Business Commons^™

Government And Family Guanxi In Chinese Private Enterprises, Guibin Zhang, Zhong Qin

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Domestic private enterprises have dramatically re-emerged in China's unique transition from a planned to a market-oriented economy, where the private sector plays an increasingly important role. Over the last quarter of a century, there has been a decline in 'red-hat' enterprises and an increased dominance of family businesses among private enterprises.This paper employs the concept of trust, which stems from traditional culture and comprises two important components (government and family), to investigate the changing patterns of corporate governance. The core argument of this paper is that family trust is replacing government trust within Chinese private enterprises. The study of the …

Segmenting The Senior Travel Market By Means Of Travel Motivation - Insights From A Mature Market (Switzerland), Philipp E. Boksberger, Christian Laesser

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

The paper reports on the segmentation of Swiss senior travellers on the basis of their travel motivation. Switzerland is considered a mature market which is why this country serves as a role model for future travel behaviour. In contrast to previous studies, which identified up to six clusters, the results reveal that in the case analysed there are three clusters. Two of them partially represent a life cycle concept: TIME HONOURED BON VIVANTS (phase 1; towards the end of a professional life), and GRIZZLED EXPLORERS (phase 2; from the start of a retired life). These two segments are complemented by …

Just Don't Call Me A Feminist: Senior And Junior Women Managers' Perceptions Of Communication Dilemmas At Work, Mary Barrett

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Barrett (2004) found senior women managers evaluated workplace communication strategiesdifferently according to whether they thought a man or a woman was using the strategy. Butorganisationally junior younger women often reject overt feminist standpoints and might evaluatethese strategies differently. To test this, 255 junior women managers evaluated strategies for the samedilemmas older women had. When evaluating strategies for short and medium term dilemmas (egbeing interrupted, getting credit for an idea), junior women managers evaluate less than older womenmanagers on the basis of the communicator's gender. However with longer term dilemmas (eg gettingachievements noticed for promotion), junior women managers avoid some strategies …

Choice And Context In Studying Change, Creativity And Innovation At Work: Call Off The Search For Excellence, Question Combinational Perspectives, And Loosen The Straightjacket Of Polarised Views, Patrick M. Dawson

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This article draws attention to debates on studying change, creativity and innovation at work. Attention is given to 'stable' and 'process' views of organizations and how these positions influence research objectives, methodological approach and findings. The paper is critical of those who seek to hold to a superior position - a one best approach for all; as well as those who seek the best from all worlds - a combinational approach that services both quantitative and qualitative research. In drawing on over 25 years of field research on change management, the paper also seeks to explore the broken links between …

Wineries' Involvement In Promoting Tourism Online: The Case Of Texas, Leslie Rasch, Ulrike Gretzel

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Wine tourism has become an important driver of business for wineries in many regionsaround the world, while Texas wine regions are only starting to emerge as important tourism destinations.A study was conducted to investigate how effectively Texas wineries market tourism to their ownestablishments as well as in a regional context. A specific focus was placed on indications of collaborativewine tourism marketing practices on winery websites. The results indicate that wineries providebasic visitor information but are missing out on strategic opportunities to market wine tourism to theirareas.

Applying A Consumer Perceptual Measure Of Corporate Social Responsibility: A Regional Australian Perspective, Robert Rugimbana, Ali Quazi, Byron Keating

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

The study examines the patterns of perceptions of retail banking consumers in respect to banking services in regional Australia from a corporate social responsibility (CSR) perspective. A novel two-dimensional measure of corporate social responsibility was used for this purpose. Findings from the analysis of levels of contentment/discontentment of bank consumers are noteworthy. Contrary to popular belief, consumers in this study not only portrayed a diversity of opinions on the corporate social responsibility roles of banks, but also showed general support for the two main opposing views of CSR which represent the classical and the emerging perspectives. The implication of these …

Global Staffing In Developing Countries: A Case Of American And Japanese Multinational Companies In Vietnam, Anne Cox

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This paper addresses three research areas of global staffing: to determine the influences of the home country on multinational companies (MNCs) global staffing strategies at their overseas subsidiaries, how institutional and cultural distance affects the 'context generalisability' of global staffing policies; and how MNCs localize their human resources within their subsidiaries.

The Dynamic Prediction Of Company Failure, Maria Kim, Graham Partington

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Across disciplines, and particularly in medicine, Cox’s proportional hazards model is one of the most popular models for analyzing survival. We use a Cox model with dynamic variables to estimate survival probabilities and make dynamic financial distress predictions for a large sample of Australian listed companies. This is one of relatively few studies to apply dynamic variables in forecasting financial distress. It is the first study to provide forecasts of survival probabilities using the Cox model with dynamic variables. In contrast to most bankruptcy studies using static models, our model’s predictive accuracy improves as the time horizon lengthens.

The Relationship Between Innovation, Productivity And Exports: Some Preliminary Evidence From The Malaysian Manufacturing Sector, Cassey Lee

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

The objective of this paper is to empirically examine the relationship between innovation, productivity and trade intensity using firm-level data from the Malaysian manufacturing sector. Evidence from this paper suggests the relationships between innovation, productivity and exports is a complex one. Exporting and industry technological characteristics may influence the decision to undertake RDbut has no effect on RDexpenditure. Only firm size has impact on both the decision and expenditure on R Variables such as RDexpenditure, firm size, exports and local ownership influences the propensity to innovate, be it product or process innovation. Product innovation is negatively related to productivity while …

The Value Of Managerial Beliefs In Turbulent Environments: Managerial Orientation And E-Business Advantage, T. Coltman, T. M. Devinney, D. F. Midgley

Faculty of Informatics - Papers (Archive)

There is a great divide between the degree to which academic research accounts for the role of managerial discretion in firm performance and the weight given by the popular press and financial community to the importance of the management of an organization. The purpose of this paper is to bridge this gap by quantifying the way managerial beliefs influence the quality of firm performance in a turbulent environment based on e-business.
An e-business research setting is used that is associated with a situation of environmental turbulence to allow for sufficient variance in managerial beliefs to measure their effect on firm …

From Automatic Identification And Data Capture (Aidc) To “Smart Business Process”: Preparing For A Pilot Integrating Rfid, S. F. Wamba, E. Lefebvre, Y. Bendavid, L.. A. Lefebvre

Faculty of Informatics - Papers (Archive)

This paper examines the underlying logic behind the rules configured in a RFID middleware to support “smart business processes” in one retail supply chain. Through a detailed investigation of the underlying business processes, we will demonstrate how businesses rules can be defined, configured and refined in a RFID middleware. The results confirm that RFID technology is not a “Plug and Play” solution. RFID middleware configuration will require a high level of customization. Finally, this study allows the improvement of our understanding of the real potential of RFID technology in the supply chain context.

Paragons And Dysfunctions: A Report On The First Asia Workshop On Institutional Analysis Organised By The Ronald Coase Institute, Alfredo R. Paloyo

Faculty of Business - Papers (Archive)

In January 2008, the Ronald Coase Institute conducted the First Asia Workshop on Institutional Analysis, in partnership with the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy and the Asia Competitiveness Institute of the National University of Singapore. This report highlights the general theme of the workshop: that well-functioning institutions are fundamental to development. This is shown by summarising two studies presented at the workshop and by contrasting two countries from Southeast Asia, i.e., the Philippines and Singapore.

Time Orientation, Task Characteristics, And Customer Performance, Nina Reynolds, Salvador Ruiz De Maya

Faculty of Business - Papers (Archive)

The present study illustrates that consumer time use preference moderates the effect of satisfaction with the task solution, but has no impact on level of performance. Results show that more complex tasks produce higher (lower) levels of satisfaction for polychronic (monochronic) consumers than simpler tasks. In contrast, prioritizing complex activities increases (decreases) satisfaction for monochronic (polychronic) consumers. Unlike task solution satisfaction, time orientation does not impact on task performance. These findings suggest that online retailers should emphasize site factors related to consumers' tasks that best suit the time use preference of their primary users in order to maximize customer satisfaction.

Individualised Rating-Scale Procedure: A Means Of Reducing Response Style Contamination In Survey Data?, Elisa Chami-Castaldi, Nina Reynolds, James Wallace

Faculty of Business - Papers (Archive)

Response style bias has been shown to seriously contaminate the substantive results drawn from survey data; particularly those conducted using cross-cultural samples. As a consequence. identification of response formats that suffer least from responst style bias has been called for. Previous studies show that respondents' personal characteristics, such as age, education level and culture, are connected with response style manifestation. Differences in the way respondents interpret and utilise researcher-defined fixed rating-scales (e.g. Likert formats), poses a problem for survey researchers. Techniques that are currently used to remove response bias from survey data are inadequate as they cannot accurately determine the …

The Role Of Knowledge Management In An Organisation's Sustainable Development, Rosemary Van Der Meer, Sukunesan Sinnappan

Faculty of Business - Papers (Archive)

This paper intends to study the role that Knowledge Management has in development of sustainable organisations. Particularly, the researchers propose to examine key factors in the use of Knowledge Management and sustainable development that could be used to provide a measure in achieving sustainability. The research project is an exploratory study using a case study approach due to the limited amount of literature available on the use of Knowledge Management in sustainable development. The significance of this study is the opportunity to see how much impact Knowledge Management can make in the process of re-engineering an organisation along sustainable goals. …

Categorisation Of Knowledge Management Processes In The Development Of Sustainable Enterprises, Rosemary Van Der Meer, Sukunesan Sinnappan

Faculty of Business - Papers (Archive)

Sustainable development is a growing area of interest in organisations. Particularly those that have large energy demands for processing, use dwindling raw materials or produce a great deal of waste through production. Knowing those processes that can contribute to making an organisation more sustainable provides a great advantage both in terms of project implementation success and in measurable Triple Bottom Line returns. In previous research we identified that many of the Information Technology processes used to assist organisations in developing sustainable practices were more clearly suited as Knowledge Management processes (Van Der Meer and Sinnappan, 2008), however less empirical study …

Connectedness In Work Relationships And Quality Of Working Life: Evidence From Australian Call Centres, Zeenobiyah Nadiyah Hannif, Mario Fernando

Faculty of Business - Papers (Archive)

Although empirical studies examine how employees perceive their relationships with their coworkers, these studies fail to explain how the quality and strength of co-worker relationships determine the workers' overall quality of working life. Drawing from the growing workplace spirituality literature identifying connectedness at work as a key attribute of strong co-worker relationships and well being, in this paper, we examine the place of connectedness in the quality of co-worker relationships in two Australian call centres. Using the case study approach, we draw similarities and differences between two Australian call centres. Two quite different approaches to people management are found alongside …

Environment-Friendly Tourists: What Do We Really Know About Them?, Sara Dolnicar, Geoffrey I. Crouch, Patrick Long

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Sustainable tourism and ecotourism have now been researched in depth for some years. This paper highlights that researchers still have only a limited understanding of what tourist behaviour can be considered as sustainable, and little consensus about who environment-friendly tourists (EFTs) actually are. This study reviews theoretical and empirical studies by tourism researchers, and explores work done on environment-friendly behaviour in other disciplines. Results indicate that operationalisations of EFTs are inconsistent and, at times, do not ensure that EFTs are actually studied, thus jeopardising the quality of cumulative knowledge on this critical issue. There is little insight into who EFTs …

Selective Marketing For Environmentally Sustainable Tourism, Sara Dolnicar, Friedrich Leisch

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

The natural environment represents the main resource for many tourism destinations and tourists are increasingly interested in spending their vacation in unspoilt natural areas. Consequently, destination managers are under increased pressure to implement ecologically sustainable practices. Selective targeting of tourists has been proposed as one approach to sustainable destination management, but the feasibility of this approach remains untested. Therein lies the contribution of this study. Results from a survey of 1000 Australians indicated that market segments based on past environmentally friendly behaviour at the destination represent distinct groups with respect to psychographic, behavioural and socio-demographic personal characteristics. These explanatory variables …

Ethical Ideologies Of Senior Australian Managers: An Empirical Study, Mario Fernando, S. Dharmage, Shamika Almeida

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Forsyth’s (1980) Ethics Position Questionnaire and Hunt et al.’s (1989) Corporate Ethical Value Questionnaire are used to examine the ethical ideologies of senior managers from organizations listed in the Australian Stock Exchange. The results indicate how corporate ethical values, religion, gender and age are related to the idealism and relativism of senior Australian managers. After discussing the results, limitations of the study are offered. Finally, managerial implications are provided and recommendations for future research are given.

Blogs – The New Source Of Data Analysis, M. Jones, I. Alony

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Blogs are a new and intriguing form of communication and personal expression. Researchers are only just beginning to realise the value that these media present as sources of data for research. This paper begins to unveil the untapped potential that the blogosphere provides for research. The paper begins by introducing blogs, explaining their evolution and the important role they play in society. A major contribution to knowledge comes from the paper’s analysis of the motivation behind blogging – providing a framework of seven different motivational schemes. Building on this, the paper explores why blogs are a valuable and reliable source …

Lean Supply Chains, Jit And Cellular Manufacturing – The Human Side, I. Alony, M. Jones

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Lean manufacturing has been widely adopted by many production companies. Apart from the operational difficulty associated with conversion from a traditional, functional based operation, adoption of Lean manufacturing involves significant organizational transformations. It requires formation of work teams, comprised of multi-skilled workers. The work teams are preferably self directed and need to continuously improve performance and production processes. Such changes can be challenging for organizations. This paper reviews studies of human related and organizational factors in the context of Lean manufacturing, and identifies gaps in research in this area. The paper presents the principles of lean manufacturing, the organizational shifts …

The Effect Of Funding Changes On Public Sector Nonprofit Organizations: The Case Of Bushcare Nsw, Katie Cliff, H. J. Irvine, Sara Dolnicar

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Research into nonprofit organizations abounds, but not much is known about public sector nonprofit organizations. Recent funding incentives in Australia have led to significant changes in the market environment for such organizations. This study describes these market changes and explores the reactions of one environmental public sector nonprofit organization, Bushcare NSW, to these changes. This paper contends that, within this institutional environment, nonprofit organizations more successful in attracting large amounts of external funding have better administrative structures in place, whereas those less successful find themselves confronted with burdensome administrative duties. Neo-institutional theory provides a theoretical basis for this empirical investigation. …

Mentoring In Academe: An Australian Response To The Drought Of Senior Accounting Academics, H. J. Irvine, L. Moerman, Kathy Rudkin

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

The purpose of this paper is to expose the shortage of senior academics in Australian accounting schools, to relate the way one school is addressing this crisis through an innovative mentoring program, and to challenge existing institutional arrangements. This is a qualitative case study of one mentoring program set within the institutional context of Australian accounting schools. Data collected from semi-structured interviews, archival sources and personal reflections, is presented using metaphor to theorize (Llewellyn 2003). The scheme achieved some notable individual successes, but raised many issues and challenges to extant mentoring models and existing structures. Mentoring is a multifaceted investment …

Submission To The Independent Review Of The Environment Protection And Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, Graham Bowrey, Ciorstan J. Smark

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Please find following a submission to the Independent Review of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act 1999. This submission focuses on reviewing the level of compliance with Section 516A (Annual reports to deal with environmental matters) of the EPBC Act 1999 by addressing the following questions raised in the Independent Review of the EPBC Act’s Discussion Paper: Question 37 – Does the Act contain sufficient comprehensive and appropriate range of enforcement mechanisms? Are those mechanisms capable of deterring and responding to contraventions of the Act? Question 40 – Does the Act provide sufficient guidance for decision makers in …

Customer Loyalty Programmes: Ifric13 And The Ambiguities Of Revenue Cecognition, S. Chapple, L. Moerman, Kathy Rudkin

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

From 1 July 2008 IFRIC 13 becomes mandatory in Australia, requiring a standardised deferred revenue treatment to account for a plethora of Customer Loyalty Programmes (CLP). This paper highlights the diverse views of appropriate classification, and the ambiguities faced by those accounting for CLP. A text based analysis of documents pertaining to IFRIC 13 shows the International Financial Reporting Interpretations Committee (IFRIC) to be committed to a principles based approach in making its interpretation. While IFRIC members were responsive to the concerns of interested parties, they were not subservient to the ensuing lobbying process.

The Sustainability Of Public Sector Ecological Sustainable Development Reporting, Graham Bowrey

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Over the past two decades there has been significantly increased public awareness of and focus on the environmental impact of organisations operations. However, in spite of this increased focus on the environment, most organisations in Australia are not required by regulation to outline the impact of their organisations on the environment nor the measures they are taking to contain or reduce their impact on the environment. To be fair many private sector organisations have been voluntarily providing reports to varying degrees on their environmental performance and management. For example there has been the development and implementation of triple bottom-line reporting, …

Biotechnology Integration As A Sociology Of Innovation, L. J. Daniel, Patrick Dawson

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Understanding the sociological process by which innovations are developed and adopted provides an interesting challenge for managers and marketers. In practical terms, recognizing the various intangible social influences that modulate innovation development and uptake requires a flexible framework which enables the variable stakeholder contributions to be taken into account. Research into the Australian biotechnology industry has provided valuable insight into the social processes in the development and integration of these innovations. Evidence from the industry reveals integration was a dynamic social process directed by the multiple agendas of participating stakeholders. The social foundation of integration activities was strongly reliant on …

Social Innovation, Sustainable Futures And Commercial Concerns: People, Profits And Social Well-Being, Patrick M. Dawson, L. Daniel

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This paper draws attention to the growing interest in social innovations as they seek to improve the well being of people, communities and society. Social innovations are recognised as the development of new concepts, strategies and tools that support individuals and groups to achieve improved well-being. We examine here the growing interest in social innovation before turning our attention to more theoretical and conceptual concerns. We examine the link between the social and technical dimensions of innovation and identify how the scope of our definition is important in delineating our phenomena of interest. Some of the earlier academic work on …

Structural Limits Of Capacity And Implications For Visibility, Ted Watts, Carol J. Mcnair, Vicki Baard, Lidija Polutnik

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Purpose - This paper fills the gap between defining and measuring the productive limits of a machine or system, and the impact of various assumptions about the productive potential of the nature and informativeness of capacity cost management systems. The authors focused on the various ways in which multi-dimensional limits (for example, time, space, volume and/or value-creating ability) can be used to define productive capacity. Specifically, our research suggests that the limits used in establishing the capacity cost management system restrict the amount and nature of the information the system is capable of providing to management.

Justification – Two reasons …