Business Commons^™

Key Drivers Of Airline Loyalty, Sara Dolnicar, Klaus Grabler, Bettina Grun, Anna Kulnig

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This study investigates drivers of airline loyalty. It contributes to the body of knowledge in the area by investigating loyalty for a number of a priori market segments identified by airline management and by using a method which accounts for the multi-step nature of the airline choice process. The study is based on responses from 687 passengers. Results indicate that, at aggregate level, frequent flyer membership, price, the status of being a national carrier and the reputation of the airline as perceived by friends are the variables which best discriminate between travellers loyal to the airline and those who are …

The Role Of The Government In Financial Sector Development, Arusha Cooray

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This study examines the impact of two dimensions of the government, namely, size and quality, on two dimensions of the financial sector, size and efficiency, in a cross section of 71 economies. The study finds that increased quality of the government as measured by governance and legal origin positively influences both financial sector size and efficiency. The size of the government proxied by government expenditure and the government ownership of banks has a negative effect on financial sector efficiency, and a positive impact on financial sector size, particularly in the low income economies.

Political Connection And Managerial Entrenchment: Evidence From Ceo Turnovers In China, Jerry Cao, Xiaofei Pan, Meijun Qian, Gary G. Tian

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Firms seek political connection by hiring politicians and ex-bureaucrats as top executives in China, especially in privately controlled firms. One unintended consequence of establishing political connection is management entrenchment. Political connected CEOs have smaller equity holding than CEOs without political background. Political connection significantly lowers the CEO turnover probability and turnover-performance sensitivity. Firm performance improves after political connected CEOs are replaced, particularly if replaced by new ones not politically connected. Overall, our findings suggest that political connection in association with management entrenchment destroys shareholder value, harms firm performance, and exacerbates corporate governance in emerging economies.

Red Queen Takes White Knight: The Commercialisation Of Accounting Education In Australia, Edmund W. Watts, Carol J. Mcnair, Graham D. Bowrey

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Purpose - This paper investigates the consequences of the commercialisation of Australian universities. It also provides a theoretical framework which focuses this action. Design / methodology - The Red Queen scenario posits that organisations that are more active than their rivals (they run faster) improve their competitive positions and increase their performance. However, organisations that are more sluggish (they run slower) experience negative performance consequences. This paper examines this process using the new institutional theory against the backdrop of the quest for increased international student numbers, higher international ranking and international accreditation. Findings - Using data from the 2011 Excellence …

Investigating Chinese And Australian Student's Awareness And Interpretation Of Csr, And The Influence Of Studying 'Socially Innovative Commerce' Over Time, Zhengfeng Li, Alan A. Pomering, Gary I. Noble

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This study compares Chinese students studying in Australia and Australian domestic students on awareness and interpretation of, and attitude and behavioural intention towards the concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR), and the influence on both of studying within an environment termed "socially innovative commerce". While previous research has found that age, gender, and study major of students may influence perceptions of CSR, this rsearch found these variables are not as significant as cultural background. These findings are presented and discussed along with future research directions.

Reflections On Interpretive Supply Chain Research, Tillmann Boehme, Paul Childerhouse, Eric Deakins, Denis Towill

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

A key purpose of this paper is to stimulate researchers into utilising a more balanced portfolio of research methods when generating supply chain theory. The supply chain/logistics literature overwhelmingly exhibits objectivist/positivist philosophical assumptions, indicating that this is what researchers believe constitutes valid discipline knowledge. In contrast, this paper demonstrates that an interpretive perspective is capable of yielding a comprehensive picture of the relationship between the supply chain and the ‘messy’ environment within which it is embedded (contingency theory). By reflecting on lessons learned through many years of practical researcher experience with such a methodology, this paper serves to motivate the …

Using Decision Tree In Business Collaborator, Chao Sun, Yu Zhang

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Purpose - Business collaboration is important for small and medium sized enterprises. The traditional method of choosing business collaborator is largely based on individual's experience and subjective criteria. However, the failure rate of business collaboration is still high for less experienced small firms. The purpose of this research is to find a different solution for managers in choosing business collaborators.

Methodology - Decision Tree is an advanced technology, which is used in different business and industry areas. It is adopted in this study to help the managers choosing business partners. This study using the data collected from 339 firms in …

Trust In Business Collaboration, Yu Zhang

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Purpose - Trust is vital for business collaboration. However, few empirical studies have assessed trust because it is hard to be measured and is influenced by too many factors. The purpose of this research is to find the factors that influence firm level trust in Australia and China.

Methodology - This paper used quantitative research method to examine the key determinants of trust in Australian and Chinese business collaborations. Qualitative face-to-face interviews are also conducted in Australia and China to examine the results and provide complimentary support for the quantitative research results.

Findings - Trust is influenced by different factors …

The Effect Of Corporate Governance, Corporate Financing Decision And Ownership Structure On Firm Performance: A Panel Data Approach From Kuwait Stock Exchange, Helen M. Hasan, Mohammad Al Mutairi

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

The aim of this paper is to examine the effect of corporate governance, corporate financing decision, and ownership structure on firm performance. The study uses panel based regression approach; the analysis is based on a sample of 80 listed Kuwait Stock Exchange Market firms, over a period of 9 years, from 2000 to 2008. Findings suggest that there is no association between ownership structure (identity, types or mix) and firm performance, using both measures of firm performance, ROA and Tobin’s Q. This study also finds that government ownership is insignificantly positively related to ROA using pool data; the result for …

Do External Shocks Have A Permanent Or A Transitory Effect On Thailand's Tourism Industry?, Reetu Verma, Ali S. Saleh, Ranjith Ihalanayake

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Given the number and the frequency of external shocks encountered by Thailand in the last two decades, this study identifies the number and the location of the breaks and tests to determine whether the breaks have a transitory or a permanent effect on international tourist arrivals to Thailand for its top 10 source countries using both univariate and panel unit root tests with structural breaks. The findings suggest that break dates coincide with the Asian financial crisis, the September 11 attack, and the SARS and the bird flu outbreaks. The univariate unit root tests with structural breaks reject the null …

The Impact Of Corporate Financing Decision On Corporate Performance In The Absence Of Taxes: Panel Data From Kuwait Stock Market, Helen M. Hasan, Mohammad Al Mutairi, Elizabeth A. Risik

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This study examines the relationship between financing decisions such as capital structure, capital budgeting techniques and dividend policy along with the firm’s attributes. We examined the impact of industrial sectors and financial performance using the panel data of 80 listed companies in Kuwait. The results of this study suggest that, contrary to the Trade-off Theory of capital structure, there is a negative association between the level of debt and financial performance. This can be attributed to the high cost of borrowing and the underdeveloped nature of the debt market in Kuwait. Given the unique tax environment in Kuwait, using debt …

Modeling Quality Dynamics In It Services Management, Dr. Shahriar Akter, John D'Ambra, Pradeep Ray

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

The increasing importance of information technology (IT) services in the global economy prompts IS researchers to focus on service quality dynamics to capture the critical interaction between human behavior and IT. The purpose of this study is to develop and validate a user perceived IT service quality model for mHealth using a cross-disciplinary approach. The conceptual model is rooted in the traditional cognition (service quality) – affective (satisfaction)– conation (continuance intentions) chain but explicitly identifies three primary dimensions (i.e., system quality, interaction quality and outcome quality) and eight subdimensions (system reliability, system efficiency, system privacy, responsiveness, assurance, empathy, utilitarian benefits …

Viewing Systems As Services: The Role Of Service Quality, Shahriar Akter, Pradeep Ray, John D'Ambra

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

The significant and sustained growth in services worldwide prompts IS researchers to give special attention to service and service concepts as core aspects of the IS field. This study proposes that ‘viewing systems as services’ is critical to extend the focus of technology-business alignment in service science research. The study evaluates the influence of mHealth service quality on satisfaction, perceived value and continuance intentions using an interdisciplinary approach. The conceptual model is rooted in the traditional cognition - affective– conation chain but explicitly identifies system quality, interaction quality and information quality as the core dimensions of mHealth service quality. The …

Are The Female Entrepreneurs Of Beauty Salons In India, Victims Of Bad Publicity?, Roshni Narendran

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This paper is a preliminary study exploring the obstacles faced by female entrepreneurs running beauty salons in India. Newspapers and other media highlight the illegal activities that occur in the beauty industry, such as solicitation and the use of unhygienic products in salons, whereas they fail to report about the legitimate owners of beauty salons who are striving to run successful businesses. So far, there are hardly any studies that have highlighted the issue of how bad publicity impacts Indian female entrepreneurs' businesses. Research conducted for a PhD study revealed social castigation and misconceptions created in the minds of the …

Identification Of Serpina1 As Single Marker For Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma Through Microarray Meta Analysis And Quantification Of Its Discriminatory Power In Independent Validation, Klemens Vierlinger, Markus H. Mansfeld, Oskar Koperek, Christa Nöhammer, Klaus Kaserer, Friedrich Leisch

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Background Several DNA microarray based expression signatures for the different clinically relevant thyroid tumor entities have been described over the past few years. However, reproducibility of these signatures is generally low, mainly due to study biases, small sample sizes and the highly multivariate nature of microarrays. While there are new technologies available for a more accurate high throughput expression analysis, we show that there is still a lot of information to be gained from data deposited in public microarray databases. In this study we were aiming (1) to identify potential markers for papillary thyroid carcinomas through meta analysis of public …

The Social Cost Of Blackmail, Oleg Yerokhin

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Despite the fact that blackmail constitutes a voluntary transaction between two parties, it is deemed to bea criminal offense in most legal systems. The traditional economic approach to this so-called "paradox of blackmail" emphasizes welfare loss generated by the costly rent-seeking activities of potential blackmailersas the primary justification for its criminalization. This argument, however, does not extend to cases inwhich potentially damaging information about the victim was acquired by the blackmailer at no cost. Italso does not seem to shed light on a related puzzle: why is it legal for a potential victim to bribe theother party with the purpose …

Customer Satisfaction Measurement For The State-Owned Banks In The Developing Countries - The Case Of Bangladesh, Muhammad Saifuddin Khondaker, Monir Zaman Mir

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Customer Satisfaction has become an imponant aspect of measuring performance. particularly for the banking and finance industry. As most banks and finance organizations offer Similar products and services. Improving customer satisfaction and loyalty is the most important factor in maintaining as well as increasing market share for these organizations. Customer satisfaction is a grossly neglected area for performance measurement in almost all Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Bangladesh is no exception. Like most LDCs. Bangladesh is also com:ng under pressure from the IMF. World Bank. ADB. etc. to reform its inefficient financial sector. Anecdotal evidence suggests that state·owned commercial banks …

Trustworthiness In Mhealth Information Services: An Assessment Of A Hierarchical Model With Mediating And Moderating Effects Using Partial Least Squares (Pls), Shahriar Akter, John D'Ambra, Pradeep Ray

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

The aim of this research is to advance both the theoretical conceptualization and the empirical validation of trustworthiness in mHealth (mobile health) information services research. Conceptually, it extends this line of research by reframing trustworthiness as a hierarchical, reflective construct, incorporating ability, benevolence, integrity, and predictability. Empirically, it confirms that partial least squares path modeling can be used to estimate the parameters of a hierarchical, reflective model with moderating and mediating effects in a nomological network. The model shows that trustworthiness is a second-order, reflective construct that has a significant direct and indirect impact on continuance intentions in the context …

Topicmodels: An R Package For Fitting Topic Models, Bettina Grun, Kurt Hornik

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Topic models allow the probabilistic modeling of term frequency occurrences in documents. The fitted model can be used to estimate the similarity between documents as well as between a set of specified keywords using an additional layer of latent variables which are referred to as topics. The R package topicmodels provides basic infrastructure for fitting topic models based on data structures from the text mining package tm. The package includes interfaces to two algorithms for fitting topic models: the variational expectation-maximization algorithm provided by David M. Blei and co-authors and an algorithm using Gibbs sampling by Xuan-Hieu Phan and co-authors.

Trends In Emissions Across The States Of Australia 1998-99 To 2007-08: A Shift-Share Analysis, Kankesu Jayanthakumaran, Ying Liu

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This paper reviews structural changes in emissions of sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxide (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO) and particulate matter (PM) in eight Australian states and territories over the period 1998 to 1999 to 2007 to 2008. A shift-share analysis decomposes the changes of an emission between these two periods into parts ( a national-share component, an industry-mix component and a state-shift component) in order to account for the ecological competitiveness of the states and territories. The results suggest that the changes in state emissions have been substantial, and tend to reflect national, industry and regional policy changes.

An Evaluation Of Pls Based Complex Models: The Roles Of Power Analysis, Predictive Relevance And Gof Index, Shahriar Akter, John D'Ambra, Pradeep Ray

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Structural equation modeling (SEM) is an important tool to estimate a network of causal relationships linking two or more complex concepts. The PLS approach to SEM, also known as component based SEM, is becoming more prominent for estimating large complex models due to its soft modeling assumptions. This ‘soft modeling’ refers to the greater flexibility of PLS technique in developing and validating the complex models. However, to establish rigor in such complex modeling, this study highlights the critical roles of power analysis, predictive relevance and GoF index. The findings of the study show that power analysis is essential to establish …

Tariffs, Subsidies, And Profits: A Re-Assessment Of Structural Change In Australia 1901–39, David Merrett, Simon Ville

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

We re-interpret the drivers of structural change in Australia from Federation to World War II. Manufacturing increased its relative share of output and employment, the farm sector and mining contracted. Conventional wisdom contends these shifts largely resulted from government policy, particularly increases in trade barriers. We contend that the connection between tariffs and increased profitability is conceptually weak and not supported by extant evidence. We argue that exogenous shifts in consumer preferences, the adoption of new technologies, changing factor proportions, and greater specialisation in manufacturing and services were responsible for manufacturing increasing its share of the economy's resources and output.

What Affects Public Acceptance Of Recycled And Desalinated Water?, Sara Dolnicar, Anna Hurlimann, Bettina Grun

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This paper identifies factors that are associated with higher levels of public acceptance for recycled and desalinated water. For the first time, a wide range of hypothesized factors, both of socio-demographic and psychographic nature, are included simultaneously. The key results, based on a survey study of about 3000 respondents are that: (1) drivers of the stated likelihood of using desalinated water differ somewhat from drivers of the stated likelihood of using recycled water; (2) positive perceptions of, and knowledge about, the respective water source are key drivers for the stated likelihood of usage; and (3) awareness of water scarcity, as …

Does Water Context Influence Behaviour And Attitudes To Water Conservation?, M Gilbertson, A Hurlimann, S Dolnicar

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Many rural and urban areas around the world are facing challenges to the supply of water. A key method of addressing water shortage is water conservation. The success of conservation measures depends on public support and behaviour change. While it is known that the public is generally supportive of water conservation measures, little is known about the dependence of water conservation attitudes and behaviour on geographical location and the water situation at specific locations. The present study investigates whether individual attitudes to water conservation, and reported participation in water conservation behaviours, differ between two Australian locations that vary significantly in …

Centrelink Prosecutions At The Employment/Benefit Nexus: A Case Study Of Wollongong, Freda Hui, Lee Moerman, Kathy Rudkin

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This report examines financial and social issues pertaining to Centrelink prosecutions for overpayments of unemployment‐related social security benefits. Specifically, it examines the circumstances of prosecutions of those returning to work, and those in precarious casual employment. A sample of overpayment prosecutions in the Wollongong area of New South Wales from July 2008 to June 2010 is profiled and analysed.

Is For Government Climate Change Adaptation Activities: An Exploratory Case Study, Stephen Smith, Donald Winchester, Helen M. Hasan, Patrick Finnegan

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This paper reports a case study of climate change adaptation activities of the New South Wales Government’s Climate Change Working Group where ten agencies have responsibility for thirty-five long-term activities. A concurrent Data-Centre Consolidation project has highlighted the mammoth amount of data held by different agencies that must be integrated into information to adequately support these adaptation activities. Our analysis of data collected from interviews and documents reveals the potential of a retrospective ontology capability, and a unique citizen record in enabling this integration. Adaptation activities require resolution of differences in the perspectives of government agencies and citizens and changes …

The Role Of The United States Coast Guard In Marine Environmental Protection: The Uscgc Alex Haley Example, Ted Watts, Carol J. Mcnair-Connolly

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Few countries in the world task their military with the role of marine pollution response in addition to its responsibility as a military service. One country that does is the United States of America. The United States Coast Guard has, in addition to its military and security missions, the task of marine pollution response and enforcement. This program includes the prevention of oil and chemical spills, unauthorized ocean dumping and to prevent the introduction of invasive marine species into the maritime environment . This paper considers the operational and environmental costs associated with a major oil spill and the revenue …

Personality And Motivation Matter In Touring Holidays: A Preliminary Investigation Into Heterogeneity Among Touring Travelers, John Gountas, Sara Dolnicar, Sandra Gountas

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Touring travelers represent a significant market in Australia and are expected to play an even larger role in the future. Yet, to date, they are viewed and treated like one large homogeneous market. The aim of the present study was to question this assumption and investigate whether distinct segments exist among touring travelers. Results, based on an empirical study of 430 Australian travelers, indicate that at least two distinct segments can be constructed which differ in travel motivations, sociodemographics, and personality characteristics. These findings can be used to segment and harvest the market of tourist travelers through the development of …

Professional Learning In The Business Curriculum: Engaging Industry, Academics And Students, Michael Zanko, Theo Papadopoulos, Tracy Taylor, Eveline Fallshaw, Romy Lawson

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Professional Learning has become a feature of business curricula in universities around the world. The term "professional learning" (PL) is often used to encapsulate dimensions of educational programs that highlight contemporary industry issues explicitly linked to industry and professional bodies. PL encompasses the skills, qualities and attributes that are required by industry and the processes through which those skills are acquired. It encourages deep learning in relation to the student's future profession, and includes industry engagement, work-integrated learning and authentic learning environments.This paper describes a typology of approaches to PL derived from a national study of good practices in business …

A Regional Wil Model: Sharing A New Approach, Bonnie Amelia Dean, Graham D. Bowrey, Mike Clements

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

As work-integrated learning (WIL) becomes embedded in the higher education sector, it presents an unprecedented opportunity for practitioners to learn from one another. The challenges of implementing a WIL program are widely known among the WIL community. These challenges often relate to the flexibility and diversity afforded models both within and between institutions. Many institutions have begun internally sharing practices; however, missing in the literature is circulation of this information to facilitate learning across domains. This paper is positioned in the nexus of WIL cross-institutional dissemination. It is hoped that this paper will achieve two aims, the dissemination and application …