 scientific publications and acted as guest editor and member of edito-
rial boards of eminent journals and academic juries. She is vice-scientific
coordinator of the SKIN project (H2020) and the scientific manager of
national and EU projects. She has gained several scientific awards and
professional honours.

Daniel J. Flint is the Regal Professor of Marketing in the Department

of Marketing, Haslam College of Business, the University of Tennessee,
Knoxville, USA. He has over 20 years of experience publishing exten-
sively in premier journals, numerous other journals, conference proceed-
ings and books. He has deep industry and scholarly experience and is
internationally known for his work on business-to-business relationships,
customer value, marketing and branding strategy, sustainability as it
relates to marketing, corporate identity, supply chain relationships, and
innovation. He presents, researches and consults internationally often,
including conducting work with innovation entrepreneurs in developing
markets.
xiv Notes on Contributors

Irene Gozzo holds an MBA in Marketing and Communication from

the University of Verona (2018). She collaborated for one year with the
Fondazione Studi Universitari di Vicenza as junior research assistant, and
she worked as research scholar at the Polo Scientifico Didattico Studi
sull’Impresa, University of Verona, Vicenza campus in Italy. Her main
research areas and publications are in the areas of sustainable customer
experience and sustainability and digital marketing analysis.

Hans Rüdiger Kaufmann completed his PhD in 1997 after extensive

experience in German Bank Management. He has since held many posi-
tions for various academic institutions. He became a full professor in
2013 at the University of Nicosia, and since 2016, he is also affiliated
with the University of Applied Management Studies Mannheim as
Professor and Head of Studies of the BA Management and Leadership. He
further served as the president of the international research network on
consumer behaviour, CIRCLE, research supervisor at the University of
Gloucester Business School and a fellow of Leeds Metropolitan University.
He is a member of various esteemed journal editorial boards, a vice-pres-
ident and research co-ordinator of the EuroMed Research Business
Institute (EMRBI) and was a member of the Board of the AMA Global
Marketing SIG as Vice Chair Communications. He specialises in con-
sumer behaviour and marketing and is the author/editor of 14 books, 6
electronic books, and many journal papers. In addition, he is an associate
editor of the World Review of Entrepreneurship, Management and
Sustainable Development and a visiting professor at a number of promi-
nent universities internationally.

Petros Lois is a Professor and holds an MSc degree in Accounting from

De Montfort University (UK), and a PhD degree from Liverpool John
Moores University (UK). He is a Certified Management Accountant
(CMA), he holds the Chair of PwC in Business Research at the University
of Nicosia, and he is Co-Founder of the Euromed Journal of Business. He
is currently the Head of the Department of Accounting. He has also served
as the Dean of the School of Business, Director of Academic Affairs
Department at the University of Nicosia (Cyprus), and the coordinator of
the two professional qualifications namely CIA (Certified Internal Auditors,
 Notes on Contributors xv

USA) and CFA (Chartered Financial Analysts, USA). He is a member of

the Institute of Certified Management Accountants of Australia (ICMA),
the Institute of Marine Engineers, Science and Technology (IMarEST,
UK), and the National Book-keepers Association (NBA, USA). He is a
member of the Board of Directors of the Cyprus Ports Authority (CPA).
His research interests include accounting, working capital management,
finance, and shipping (maritime). His research work has been published in
international conference proceedings, books and journals.

Musa Manneh holds a BSc and an MSc in Management from the

University of the Gambia and Ural Federal University, Russian Federation,
respectively. Manneh also acquired an expertise in energy business manage-
ment and he is a licensed management trainer by the National Accreditation
and Quality Assurance Authority of The Gambia. He is the General
Manager of Better Future Production, a multimedia firm in Gambia, West
Africa. He also doubles as the Managing Director of Knowledge City
Gambia Ltd., a subsidiary of the Knowledge City Vienna, Austria. He is
also an adjunct lecturer at the School of Business and Public Administration
of the University of the Gambia, acting also as a consultant to businesses.

Yioula Melanthiou is an associate professor at the University of Nicosia

and holds a PhD in Marketing from the University of Manchester,
UK. She is the Head of the Department of Marketing and the Coordinator
of Doctoral Programs in Business Administration. She has taught several
marketing courses at an undergraduate and postgraduate level and has
supervised students at all levels including PhD and DBA. Her primary
research interests are in the areas of social media marketing and consumer
behaviour. She has published extensively on related topics. She is a char-
tered marketer and a certified trainer of the Human Resource Development
Authority, Cyprus, as well as an expert evaluator for the European
Commission. Prior to joining academia, she has worked in the industry as
a research executive, research account manager, and marketing consultant.

Tyler Milfeld is a PhD student at the University of Tennessee. Prior to

joining the programme, Milfeld’s marketing and sales career spanned
four leading consumer goods companies—The Hershey Company,
Colgate-Palmolive, PepsiCo and Johnson & Johnson. His marketing
xvi Notes on Contributors

experience includes roles in brand management, shopper activation,

global innovation, global brand equity and customer partnerships.
Milfeld holds a dual MBA from the University of Texas and Pontificia
Universidad Católica de Chile, and a BA from Northwestern University
with a double major in Psychology and Political Science. His research
interests include branding, emotion and sustainability.

Debu Mukerji holds PhD in Strategy, Program and Project Management

(SKEMA University, France, 2012): MSc (Management, GPA over 3.8 in 4
point scale); Degree in Metallurgy; Post-grad diploma Education; Diploma
in Electrical & Mechanical Engineering, 4 years’ program. He is Fellow,
Engineers Australia, CPEng, in National Engineers Register: Leadership
and Management; Professional Fellow Institute of Managers & Leaders
(Australia); and Academic Member, Academy of Management USA. He has
extensive academic experience at the University of New South Wales, Sydney
and other tertiary institutions; draws on his senior executive/professional
industry experience at MNEs in manufacturing environment. He has five
years Chair roles experience at the Management, Spirituality and Religion
entity at the Academy of Management, USA. He is an independent holistic
management and leadership capacity development researcher and has ongo-
ing research and publications on sustainability and resilience in complex
project management in changing environment. He has growing list of pub-
lications of over 70 papers, book chapters and industry reports.

Bridget Satinover Nichols is Associate Professor of Marketing and

Sports Business at Northern Kentucky University, USA. Here, she has
taught several classes including marketing principles, marketing manage-
ment, consumer behaviour, sports marketing and research, sports public
relations, and sports promotions. Previously she studied at the University
of Tampa, USA, and her primary research areas of interests are consumer
emotions and behaviour, cause-marketing in sports and food-/health-­
related marketing.

Maria Paraschaki is a PhD student at the University of Nicosia, Cyprus.

She holds an MSc in International Business Management from the
University of Surrey, UK, and a BA in Business Administration from the
 Notes on Contributors xvii

University of Piraeus, Greece. Her research interests and her professional

activities are broadly related to corporate diplomacy, sustainability, globali-
sation, international business and international organisations management.

Jurgita Paužuolienė is a lecturer at Klaipeda State University of Applied

Sciences and Klaipeda University. She holds a PhD in joint doctoral
council from five universities: Klaipeda University, Vytautas Magnus
University, Mykolas Romeris University, Šiauliai University and
Aleksandras Stulginskis University. She has academic, professional and
practical experience, and did significant research in the fields of sustain-
able development, management and organisational culture. She is an
expert of competency evaluation and became qualified through various
international trainings. She has participated in national and international
projects and her over 40 works have appeared in nationally and interna-
tionally esteemed scientific journals.

Spyridon Repousis holds a BA degree in Economics from Athens

University of Economics and Business, an MSc degree in Banking and
Finance from the University of Stirling, Scotland, an MBA degree from the
University of Nicosia, Cyprus and a PhD in Economics from the University
of Peloponnese. He has taught at the Technological Educational Institute of
Patras and is working in a private bank. He has written books about bank-
ing and finance in the Greek language and has contributed to books in the
English language. Many of his scientific articles have appeared in journals in
English, in areas such as banking, finance, fraud and money laundering.

S. M. Riad Shams is Lecturer in marketing at Northumbria University,

UK. He has completed his doctoral research from Central Queensland
University, Australia. His MBA and BBA (honours in marketing) have
been awarded by the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh. He is a research
fellow at the EuroMed Academy of Business, EU, and his key research
areas are stakeholder relationship management, international market-
ing, business sustainability, social business and brand management. He
has contributed articles to and guest edited for various reputed jour-
nals, namely Journal of International Management, Journal of Business
Research, International Marketing Review and Management International
xviii Notes on Contributors

Review. He is the lead-editor of the Annals of Business Research and

has been serving as the track-chair in leading international academic
conferences.

Paola Signori is Associate Professor of Marketing in the Department of

Business Administration of the University of Verona, Italy. Her research
focus is on supply chain sustainability, relationship marketing, corporate
identity congruence and digital marketing analysis. Her numerous
research projects and publications have a common scope to understand
and measure business-to business (B2B) relational dynamics in different
global network structures under different contexts and scenarios. She
aims to contribute to theory and practice highlighting strategic and oper-
ational constraints, limits or barriers, trying to help practitioners to be
more resilient and sustainable in their decisions.

Ligita Šimanskienė is a professor at the Management Department of

Klaipeda University, Lithuania. She has over 25 years of experience in
management: teaching, consulting organisations and doing research. Her
research fields are corporate social responsibility, organisational culture,
teamwork, cultural differences, and sustainable regional and leadership
development. She has long publishing experience with her works having
appeared in five different monographs and various methodical guidelines
for students. Her articles have appeared in more than 100 publications.
She is a scientific editor of a journal and member of scientific boarders of
ten different scientific journals in Lithuania and abroad. She is a member
of joint Doctoral Council in management and participates in PhD
defences as an official reviewer in Lithuania and Latvia.

Suhail Sultan is a lecturer and Director of MBA and EMBA pro-

grammes at the Faculty of Business and Economics, Birzeit University,
Palestine. He holds a PhD in Business Administration from Maastricht
University, the Netherlands. Sultan has extensive consultancy experience
with many international organisations in Palestine and the region. He has
undertaken significant research in the fields of strategic management,
innovation, entrepreneurship and small businesses. Many of his articles
have appeared in numerous internationally esteemed scientific journals
 Notes on Contributors xix

and books, and he retains strong ties with the industry to help in building
their competitiveness.

Loucas Theodorou is a senior Human Resource officer in a banking

institution, with more than 17 years of progressive experience in the
financial services industry. He holds an MBA from the University of
Leicester, UK, and is also a fellow member of the Association of Chartered
Certified Accountants, a member of the Institute of Certified Public
Accountants of Cyprus, a member of the Chartered Management
Institute and a member of the American Bankers Association. Also, he is
a professional trainer specialised in delivering training programmes in the
areas of compliance, corporate lending, management of non-performing
loans, sales culture, customer service, time management, communica-
tion, team building and organisational culture.

Alkis Thrassou is a professor at the School of Business, University of

Nicosia, Cyprus, EU. He holds a PhD in Strategic Marketing Management
from the University of Leeds, UK, and is also a chartered marketer and
fellow (FCIM), a chartered construction manager and fellow (FCIOB), a
chartered management consultancy surveyor (MRICS) and a senior
research fellow of the EuroMed Academy of Business (SFEMAB/EMRBI).
He has extensive academic and professional/industry experience, and has
undertaken significant research in the fields of strategic marketing, man-
agement and customer behaviour. He has published over 120 works in
numerous internationally esteemed scientific journals and books, and he
retains strong ties with the industry, acting also as a consultant.

Evangelos Tsoukatos teaches management at the Hellenic Mediterranean

University, Greece, and is an adjunct faculty at the University of Nicosia,
Cyprus, and Hellenic Open University. He holds a BSc in Mathematics
from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece, a postgraduate
diploma and an MSc in Operational Research and a PhD in Management
Science from Lancaster University Management School (LUMS), UK. He
has authored and edited books and journal special issues, published in
scholarly journals, and presented in academic conferences. He is Associate
Editor of the EuroMed Journal of Business (EMJB) and an editorial board
member in a number of international scholarly journals.
xx Notes on Contributors

Demetris Vrontis is a professor and an executive dean at the University

of Nicosia, Cyprus, EU. Vrontis is the editor-in-chief of the EuroMed
Journal of Business (EMJB), and the president of the EuroMed Research
Business Institute (EMRBI). He has authored about 200 refereed articles
and 30 books, and has given numerous presentations in conferences
around the globe. Vrontis is a fellow member and certified chartered mar-
keter of the Chartered Institute of Marketing and a chartered business
and chartered marketing consultant. He also serves as a consultant and
member of Board of Directors to a number of international companies.

Yaakov Weber is a professor and Director of the Research Unit, School

of Business Research Center, College of Management, Israel. His publica-
tions received more than 5000 citations, and were declared the “second
most cited in last five years”, “most read” and “most downloaded”, during
2017. He got the Outstanding Author Award, and one of his papers was
included in the lists of the most important works published in International
Bibliography of Sociology. He has served in various editorial positions in
leading journals such as California Management Review, Journal of World
Business, Human Resource Management, and British Journal of Management.
He is the founder and president of the EuroMed Research Business
Institute and EuroMed Academy of Business. He consults to world large
companies, start-­ups, industrial associations and more. The international
newspaper Financial Times invited him to publish his recent book A
Comprehensive Guide for Mergers and Acquisitions with them; this book was
published in 2014.

Erika Župerkienė holds a PhD in Social Sciences and is an associate

professor at the Management Department of Klaipeda University. She
obtained her PhD in 2008 on the topic, “Improving of the Development
of Managers’ Personal Qualities and Professional Skills”. She has 18 years
of experience in teaching and more than 20 years of practical experience
in business, as an entrepreneur. She has authored one monograph and
three other types of books, with over 30 of her works published in various
scientific journals. Her research mainly addresses HR management, lead-
ership and entrepreneurship. She provides training for the staff of
Lithuanian private and public sector organizations.
 List of Figures

Fig. 4.1 Initial conceptual framework 72

Fig. 4.2 Adjusted theoretical framework 80
Fig. 7.1 Model depicting effects of sustainability communications on
purchase intent through congruence 158
Fig. 11.1 Building a path to a successful Omni-channel strategy
leading to customer loyalty 253
Fig. 12.1 Conceptualising the relationship between globalisation,
corporate/business diplomacy and curative international
marketing274
Fig. 13.1 Synthesis of the key generic findings for a conceptual
social-cognitive learning approach in infrastructure project
management. (Legend: 1. D-M Decision-Making, 2. L&E
Organisational learning and education) 301
Fig. 13.2 Strategic project management system: partial framework
(1. PMIC: Construction Project Management Insight &
Capacities, 2. PBDM: Proactive Behaviors in Problem
Solving & Decision-Making, 3. LOS capacities and mindset
for wellbeing, societal aspirations, economic viability, and
protection of environment for sustainable competitive
advantage in global market dynamics) 303

xxi
 List of Tables

Table 2.1 Quantitative definitions for SMEs in Germany and the EU 14
Table 2.2 Overview empirical studies about shared service centre 19
Table 3.1 Main challenges 50
Table 3.2 Recommended policies 52
Table 4.1 Pearson correlation coefficients for the bivariate associations
among the five variables of interest 77
Table 4.2 Results of the linear regression model of the employee
retention on the four independent variables and the
demographic characteristics of the participants 79
Table 7.1 Study selection and related key words 136
Table 7.2 Case sample description 142
Table 8.1 Z-score classification zones 187
Table 8.2 Z-score classification zones (reformed) 188
Table 8.3 Bankruptcy probabilities 188
Table 8.4 Z’-scores 192
Table 8.5 Bankruptcy probabilities 192
Table 10.1 The Ten Principles of the United Nations Global Compact 221
Table 10.2 Time of joining to UNGC and codes of institutions 226
Table 10.3 Results according to the following criteria: used languages;
description of the main aspects of organisations; attention to
the UNGC focus areas 228
Table 13.1 Key characteristics of transactional and transformational
leaders297

xxiii
 1
Editorial Introduction: The Requisite
Bridge from Theory to Practice
Alkis Thrassou, Demetris Vrontis, Yaakov Weber,
S. M. Riad Shams, and Evangelos Tsoukatos

A. Thrassou (*) • D. Vrontis

Department of Marketing, University of Nicosia, Nicosia, Cyprus
e-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]
Y. Weber
School of Business Administration, College of Management,
Rishon Lezion, Israel
e-mail: [email protected]
S. M. R. Shams
Newcastle Business School, Northumbria University,
Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK
E. Tsoukatos
Department of Accounting and Finance, Hellenic Mediterranean University,
Heraklion, Crete, Greece
e-mail: [email protected]

© The Author(s) 2019 1

A. Thrassou et al. (eds.), The Synergy of Business Theory and Practice, Palgrave Studies in
Cross-disciplinary Business Research, In Association with EuroMed Academy of
Business, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-17523-8_1
2 A. Thrassou et al.

1.1  ook Context and Theoretical

B
Foundations
1.1.1 T
 he Imperative of Practicable Theory:
A Strategic Perspective

Amidst an ever-changing, shape-shifting and incessantly value-­

transforming global business context, organisations are becoming pain-
fully aware that mainstream, time-honoured strategies are becoming
increasingly irrelevant and incapable of dealing with new realities (Chebbi
et al. 2013; Leonidou et al. 2018). Inescapably and irrevocably, busi-
nesses and scholars alike have turned to alternative, innovative, pioneer-
ing and exploratory organisational notions, concepts and philosophies,
whose practical implementation might present the requisite strategies,
tactics, systems and processes to survive and grow in this positively trans-
muting ‘new world’. Organisational ambidexterity (Campanella et al.
2016), strategic reflexivity (Vrontis et al. 2012), the knowledge organisa-
tion (Vrontis et al. 2017) and many other notions have been conceived,
theoretically developed and practically applied, aiming to align businesses
with the direction of rising new forms of markets (Thrassou 2007), with
varying degrees of success.
And while scholars and practitioners appear fully aware of these
changes and are decisively geared towards successfully, albeit erratically
(Thrassou et al. 2012; Bresciani et al. 2013), adapting to these, they also
appear to have missed a critical factor of success underlying this process:
namely, the rate of change of the business world measured against the rate
of interrelationship between theory and practice. More specifically, the
lack of congruence and the temporal relation of theory and practice in
business have always been a matter of discussion, and an inherent weak-
ness of the field. However, this natural flaw, pertaining to the very nature
of science within a social/business/human context, is quietly and elu-
sively becoming the Achilles’ heel of contemporary scholarly business
research and, by extension, of business in general. To put it more simply,
the very incessant change of the business environments globally that the-
ory is trying to scientifically comprehend and master is also the very
Another random document with
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The young earl took Sir Harold’s arm and they walked the deck
together, conversing in low tones.
A little later, Mr. Atkins and Ryan appeared, and the four passengers
adjourned to the cabin, where the younger Macdonald, who acted as
steward, had set out upon the cabin table a formidable array of cold
meats, bread, biscuits, and fruits, both fresh and preserved. A pot of
hot coffee had also been provided, and a bowl of hot punch was
ready for those who preferred it.
After breakfast, the passengers returned to the deck.
They passed Fort George in good time, and came out into the
rougher waters of the Moray Frith. Here their progress was less
rapid. The Lucky lurched somewhat; but when she turned into the
straits, and finally emerged into the smoother waters of Cromarty
Frith, she was moving as steadily, although by no means as swiftly,
as a bird upon the wing.
The Arrow was out of sight, and Macdonald crowded on all the sail
the small sloop would bear. It was well he did so, for as the day wore
on the wind grew shifty, and sometimes blew dead ahead, and the
average rate of speed up the Cromarty Frith did not exceed four
miles an hour.
It was after midday when they turned into the river which led to the
loch of the Wilderness. Lord Towyn recognized the stream by the
description that had been given him, and unhesitatingly directed an
advance. Sir Harold and Mr. Atkins had many misgivings as the
sloop crept slowly up the river, a mere deep cut between high hills,
their progress like the snail’s, but they did not venture to express it to
their hopeful and confident young guide.
As the stream grew narrower their misgivings increased, and the
young earl read their thoughts in their grave faces.
“Courage!” he said, approaching the baronet. “It is true we barely
creep along here, and the day is wearing on, but the yacht has had
to go slowly here also, and cannot be more than an hour in advance
of us.”
“But, Arthur,” suggested the baronet, giving voice to his
apprehensions, “suppose that the man of the yacht deceived you as
to the proper route, or that we have taken the wrong course in
running up this river? I can’t believe that any one can make a cut in
the hills like this one an approach even to a Highland stronghold. No
wind can strike our sails, or so little, at any rate, that we could easily
walk faster than we sail, if only we had a level road to walk on. And if
we are upon the wrong tack, what will become of Neva, my poor
wronged little Neva?”
His voice trembled as he asked the question.
“I know we are going straight to her, Sir Harold,” said the earl
hopefully. “Believe and trust in my convictions. You may smile at the
idea, but I feel that I am getting nearer and nearer to Neva with every
inch we gain.”
The night closed in early in that wild Highland region, a night of wind
and mist. Not a light gleamed from the deck of The Lucky, as she felt
her way between the narrowing rocks. About six o’clock of the early
evening, she glided from the narrow river with a sudden bound, as a
puff of wind filled her flapping sails, into the hidden loch of the
Wilderness.
The yacht lay at anchor at the further side of the loch, and a mile
away. A lantern hung at her masthead, and the forms of men were
seen in the spectral glare, moving hurriedly to and fro on her deck.
“We have come to the right place, you see,” said Lord Towyn
exultantly. “This is the loch. Yonder lies the yacht, but recently come
in. The men are busy unloading their purchases.”
Sir Harold and Atkins swept the bold and rocky shores with their
keen glances. The rugged steeps were black and bare, and in the
dense gloom they saw no gleaming lights, no signs of habitation.
“We must come to anchor up in the deeper shadow of this
overhanging cliff,” said Lord Towyn.
The order was obeyed.
“Now lower a boat,” said the earl. “We will go ashore.”
The boat was lowered; the two McDonalds and the four passengers
entered it, and the boat was rowed toward the yacht, keeping close
to the black shore.
As they drew near, a row-boat was seen to shoot away from the
yacht. The McDonalds held their oars uplifted until the yacht’s boat
had grounded on the shore, and the three seamen belonging to the
yacht had landed. Two of the three employes of Craven Black loaded
themselves with hampers and parcels, and the third preceded them
up the steep and circuitous path in the mountain side, bearing a
lantern which he swung at his side.
“They are all gone up the cliff,” said the earl. “No one is left to watch
the shore. Strike out, men. Let us land and follow them up the
mountain. The man with the lantern shall guide us as well as his
comrades.”
To say was to do. The sloop’s boat speedily grounded on the strip of
beach, and Lord Towyn leaped out and sought for the entrance to
the narrow path up which the three figures were slowly climbing, one
still waving his light. The path was found. The earl bade the boatmen
wait, and the four men, Lord Towyn, Sir Harold Wynde, Mr. Atkins
and Ryan, glided up the path toward the Wilderness like so many
shadows.
 CHAPTER XXIII.
THE END OF THE GAME.

The yacht had arrived at the loch at the foot of Wilderness mountain
just as the dusk was falling. Craven Black had immediately gone
ashore in the mist and gloom, climbed the rugged steep, and
hastened to his temporary home. The windows were all uncurtained,
and a broad stream of watery light penetrated for a little distance into
the darkness. There was no sound of barking of dogs, and the
silence struck upon Craven Black’s ears strangely. The front door
stood wide open, but no one was in the hall.
He entered the house and looked into the drawing-room. Mrs.
Artress was there, pale and perturbed, a restless spark in her ashen
eyes, and disorder in her attire. She uttered an exclamation as she
beheld Mr. Black, and sprang toward him, exclaiming:
“I am so glad you are come, Craven. Have you got the medicines for
Octavia?”
“Yes. How is she?”
“I don’t know. I am very anxious about her. She looks like death, and
her breathing is very strange. She won’t lie down, but just wanders
about the house like some restless ghost. I think that her lungs are
congested, and that she is in serious danger. I really think you ought
to take her to Inverness and put her in a physician’s care. What if
she should die in this remote Wilderness?”
“She won’t die while she is able to ‘wander about the house,’”
responded Craven Black lightly. “When people are seriously ill they
take to their beds. Why are the dogs shut up?”
“Octavia ordered it. She could not bear their noise; it drove her wild,
she said.”
“Humph. Nervous. She will be better of her cold in a day or two. How
is Miss Wynde?”
“She is still obstinate, Craven, and never says a word against her
starvation diet. I am afraid we’ve made a serious mistake in our
estimate of her. She is what you sometimes call ‘game all through.’
She’ll die, but she won’t give in. I wish we had left her alone, and
allowed her to marry whom she pleased. That escapade of hers on
the mountain may cost Octavia her life. And if Octavia dies, her four
thousand a year dies too, and I shall have to become a companion
to some lady, and lead a horrible life of dependence and fear, and
you will have to go back to your precarious existence.”
“You are a pleasant comforter,” said Craven Black impatiently. “All
these horrors exist only in your imagination. Octavia will outlive us
all. Where is she?”
“In her own room.”
Black ran up the stairs to his wife’s room. He found Octavia standing
before the fire, clad in a loose wrapper, whose bright hue made her
pallid face look hideous. Her eyes were strangely large, and they
were thrown into relief by heavy black circles under them. Her long
black hair hung loosely down her back. She looked thin and old and
spectral, all the brightness and beauty gone from her. Her features
were hard in their expression, and the wicked soul declared itself
plainly in her unlovely countenance.
Craven Black recoiled at sight of her. How two or three days had
changed her! He felt a sudden repugnance to her. He had a horror of
weakness and illness, and a fear came over him that his cousin’s
terrors might not be without foundation.
“Oh, it’s you, Craven?” cried Octavia, in a thin, querulous voice.
“How long you have stayed. Did you get my medicine?”
“Yes, here it is,” and Black produced a bottle from his pocket. “It’s a
cough mixture.”
“I feel such a tightness here,” and Octavia put her hand upon her
chest. “Such a horrible restriction. I dare say, though it will be all right
in the morning. I remember, Craven, you hate sick people. Your
dinner is waiting. Let us go down.”
“You had better go to bed,” said Craven abruptly.
“I cannot lie down. My chest pains me when I attempt it. Had you
good luck at Inverness?”
Craven Black assented.
“Did you see any one you knew?”
“No; how should I? None of my acquaintances come to the
Highlands in November. I was as unrecognized at Inverness as I
should be in Patagonia. I will change my clothes and take you down
to dinner.”
He went into his dressing-room and changed his garments. Octavia
paced the room restlessly during his absence. He returned in the
course of some minutes and escorted his wife down to the dining-
room, where Mrs. Artress joined them.
He noticed that Octavia ate nothing at the meal. She complained of a
lack of appetite, and moved restlessly in her chair, starting at every
sound.
“I have read of the ancients placing a death’s head at their feasts,”
said Black grimly, “and I seem to have followed their customs.
Octavia, do try to look like something better than a galvanized
corpse.”
Octavia arose and went to the window, a spasm of pain convulsing
her hard features. The heartless mockery of her confederate in guilt
smote upon her in that hour of suffering like an avenging sword. How
she had loved him, and had sinned for him! And this was her reward!
Craven Black finished his dinner quietly, and drank his wine. Then he
arose with an air of gayety, and said:
“I have everything you sent for, Octavia, and some things you
neglected to send for. We can stand a siege in this old house all
winter, if need be. The boys are already bringing up the hampers.
Will you have a look at them?”
Octavia assented with a heavy sigh, and passed out into the front
hall with Craven Black and Mrs. Artress.
The three seamen stood in the hall, one with a lantern in his hand,
the other two in the act of depositing their hampers upon the floor.
And over the edge of the plateau at that very moment and not a
score of rods distant, four men were coming silently and slowly, with
stern faces and cautious mien, toward the house.
“That is right,” said Craven Black, examining the hampers. “Bring up
the wine baskets next.”
The three men went out. The four pursuers stood in the shadow of
the trees as they passed, and then resumed their approach to the
dwelling.
“I’d like to see how the girl stands her imprisonment,” said Craven
Black. “I’ll let her know that we are prepared to spend the winter
here. By the way, Octavia, I posted that second letter to Brussels to-
day, addressed under cover of a letter to Celeste’s sister, to Lord
Towyn. We have nicely hood-winked the earl, and I should like the
girl to know of our successful manœuvres. Where is Celeste?”
“In Neva’s ante-room.”
“Come then. We will visit our prisoner.”
He went upstairs, Octavia following slowly, assisted by Mrs. Artress.
Celeste sat at work in the ante-room of Neva’s chamber, and
admitted the visitors into Neva’s presence, entering with them.
And outside the house, upon the lawn, the four shadows came
nearer and yet nearer. They flitted up the steps of the porch, and in
at the open door. They paused a moment in the deserted lower hall,
and then, hearing voices above, came silently and darkly up the
stairs, and paused at the door of the ante-room.
That room was deserted. The light streamed from the inner room,
where Neva and her enemies were grouped. The sound of voices
came out to the intruders. Softly, with sternly eager faces, the four
crept across the floor of the ante-room, and two—Sir Harold Wynde
and Lord Towyn—looked in upon the Blacks and their young victim.
The earl breathed hard, and would have leaped in like a lion to the
rescue of his betrothed and to the confusion of his enemies, but Sir
Harold Wynde held him back with a grasp of iron. The baronet meant
to learn the falseness and perfidy of the wife he had so idolized and
trusted, from her own lips.
And with what unconscious frankness she bared her guilty soul to his
scrutiny. How completely she revealed her wickedness to him.
At the moment the intruders looked in with burning eyes upon them,
Octavia was speaking. Neva stood up near the fire, very pale and
slender and fragile of figure, as her father and lover saw with
swelling hearts, but her red-brown eyes glowed with the light of an
undying courage, her head was poised haughtily upon her slender
throat, and her lips were curled in a smile of dauntless defiance.
“You see, Craven,” Octavia was saying querulously. “We have
starved the girl; we have fed her for weeks on bread and water, until
her bodily strength must be nearly gone, and yet she stands there
and defies us. What are we to do with her?”
“Miss Wynde does not sufficiently realize her own helplessness and
our power,” said Craven Black. “Your friends think you traveling with
us upon the Continent, Miss Neva. I have posted to-day a letter
apparently in your handwriting, under cover to a friend in Brussels,
who will post it back to England. That letter is addressed to Lord
Towyn. How he will kiss and caress it, and wear it in his bosom,
never doubting that you wrote it. I shall send him another letter next
week, in your name, breaking your engagement with him.”
The young earl made a slight movement but Sir Harold held him still
in a grip of iron.
Neva’s pure, proud face flushed with scorn for her enemies.
“You may send as many letters as you please to Lord Towyn,” she
said haughtily, “but you will not deceive him so readily as you did me
with that letter purporting to come from papa. Oh, Octavia, I am glad
papa never lived to know you as you are, base, treacherous, and full
of double-dealing! It is well for him that he did not live, for you would
have broken his noble heart. He loved and trusted you, and you
have repaid him by oppressing his daughter whom he loved.”
The hard, haggard features of Octavia distorted themselves in a
sneer.
The baronet wondered with a sudden horror if this was the woman
he had loved. She looked a very Medusa to him now.
“Your father! Your ‘poor papa!’” mocked Octavia, with her hand upon
her chest. “You have flung Sir Harold’s name and memory at me
ever since we came to this place. And what was Sir Harold? A mere
Moneybags to me, that’s all. If you hope to move me to pity you, you
couldn’t use a worse name to give effect to your appeal than the
name of your father. I never loved Sir Harold Wynde, but I married
him because he was rich. You needn’t look so horrified. People
marry for such reasons every day, but they have not my frankness to
avow it. There stands the man whom I have loved for years,” and
she pointed at Craven Black. “It is his son whom I intend you shall
marry—”
“To enrich you, madam!” cried Neva.
“Yes, to enrich me, since you say so?” exclaimed Octavia. “You have
seventy thousand pounds a year; I have four thousand. I intend to
equalize matters before you and I separate. Craven has just returned
from Inverness with household stores sufficient to last us through the
winter, and we will stay here till spring, if necessary to compel you to
accede to our wishes. Your fare, every day through this winter, until
you yield to us, shall be bread and water. I warn you not to carry your
resistance too far for I may be moved to deprive you of a fire.”
Neva’s lovely face continued to glow with her haughty scorn.
“You seem to think that I am deserted by God and man, and
completely given over to you,” she cried. “You are mistaken. God has
not deserted me. And I can assure you, Craven and Octavia Black,
that before many weeks—before many days perhaps—Lord Towyn
will trace me to this place and rescue me from your hands.”
“Let him come!” sneered Craven Black. “Let him come!”
“Yes,” mocked Octavia, “let him come!”
Lord Towyn broke from the grasp Sir Harold still held upon him, and
stalked into the chamber.
With a shriek of delight, loud and piercing, Neva flew to his arms.
He held her clasped to his breast and backed toward the door,
coming to a halt, looking at Neva’s enemies with stern, accusing
eyes.
Craven Black, Octavia, Mrs. Artress and Celeste stared at him
appalled. Not one could speak, but Octavia’s hand clutched at her
chest with sudden frenzy.
“Lord Towyn!” gasped Mrs. Artress at last, faintly.
Craven Black broke forth into curses. His hand flew to his breast
pocket, but fell again, as the door pushed open and Mr. Atkins and
Ryan, the detective, entered the room.
“By Heaven, the game is up!” he cried.
“Yes,” said our young hero, “the game is up. You have played a
daring game, Craven Black, and you have lost it.”
Octavia gasped for breath. The bitterness of defeat was almost more
than she could bear. The sight of Neva in the arms of her lover
nearly goaded her to madness.
“Yes, the game is up,” she said hollowly, “I suppose that you traced
Craven here from Inverness; but how did you get upon our trail?
How did you happen at Inverness? No matter. I do not care to know
just yet. You cannot prosecute us, Lord Towyn, if you care to
preserve your bride’s family name from scandal. I was Sir Harold
Wynde’s wife, and that fact must shield me and my friends. You
cannot take from me my jointure of four thousand a year, and with
that Craven and I need not suffer, especially as we have the Wynde
Heights estate. The game is up, Lord Towyn, as you say, but we are
not discomforted nor overthrown. You will keep silence for the sake
of the family. Besides, you know I am Neva’s personal guardian, and
had a right to take her where I please.”
“That remains to be seen,” said the young earl sternly. “Neva,
darling, look up. I have news for you.”
Neva slowly lifted her pale, joyous face from her lover’s bosom, and
stood a little way from him, eager, expectant, and wondering.
“My poor little girl!” said the young earl, with an infinite yearning.
“How you have suffered! I have brought you very startling news, and
you will need all your bravery to bear it. Give me your hands—so!
Neva, I have news from India.”
Something in his tone startled the girl. Her face grew paler on the
instant.
“Yes, Arthur,” she said softly. “You have heard more about his death
—poor papa!”
“A gentleman has come from India,” said the earl telling the story
much as Atkins had told it to him. “He says—can you bear to hear it,
darling—he says that Sir Harold did not die out there at all: that he
was attacked by a tiger, but was rescued by his Hindoo servant, who
sent him away into the mountains in the care of other Hindoos, who
kept Sir Harold a captive. And he says that Sir Harold is alive and
well to-day.”
“Oh, Arthur, Arthur! Can it be?” cried Neva, trembling. “My poor
father! I dreamed that he still lived, and my dream has come true.
We will start for India at once, and rescue papa. Oh, Arthur, do you
think it is true!”
“Yes, my darling, I believe it.”
“Well, I don’t!” sneered Craven Black, turning pale nevertheless.
“Such trumpery tales are common enough. Look at Livingstone. He’s
been said to be dead these several years, but every little while the
newspapers resurrect him. I know Sir Harold is dead!”
“And I know it,” scoffed Octavia. “Alive, after an absence of so long
duration! Bah! I wonder you haven’t more sense, Lord Towyn. Sir
Harold Wynde alive! I should like to see him!”
The door swung slowly on its hinges, and Sir Harold Wynde walked
into the room. He paused near the door, and surveyed his false wife
with stern and awful eyes.
Octavia gave utterance to a frightful scream—whose horror was
indescribable—and bounded forward, her hand upon her breast, and
fell to the floor upon her face.
Sir Harold’s awful gaze turned upon Craven Black, and seemed to
turn that individual to stone. It rested upon Artress, and she cowered
before it in terror. It passed over the French woman, and fixed itself
upon Neva, softening and melting to almost more than human
tenderness and love, and then, with a great joy shining in his keen
blue eyes, he opened wide his arms. Neva sprang forward, and was
clasped close to his great heart.
The sacred joy of that reunion need not be dwelt upon.
Presently, as Sir Harold was about to lead his daughter from the
room, his glance rested upon the still prostrate figure of Octavia.
“Look to your wife, Mr. Black,” he said; his irony arousing Black from
his stupor. “She has fainted!”
Craven Black obeyed the voice of command, essaying to lift the
prostrate figure of Octavia, but with a cry of horror he let it fall again,
shouting hoarsely:
“She’s dead! Octavia is dead!”
It was true. The engorged lungs had ceased their work. The heart
had stopped its beating.
That night, the yacht and the sloop started upon their return to
Inverness. In the former were Craven Black, dispirited and
despairing; Mrs. Artress, full of bewailings for the poverty into which
she was now plunged; the French maid; the dead body of the false
Octavia; and the three sailors in Black’s employ.
In the sloop were Neva and her friends.
The two vessels arrived safely at Inverness, and the remains of Lady
Wynde were consigned to the grave. Craven Black did not wait to
see the last rites performed for her who had served his wicked
purposes so faithfully and so well, but, abandoning his cousin, put to
sea in his yacht with three sailors, not caring whither he went.
A week later, the wreck of the yacht was found upon the north
German coast, and four bodies were washed ashore, two still living,
two dead. And of the dead, one was identified, from the papers on
his person, as Craven Black.
Sir Harold with his daughter and his friends returned to Hawkhurst.
The story of Sir Harold’s return to England had preceded them, and
from the moment that the party alighted at the Canterbury station
until after their arrival at their own home, Sir Harold received one
continual ovation. The tenantry of Hawkhurst turned out in a body to
welcome home their beloved landlord. The joy bells were rung in the
little village of Wyndham, and guns were fired. It was a day long to
be remembered throughout that part of Kent.
The shadow that had fallen on Sir Harold’s life when he first learned
the baseness of his second wife, was dispelled by the tender love
and attentions of Neva and her young lover. The smiles came back
to his lips and the joy to his heart, and he learned the lesson that
many must learn, that life need not be all dark and desolate because
one friend of the many has proved false.
A few months later the joy bells rang again, and again the tenantry of
Sir Harold made merry. The occasion was the marriage of the
heiress of Hawkhurst to the young Lord Towyn. It was a joyous
bridal. Sir John Freise and wife, and their seven daughters were
there. Mr. Atkins’ plain face beamed from the midst of the throng.
Rufus Black and his gipsy-faced young wife, both happy and loving,
had come down from Mount street to grace the wedding, and no
congratulations to the young bridal pair were more sincere than
those uttered by Rufus.
At the wedding breakfast, while Neva, fair and proud, and radiant as
a star, sat beside her equally radiant young bridegroom, Rufus Black
found opportunity to speak a word privately to the bride.
“It has all ended as it ought to, Miss Neva—my lady, I mean,” he
whispered joyously. “Your father has got over his disappointment and
grief, and looks like a king, as he stands yonder. I am getting to be a
man—an honest, upright, strong-souled man, with genuine
backbone and downright vim. Lally believes in me, you see, and
upholds me, God bless her. And you and the earl are as happy as
angels, Miss Ne—my lady, and you deserve to be. Mrs. Artress is a
governess—where do you think—oh, divine justice—in the house of
the Blights at Canterbury! What worse could we wish her? Our
enemies—they were mine as well as yours, Lady Towyn—played a
daring game, and they lost it!”

THE END.

No. 233 of the Select Library, is the first volume of “The Three
Musketeers,” by Alexandre Dumas.
 A Big Step
forward in quality is the reason for the unprecedented strides in
popularity that the S. & S. novels are making.
The demand has been greater than the supply, the latter having
been somewhat restricted on account of war conditions. We are
running our presses night and day turning out “good ones” for the
consumption of men and women who want good reading matter and
who have got to get it at a modest price.
If you want to read a novel really worth while, buy a copy of No. 1020
New Eagle Series—SLIGHTED LOVE—by Mrs. Alex. McVeigh
Miller. This is a book that will be appreciated by every woman.
If the above are ordered from the publishers, 4c. must be added to
the retail price of each copy to cover postage.

STREET & SMITH CORPORATION

79 Seventh Avenue, New York City
 1855-1919
For sixty-four consecutive years, Street & Smith have
specialized in the publication of clean, wholesome
fiction. During this time we gave the public what it
wanted, and as the demand changed, our publications
changed with it.
What most American readers want at present are the S.
& S. novels, especially those in the New Eagle Series
by Emma Garrison Jones, who wrote straightaway
American love stories of exceptional interest and vigor.
Mrs. Jones’ works cannot be found in any other line,
and for interest they cannot be excelled at the price.
Here are some of the best Jones books:
Against Love’s Rules No. 890
All Lost but Love No. 868
Her Twentieth Guest No. 860
His Good Angel No. 786
Just for a Title No. 909
If the above are ordered from the publishers, 4c. must
be added to the retail price of each copy to cover
postage.

STREET & SMITH CORPORATION

79 Seventh Avenue, New York
City
 AN ANALYSIS
of public taste in literature shows an overwhelming preference for
fiction.
Our mode of living is very complex. The average business man and
woman and the house-wife have a lot to be troubled about these
days, so that the turning to good fiction as an escape from daily
cares is perfectly natural. This explains in part why the S. & S.
novels are so popular. The rest of the reason is that they are mighty
good stories at mighty low prices.
There isn’t a red-blooded man with a few hours to spare who will not
enjoy reading the stories of Buffalo Bill, by Colonel Prentiss
Ingraham, published in the Buffalo Bill Border Stories. There
are some fifty titles to choose from, and your dealer is sure to have a
good assortment of them to offer you. Here are a few of the titles in
the series which have recently made their appearance:
Buffalo Bill and the Gold King No. 50
Buffalo Bill, Deadshot No. 51
Buffalo Bill’s Buckskin Bravoes No. 52
Buffalo Bill’s Big Four No. 53
Buffalo Bill’s One-Armed Pard No. 54
If the above are ordered from the publishers, 4c. must be added to
the retail price of each copy to cover postage.

STREET & SMITH CORPORATION

79 Seventh Avenue, New York City
 A Big Customer
The American reading public is the biggest and only
customer we have for the S. & S. novels. It’s a good-
natured, clean-minded customer, too. That’s why the
demand for our books is so phenomenal.
The Medal Library contains over five hundred different
books by authors who know how to write stories exactly
suited to the wants of the American reading public.
The quality of the stories, however, is not to be judged
by the low price.
Ask your news dealer to show you some Medal
Library books, especially those by Edward C. Taylor
and Maxwell Stevens.
If the above are ordered from the publishers, 4c. must
be added to the retail price of each copy to cover
postage.

STREET & SMITH CORPORATION

79 Seventh Avenue, New York
City
 What Makes a Superwoman?
Beauty? No!
Daintiness? No!
Wit? No!
Youth? No!
Femininity? No!
Seek the Superwoman
You will find her in almost every generation, in almost every country,
in almost every city. She is not a typical adventuress, she is not a
genius. The reason for her strong power is occult. The nameless
charm is found as often in homely, clumsy, dull, old masculine
women as in the reverse of these types.

What Makes a Superwoman?

If you think the problem worth while, why not try to solve it by reading
Albert Payson Terhune’s great book, SUPERWOMEN? From
Cleopatra to Lady Hamilton—they are mighty interesting characters.
Some of them smashed thrones, some of them were content with
wholesale heart smashing. You will know their secret, or rather their
secrets, for seldom did two of them follow the same plan of
campaign.
We have prepared a very handsome, special, limited edition of the
book, worthy of a place on your “best book” shelf. If you subscribe to
AINSLEE’S MAGAZINE now you can purchase it for 50c. Send us a
money order for $2.50 and receive SUPERWOMEN postpaid, and,
in addition, over 1900 pages of splendid fiction throughout the
coming year. AINSLEE’S MAGAZINE is the best and smartest purely
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