Business Commons^™

Are Low-Skill Public Sector Workers Really Overpaid? A Quasi-Differenced Panel Data Analysis, Peter Siminski

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Public–private sectoral wage differentials have been studied extensively using quantile regression techniques. These typically find large public sector premiums at the bottom of the wage distribution. This may imply that low skill workers are ‘overpaid’, prompting concerns over efficiency. We note several other potential explanations for this result and explicitly test whether the premium varies with skill, using Australian data. We use a quasi-differenced Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) panel data model which has not been previously applied to this topic, internationally. Unlike other available methods, this technique identifies sectoral differences in returns to unobserved skill. It also facilitates a …

A Template For Integrated Reporting, Indra Abeysekera

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Purpose – This paper sets out to outline the concept of integrated reporting and to propose a template for integrated reporting in organisations.

Design/methodology/approach – The approach to the conceptual model is founded on concepts proposed on integrated reporting by the King Report on Governance for South Africa (King III), and the International Integrated Reporting Council in the U.K.

Findings – The integrated report should explain the story of reaching the organisation’s vision, underpinned by its values, enacted by management, monitored by governance, and using facets of resources relating to financial capital, intellectual capital, social capital, and environmental capital.

Practical …

Application Of The Task-Technology Fit Model To Structure And Evaluate The Adoption Of E-Books By Academics, John D'Ambra, Concepcion S. Wilson, Shahriar Akter

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Increasingly, e-books are becoming alternatives to print books in academic libraries, thus providing opportunities to assess how well the use of e-books meets the requirements of academics. This study uses the task-technology fit (TTF) model to explore the interrelationships of e-books, the affordances offered by smart readers, the information needs of academics, and the "fit" of technology to tasks as well as performance. We propose that the adoption of e-books will be dependent on how academics perceive the fit of this new medium to the tasks they undertake as well as what added-value functionality is delivered by the information technology …

Political Connections, Founder-Managers, And Their Impact On Tunneling In China's Listed Firms, Liangbo Ma, Shiguang Ma, Gary Tian

Faculty of Business - Papers (Archive)

We investigate the impact of manager political connection and founder status on tunneling in China's listed firms from 2004 to 2010. By classifying the political connections into three dimensions with two categories of controlling ownerships, we find that overall manager political connection is negatively related to tunneling in private firms but positively related to tunneling in SOEs. The CPC/CPPCC-type connection is likely to protect firms from tunneling, while the official-type connection facilitates tunneling from firms. The impact of these two types of political connection on tunneling is stronger at the central level than the local level. A chairman's political connection …

Eagles And Turkeys: Human Capital Externalities, Departmental Co-Authorship And Research Productivity, Frank Neri, Joan R. Rodgers

Faculty of Business - Papers (Archive)

Lucas (1988) hypothesised that human capital externalities explain persistent productivity growth and become manifest via interactions between workplace colleagues. Consistent with the first part of this hypothesis, Fox and Milbourne (2006) concluded that an increase in the average level of human capital in Australian economics departments raised the research productivity of departmental members. This paper tests the robustness of this finding by using a direct, rather than a proxy, measure of human capital and confirms the existence of human capital externalities within Australian economics departments. But we extend the analysis in two important dimensions. Firstly, we investigate the second part …

Assessment Guiding Learning: Developing Graduate Qualities In An Experiential Learning Programme, Michael David Clements, Bonnie Amelia Dean

Faculty of Business - Papers (Archive)

As industry demands increase for a new type of graduate, there is more pressure than ever before for higher education (HE) to respond by cultivating and developing students who are prepared for these workplace challenges. This paper explores an innovative experiential learning programme built on the principles of work-related learning that develops students to attain graduate qualities for competitiveness in the business sector. The role and importance of assessment as a core influence for learning is recognised and embedded into the programme, as well as the prevalence of meeting the needs of its stakeholders. Issues concerning assessing work-oriented learning are …

Modelling Real-Time Online Information Needs: A New Research Approach For Complex Consumer Behaviour, Robert G. Grant, Rodney J. Clarke, Elias Kyriazis

Faculty of Business - Papers (Archive)

A major challenge for online vendor website operations is serving information that meets visitor needs at a given point in their purchase process. The problem arises from the complexity of human behaviour as well as changing needs with the evolution of consumer knowledge and skills through the purchase process. The most difficult element however is determining the effects of information provided on the site as well as from other sources that the consumer may access and anticipating resulting consumer needs. This paper discusses the contributions and limitations of current modelling techniques and utility studies of online consumer information to model …

Modelling The Impact Of Mhealth Service Quality On Satisfaction, Continuance And Quality Of Life, Shahriar Akter, John D'Ambra, Pradeep Ray, Umme Hani

Faculty of Business - Papers (Archive)

Understanding the impact of service quality on economic and social outcomes is critical to extend the focus of IT service research. This study evaluates the impact of quality on both these dimensions in mHealth using a cross disciplinary approach. The conceptual model is rooted in the traditional cognition-affective-conation chain but explicitly incorporates convenience, confidence, cooperation, care and concern as the primary dimensions of mHealth quality. The model is validated in the context of a business-to-consumer mHealth services using partial least squares path modelling. The results confirm that service quality has both direct and indirect impact on continuance intentions (i.e. economic …

Through The Eyes Of Ex-Foster Children: Placement Success And The Characteristics Of Good Foster Carers, Melanie Randle

Faculty of Business - Papers (Archive)

Most research focusing on foster placement success or the characteristics of good foster carers is based on the opinions of people currently involved in the foster care system, such as foster carers, social workers or children in care. The few studies which include former foster children usually collect factual (usually quantitative) data to evaluate their pathways or achievements since leaving care, such as educational attainment or employment. This study differs because it examines the perceptions and opinions of adults who were in foster care as children, in relation to the important issues of what constitutes successful foster placement and the …

Development And Validation Of An Instrument To Measure User Perceived Service Quality Of Mhealth, Shahriar Akter, John D'Ambra, Pradeep Ray

Faculty of Business - Papers (Archive)

The role of service quality in fostering the growth of mHealth services has gained much attention in the academic and practitioner communities. However, empirical research in this area has been beset by inadequate conceptualization and the lack of a validated scale. This study addresses these limitations by theoretically conceptualizing and empirically validating a multidimensional service quality scale in the mHealth context. The findings show that mHealth service quality is a hierarchical, multidimensional, and reflective construct, which consists of three primary dimensions and eight subdimensions. The results also confirm that the mHealth service quality scale is more effective at predicting satisfaction …

Thai Manufacturing Small And Medium Sized Enterprise Technical Efficiency: Evidence From Firm-Level Industrial Census Data, Teerawat Charoenrat, Charles Harvie, Yot Amornkitvikai

Faculty of Business - Papers (Archive)

Thai manufacturing small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) face intense competition in domestic and foreign markets. Given their importance to the economic development of the country it is important to have a clear understanding of their readiness to face the rigors of international competition, including the barriers and specific problems that they face. This study uses a stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) and technical inefficiency effects model to analyze the technical efficiency of Thai manufacturing SMEs and key factors impacting upon it. Analysis of cross-sectional data from a 2007 census of Thai manufacturing SMEs indicates that their weighted average technical efficiency …

A Critical Assessment Of The Role Of Fashion In Influencing The Travel Decision And Destination Choice, Clifford Lewis, Gregory M. Kerr, Lois Burgess

Faculty of Business - Papers (Archive)

While the word fashion is often associated with clothing and accessories, the objective of this paper is to argue that as a broader concept, fashion has relevance to tourism. It is argued that fashion can influence behaviour and both the decision to travel, and the destination selected may in some cases be a fashion statement by the traveller. Following discussion as to the meanings and explanations of fashion, a conceptual model is presented having the purpose of demonstrating how fashion can be a moderating variable in the travel decision and destination selection process. The model proposes the influence of fashion …

A Practice-Based Approach To Student Reflection In The Workplace During A Work-Integrated Learning Placement, Christopher Sykes, Bonnie Amelia Dean

Faculty of Business - Papers (Archive)

In the Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) curriculum, reflection on workplace activities is widely used to support student learning. Recent critiques have demonstrated the limitations of current approaches to support students' reflective learning of workplace practices. By employing a practice-based approach, we seek to refocus WIL reflection on workplace practices, emphasising the 'embedded (social), engaged (practice) and embodied (material) aspects' of students' reflective practices in the workplace. We argue that reflection-in-the-midst-of-action includes an often-overlooked phenomenological contribution that shifts attention from cognition to action. This study uses a case study of one typical WIL student to illustrate the importance of reflection-in-the-midst-of-action and the …

Institution Building And Variation In The Formation Of The Australian Wool Market, David Merrett, Simon Ville

Faculty of Business - Papers (Archive)

The relocation of the wool market from London to the major Australian port cities from the late nineteenth century required the formation of an institution to govern the auction business, namely the wool brokers' association. Regional variations, among Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane, occurred in the structure and effectiveness of the institution despite each regional association having been formed around the same time, for the same purpose, and with an overlap of participating firms. We draw on institution theory to guide our account and find that the impact of legacy factors and differences in market conditions explain the regional variations.

Does Ceo Pay Dispersion Matter In An Emerging Market? Evidence From China's Listed Firms, Fang Hu, Xiaofei Pan, Gary Tian

Faculty of Business - Papers (Archive)

This paper examines how the institutional features of emerging economies (i.e., government ownership, political connections, and market reform) influence CEO pay-dispersion incentives. Consistent with our expectation, we find that CEO pay dispersion generally provides a tournament incentive in China's emerging market, as it is positively associated with firm performance. In addition, tournament incentives are weaker where firms are controlled by the government and where the CEO is politically connected, but it became stronger after the China's split-share structure reforms. Further, we find that in state controlled firms the satisfaction gained by meeting multiple economic and social goals largely reduces the …

Do Countries Belonging To The Same Region Suggest The Same Growth Enhancing Variables? Evidence From Selected South Asian Countries, Arusha Cooray, Antonio Paradiso, Francesco Giovanni Truglia

Faculty of Business - Papers (Archive)

We investigate the growth enhancing variables in a group of countries belonging to the same geographical area namely, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh over the period 1960-2010. We find that this "homogeneity" does not necessarily imply that countries have the same growth enhancing variables due mainly to differences in institutions and policies. Our result suggests that time-series econometrics are preferable to identify the growth drivers for a country accurately.

The Reception Of Anglo Leadership Styles In A Transforming Society: The Case Of American Companies In Vietnam, Anne Vo, Zeenobiyah N. Hannif

Faculty of Business - Papers (Archive)

This article examines the transfer of Anglo leadership styles in a transforming society. It aims to investigate the transferability of two American leadership styles, namely performance-oriented and participative styles, to Vietnamese subsidiaries. Utilising an exploratory case study approach, this article presents evidence of a strong acceptance of these leadership styles, and tries to ascertain whether the adoption of a humane style of leadership in line with Vietnamese traditions is a means of leaders reconciling the cultural gap. Several complexities arise from the transforming nature of the Vietnamese socio-political and economic context. Specifically, the importance of subcultures - particularly those relating …

Not All Repeat Customers Are The Same: Designing Effective Cross-Selling Promotion On The Basis Of Attitudinal Loyalty And Habit, Yuping Liu-Thompkins, Leona Tam

Faculty of Business - Papers (Archive)

Not all repeat purchases are created equal. They can be driven by both positive reaction toward a brand (i.e., attitudinal loyalty) and automaticity triggered by non-brand-related contextual cues (i.e., habit). Combining the loyalty literature with recent habit research, the authors suggest ways to distinguish the two drivers of repeat purchase and examine how they affect consumer response to cross-selling promotions. In Study 1, the authors propose a method to derive individual-level habit strength from consumer transaction records and demonstrate the influence of both attitudinal loyalty and habit on repeat purchase. Studies 2a and 2b then show that attitudinal loyalty facilitates …

Estimating And Forecasting Residential Electricity Demand In Iran, Elham Pourazarm, Arusha Cooray

Faculty of Business - Papers (Archive)

This study examines the short- and the long-run relationship between electricity demand and its determinants in the Iranian residential sector. The study employs unit root tests, cointegration and error-correction models on annual time series for the period, 1967-2009. The results show that electricity price is insignificant and income elasticity is lower than unity. The most influential factor influencing household electricity demand is cooling degree days. The number of electrified villages (an indicator of economic progress) is statistically significant, showing that economic progress has a positive impact on electricity demand. Electricity demand is forecast until 2020. The results show that under …

Trade Liberalisation And Manufacturing Wage Premiums: Evidence From Thailand, Kankesu Jayanthakumaran, Piyapong Sangkaew, Martin O'Brien

Faculty of Business - Papers (Archive)

This paper investigates trade related industrial wage premiums. The procedure involves (1) estimating industrial wage premiums and (2) linking those estimated wage premiums to trade related variables. Results reveal that (1) in addition to workers' characteristics, industry characteristics where workers are employed were important in determining the wages for workers, (2) falling output tariffs resulted in increased wage premiums, and (3) an increase in intermediate imports exerted a strong positive influence on wage premiums. Linked employer and employee micro data may provide further insights which are currently not available.

The Economy, Simon Ville

Faculty of Business - Papers (Archive)

The rapid expansion and diversifi cation of the economy in the twentieth century brought immense wealth and many new opportunities to many Australians. Real per capita income grew nearly sixfold in the century following Federation. When the first federal parliament met on 9 May 1901, Australia was still suffering the effects of the 1890s downturn, and it would wait another seven years until average incomes returned to their pre-Depression peak of 1891. The following four decades were marked by the uncertainty surrounding two world wars and an inter-war Depression. Higher levels of real income began to be achieved by the …

Insights Into Mature Consumers Of Financial Services, Trenton Milner, Daniela Rosenstreich

Sydney Business School - Papers

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate psychographic, demographic and situational characteristics of Baby Boomer generation consumers, specifically in relation to their consumption of financial services.

Design/methodology/approach: A survey was pre-tested and 776 responses (77.6 per cent response rate) were subjected to correlation and ANOVA analysis. The survey covered a wide range of variables for decision making for financial services, including situational, demographic, and psychographic.

Findings: Consumers who scored higher on scales for competitiveness and need for material resources tended to have higher incomes. Mature consumers were likely to face major life events involving their children and parents, …

Managerial Coaching: Challenges, Opportunities And Training, Grace Mccarthy, Julia Milner

Sydney Business School - Papers

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to provide insights into the growing practice of managerial coaching. Much of the coaching literature is set in the context of an external coach coming into an organisation. However managers are increasingly being expected to coach their employees, a change in role which can create tensions. Design/methodology/approach - This paper examines the literature on coaching managers. The paper also discusses practical implications for coach training. Findings - This paper identifies key differences in the issues faced by coaching managers and by internal/external coaches and recognises the importance of adequate training of managers …

A Review Of Consumer Decision-Making Models And Development Of A New Model For Financial Services, Trenton Milner, Daniela Rosenstreich

Sydney Business School - Papers

It is recognised that existing theories of Consumer Decision Making (CDM) are not well suited for financial services and there have been calls for development of a new conceptual model. This article reviews prominent models of CDM and identifies strengths and limitations. A new conceptual model that is applicable to financial services is developed. An important element of the model is the recognition that the components interact rather than a consumer following a linear progression through a series of stages. The new model better reflects the iterative decision-making process relevant to financial services and enhances marketers' understanding of the process …

Earnings Quality And Stress Levels Of Chinese Listed Companies, Feng Li, Indra Abeysekera, Shiguang Ma

Faculty of Business - Papers (Archive)

This paper investigates the relation between earnings quality and stress levels of Chinese companies listed in Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges from 2003 to 2007 by classifying them as financially stressed and bankrupt (SB), financially stressed and not bankrupt (SNB), and not financially stressed and not bankrupt (NSNB) firms. We measure the earnings quality by four separate attributes: accruals quality, earnings persistence, earnings predictability, and earnings smoothness. We find that earnings quality levels are parallel to firm's stress levels: the SB firms have the lowest earnings quality measured by each of the four earnings attributes, the SNB firms have a …

Stages Of Trust Development In Banking Relationship, Shyam S. Bhati, Anura De Zoysa

Faculty of Business - Papers (Archive)

Using data collected from eight bank branches in India, this study examines how the trust between branch manager and loan officer begins and develops in multiple stages over a period of time. It seeks to fill an important gap in the academic literature on the development of trust between trustor and trusted over a period of time by empirically examining the trust relationship between branch manager and loan officer in a bank. The results of the cross case qualitative analysis conducted on stages of trust development using pattern matching technique suggest that trust relationship between branch manager and loan officer …

Mhealth Technologies For Chronic Diseases And Elders: A Systematic Review, Giovanni Chiarini, Pradeep Ray, Shahriar Akter, Cristina Masella, Aura Ganz

Faculty of Business - Papers (Archive)

mHealth (healthcare using mobile wireless technologies) has the potential to improve healthcare and the quality of life for elderly and chronic patients. Many studies from all over the world have addressed this issue in view of the aging population in many countries. However, there has been a lack of any consolidated evidence-based study to classify mHealth from the dual perspectives of healthcare and technology. This paper reports the results of an evidence-based study of mHealth solutions for chronic care amongst the elderly population and proposes a taxonomy of a broad range of mHealth solutions from the perspective of technological complexity. …

Performance Audit In Government Sector Of An Emerging Market: A Case Of Indonesia, Parulian Silaen

Faculty of Business - Papers (Archive)

In 1995 the OECD (Organisations for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries had a symposium in Paris on 6-7 June 1995 and came up with the 5 types of PA (Performance Audit) practiced by OECD countries. These 5 types of PA has different unit of analysis, different mode of review, different scope of evaluation, and different focus of effort. Indonesia as one of country of emerging market is starting to move to new public management and progress the performance audit in public sector through its government regulation number 60, in 2008. The government unit that is assigned to coach the implementation …

Enhancing The Educational Subject: Cognitive Capitalism, Positive Psychology And Well-Being Training In Schools, James Reveley

Faculty of Business - Papers (Archive)

Positive psychology is influencing educational policy and practice in Britain and North America. This article reveals how this psychological discourse and its offshoot school-based training programs, which stress happiness, self-improvement and well-being, align with an emergent socioeconomic formation: cognitive capitalism. Three key points are made. First, there is an elective affinity between cognitive capitalism and positive psychology, whose advocates promote 'mindfulness','curiosity' and 'psychological flexibility' as the means to personal fulfilment. Second, an array of technologies of the self spring from the positive psychology discourse; mindfulness practice is one of these. Currently being trialled in British and North American schools, this …

Sharing The Research Journey - Fostering A Love Of Research In Coursework Masters Students, Grace Mccarthy

Sydney Business School - Papers

Based on addressing the motivational needs identified in Self Determination Theory (Ryan & Deci, 2000), the paper outlines an engaging approach to developing research skills in a coursework masters program. Self Determination theory is a needs based theory of motivation, focusing on basic human needs to relate to others in a group, to strive for competence, and to enjoy autonomy. According to Deci and Ryan (2002), social environments which fulfil these needs will result in motivated, engaged and successful individuals. Our students enjoy autonomy in their choice of topic and develop competence in research skills. Although each student conducts an …