Business Commons^™

Liberty, National Security And The Big Society, Alison Green, Nick Johns, Mark Rix

Sydney Business School - Papers

The Big Society agenda of the UK Coalition Government has had a significant impact on welfare policy as well as the terms of the debate about how welfare should be provided for and regulated. The ripples have travelled far beyond the UK and similar discussions are occurring in different national contexts. One such has been Australia, where commentators and policymakers are considering the ramifications of a Big Society approach for domestic social policy (Cox 2010). This debate no longer focuses on the ‘New Public Management’ agenda with its emphasis on outsourcing to third and private sector providers and the creation …

Minds At The Edge Of Chaos, Laura L. Rook, Genevieve Watson

Faculty of Business - Papers (Archive)

The concept of a mental model is increasingly becoming of interest to organisations, as it is a person's beliefs, thoughts, interpretations, or otherwise termed, 'mental model' that can affect our actions and therefore how people achieve organisational outcomes (Jensen & Rasmussen 2004). This paper establishes a robust definition of the concept of a mental model for future research. The research was conducted using coherent conversations as part of a complexity-based inquiry. This project seeks to understand and explore the views held by individuals about actual work practices and ideal work practices. This research concludes that the individuals, who make up …

Comovement Between Emerging And Developed Stock Markets: An Investigation Through Cointegration Analysis, Searat Ali, Babar Zaheer Butt, Kashif Ur Rehman

Faculty of Business - Papers (Archive)

Globalization has amplified interest of academics and investors to the subject of co movement among the stock markets of the world. This study investigates the co movement of Pakistan's Equity Market with the markets of India, China, Indonesia, Singapore, Taiwan, Malaysia, Japan, USA and UK by using co integration test on monthly stock prices from the period of July 1998 to June 2008. The results reveal that there is no co movement of Pakistan's equity market with the markets of UK, USA, Taiwan, Malaysia and Singapore. Therefore, investors can reduce risk through investment in these countries. Whereas the stock prices …

Electricity Spot Trading In Germany: Price Formation And Convergence, Christian Growitsch, Rabindra Nepal

Faculty of Business - Papers (Archive)

This paper analyses the price developments between the European Energy Exchange EEX and OTC wholesale spot markets in Germany using a linear state space model based on Kalman filter analysis. Our results suggest increasingly integrated German wholesale spot markets for electricity. The results remain the same when correcting for the influence of the introduction of the emissions allowance trading.

Venture Capital And Executive Incentives In China, Jerry Cao, Qigui Liu, Gary G. Tian

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This paper examines the effect that venture capital (VC) has on the pay-performancerelationship in listed Chinese firms. We find that VC has a significantly positive effect onCEO compensation and the pay-performance relationship, such effect particularly stronger infirms needing more managerial efforts and discretions (higher growth opportunity or higherlevels of capital expenditure). In addition, we show that VC-backed firms with moremanagerial discretions are more likely to use stock options. The evidence suggests thatventure capital investors use more sensitive compensation contract for top executives inChinese when the need for managerial discretion is greater. Such compensation schemes byVCs enhance firm performance subsequently.

The Iron Cage Of The Profession: A Critique On Closure In The Australian Accounting Profession, Ronald W. Perrin, Gregory K. Laing

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This paper seeks to contribute to the literature on the process of closure that occurs within the constructs of professions. The discussion in this paper focuses on the professional accounting bodies in Australia and how they have devolved a form of bureaucratic control over the education process through the credentialing of membership and accreditation of accounting degrees. Weber's theory of bureaucracy in conjunction with Closure theory provide the framework upon which this critique is drawn. Implicit in the regulatory role of the accounting bodies is the justification of the practice of accounting and the status of the members of the …

Supply Chain Integration And Pathways Of Least Resistance, Tillmann Boehme, Paul Childerhouse, Eric Deakins, Denis Towill

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Exploratory, site-centred research used a systems theory lens to investigate real-world pathways to supply chainintegration. The longitudinal studies involved four New Zealand-based case companies and utilised a rigorous, multimethodsupply chain integration benchmarking procedure. Findings indicate that, regardless of best practicerecommendations, supply chain managers adopt the integration pathway favoured by senior management in order tosecure the level of authority they need for often cross-functional projects. Similarly when seeking to improve externalrelationships, integration pathways that would have the company negotiating from a position of strength are favoured,even though more effective negotiation strategies may be possible. In short, supply chain managers appear to …

Marketing Measurement Revolution: The C-Oar-Se Method And Why It Must Replace Psychometrics, John R. Rossiter

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Purpose – New measures in marketing are invariably created by using a psychometric approach based on Churchill’s “scale development” procedure. This paper aims to compare and contrast Churchill’s procedure with Rossiter’s content-validity approach to measurement, called C-OAR-SE.
Design/methodology approach – The comparison of the two procedures is by rational argument and forms the theoretical first half of the paper. In the applied second half of the paper, three recent articles from the Journal of Marketing (JM) that introduce new constructs and measures are criticized and corrected from the C-OAR-SE perspective.
Findings – The C-OAR-SE method differs from Churchill’s method by …

Professionalism And Social Networking: Can Patients, Physicians, Nurses, And Supervisors All Be `Friends'?, Joy V. Peluchette, Katherine Karl, Alberto Coustasse, Phil Rutsohn, Dennis Emmett

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This study examines the use of Facebook by certified nurse anesthetist students. Our results showed that, contrary to expectations, most were neutral about faculty, physicians, and supervisors viewing their Facebook profiles but expressed concerns about patients seeing such information. Many (30%) of our respondents had observed unprofessional content posted on the social network sites of their classmates including: intoxication or substance abuse, profanity, sexually suggestive photos or comments, and negative work-related comments. A vast majority indicated they would accept a ‘friend’ request from their supervisor and a physician but not a patient. Surprisingly, about 40% had initiated a ‘friend’ request …

Predicting Online Travel Purchases: The Case Of Switzerland, Christian Laesser, Anita Zehrer

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This paper examines why and under what conditions prospective travellers complete their bookings through online services compared to other methods. The study is based on a representative survey within 1,898 Swiss households, recording their travel behaviour during the entire year 2007. The results show that the likelihood of booking online increases if someone is drawn to a website to gather information in the first place and if the product sold through the website is transparent and well-understood (either 'per se' or because the customer is familiar with the product) or if any other booking-related communication would impose a financial charge …

Race Matters: Whether We Know It, Or Like It, Or Not: Implicit Racial Attitudes And Their Effect On Accounting-Based, Balanced Scorecard Performance Evaluations, David R. Upton, Cecil E. Arrington

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

One of the dominant themes in critical accounting theory over the past two decades has to do with the relation between the construction of human identities and accounting discourse and practices. Though with strong antecedents in Marxist –inspired critique of ideology, genealogical studies (e.g., Miller & O’Leary, 19XX), deconstructive studies (e.g., Shearer & Arrington, 19XX), and critical-rational studies (e.g., Power & Laughlin, 19XX) are examples of different theoretical and methodological ways to probe the constructive force of accounting over human identity and subjectivity. This paper offers a fourth approach grounded in social-cognitive concerns with ways in which implicit attitudes, or …

Modeling The Effects Of Quality In A Transformative Health Service, Shahriar Akter, Umme Hani

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Understanding the effects of service quality on economic (i.e., continuance intentions) and social (i.e., quality of life) outcomes is critical to extend the focus of transformative service research. This study specifies mHealth as a transformative service and models the impact of its overall quality on satisfaction, continuance intentions and quality of life. Based on cognition - affective - conation chain, the conceptual model explicitly identifies convenience, confidence, cooperation, care and concern as the primary dimensions of mHealth service quality. The study validates the higher-order quality model and its association with subsequent latent variables using PLS path modeling. The findings confirm …

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 …

Accounting And Neoliberalism: A Critical Reading Of Iasb/Fasb's Conceptual Framework For Financial Reporting 2010, Ying Zhang

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This paper explores the influence of neoliberal free market ideology on the accounting standard setting by using IASB/FASB’s Conceptual Framework for Financial Reporting 2010 as an example. By positioning the analysis in broader literature of neoliberalism and financialisation, this paper reveals the bias underlying the conceptual framework that promotes the interest of neoliberal financiers and its potential social impacts. This paper argues that the changes that take place in the joint project serve to strengthen the beliefs in the neoliberal markets and favours a very small group of users over the ‘public interest’ consideration of financial reporting. As unfolded through …

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 …

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 …

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 …

An Assessment Of M-Health In Developing Countries Using Task Technology Fit Model, Amina Tariq, Shahriar Akter

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Health challenges present arguably the most significant barrier to sustainable global development. The introduction of ICT in healthcare, especially the application of mobile communications, has created the potential to transform healthcare delivery by making it more accessible, affordable and effective across the developing world. However, current research into the assessment of mHealth from the perspective of developing countries particularly with community Health workers (CHWs) as primary users continues to be limited. The aim of this study is to analyze the contribution of mHealth in enhancing the performance of the health workers and its alignment with existing workflows to guide its …

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 …

Product Deletion: A Critical Overview And Empirical Insight Into This Process, Jonathan Muir, Nina Reynolds

Faculty of Business - Papers (Archive)

With organisations as diverse as Heinz, Kraft, Polygram and Sony reducing the scope of their product portfolios, it appears that the issue of product deletion is currently exercising managerial minds. Those keen to pursue their interest in this area will find a concise body of work spanning nearly six decades. However, missing from this work is an understanding of the recurring tactical, strategic and cultural variables involved in deletion decision-making. This research sought to alleviate this shortcoming through conducting an in-depth literature review and considering the deletion experiences of three world-renowned organisations. The results of this exploratory study provide an …

On The Relationship Between Population Change And Sustainable Development, Simone Marsiglio

Faculty of Business - Papers (Archive)

This paper investigates the relationship between population growth and economic growth, through the study of fertility choices and their effects on natural resources. It aims at analyzing the interactions between endogenous fertility choices and the environment and their link to the sustainable matter. We analyze a growth model driven by natural resources and without production, where agents have jointly to determine consumption and fertility, taking into account the effects of their decisions on the dynamics of natural resources. We adopt the most optimistic view on natural capital (it generates endogenous growth) and the weakest notion of sustainable paths (all variables …

Taxes, International Clienteles And The Value Of Adr Dividends, Aelee Jun, Graham H. Partington

Faculty of Business - Papers (Archive)

The values of ADR dividends are estimated from the period when, due to different ex-dividend dates, the ADRs and their underlying Australian stocks trade with differential dividend entitlements. These estimates of ADR dividend values are significantly less noisy than traditional exdividend estimates. The ADR dividends are valued at less than their face value and the dividends on the stocks at more than their face value. This is consistent with the ADRs being held by U.S. investors placing little value on the imputation tax credits attached to the dividends and the converse for Australian resident investors.

Engaging Industry: Embedding Professional Learning In The Business Curriculum: Final Report 2011, Theo Theo Papadopoulos, Tracy Taylor, Eveline Fallshaw, Michael Zanko

Faculty of Business - Papers (Archive)

Professional learning has become a feature of business curricula in universities throughout Australia and around the world. 'Professional learning' is often used to denote educational programs that are explicitly linked to industry and professional bodies through industry placements, industry projects and teaching approaches that highlight contemporary industry issues. Professional learning encompasses the skills, qualities and attributes that are required by a profession and the processes through which those skills are learnt: that is, the methods of teaching - case studies, role plays, field trips, work placement and the like. Professional learning encourages deep learning in relation to the student's future …

How Satisfaction Modifies The Strength Of The Influence Of Perceived Service Quality On Behavioral Intentions, Shyh Jane Li, Yu-Ying Huang, Miles Yang

Faculty of Business - Papers (Archive)

Purpose: The existence and form of interaction effects between service quality and satisfaction are still uncertain. The main purpose of this study is to examine whether satisfaction moderates the relationship between service quality and behavioral intentions. Design/methodology/approach: A structured questionnaire was distributed to the out-patients of 12 regional hospitals (the middle level) in Taiwan. Findings: The findings show that the forms of moderators played by satisfaction are not always the same under different dimensions of service quality (i.e. reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy). Satisfaction positively moderates the influence of reliability/empathy on behavioral intentions, but negatively moderates the relationships between responsiveness/assurance …

Dividend Smoothing When Firms Distribute Most Of Their Earnings As Dividends, Khamis Al-Yahyaee, Toan Pham, Terry S. Walter

Faculty of Business - Papers (Archive)

Due to its distinctive institutional background, Oman offers a valuable opportunity to investigate the stability of the dividend policy. In Oman, (1) there are no taxes on dividends, (2) firms are highly levered mainly through bank loans, (3) there is a high concentration of stock ownership and (4) there is variability in cash dividend payments. These factors suggest a diminished role of dividend smoothing in Oman. Our results show that Omani financial firms have erratic dividend policies. These results are inconsistent with the predictions suggested by the relatively weak corporate governance, government ownership and dividend signalling.

Three Good Reasons Not To Use Factor-Cluster Segmentation, Sara Dolnicar, Bettina Grun

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Market segmentation is very popular both in tourism industry and among tourism researchers. Tourism industry uses it to identify homogenous subsets of tourists and to select the most suitable of them to target over the medium and long term. Tourism researchers use it to gain a deeper understanding of the heterogeneity of consumer behaviour among tourists. There are two basic forms of market segmentation: a priori (Mazanec, 2000) or commonsense segmentation (Dolnicar, 2004) and post-hoc (Myers and Tauber, 1977), a posteriori (Mazanec, 2000), or data-driven segmentation (Dolnicar, 2004). In commonsense segmentation the users determine in advance which tourist characteristic should …

Three Good Reasons Not To Use Five And Seven Point Likert Items, Sara Dolnicar, Bettina Grun, Friedrich Leisch, John Rossiter

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

One of the main sources of knowledge development in tourism has been survey research. Through surveys of tourists, surveys of the tourism industry and surveys of residents living in tourism destinations, our understanding of the positive and negative impact of tourism has increased and we are now better able to understand and respond to tourists’ needs. The underlying measure in survey research is the question respondents are asked. In the physical sciences measures are highly calibrated and objective. For example, a thermometer – if not faulty – will show the true temperature of a location at any given time. A …

Quick, Simple And Reliable: Forced Binary Survey Questions, Sara Dolnicar, Bettina Grün, Friedrich Leisch

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Consumers are increasingly saturated by market research which leads to decreasing response rates and an increased danger of response bias. Market researchers thus face the challenge of recruiting respondents, increasing response rates and reducing respondent fatigue by making questionnaires as short and pleasant as possible. One way of achieving this is to replace traditionally used ordinal multi-category answer formats (such as Likert scales) with forced binary scales. This proposition is only attractive if it indeed shortens the survey time while not compromising the quality of managerial insights from the data.

This study investigates these conditions. Results from a repeat-measurement design …

Infrastructure And Economic Development, Cassey Lee

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

The importance of the infrastructure sector to the process of economic growth and development has long been recognized and understood by scholars and policymakers. Without adequate infrastructure, modern commerce characterized by production specialization and exchange across markets would grind to a halt. Economic globalization would not take place without the reduction in communication and transportation costs brought about by the progress achieved in the development of infrastructure within and across countries. Thus, any attempt at understanding Malaysia’s past experiences in economic development thus requires an analysis of the role that the infrastructure has played. The purpose of this chapter is …

The Relation Of Intellectual Capital Disclosure Strategies And Market Value In Two Political Settings, Indra Abeysekera

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether the political setting (civil war versus temporary truce) in a country has an influence on firms' current narrative, visual, and numerical intellectual capital disclosure being included in the current market value of equity. Design/methodology/approach – Using content analysis for data generation, this study identifies narrative, visual, and numerical intellectual capital disclosure in firms' annual reports. Financial data were obtained from firms' annual reports and the stock exchange. Fixed effect panel regression was conducted separately for the civil war period and temporary truce period. Findings – The paper finds that …