Business Commons^™

Dimensionalising Cultural Implications Of The Multinationals In The Niger Delta: A Consequentialist Approach For Resistance, Uzoechi Nwagbara

Dr Uzoechi Nwagbara

The presence of multinational oil corporations in Nigeria – which include Agip, Chevron, Elf, Mobil, Shell, and Total among others have come with heavy consequences to the nation’s cultural heritage and identity in the global marketplace. This is particularly the case in the Niger delta region of Nigeria considered as the goose that lays the golden egg, that is, oil, which has been described in many quarters as a major source of the nation’s malaise. The cultural and environmental damage of oil exploration as well as the pauperisation of the locals is inextricably linked to the ruse of global capitalism, …

Rethinking Labour Turnover: Prospecting For Shared Leadership, Uzoechi Nwagbara

Dr Uzoechi Nwagbara

This paper argues that without shared leadership organisations experience high labour turnover. Shared leadership is about collaborative, participatory leadership that takes employees’ views and interests on board in decision-making and leadership process. Labour turnover is the movement of people (employees) into and out of organisations. Thus, this study argues that if the interests and opinions of employees are not considered in organisational decision-making process and leadership, they will feel disenchanted as well as alienated from the organisation’s leadership. This will in the final analysis cause them to leave for greener pasture. Also, attempts will be made to show that without …

Power, Language And Context: A Sociolinguistic Reading Of Bill Clinton’S Between Hope And History, Uzoechi Nwagbara

Dr Uzoechi Nwagbara

A sociolinguistic reading of Between Hope and History unpacks the thrusts of the book that are couched in Bill Clinton’s overall political and ideological philosophy as well as the achievements of his first tenure of office as President of the United States of America. The book also states the hallmarks of his campaign manifestoes for his second term through the use of apt linguistic and sociolinguistic elements. The acknowledgement of language as a medium for acquiring power is integral in all communicative situations aimed at rhetorical or sociolinguistic value. An outstanding feature of Bill Clinton’s Between Hope and History: Meeting …

Public Policy Instruments In (Re)Building National Innovation Capabilities: Cases Of Nanotechnology Development In China, Russia And Brazil, Evgeny A. Klochikhin

Evgeny A. Klochikhin

In 2001 Goldman Sachs named Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRICs) the most rapidly-growing countries in the world capable of surpassing the United States, Japan and Europe as leading economies by 2050.

Nevertheless, for the last decade we have learned relatively little about the mechanisms of success and failure in these countries. All of them have huge territory and population as well as fast-growing economies that sometimes show two-digit rates of GDP growth per year and surprise the world by their increasing budgets and public spending. In the meantime, most of these countries are believed to be desperately struggling against …

The Reorganization Of A Professional Sports League - A Critical Analysis Of The Restructuring Of The Australian National Basketball League, Winston Wing Hong To, Shayne Quick, Darwin Semotiuk

Winston Wing Hong To

There are numerous examples of professional sports leagues that have failed. Australia has witnessed professor soccer (National Soccer League) and rugby leagues (Super League, Australian Rugby Football League) disappear, be restructured, or reintroduced under a new brand and name (soccer: A-League, rugby league: National Rugby league) (MacDonald & Karg & Lock, 2010; Commonwealth of Australia, 2006). North America has seen the closure of a number of professional sports leagues such as the XFL (American Football), World Hockey Association (Ice Hockey), and the Canadian Soccer League (Football/Soccer) (Bostwick, 2007; Golokhov, nd). There are numerous reasons why these professional sports leagues fail. …

Nanotechnology Policy In Russia: Can An Emerging Technology Push A Country Onto A New Development Trajectory?, Evgeny A. Klochikhin

Evgeny A. Klochikhin

In 2001 Goldman Sachs predicted that a group of emerging markets – Brazil, Russia, India and China – will surpass leading economies by 2050. Nevertheless, we seem to have studied little about the mechanisms of success and failure in these countries in the recent decade. In this paper I focus on one of these giants – Russia – which seems seriously understudied but retains important creative and science and technology potential capable of pushing the country onto a new development trajectory.

Russia sees nanotechnology as one of the major technological platforms that could help it achieve the established growth objectives. …

Academic Civic Engagement For Capacity Building: The Role Of Universities In Building Sustainable Philanthropy Through Multi-Sector Partnerships In The Middle East, Marco Tavanti

Marco Tavanti

The paper explores academic civic engagement for capacity building and the development of sustainable philanthropy through multi-sector partnerships. It analyses the innovative strategies and models for academic engagement in civic work by the International Human Rights Law Institute at DePaul University (IHRLI) and its success in securing the funds necessary to assist in organizational and national capacity building through large-scale partnerships between academic experts, practitioners, and local institutions and organizations in the Middle East. The paper introduces a model for academic institutional engagement in civic development highlighting key elements, such as an institution’s cultural competence, desire for meaningful engagement, and …

Cuba Offers More Than 'Sports For All', Winston Wing Hong To, Dana Poeta, Brook Russell

Winston Wing Hong To

A summary about the Cuban sport system and their philosophy on "sports for all" from the first hand perspective of students that were part of the 2011 course "An Educational Exploration of Sport and Physical Activity in Cuba" offer by The University of Western Ontario Kinesiology Department.

Foucault And American Foreign Policy During 2001 Bush Era, Kyle S. Herman

Dr. Kyle S. Herman

In this paper I discuss the theory of power structures written by Michel Foucault in “Docile Bodies: Discipline”1 and relate this to George Bush’s Foreign policy agenda (roughly around 2001) in accordance with the Cheney Report described by Michael Klare in his book “Blood and Oil.”

The Creation And Growth Of Information Technology Communication (Ict) Industrial Clusters: The New Zealand Case, Malcolm Fraser, Stephen Kelly

Adjunct Professor Stephen J Kelly

This paper is based on a review of literature into industrial clusters and subsequently discusses identified success factors within the context of ICT industrial clusters generally and New Zealand ICT industrial clusters in particular. It is argued that through identifying the success attributes underpinning industrial clusters a baseline can be established for decision-making by both industry vertical groups and various levels of government. It is also proposed that the application of this baseline logic to the development of New Zealand ICT clusters will enhance the domestic and international development of these clusters. The paper identifies that the key components of …

Identifying Successful E-Branding Strategies In Thailand, Sunti Chirawatthanangkoon, Stephen Kelly

Adjunct Professor Stephen J Kelly

No abstract provided.

Can Culture Shape The Identity Of A Sport? A Case Study On Lifesaving Sport - Surf Lifesaving Australia And Lifesaving/Sauvetage Canada, Winston Wing Hong To

Winston Wing Hong To

Sport is an important marker of our country's culture and identity. Citizens within a country will cheer and support their sport teams if they are successful, or criticize and judge if they are doing poorly. The importance of culture within sport is an important indicator of a country's success or failure within international competitions; such as the Olympics and World Championships. However, can culture shape the identity of a sport within a country?

Lifesaving is a vital aspect of a country's swim program, as it focuses on reducing injury and death in, on, or around the water. Within Lifesaving, there …

Vincentian University Partnerships For Urban Poverty Reduction, Marco Tavanti Ph.D., Merlinda A. Palencia, Margaret Guzzaldo

Marco Tavanti

This article discusses the vital need for academic and intersectoral partnerships in the effort to reduce global poverty, especially in cities of developing nations. The academic alliance between DePaul and Adamson universities, and their cooperation with popular organizations (POs) from the communities of poor persons in Manila are described. The activities of Adamson’s Vincentian Center for Social Responsibility (VCSR) and the POs are profiled. DePaul, Adamson, the POs, and the VCSR are working to “increase the leadership and organizational capacity of the POs.” The tenets of academic social responsibility and their reflection of Vincentian values are highlighted.

The Antecedents Of Value Creation In Singapore Corporation, Wee Liang Tan, Teck Meng Tan

Wee Liang TAN

The impetus for value creation has led to greater interest in encouraging entrepreneurship within organizations (intrapreneurship). The intrapreneurship literature reveals general agreement that organizational entrepreneurship flourishes where the environmental conditions of an organization are most favorable. However, there is little empirical research examining the relationship of the organizational climate and the intentions of employees to be intrapreneurs, and their actual participation in such activities. This paper reports a study on the elements of organizational climate on intrapreneurship attitudes, intentions and actions on the part of middle managers in corporations in Singapore.

National Venture Competition And Technopreneurship Development In Malaysia, Wee Liang Tan, Karl Egge, Osman Mohamed

Wee Liang TAN

In the global slowdown, there is a revived interest in entrepreneurship development particularly in new startups based on technology. Many countries see this as a basis for future growth and competitiveness. To encourage technology-based entrepreneurship, also called technopreneurship, business plan competitions could be one strategy. Typically one finds business plan competitions either for members of a region of a country (e.g.,SW Pennsylvania); or, as an extension of University programs in business and entrepreneurship (e.g., MIT). Certainly such competitions can generate and exploit interest in entrepreneurship. In Malaysia, beginning in 2001, a business plan competition with a difference has been established. …

Asian Expatriate Development: A Comparative Study Of Japanese, Korean And Singaporean Expatriates, A. Ahad M. Osman-Gani, Wee Liang Tan

Wee Liang TAN

Owing to rapid internationalization of business activity, human resource development (HRD) has become increasingly important in recent years. This is especially true when domestic human resource management takes on international dimensions as it deals more with multicultural workforce. International HRD, much of it embodied in cross-cultural training, has been proposed by many scholars as a means of facilitating more effective interaction among managers, employees and customers from different national-cultural backgrounds. Despite the need for cross-cultural skills and the shortage of managers who possess these skills, most human resource decision-makers do nothing in terms of cross-cultural training for their employees. Studies …

Where Should The Action Be - Inside The Classroom Or Outside The Classroom? A Comparison Of The Action-Learning Outcomes In Singapore, China, Korea, New Zealand And Australia, Jens Mueller, Wee Liang Tan, Hanjun Hu, John Thornton

Wee Liang TAN

No abstract provided.

Selection Of Expatriates For Regional Business Operations In Asia: A Study Of Mne Managers In Singapore, A. Ahad M. Osman-Gani, Wee Liang Tan, Thian Ser Toh

Wee Liang TAN

The recent interest for regionalization of business operations in Asia underscores the demand for expatriates. While much has been written on expatriation, very little was documented on expatriates assigned in Asian countries. In this respect, American, German, Japanese and Korean MNEs have been found to take active interests in regional expansion of business in Asia. Expatriation is a significant international management issue for them. The high costs of expatriation and the risks for expatriate failures also underscore this importance. As such, selecting the right candidate for expatriation success is a crucial issue for these MNEs. This paper presents the findings …

Achieving Growth Through Corporate Partnerships And Joint Ventures: Will Singapore's Strategic Leap Into The Region Work?, Ravinder K. Zutshi, Wee Liang Tan

Wee Liang TAN

One of the characteristic features of the East Asian economic development strategy has been the interventionist role of the government in the economic sphere (Amsden 1989; Kwon 1994; Wade 1990; Zutshi and Gibbons 1998). Governments in East Asia have traditionally, worked closely with the private sector. As a result unique business systems embedded in networks and alliances have evolved in countries like Taiwan, Japan, Korea and Singapore (Hamilton and Biggard 1988). Singapore has attempted to extend this model of strategic cooperation beyond its borders into the region. Schein (1996) identifies a number of major development eras in the evolution of …

Change Leadership In Organizations: The Case Of Singapore's Small And Medium-Sized Enterprises, Thomas Menkhoff, Yue Wah Chay, Benjamin Loh

Thomas MENKHOFF

The essay is based on a survey of organizational change management practices in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Singapore which was conducted by the authors between 1999 - 2001 in collaboration with the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce & Industry (SCCCI). The study was aimed at examining the adaptability and change readiness of Singapore’s SMEs and their owners vis-à-vis the rapidly changing external business environment, as exemplified by the process of economic globalization, intense competition, technology development and the Asian crisis. A total of 101 companies responded to the survey which revealed some surprising facts about the adaptability and …

Waterstone’S And The Changing Bookselling Environment In The Uk: The Journey So Far And Prospects, Uzoechi Nwagbara

Dr Uzoechi Nwagbara

This study investigates the market environment of the United Kingdom high street bookselling business with emphasis on Waterstone’s. In doing this, stress shall be placed on a brief exploration of the global outlook of book retailing venture as it relates to the United Kingdom. Another focus of this paper is the micro"environment and macro"environment of book retailing business in the United Kingdom and the internal environment of Waterstone’s – that is a look at the PESTEL, SWOT, consumer behaviour, and Porter’s Five Forces as well as strategies for a re"invented Waterstone’s. Finally, marketing and management strategies for improved services and …

Homing In On Paradigm Shift: Ryanair Leadership In The Age Of Expensive Air Trave, Uzoechi Nwagbara

Dr Uzoechi Nwagbara

This investigation borders on a critical evaluation of the leadership style of Ryanair in the age of expensive air travel. Another thrust of the paper is a critical look at the organizational model in place at Ryanair which has made it one of the world’s most successful airlines. In doing this we shall be exploring the leadership model and paradigms as well as leadership style that Michael O’Leary, the CEO of this airline has brought to bear in the organization, which have made it an airline of choice in Europe. Also, the study will be evaluating the transformational change occasioned …

The Nigerian Press, The Public Sphere And Sustainable Development: Engaging The Post Amnesty Deal In The Niger Delta, Uzoechi Nwagbara

Dr Uzoechi Nwagbara

The coalescence of effective media and the public sphere is a synergy that brings about democracy, sustainable development and good governance. Irrespective of its shortcomings, the Nigerian media has been described as a bastion of people’s agitation, which impacts on the public sphere, a realm where private individuals meet to address societal questions with the state. This is the case with the Nigerian press, whose duties and ideals have been called to action in the wake of the amnesty deal in the Niger delta. In order to achieve peace and good governance in the region, serious grassroots and national information …