Business Commons^™

Using Traditional Rituals In Hospitality To Gain Value: A Study On The Impact Of Feng Shui, Madeleine Ogilvie, Danny Ng, David Xiang, Maria M. Ryan, Jaime L.P. Yong

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Superstition and the rituals used to support such beliefs remain an important part of Chinese business society. With the advance of globalisation and the normalisation of many business practices this study explores the importance these rituals continue to play in the contemporary hospitality setting. The paper examines the prominence of Feng Shui in business today in a qualitative study using Chinese restaurants to explore associated business behaviours and perceived value of use. Findings from 20 phenomenological interviews from across four different Asian communities are discussed highlighting the core elements of this ritualistic practice. Results indicate that these practices continue to …

Towards An Improved Typology Approach To Segmenting Cultural Tourists, Ganghua Chen, Songshan (Sam) Huang

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This study aims to improve the cultural tourist typology methodology that uses cultural centrality and depth of cultural experience in its framework. Using a sample of Chinese tourists in Macau (n = 595) collected via questionnaire surveys, the study confirmed the determination effect of cultural centrality on depth of cultural experience. Subsequently, the study demonstrated an improved approach that eliminates such a determination effect in typology identification. Compared to McKercher's () approach, the improved typology presents a balanced segmentation of cultural tourists and distinguishes the segments more clearly in their sociodemographic characteristics. The improved typology generated more meaningful practical implications.

Cointegration Between The European Union And The Selected Global Markets Following Sovereign Debt Crisis, Anna Golab, Ferry Jie, Robert J. Powell, Anna Zamojska

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The purpose of this paper is to provide an analytical analysis of cointegration between Europe and the other significant trading partners, namely US, China, Japan and Australia, for the period from January 1, 2010 to December 30, 2016. This captures the impact of the sovereign European debt crisis and the Greek crisis. A range of parametric techniques were adopted including Johansen cointegration analysis, Vector Error Correction Model and Granger causality. The results of the crisis Granger causality test during the European sovereign crisis implies the highest influence to be that of the US and Japanese stock market over the other …

Efficiency And Risk In Sustaining China’S Food Production And Security: Evidence From Micro-Level Panel Data Analysis Of Japonica Rice Production, Chengjun Wang, Zhaoyong Zhang, Ximin Fei

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Sustainable food production and food security are always challenging issues in China. This paper constructs a multi-element two-level constant-elasticity-of-substitution (CES) model to assess technological progress in, and its contribution to, japonica rice production in China. The results show that the speed of technological progress in the production of japonica rice on average was 0.44% per annum in 1985–2013, and technological progress has contributed significantly to the growth of japonica rice production in China. Robustness checks show that the results appear to be sensitive to which sub-sample is used. Labour and some other inputs are found to be significant but negative, …

An Integrated Approach To Improving Rural Livelihoods: Examples From India And Bangladesh, Barry Croke, Wendy Merritt, Peter Cornish, Geoffrey J. Syme, Christian H. Roth

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This paper presents an overview of work in West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and SW Bangladesh through a series of projects from 2005 to the present, considering the impact of farming systems, water shed development and/or agricultural intensification on livelihoods in selected rural areas of India and Bangladesh. The projects spanned a range of scales spanning from the village scale (∼  1 km²) to the meso-scale (∼  100 km²), and considered social as well as biophysical aspects. They focused mainly on the food and water part of the food-water-energy nexus. These projects were in collaboration with a …

Understanding Chinese Cultural Tourists: Typology And Profile, Ganghua Chen, Songshan (Sam) Huang

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This study aims to offer a clear and up-to-date typology and profile of Chinese cultural tourists in mainland China following the framework based on cultural centrality and depth of cultural experience. Using a sample of mainland Chinese tourists (n = 656) at three cultural attractions in Guangzhou, China, a typology of Chinese cultural tourists (namely casual, sightseeing, purposeful, serendipitous, and incidental) was developed and trip characteristics (e.g. prior knowledge, time spent to get to know the site before visit, change in knowledge, and on-site activities) and sociodemographics of each segment were also examined. In addition, slight differences are found between …

Family Businesses And Adaptation: A Dynamic Capabilities Approach, Abel Duarte Alonso, Seng Kok, Michelle O'Shea

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The main objective of this research was to propose a framework centred on the dynamic capabilities approach, and to be applied in the context of family businesses’ adaption to their changing business environment. Data were gathered through interviews with ten FBs operating in Western Australia. Based on the findings, the clusters of activities, sensing, seizing, and transforming emerged as key factors for firms’ adaptation, and were reinforced by firms’ open culture, signature processes, idiosyncratic knowledge, and valuable, rare, inimitable and non-substitutable attributes. Thus, the usefulness of the proposed framework was confirmed. Implications and future research opportunities are presented.

Modelling And Forecasting Stock Price Movements With Serially Dependent Determinants, Rasika Yatigammana, Shelton Peiris, Richard Gerlach, David Edmund Allen

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The direction of price movements are analysed under an ordered probit framework, recognising the importance of accounting for discreteness in price changes. By extending the work of Hausman et al. (1972) and Yang and Parwada (2012),This paper focuses on improving the forecast performance of the model while infusing a more practical perspective by enhancing flexibility. This is achieved by extending the existing framework to generate short term multi period ahead forecasts for better decision making, whilst considering the serial dependence structure. This approach enhances the flexibility and adaptability of the model to future price changes, particularly targeting risk minimisation. Empirical …

Hyperlink Network Analysis Of A Tourism Destination, Hossein Raisi, Rodolfo Baggio, Llandis Barratt-Pugh, Gregory Willson

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Hyperlinks critically impact the online visibility of a tourism destination and the effectiveness of information flow between tourism organizations and enterprises on the Internet. This study investigates the hyperlink network of the tourism industry in Western Australia. Network analysis is applied to explore, analyze, and visualize this network of 1,515 tourism websites. Several dimensions of network structure are examined, and the results indicate that the hyperlink network of this destination has a very sparse, centralized and hierarchical structure, and that the websites tend to form communities based on their geographical locations. Public tourism organizations and information services play a central …

New Perspectives On Bank Risk In Malaysia, Robert J. Powell

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Stable banks in individual ASEAN countries are essential to the economic stability of the ASEAN region as these countries move towards the goal of greater financial integration in the region. This study comprehensively explores bank risk in Malaysia as compared to the ASEAN region over an 18-year period which includes the Asian and Global Financial Crises. Metrics used include non-performing loans (NPLs), conditional distance to default (CDD which focuses on tail risk of asset volatility and is the authors own measure of bank default based on an extension to the Merton distance to default (DD) model) and a tail risk …

A Simulation Pedagogical Approach To Engaging Generalist Pre-Service Teachers In Physical Education Online: The Gopro Trial 1.0, Brendon P. Hyndman

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

There has been a continuous increase in enrolments within teacher education programs in recent years delivered via online and external modes. Such levels of enrolment have raised discussion around the theory-practice nexus and whether pre-service teachers (PSTs) can optimally engage with practical learning components via online platforms. This paper provides insight into the potential and feasibility of using GoPro video technology as an innovation in online teacher education delivery of practical physical education (PE) classes. Upon completion of the university semester, qualitative data was collected detailing the generalist PSTs’ perceptions relating to the potential of using GoPro video footage to …

Quest For Quality: Logistics Management In Vietnamese Local Sme, Vanessa Cao

ECU Posters

What are the key issues and problems facing local SME logistics companies in Vietnam and their main causes? How can Vietnamese local SME firms improve their capacity to compete against their foreign counterparts operating in Vietnam. Provides a quality framework for local companies.

Mobile Banking Adoption By Senior Citizens In Australia, Madugoda Gunaratnege Senali

ECU Posters

Mobile banking is technological innovation provided by banks to its customers to do their banking activities such as, viewing account balances, paying bills, transfer of funds and checking new offers and products through their smart phones by using mobile banking application. Though mobile banking has raised high expectations in research and practice, it neither experienced broad adoption nor allows it banks to realize additional earnings yet. This research aims to investigate the factors affecting the mobile banking adoption by senior citizens in Australia by using technology acceptance models. It's important to improve the mobile banking amongst senior Australians to enhance …

How Start-Up Accelerators Facilitate Innovation, Farzaneh Eslamloo

ECU Posters

In today’s economy, innovation is the strategic driving force in getting unique opportunities and adding value to knowledge assets. Many countries, to compete and to adapt themselves to the complexity of the new world, try to be innovative and continuously upgrade their knowledge along with changes happened in the environment. Theses countries consider innovation as the key strategy in achieving sustainable competitive advantage and making continuous improvement in their structures, processes, and programs. The interesting thing about start-up accelerator centres that is the main interest of my research is that they try to respond to the demand shaped in the …

Distance To Default, Viet Dung Dinh

ECU Posters

This poster covers default risk and the significance of the Distance to Default (DD) model in predicting financial distress for 6 countries in the ASEAN region.

Understanding Pro-Environmental Behaviours Of National Park Visitors, Kourosh Esfandiar

ECU Posters

Visitors’ inappropriate behaviour (e.g. littering) will impact nature-based tourism sites such as National Parks which play critical roles in mitigating climate change. This study examines what are the antecedents of national park visitors’ pro-environmental behaviours? Is there any difference between individualistic and collectivistic nations in terms of PEB amongst national park visitors? This study proposes using “An Integrated Pro-environmental personal norms Model (IPM) as the proposed research model based on Schwartz’s NAM to examine the above questions.

Impact Of Corporate Governance On Capital Structure Of Pakistan, Irfan Haider Shakri

ECU Posters

Corporate Governance-CG is a mechanism that protects the interest of all stakeholders specially shareholders in a modern economic and corporate world that is responsible for economic growth of an economy. Capital structure is one of the weightiest decision that effects the performance of the firm. This study empirically finds how corporate governance practices impact the capital structure of the firm.

A Story Of The Red Lantern, Anh Do

ECU Posters

The aim of my research is to understand how a sotck market in one country reacts to a "shock" from a stock market in another country, using the Generalised autoregressive conditional heterosedasticity model (GARCH)

Hyperlink Connectivity Of Wa Tourism Websites, Hossein Raisi

ECU Posters

This poster shows the network of hyperlink connectivity between tourism websites in Western Australia. The network has 1515 websites and 6059 links. Network analysis was used to analyse the network from different perspectives. The analyses showed the main properties of the network such as very low connectivity, the hierarchical structure of the network, high clustering, tendency to link to geographically proximate organisations, and low acknowledgment between the websites. WA tourism websites need to create more links to each other to become more visible on the internet.

The Factors Impacting Customers’ Intention To Use Of An Online Grocery Retail Store, Mitra Maboud

ECU Posters

In an effort to increase sales, most major retail companies seek to recruit and reward loyal customers for regular frequent purchases. Companies inspire and reward their loyal customers to enhance repeat purchase and sales opportunities. There are a number of factors influencing the customers’ mindset in choosing a specific grocery store, such as loyalty, word of mouth, risks, brand image and brand value. Further analyses of these factors will assist company’s customer relationships and marketing strategy development and implementation.

The benefit of developing loyalty among customers is to increase repeat purchase behaviour (Das, 2014; Jarvis & Wilcox, 1977). Customers’ satisfaction …

Quality, Determinants And Consequences Of Integrated Reporting In South Africa, Kwadjo Appiagyei

ECU Posters

Integrated reporting (IR) is expected to be the next corporate reporting norm which combines the relevant financial and sustainability information in one report to meet the needs of capital providers. IR application all over the world has been largely voluntary while South Africa has introduced a mandatory apply or explain basis for firms on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. Although numerous benefits have been attributed to IR, empirical evidence to support these assertions and establish a business case for the adoption of IR is desirable. The research examines the mandatory South African context for the quality of IR since its application …

The Effect Of Family Ownership On Financing Decisions Of Listed Vietnamese Companies, Trang Tran

ECU Posters

The poster is a visualisation of my research proposal. Family firms play an important role in the global economies, especially in Vietnam. There have been studies on family firms' financing decisions; however, the results were mixed. On the one hand, family shareholders have strong control motives. Hence they are argued to employ more debt because debt is a non-control diluted security. On the other hand, family shareholders are risk averse, and have incentives to pass down their businesses. Thus, they may prefer equity since debt incorporates bankruptcy risks. The literature gap calls for a demand of investigating how family ownership …

Teaching Teamwork In Australian University Business Disciplines: Evidence From A Systematic Literature Review, Linda Riebe, Antonia Girardi, Craig Whitsed

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Australian employers continue to indicate that the development of teamwork skills in graduates is as important as mastering technical skills required for a particular career. In Australia, the reporting on the teaching of teamwork skills has emanated across a range of disciplines including health and engineering, with less of a focus on business related disciplines. Although Australian university business schools appear to value the importance and relevance of developing teamwork skills, implementation of the teaching, learning, and assessment of teamwork skills remains somewhat of a pedagogical conundrum. This paper presents evidence from a systematic literature review as to the salient …

Psychogeography – Providing A Lens On Corporate Culture And Its Potential Impact On Career Success: A Novel And Efficient Approach, Dorothy Wardale, Linley Lord

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Psychogeography refers to the loose interface between psychology and geography. Specifically it examines how we impact on the environment and the environment impacts on us. As a process it involves intimately observing the environment and seeing what may have been previously unobserved. Participants then construct meaning from these observations. This paper describes how we used a time-limited psychogeography approach followed immediately by a focus group as research method. The aim was to determine if examining participants’ work environment would potentially enable them to identify enablers and barriers to career success. The findings from these two short interventions are compared to …

Users’ Perceptions Of The Drivers For Corporate Sustainability Disclosures Made By Chinese Listed Companies, Junru Zhang

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

China’s economy and development over decades has achieved not only its national prosperity, but also a significant degree of concern about corporate sustainability. As a vehicle of communication to society, corporate sustainability disclosures (CSD) are considered the most effective and efficient, facilitating the empowerment and acknowledgement of stakeholders in the quest for, and understanding of, sustainability. Much research has investigated the influential factors of CSD based on theories developed from Western standards and economy; however, very limited research considers the driving forces created by cultural and political influences based on the understanding of the perceptions of corporate sustainability among stakeholders …

The Business Of Trails, Kerstin Stender

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Long distance trails have substantial infrastructure due to their length and provision of overnight shelters. Length and remoteness impact negatively on travel time for access, resulting in high maintenance costs. Additionally, as government budgets are declining globally, funding for trails can be difficult to source, leaving infrastructure to deteriorate.

This research investigated how long distance trails are managed, specifically from the perspective of a tourism product in a natural protected area. Global case studies were based on site visits and interviews with trail managers around the world, as well as a review of written documentation. Through comparative analysis the components …

Exploring ‘People’ As The Key Element In Enterprise Architecture Implementation: A Critical Realist Perspective, Edi Triono Nuryatno

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

TOGAF (2009) describes the purpose of Enterprise Architecture (EA) is to optimise enterprisewide systems - the often-fragmented legacy of data processes (both manual and automated) - into an integrated environment that is responsive to change and supports the delivery of the business strategy (The Open Group Architecture Framework [TOGAF], 2009). However, for a number of reasons organisations still have difficulties establishing an effective EA (Raadt & Vliet, 2008; Gartner, 2009; and Janssen & Klievink, 2012, among others) and various reports suggest up to two thirds of implementations do not fulfil expectations (Roeleven, 2010). Being organisation wide with a strong governance …

A Consumer-Based Brand Equity Model For The Luxury And Upscale Hotel Sector, Hairong Shan

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Luxury and upscale hotels, in common with businesses in other service industries and more broadly, seek to develop a strong brand that will contribute to a long-term competitive advantage. However, research on consumer-based brand equity in luxury and upscale hotels is limited. Therefore, the current research, based on fundamental theories of brand equity development established in the packaged goods and the service industries including hotels, has developed a consumer-based brand equity model for the luxury and upscale hotel sector.

A mixed methods research design was employed. A qualitative study was first conducted using focus groups with the data being content …

Workplace Bullying: An Exploratory Study In Australian Academia, Manish Sharma

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Workplace bullying is a behaviour which adversely affects individuals, organisations and the community at large. While substantial research has been conducted on workplace bullying in different work settings, limited research exists on this behaviour at universities; no comprehensive studies have to date been conducted in the context of Australian academia. This study therefore contributes through breaking new ground by exploring bullying within the increasingly corporatised and competitive Australian higher education sector. New Public Management (NPM) practices, diminished government funding, and limited resources risk transforming this sector into a full-fledged industry focused on corporate objectives to achieve operational profitability. Universities’ primary …

The Impact Of Communication Satisfaction On Paediatric Nurses’ Job Satisfaction And Intention To Stay, Gemma Doleman

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Effective communication is the most central process within an organisation and is essential to organisational values, norms and expectations. There is a documented connection between job satisfaction, work commitment and organisational communication. However, nurses’ and nursing middle managers’ satisfaction with organisational communication has not been extensively studied in recent years and not at all among paediatric nurses. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to develop and test a theoretical model that examined paediatric nurses’ and middle managers’ satisfaction with organisational communication and the effect this has on paediatric nurses’ job satisfaction and intention to stay in their job.

Employing …