Digital Commons Network^™

Scientists, Career Choices And Organisational Change: Managing Human Resources In Cross-Sector R&D Organisations, T. Turpin, Samuel Garrett-Jones, Kieren Diment

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

The resource-based view of the firm has drawn attention to the role of human resources in building innovative capacity within firms. In 'high technology' firms, scientific capability is a critical factor in achieving international competitiveness. Science, however, is a costly business and many firms are entering into cross-sector R&D partnerships in order to gain access to leading edge scientific capability. The Australian Cooperative Research Centres (CRC) program is typical of the ways many governments are seeking to promote such cross-sector R&D collaboration. Scientists are key resources in these organisational arrangemation available about why and when scientists choose to work in …

Unbounded Rationality: The Role Of Connectedness In Right Decision-Making, Mario Fernando, Scott Burrows

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This paper reports the preliminary findings of a study examining the role of connection in right decision-making of managers operating in Australia. The key aims of the study are to identify the influence of connectedness in the ethical outcomes of right decision-making, to identify barriers to right decision-making and lastly, to examine the nature of any relationship/s between connectedness and unbounded rationality in right decision-making. The study compares and contrasts eight case studies of middle and senior managers drawn from information technology, service and manufacturing sectors. The primary data for the study are in-depth interviews. The findings suggest that connection …

Launching Research: Experiences With And Achievements Of A Research Mentoring Platform For Academic Women, M. Barrett, Sara Dolnicar, M. Kaidonis, L. C. Moerman, Melanie J. Randle, C. Wood

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Due to the continuing under-representation of women in academic positions of higher rank, the Faculty of Commerce at the University of Wollongong tested a mentoring platform for female researchers. This article reviews the first eight months of the platform’s lifetime and analyses experiences, achievements and failures in both a qualitative and quantitative manner. The quantitative analysis is based on a benchmark survey at the first research platform meeting and a second follow-up survey after the eight-month test period. The majority of female researchers participating in the Women in Commerce Research Platform (WICRP) were already interested in the research component of …

Worker Commitment In The Australian Film Industry, M. L. Jones, George K. Kriflik, M. Zanko

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Worker commitment in the Australian Film Industry is examined in this paper. Workers express a perceived inequity with regard to the inputs versus their outcomes. However, their continued engagement and persistent hard work in the industry would indicate a state of equity. Adams’ Equity Theory has been used in this research as a tool to help uncover the various factors which work to implicitly return equity to film workers. The commitment factors that have emerged through the research are discussed, and are considered in light of the factors which have surfaced through a preliminary literature review.

Our Retirement In Their Hands: A User Perspective, C. L. Cortese, D. K. Aylward, J. Glynn

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Superannuation has become a key policy issue for the Australian government as the population continues to age at an increasing rate. Government policy has focussed on shifting the major financial burden retirement back on individuals with legislation and schemes aimed at encouraging self-funded retirement. The Financial Services Reform Act 2001 is the most recent legislative reform to affect the booming superannuation industry, with the objective of enhancing consumer confidence in the financial services markets, thereby increasing reliance on financial advisors and boosting superannuation savings. This paper reports on the results of a survey which demonstrate that despite government initiatives, most …

The Disruptive Impact Of Attribute Information On The Effectiveness Of Analogies In Print Advertising As A Means To Enhance Consumer Learning Of New Product Benefits, A. Ait El Houssi, K. P. Morel, E. J. Hultink

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

The presented study had two purposes. First, it pursued to demonstrate that it is more effective to use analogies in advertisements for really new products to increase consumers’ comprehension of the new product’s benefits than not to use analogies. Second, it aimed to test the (counterintuitive) assumption that inclusion of product attribute information in the advertisement in addition to the analogy would actually frustrate benefit comprehension. The results of the experiment showed that advertisements with an analogy lead to greater benefit comprehension than advertisements without an analogy. Further, it is more effective in print advertising in managing consumer learning of …

Marketing Recycled Water: Review Of Past Studies And Research Agenda, Sara Dolnicar, C. Saunders

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

A review of past marketing-related research in the area of recycled water has been conducted. Findings are reported within the main areas of past research: willingness to adopt different forms of usage of recycled water, concerns of the general public towards the use of recycled water, the socio-demographic profile of early adopters, strategies to increase acceptance and adoption of recycled water in communities, perceived benefits among users of recycled water. The limitations of prior studies are reviewed and gaps identified, leading to recommendations for a future marketing-related research agenda to support public acceptance of recycled water in communities

Cultural Perceptions Of Volunteering: Attracting Volunteers In An Increasingly Multicultural Society, Sara Dolnicar, Melanie J. Randle

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Contributing 42 billion dollars to the Australian economy annually, volunteering has become an industry of major importance. The increasingly multicultural nature of Australia has presented new challenges for nonprofit marketers in terms of designing recruitment strategies that appeal to the extremely heterogeneous cultural groups that make up our society. While various studies have focused on the application of marketing techniques to the nonprofit sector, there has been a lack of research looking specifically at the nonprofit organisations competing within a particular marketplace, and whether the perceptions and image of these competitors differs between cultural groups. This empirical study seeks to …

Towards Executive Information Systems Adoptions By Knowledge Workers: An Extension Of The Technology Acceptance Model To Account For Social-Cultural Factors, Emmanuel Ikart

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

In recent years a number of organisations have implemented executive information systems (EIS) in order to improve the performance gains on their executives’ job. Although the use of EIS is important to executives, majority of executives are unwilling to use EIS because of their design failures. By using social factors, habits and facilitation conditions variables from Triandis’ framework, this paper extends the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to derive useful variables to address the problem of the low usage of EIS by executives. This paper reports on the research in progress in Australia on the adoption and usage of EIS by …

Personal Response Systems Workshop, Brian Murphy, Ciorstan J. Smark

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Personal response systems (PRS) are known under several names. "Clickers"; "Audience Response Systems"; "Group Response Systems"; and "Classroom Performance Systems"; all of these are systems where the audience can respond to questions or give feedback to the presenter of a lecture or workshop whilst that presentation is taking place. This allows for immediate, and (if wished) anonymous feedback to the presenter and to the class.

Are You Selling The Right Colour? A Cross-Cultural Review Of Colour As A Marketing Cue, Mubeen M. Aslam

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Should a marketer adopt a pancultural or a culture-specific approach in using colour in marketing? This paper reviews the psychological and sociocultural associations and meanings of colour(s) in a cross-cultural marketing perspective, and outlines its role as a marketing cue. It is argued that a cross-cultural perspective of colour research and application is imperative for developing global marketing strategies, and the cultural values, marketing objectives and desired customer relationship levels would dictate the choice of colour in corporate and marketing communications in the 21st Century. IdentifYing appropriate colour-culture clusters also facilitates the development of a colour theory in marketing.

A Comparison Of Viewers' Cognitive And Psychophysiological Responses To Threat-Appeal Tv Advertisements, Jennifer Ann Algie

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This study examines the emotional reactions experienced by viewers during threat appeal anti-speeding TV advertisements using both a cognitive continuous response measure of fear and a psychophysiological response measure of arousal. Static, postonly, self-report methods are typically used to obtain ad responses, however this study uses dynamic continuous response measures to gain a better picture of how viewers are responding throughout the entire ad. A comparison of the two different types of continuous response measures is made to determine if both measures produce similar or different results. Participants for the study watched one of four anti-speeding ads, with 20 participants …

Australian School Funding And Accountability: History Imploding Into The Present, Kathleen M. Rudkin

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This paper examines historical origins of accountability for public funding in the Australian school education system. Understandings of accountability have developed unique to the Australian context, embedding institutions and ideas from a colonial past. It is shown that the funding arrangements used to distribute and account for public education funds are political devices to mediate enduring historic relationships between government and non-government schools, while at the same time masking these relationships in the veiled rhetoric of a broader Australian cultural imperative of egalitarianism. It concludes the current funding and accountability of school education in Australia is a simulacrum of accountability. …

Empirical Market Segmentation: What You See Is What You Get, Sara Dolnicar

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

The aim of the chapter is to discuss and illustrate different approaches taken in the area of empirical market segmentation in tourism, and to raise conceptual, practical and methodological problems in this context. The chapter is limited to the discussion of empirical market segmentation, which means that an empirical data set (typically resulting from a tourist survey) represents the basis. Purely conceptual derivation of market segments or tourist typologies is not treated. Given this aim, the reader should be provided with an overview of empirical market segmentation in tourism and realize how much unexploited potential for improvement remains in this …

Coverage, Knowledge And Perceptions Of Superannuation In Australia, A. C. Worthington

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Binary logit models are used to predict coverage, knowledge and perceptions of superannuation on the basis of individual demographic, socioeconomic and financial characteristics. The data is drawn from the 2003 ANZ Survey of Adult Financial Literacy in Australia and relates to 3,548 respondents. Knowledge of superannuation is defined, amongst other things, in terms of understanding superannuation fees and charges and statements, recognising the voluntary and compulsory nature of additional employee and employer contributions and the recognising the lower taxation of superannuation compared to other investments. Factors examined include gender, age, ethnicity, occupation, educational level and family structure, along with household …

Internet Purchase Behaviour Of Australian Internet Shoppers, Julie E. Francis

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Just as Internet retailing is a relatively new and rapidly changing marketing activity, Internet shoppers form a relatively new consumer group that is evolving as the early adopters are increasingly joined by members of the broader market. In addition to the composition of this group changing, tracking the fundamental behaviours of Internet shoppers may be hampered by differences in research reporting methods and the costs associated with identifying genuine Internet shoppers for research purposes. Accordingly, this paper describes an Internet survey in which the behaviour of 1283 Australian Internet shoppers was examined. The frequency with which participants purchased products online …

Answer Format Effects Revisited, Sara Dolnicar, Bettina Grun

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

The effect of answer formats presented to respondents in written surveys are investigated for two constructs (attitudes and behavioral intentions) and three response scales (binary, ordinal and metric). Results indicate that (1) formats differ in their susceptibility to response styles but lead to the same results with respect to average values and underlying dimensions; (2) binary format is quicker to complete and perceived as quicker while all formats are perceived as equally simple, pleasant, and useful to express feelings; (3) an interaction between the construct measured and the answer format clearly exists which should be investigated more systematically in future …

Executive Information Systems And The Top-Officers' Roles: An Exploratory Study Of User-Behaviour Model And Lessons Learnt, Emmanuel Ikart

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

In recent years a number of organisations have implemented executive information systems (EIS) in order to improve the performance of their executives’ jobs. Although the use of EIS is important in executives’ work, the majority of executives are unwilling to use EIS applications because of their design flaws. By using social factors, habits and facilitation condition variables from Triandis’ framework, this paper extends the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to derive useful variables to address the problem of the low usage of EIS by executives. This paper reports on research in progress in Australia on the adoption and usage of EIS …

Internet Banking: An Empirical Investigation Into The Extent Of Adoption By Banks And The Determinants Of Customer Satisfaction In The United Arab Emirates, Raed Awamleh, Cedwyn Fernandes

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This study adopts the Diniz (1998) model to evaluate websites of foreign and local banks in the United Arab Emirates and through a survey of users ascertains factors that influence customer satisfaction of the internet banking service. These are convenience, independence, and security of internet banking transactions.

Results suggest that although the banking sector in the United Arab Emirates is a regional leader, internet banking in the United Arab Emirates is yet to be properly utilized as a real added value tool to improve customer relationship and to attain cost advantages. To identify factors influencing satisfaction of internet banking customers, …

Empirical Investigation Of Internet Banking In The Uae: Bank Adoption Levels In The Context Of Customer Satisfaction And Influencers Of Adoption Among Potential Users (Wp), C. Fernandes, Raed Awamleh

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This study evaluates websites of foreign and local banks in the United Arab Emirates and through a survey of users ascertains factors that influence customer satisfaction of the internet banking service. In addition, determinants of potential users intentions are examined. It is shown that although the banking sector in the UAE is a regional leader, internet banking in the UAE is yet to be properly utilized as a real added value tool to improve customer relationship and to attain cost advantages. To identify factors influencing satisfaction of internet banking customers, data was collected from internet banking users and potential users …

Call Centres: Where To Next?, Zeenobiyah Naadiyah Hannif, Pamela Mathews, Bernadine Cantrick-Brooks

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Call centres, as a rapidly growing industry, have attracted research attention due to associated development, organisation and work practices. However, there is still much to be investigated, particularly given rapid developments in the industry which can already be seen through the evolution of call centres into contact centres providing both telephony and internet services to customers. As call centres continue to evolve there are various alternatives available to them in regards to strategy and structure. This paper considers the emergence of teleworking as an attractive option for specialist call centre staff, and briefly examines the implications for HRM, unions and …

An Empirical Investigation Of Annual Reporting Trends Of Intellectual Capital In Sri Lanka, Indra Abeysekera, J. Guthrie

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This study examines the annual reports of each of the top 30 firms listed on the Colombo Stock Exchange in the period 1998/1999 to 1999/2000, using the ‘content analysis’ method. The findings indicate that the most reported accounting category during this period was external capital and the second most reported was human capital. There was an increase in the frequency of intellectual capital reporting over the 2 years, which this paper explains using political economy of accounting theory. Interestingly, the individual intellectual capital items of each capital category reported by firms in Sri Lanka differed from those found in other …

Research As Praxis: A Research Mentoring Platform For Academic Women, Mary A. Barrett, Sara Dolnicar, Mary Kaidonis, Lee C. Moerman, Melanie J. Randle, Christa Wood

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

In response to the continuing under-representation of women in academic positions of higher rank, the Faculty of Commerce and the Employment, Equity and Diversity unit at the University of Wollongong jointly supported a Women in Commerce Research Platform (WICRP) with the view to increasing research of women in commerce. We describe the WICRP and evaluate it in the context of prior research related to the specific challenges faced by female academics. The WICRP pilot period was reviewed using surveys and open ended questions and our findings are generally consistent with prior research. This paper draws on these findings and in …

Systems Resemblance And Workpractice Evolution: Implications For Work Activity (Re)Design, Rodney J. Clarke

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This paper is concerned with addressing the question of how apparently disparate and unconnected systems can resemble each other. The question of what counts as a systems resemblance necessitates developing contextual workpractice descriptions associated with the systems features and ultimately entire systems. Using systemic semiotics an apparent ontogenetic convergence between entirely different systems is used to show that systems resemblance can be inferred when the constituent workpractices of information systems consist of comparable register features and especially if they exhibit comparable generic features. The implications of these findings for a new class of work activity (re)design practices are considered.

Gender Discrimination And Growth In Major Economies In Asia, Van Hoa Tran

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Economic growth, its determination and distribution have been the main objectives of normative and positive market economics over the years.

A Campus Portal Development Methodology To Match Stakeholder Activity, Tharitpong Fuangvut, Helen M. Hasan

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Although introduced less than seven years ago, a Campus Portal (CP) can be considered as an emerging technological innovation within higher education institutions. A large number have already adopted the concept and are currently implementing some type of portal to extend the services of their Web site and information systems to support the activities of institutional stakeholders, especially students. There is some literature recommending sets of characteristics and functionality for successful CPs, in particular personalisation and customisation. However there is a lack of evidence on which aspects of core attributes lead to the failure of a portal to satisfy user …

Financial Literacy In Australia, Andrew C. Worthington

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Ordered logit models are used to predict financial literacy on the basis of individual demographic, socioeconomic and financial characteristics. The data is drawn from the 2003 ANZ Survey of Adult Financial Literacy in Australia and relates to 3,548 respondents. Financial literacy is defined, amongst other things, in terms of standard mathematical ability and understanding of basic and advanced financial terms. Factors examined include gender, age, ethnicity, occupation, educational level and family structure, along with household income, savings (including superannuation), and mortgage and non-mortgage debt. The evidence suggests that financial literacy is highest for respondents aged between 50 and 60 years, …

Dynamic Schema Navigation Using Formal Concept Analysis, Jon R. Ducrou, Bastian Wormuth, Peter W. Eklund

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This paper introduces a framework for relational schema navigation via a Web-based browser application that uses Formal Concept Analysis as the metaphor for analysis and interaction. Formal Concept Analysis is a rich framework for data analysis based on applied lattice and order theory. The application we develop, D-SIFT, is intended to provide users untrained in Formal Concept Analysis with practical and intuitive access to the core functionality of Formal Concept Analysis for the purpose of exploring relational database schema. D-SIFT is a Web-based information systems architecture that supports natural search processes over a preexisting database schema and its content.

Improving The Store Design Of Male Fashion And Apparel Retailers, Jennifer Ann Algie, Katerina Korlimbinis

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This study focuses upon men’s store preferences when shopping for fashion and apparel items and represents an extension of Torresa, Summers and Belleau’s (2001) research, which displayed a rank-order of ten shopping preferences of male University students. An additional item of ‘ease of finding items’, which is arguably a critical component of consumers’ first impressions of a store and their degree of comfort in-store, was included in the rank-order activity of the current study. The participants of the current study were drawn from the general population, consisting of a convenience sample of 226 men of all ages. Similar to the …

Delivering The Right Tourist Service To The Right People – A Comparison Of Segmentation Approaches, Sara Dolnicar, Friedrich Leisch

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Market segmentation has developed to become a generally accepted and widely applied concept in strategic marketing. However, the gap between academic research aiming at increased sophistication of the methodology and managerial use has steadily increased. This paper takes the perspective of a destination manager and compares two segmentation approaches. One typically used in destination management (a priori geographical segmentation) and another one that is common in academic literature (a posteriori behavioural segmentation). The comparison emphasizes managerial usefulness (implying maximization of match between the tourists’ vacation needs and the destinations’ offer) and is illustrated with an empirical guest survey data set …