Business Commons^™

Stakeholders' Perceptions Of Technical, Vocational Education And Training : The Case Of Kenyan Micro And Small Enterprises In The Motor Vehicle Service And Repair Industry, Susan W. Ngure

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Technical, vocational education and training (TVET) in Kenya has undergone major changes since colonialists introduced it at the beginning of the twentieth century. Since then, TVET has evolved in the areas of science, technology and innovation to provide skills that will propel the country to middle-level industrialised status by the year 2030. However, current training and development (T&D) processes in Kenya have been criticised for being rigid and irrelevant to industry, creating a mismatch of skills produced by the training institutions and those demanded by the industry; it is upon this criticism that this research is built. The focus of …

Bury Me Deep In Isolation: A Cultural Examination Of A Peripheral Music Industry And Scene, Christina Ballico

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Since 1998, Perth bands have had a strong presence within the Australian music scene. Primarily, each year between 1998 and 2009, songs by indie pop/rock acts from Perth have charted within national broadcaster triple j’s Hottest 100 countdown. Many of the albums from which these songs have been taken have sold in excess of 35,000 copies, and a number of successful and recognised Perth bands have toured with the nation’s largest music festival, the Big Day Out as well as their own high profile national tours. At the same time, Perth’s local indie pop/rock music industry has undergone tremendous growth …

An Exploratory Investigation Into Voluntary Employee Turnover And Retention Practices In The Small Business Sector [Thesis], Olivia Gialuisi

Theses : Honours

This study addresses the question, what factors influence voluntary employee turnover in small businesses and how do owner-managers retain key employees? More specifically the study explores four research objectives: 1) the negative effects of voluntary turnover of key employees on small businesses; 2) common reasons why employees voluntarily leave small businesses; 3) characteristics of the small business that might enhance retention of employees; and 4) strategies that are employed to retain key employees. The current study employed an exploratory qualitative research design. Data was collected via semi-structured interviews with nine owner-managers and seven key employees from eleven Australian small businesses. …

The Marketing Relevance Of Australian Cosmetic Brand Ambassadors, Jessica Boswarva

Theses : Honours

Brand ambassadors are often employed to perform important marketing roles such as influencing product adoption and creating brand awareness (Livesley, 2009; O’Leary, 2010; Voight, 2007; Wragg, 2004). Brand ambassadors provide personalised customer service, including educational, experiential and relational roles and as a result propagate trust, minimize perceived risk and create familiarity and involvement (Belch & Belch, 2007; Chiou & Droge, 2006; Elliot & Percy, 2007). Whilst studies highlight benefits to businesses in general, there is limited research to the role of brand ambassadors within the Australian cosmetic industry. Cosmetic brand ambassadors are a traditional feature of the cosmetic industry and …

Property Bubble : Test For Suitability And Reliability Indicators : A Comparative Assessment Of Western Australia And Provence-Alpes-Cote D'Azur, Romain A. Aureglia

Theses : Honours

Purpose: The main purpose of this thesis is to contribute to the speculative bubble literature and to provide a practical test upon Lind’s (2008) definition and set of indicators to identify a property bubble.

Methodology: The methodology for this thesis consists of a case study and a comparative analysis. The paper will connect Lind’s theoretical framework to a practical test to provide a concrete answer for the validity of his work.

Findings: Media and general perceptions have had a great influence over the housing market actors for both Provence-Alpes-Cote d’Azur and Western Australia regions. House prices increases are often attributed …

An Exploratory Investigation Into Knowledge Management In Western Australian Knowledge-Intensive Small Businesses, Shukrullah Fassehi

Theses : Honours

From a knowledge management (KM) perspective, organisational effectiveness depends on the organisation’s capacity to effectively perform a range of processes that include identifying, acquiring, sharing, and storing valuable knowledge. The literature suggests that the growth of interest in the field of KM is largely centred on large organisations. Small businesses have not received much attention in the literature. This is surprising, given that small businesses (however defined) represent the majority of businesses in most countries and, as is the case in Australia, make a major contribution towards business activity, economic development and employment generation.

This study employed a qualitative exploratory …

Exploring The Intention Of The South West Of Western Australian Residents To Purchase Solar Panels Using The Theory Of Planned Behaviour Approach, Greg Murray

Theses : Honours

Global warming is a concern for many people around the world (Lorenzoni, Pidgeon, 2006; Searle & Gow, 2010). The negative effect of climate change is increasingly apparent (Belluscio, 2010; Dunlop, 2010; Hirabayashi, Kanae, Emori, Oki & Kimoto, 2008; Oelemans, 1994). In response to growing public concern, governments are implementing legislation and carbon initiatives to decrease the impact of climate change (Crane, 2010; D’Souza, 2005). Although these government actions are important to implement environmental preservation among industries, this study focuses on the intentions of purchasing behaviour of the individual homeowner of the South West region of Western Australia. More specifically, the …

Using The Critical Incident Technique To Research Decision Making Regarding Access To Training And Development In Medium-Sized Enterprises, Alan Coetzer, Janice Redmond, Jalleh Sharafizad

Research outputs 2012

Employees in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) form part of a 'disadvantaged' group within the workforce that receives less access to training and development (T & D) than employees in large firms. Prior research into reasons for the relatively low levels of employee participation in training and development has typically involved surveys of owner/manager opinions. A novel and potentially more fruitful line of inquiry is investigating decisions managers have actually made regarding employee access to T & D. Building on this idea, we describe how the critical incident technique (CIT) was applied in our exploratory study of managerial decision making …

Decision Making Regarding Access To Training And Development In Medium-Sized Enterprises: An Exploratory Study Using The Critical Incident Technique, Alan Coetzer, Janice Redmond, Jalleh Sharafizad

Research outputs 2012

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop an understanding of factors that impinge on managerial decision-making processes regarding employee access to structured training and development (T&D) opportunities that are at least partially funded by the firm. Design/methodology/approach – Semi-structured interviews incorporating the Critical Incident Technique (CIT) were conducted with 14 managers of medium-sized enterprises based in Perth, Western Australia. The interviews explored decisions managers have actually made regarding employee access to T&D and yielded 42 useable critical incidents that served as the unit of analysis. Findings – There were three key findings: first, employee access to T&D …

Corporate Security: Using Knowledge Construction To Define A Practising Body Of Knowledge, David Brooks

Research outputs 2012

Security is a multidimensional concept, with many meanings, practising domains, and heterogeneous occupations. Therefore, it is difficult to define security as a singular concept, although understanding may be achieved by its applied context in presenting a domicile body of knowledge. There have been studies that have presented a number of corporate security bodies of knowledge; however, there is still restricted consensus. From these past body of knowledge studies, and supported by multidimensional scaling knowledge mapping, a body of knowledge framework is put forward, integrating core and allied knowledge categories. The core knowledge categories include practise areas such as risk management, …

Non-Technical Skill Gaps In Australian Business Graduates, Denise Jackson, Elaine Chapman

Research outputs 2012

Purpose: The need for “job-ready” graduates has catalysed the development of non-technical skills in higher education institutions worldwide. Continued criticism of business school outcomes has provoked this examination of non-technical skill deficiencies in Australian business graduates. The purpose of this paper is to compare findings with existing literature on skill gaps in other developed, culturally-similar economies, underscore the generality of identified problems, and highlight to stakeholders in undergraduate education those areas requiring curricula review.

Design/methodology/approach: In total, 211 managers/supervisors of business graduates and 156 business academics assessed the typical performance levels of Australian business graduates against a comprehensive framework of …

An Exploratory Investigation Into Voluntary Employee Turnover And Retention Practices In The Small Business Sector, Olivia Gialuisi, Alan Coetzer

Research outputs 2012

Given the scant research on turnover and retention in small businesses, this study addresses the question: what factors influence voluntary employee turnover in small businesses and how do ownermanagers retain key employees? This question was broken into three research objectives. Data were collected via semi-structured interviews with nine owner-managers and seven employees from eleven Australian small businesses. Findings of this study identify adverse consequences of turnover, uncover antecedents of voluntary turnover, pinpoint small business characteristics that enhance employee retention and present a suite of small business employee retention strategies. Implications of the findings for management practice are explained. Limitations of …

Power Relationships Shaping Organisational Learning For Volatility And Instability: Authentic Or Compliant?, Lindsay Garratt, Paul Jackson

Research outputs 2012

We live in times of great economic and social volatility, where higher levels of innovation and improvement are demanded of business and individuals than ever before. Emancipatory organisational learning offers great potential for freeing people’s minds to truly imagine for the future, but as a reality it proves elusive. This paper presents a model of three power relationships which create learning spaces that are either ‘liberated’ or ‘managed’ and subsequently organisational learning that is ‘authentic’ or ‘compliant’. ‘Authentic’ learning is important if the creative energies and resources within organisations are to be fully engaged and mobilised in times of volatility …

Addressing The Digital Divide - It Management Practices In Rural Nghsos, Philip Dobson, Zane D'Mello

Research outputs 2012

Non Government Human Service Organisations (NGHSOs) are owned by the community they serve. Staffed by a committee of volunteers representing its membership their primary mission is to serve those experiencing some form of social disadvantage. In the emerging information intensive climate, NGHSOs are increasingly under pressure to use information technology (IT) to underpin and transform traditional methods of service delivery, particularly given the advent of the NBN. There has been little research into the IT management practices of small NGHSOs, and more particularly those that operate in regional, rural and remote communities. This paper describes research that examines the key …

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (Sco): Challenges Ahead And Potential Solutions, Stephen Grainger

Research outputs 2012

The SCO faces the challenges of improving cohesion, better managing relations with external parties, enlargement, variations of economic cooperation between member states, a slow pace of decision making and poor quality decision implementation. To mature and consolidate the organizations young and growing global status it needs to improve communications and relationships between all stakeholders, develop a legally binding framework, address economic and security issues, generate better leadership from its two largest partners and develop an enlargement program.

Emerging Issues Of Health And Safety Training Delivery In Australia: Quality And Transferability, Susanne Bahn, Llandis Barratt-Pugh

Research outputs 2012

This paper presents some initial findings that have emerged from a critical realist study in progress in Western Australia that is examining the impact of health and safety training in relation to the introduction of a national Work Health and Safety Act (WHS Act). Training has been identified as a key support mechanism to implement improved work health and safety under the newly harmonised regulatory framework through professional development, workplace certificated training, and tertiary educational training. There are a limited number of studies that evaluating safety training programmes by examining the quality of training and the impact on reducing work-related …

Developing A Model For Identifying Students At Risk Of Failure In A First Year Accounting Unit, George Smith, Leonard Therry, Jacqueline Whale

Research outputs 2012

This paper reports on the process involved in attempting to build a predictive model capable of indentifying students at risk of failure in a first year accounting unit in an Australian university. Identifying attributes that contribute to students being at risk can lead to the development of appropriate intervention strategies and support services. In this study, regression analysis was used to model the impact of individual factors on grade performance based on a review of the literature and using data extracted from a university’s student information database for all students who completed a first year accounting unit in one semester. …

To What Extent Do Wineries Study Their Consumers And Visitors? Implications For Wine Tourism Development, Abel Alonso, Alessandro Bressan, Michelle O'Shea, Vlad Krajsic

Research outputs 2012

In their quest for long-term sustainability and financial success, winery entrepreneurs increasingly perceive wine tourism and tourism-related enterprises as important facets of their business strategy. However, to benefit from wine tourism activities, winery operators will need to develop new skills and business capabilities. In this context, learning from and understanding consumers and visitors' preferences and expectations is of paramount importance to wineries' long-term sustainability and, importantly, their financial success. This study examines the extent to which winery owners and managers "study" their visitors, gathering data from 451 Italian, Spanish, and New World small and medium wineries. The majority of respondents …

When Is A Bystander Not A Bystander? A Typology Of The Roles Of Bystanders In Workplace Bullying, Megan Paull, Maryam Omari, Peter Standen

Research outputs 2012

The role of the bystander is one which has received only a small portion of the research attention that has been paid to workplace bullying. This paper will argue that bystanders are not just incidental but are an integral part of the context of bullying. Drawing on qualitative data from two separate studies, a typology is presented which outlines thirteen potential roles bystanders can take. This typology can be employed as an awareness-raising tool to encourage individuals to examine their own behaviour in a range of situations, and to acknowledge that their actions, either deliberate or inadvertent, can contribute to …

Moving From Contractor To Owner Operator: Impact On Safety Culture; A Case Study, Susanne Bahn

Research outputs 2012

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether a change in staffing contractual arrangements, specific training in hazard identification, mentoring of supervisors and the introduction of a robust safety system could improve an organisation's safety culture. How safety conditions change under contracted out labour compared to direct labour and the influence that contracting out has on organisational safety culture is explored.

Design/methodology/approach: The study used a case study methodology to detail how the change occurred over a six month period in 2011. As part of the analysis a model of the change process and push-pull factors is offered. …

Keeping Academic Field Researchers Safe: Ethical Safeguards, Susanne Bahn

Research outputs 2012

Competent risk management is central to the ethical conduct and profitability of organisations including universities. Recent UK research highlights the risks of physical and psychological harm and emotional distress for researchers and the importance of developing strategies to deal with these issues prior to data being collected. Actual numbers of incidents of researcher harm in Australian universities are unavailable; however anecdotal evidence and Bloor et al.'s (2010) case studies suggest that this is a significant issue. They recommended risk management practices such as training about researcher safety, pre-trip security briefings, established call-back systems, working in pairs, and compulsory de-briefings are …

The Employment Of Skilled Migrants On Temporary 457 Visas In Australia: Emerging Issues, Susanne Bahn, Llandis Barratt-Pugh, Ghialy Choy Lee Yap

Research outputs 2012

Australia is characterised as a migrant nation, and yet rhetoric rather than evidence-based research dominates current discussion about skilled migration. This paper reports on the scoping phase of a national industry-collaborative study that explores the issues associated with employing skilled migrants entering Australia on temporary 457 visas. It is well established that the Australian economy is currently almost unique amongst first world nations in entering an extended phase of growth fuelled by the developing nations' hunger for natural resources. How Australia should balance the current need for skilled migrants to sustain this growth, with the concerns for sustainable population growth, …

Business Undergraduates' Perceptions Of Their Capabilities In Employability Skills : Implications For Industry And Higher Education, Denise Jackson

Research outputs 2012

In response to the continuing disparity between industry expectations and higher education provision, this study examines the self-assessed capabilities of 1,024 business undergraduates in employability skills typically considered important by industry in developed economies. The findings indicate relative perceived strengths in 'social responsibility and accountability', 'developing professionalism' and 'working effectively with others', and weaknesses in 'critical thinking', 'developing initiative and enterprise' and 'self-awareness'. Although these findings align with those of recent employer-based studies, undergraduates rate themselves considerably higher than their industry counterparts. The implications of this overconfidence in personal ability, commonly associated with so-called Generation Y graduates, for persistent graduate …

Predicting Management Development And Learning Behaviour In New Zealand Smes, David Deakins, Martina Battisti, Alan Coetzer, Hernan Roxas

Research outputs 2012

Despite concern on the part of policy makers to raise managerial capability in SMEs, there is little evidence on the key drivers of owner-manager participation in management development programmes. The authors argue that such participation is poorly understood. The paper develops a predictive model of the drivers of participation in sources of learning by owner-managers. It tests a theoretical model, based on the small firm as a learning organization, which posits that participation is driven by owner-managers' learning orientation and the extent of their belief in self-improvement. The implications of the results are discussed in light of the provision of …

A Non-Parametric And Entropy Based Analysis Of The Relationship Between The Vix And S&P 500, David Allen, Michael Mcaleer, Robert J. Powell, Abhay K. Singh

Research outputs 2012

This paper features an analysis of the relationship between the S&P 500 Index and the VIX using daily data obtained from both the CBOE website and SIRCA (The Securities Industry Research Centre of the Asia Pacific). We explore the relationship between the S&P 500 daily continuously compounded return series and a similar series for the VIX in terms of a long sample drawn from the CBOE running from 1990 to mid 2011 and a set of returns from SIRCA's TRTH datasets running from March 2005 to-date. We divide this shorter sample, which captures the behaviour of the new VIX, introduced …

Ethical Dilemmas During Mergers, Acquisitions And Takeovers, Edmond La Vertu, Llandis Barratt-Pugh

Research outputs 2012

The organisational world is still shaking from the impact of individual and organisational actions that are contrary to the open-ended community standards of ethics. Yet, ethical values have to fight continually for organisational space as the conflict between many differing corporate values problematises the workplace environment and decision-making for managers. This paper is based on a study that is investigating the relations between such values at times of significant organisational stress, when organisations merge, are acquired, or are taken-over, and the ethical dilemmas that arise from these events within the framework provided by Kidder (2009). The paper concludes by summarising …

Singapore, Diversification Theory And The Global Financial Crisis (Gfc), Ian Austin

Research outputs 2012

Since independence in 1965, Singapore has grown rich by opening its borders and encouraging Multi-National Enterprises (MNEs) to call the small city state home. However, the Asian financial crisis (1997-08), which saw Singapore experience its first significant economic downturn in decades, led to a change in direction with economic public policy being directed towards achieving strategic diversification of the national economy. This paper will examine how the 2007-09 Global finance crisis (GFC) exposed Singapore’s uber form of economic diversification - financial sector internationalisation, multinational enterprise (MNE) strategic engagement, biotechnology and medical research and so on - as being incapable of …

Can Retail Liminal Space/Places Transcend Gender Segmentation?, Nathalie Collins

Research outputs 2012

Transcendent Customer Experiences (TCEs) transform a customer’s self-identity and imbues them with quintessence: a sacred feeling toward the brand, product and experience. Although TCEs need not happen in a sacred place, they occur in spaces of non-geographical liminality. The ordinary world seems to falls away, replaced by an authentic connection between actors in a communitas, or community of sacred feeling. In the last thirty years, marketers have been further developing consumer religiosity as a sales strategy. This paper explores questions regarding the affect on gender and gender neutrality in consumer religiosity, especially as it applies to liminal space/places in retail …

An Examination Of The Effects Of Exchange Rates On Australia's Inbound Tourism Growth: A Multivariate Conditional Volatility Approach, Ghialy Choy Lee Yap

Research outputs 2012

The appreciation of the Australian dollar has been a concern as Australia has become less competitive compared to neighbouring countries. This paper investigates to what extent exchange rates could adversely affect Australia's inbound tourism and whether volatility in exchange rates could increase the uncertainty in international tourist arrivals to Australia. The study is based on nine countries of origin, namely China, India, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, the UK and the USA for the period January 1991 to January 2011. It uses multivariate conditional volatility regressions to model the time-varying conditional variances of international tourism growth and exchange …

Internal Whistle-Blowing Intentions: A Study Of Demographic And Individual Factors, Syahrul Ahmad, George Smith, Zubaidah Ismail

Research outputs 2012

Internal auditors hold a unique position in their organizations to prevent, deter, and detect corporate wrongdoings. However, the role of this profession in investigating their ethical decision-making behaviors towards internal whistle-blowing intentions has been very often neglected. Furthermore, although extensive researches have been undertaken on the issue of whistle blowing globally, empirical studies on this area are still scarce in Malaysia. This paper examines internal whistle-blowing intentions among internal auditors in Malaysia by utilizing three independent vignettes. A mail survey was conducted to investigate demographic and individual factors that could influence internal auditors’ ethical decision-making processes. The likelihood for internal …