Business Commons^™

A Systemic Model For Managing And Evaluating Conflicts In Organizational Change, Syed Arshad Raza, Craig Standing

Research outputs 2011

Change or innovation diffusion is a key issue for most business organizations but is yet difficult to implement as the change management process is often complex as it relies on an organized methodology to complement an organization's commitment and participation. An ambiguous environment surrounding change mechanism tends to develop unintended attitudes, resulting in resistance and conflict. The study proposes a model for the management of such conflicts among change participants (involved and affected) in the context of organizational change. The authors consider organizational change process as an innovation project that treats change and conflicts holistically with the Ulrich's notion of …

The Implementation Of Electronic Health Records: A Two Country Comparison, Helen Cripps, Craig Standing, Vesna Prijatelj

Research outputs 2011

The adoption of electronic health records has been significantly slower in Australia than many European countries. This paper compares the implementation process in Australia with Slovenia, looking at the benefits, drawbacks and success factors of ehealth implementation. The authors use case studies collected in each country to discuss issues around ehealth implementation. Though Slovenia has progressed much further down the road of ehealth the commonality of the experiences between both cases was striking.

Investigating Other Leading Indicators Influencing Australian Domestic Tourism Demand, Ghialy Choy Lee Yap, David Allen

Research outputs 2011

In the tourism demand literature, much of the research focuses on income and price variables as demand determinants for travel. Nevertheless, the literature has neglected other possible indicators such as consumers’ perceptions of the future course of the economy, household debt and the number of hours worked in paid jobs. In fact, several studies found that these indicators could influence consumers in making decisions to travel. In this paper, we examine whether there are other indicators that can influence future Australian domestic tourism demand. The econometric model used in this study is a panel three-stage least squares (3SLS) model. Using …

Lipstick: More Than A Fashion Trend, Madeleine Ogilvie, Maria Ryan

Research outputs 2011

This paper explores and discusses why women purchase and wear lipstick and the behaviours associated with its use. Design/methodology/approach: A study of 300 female lipstick users were interviewed using a semi structured questionnaire. Findings: The study indicated that women use lipstick in a significant way to transform and present themselves; using it to reflect their daily fluctuations in moods and identity. Although lipstick is a mainstream fashion discourse, Western Australian society (where the study was located) maintains strict codes of conduct in applying and using the product. Behaviours associated with lipstick use are steeped in ritual and cultural customs. Research …

Self-Employment: Policy Panacea For An Ageing Population?, Kate Lewis, Elizabeth Walker

Research outputs 2011

Self employment or small business ownership is often thought to be a viable alternative to mainstream employment. This is particular the case for budding small business owners who have a new product or service that they want to take to market. Many of these individuals use their specific skills and competencies to go on to become the successful operators of global organisations. Yet the growth in business start-up by mature (yet operationally naïve) people belies the notion that small business owners require any specialised skill set at all. This paper posits some questions as to why that is the case, …

Common Currency In East Asia: An Analysis Of Currency Convergence, Lee K. Lim

Research outputs 2011

The recent global financial crisis of 2007-2009 and fears of a sovereign debt crisis in some European countries have fuelled the debates among economic analysts and policy makers on the future directions of monetary and exchange rate arrangements in the East Asian region. This paper applies both the cluster analysis and time series tests to determine whether increased trade and financial integration has led to currency convergence in the region over the period January 1990 to June 2010. The countries included in this study are the high-performing East Asian economies, namely China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and the …

Student Enfranchisement In Business Undergraduate Studies, Gary Marchioro, Maria Ryan, Helen Cripps

Research outputs 2011

Aligning business undergraduate programs with industry skill and work requirements is reshaping higher education. This approach is now an acknowledged and strategic initiative to react to business demands in the education sphere. The framework for learning generic skills has been well developed and documented in reference to employer groups and articulated through many university programs. However, the development, monitoring and evaluation of the uptake of these skills using student views are not well documented. This paper presents university students’ perceptions of their personal generic skills capabilities. The literature addresses the need for these skills to be inclusive of personal attributes …

Measuring Real Capital Adequacy In Extreme Economic Conditions: An Examination Of Swiss Banking Sector, David E. Allen, Robert Powell

Research outputs 2011

The global financial crisis (GFC) has placed the creditworthiness of banks under intense scrutiny. In particular, capital adequacy has been called into question. Current capital requirements make no allowance for capital erosion caused by movements in the market value of assets. This paper examines default probabilities of Swiss banks under extreme conditions using structural modeling techniques. Conditional Value at Risk (CVaR) and Conditional Probability of Default (CPD) techniques are used to measure capital erosion. Significant increase in Probability of Default (PD) is found during the GFC period. The market asset value based approach indicates a much higher PD than external …

Informal Learning In The Workplace: A Review Of The Literature, Megan A. Le Clus

Research outputs 2011

In the last few decades, the workplace has been increasingly recognised as a legitimate environment for learning new skills and knowledge, which in turn enables workers to participate more effectively in ever-changing work environments. Within theworkplace, there is the potential for continuous learning to occur not only through formal learning initiatives that are associated with training, but also through informal learning opportunities that are embedded within everyday work activities. This paper surveys the growing body of literature on informal learning, makes some critical observations about the importance of informal learning, and explains the various ways that informal learning can occur …

A Pre & Post Analysis Of The Impact Of Carbon Regulation & Ratification Of The Kyoto Protocol: An Australian Perspective, Maya Purushothaman, Ross Taplin

Research outputs 2011

This study examines emission and energy disclosures of 400 randomly selected Australian listed companies in 2005, 2007 and 2009 using a disclosure index derived from the Global Reporting Initiative. The longitudinal nature of this study provides a more comprehensive view of the online emissions and energy disclosures of Australian companies and highlights the impact of the ratification of the Kyoto Protocol and the introduction of carbon regulations, National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting (NGER) and Energy Efficiency Opportunities (EEO).The results were compared between the two periods, it was noted that rate of increase was lower during the latter (2007 to 2009) …

Uncovering Hidden Meanings, Values And Insights Through Photos [Journal Article], Maria Ryan, Madeleine Ogilvie

Research outputs 2011

Photographs have been used as a means of data capture for many years. Their use in recording observable phenomenon in anthropology is well documented. They also provide a valuable tool for researchers from other disciplines. This paper explores the use of photographs in qualitative business research. It demonstrates how the use of photographs can enrich the business research process through a range of techniques such as photo-elicitation, autodriving, projective prompts and phenomenological interviews. Drawing from a selection of the researchers‟ past studies, a comparative review of the use of photographs and the benefits they bring to the data capture process …

How Green Are Climate Change Issues?: An Auditor's Perspective, Maya Purushothaman, Ross Taplin

Research outputs 2011

Climate change and carbon emissions have become an important issue for companies, not only if companies are to maintain legitimacy as good corporate citizens but also financially with the regulation of carbon emissions and the impending introduction of the Australian Emission Trading Scheme (AETS). This paper investigates the role of financial auditors in the climate change debate. Content analysis of the websites of fifteen large auditors in Australia reveals different reactions to this issue, from reacting to proposed legislation to proposing initiatives proactively and providing guidelines for companies. Analysis of the websites from a random sample of companies audited by …

Japanese Banks: Tail Risk And Capital Buffers, David E. Allen, Akhmad R. Kramadibrata, Robert Powell, Abhay Singh

Research outputs 2011

This paper applies quantile regression to a structural credit model to investigate the impact of extreme bank asset value fluctuations on capital adequacy and default probabilities (PD) of Japanese Banks. Quantile regression allows modelling of the extreme quantiles of a distribution which allows measurement of capital and PDs at the most extreme points of an economic downturn, when banks are most likely to fail. Outcomes are compared to traditional structural measures. We find highly significant variances in capital adequacy and default probabilities between quantiles, and show how these variances can assist banks and regulators in calculating capital buffers to sustain …

East Asian Financial Crisis Revisited: What Does A Copula Tell?, Pei Fei, Albert Tsui, Zhaoyong Zhang

Research outputs 2011

We construct a regime-switching model of copulas to capture observed asymmetric dependence in daily changes of exchange rates in five selected East Asian economies during the 1997 financial crisis era. In particular, we investigate the effects of the financial crisis on asymmetric dependence in exchange rates returns and assess the asymmetric relationships between five currencies, including the Singapore Dollar, Japanese Yen, South Korea Won, Thailand Baht and Indonesia Rupiah. Various time-varying copula models will also be applied to examine the possible structural breaks. The results confirm significant changes at the dependence level, tail behaviour and asymmetry structures between returns of …

Getting Reticent Young Male Participants To Talk: Using Artefact-Mediated Interviews To Promote Discursive Interaction, Susanne T. Bahn, Llandis G. Barratt-Pugh

Research outputs 2011

During a pilot study that used interviews to collect data from young male apprentices about construction site safety, we were confronted with limited verbal responses. This article is about how we explored this research problem of ameliorating unresponsive interview interactions. The article reviews the options that previous researchers have trialled and developed, and specifically focuses on artefact-mediated interviews conducted with young male participants. We focus on the use of images within artefact-mediated interviews to draw out data from less communicative subjects. Our reflection upon this process proposes that the use of both abstract and concrete images within an artefact-mediated interview …

Relationships Between Quintessence And Strong Word Of Mouth Behaviour, Nathalie Collins, Hanna Glaebe, Jamie Murphy

Research outputs 2011

Theory suggests that Quintessence (Q), an emotional/spiritual connection to a product, relates positively to Word of Mouth marketing (WOM). This paper investigates if consumers who experience Quintessence (Q+) share the same behavioural indicators as consumers who participate in strong Word of Mouth behavior (WOM+). Survey data from subscribers to an online entertainment service demonstrated that Q+ and WOM+ consumers shared similar characteristics, those who experienced Quintessence (Q+) spread significantly more WOM than those without Quintessence.

The Effect Of Ownership Concentration, Board Of Directors, Audit Committee And Ethnicity On Conservative Accounting : Malaysian Evidence, Rahimah Mohamed Yunos

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This thesis examines whether ownership concentration, board of directors, audit
committee and ethnicity of directors affect conservative accounting. Additionally,
this thesis examines whether the impact of firms’ governance on conservatism is
moderated by ownership concentration. Previous evidence has suggested that
conservative accounting controls the agency problem, but so far, there is no
evidence that it is applicable in Malaysian firms, as firms are closely held by the
controlling shareholders.

This thesis employs panel data on Malaysian listed companies observed over
seven years from 2001 to 2007. Malaysian firms are chosen as the sample
because they provide a useful setting for …

Community Based Tourism In Cambodia : Exploring The Role Of Community For Successful Implementation In Least Developed Countries, Sotear Ellis

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Sustainable tourism has been identified as a potential tool for development in Least Developed Countries (LDCs). Specifically, at the community level, Community Based Tourism (CBT) has emerged as an effective model to promote the development of sustainable tourism which produces meaningful benefits for all sectors of the community while protecting the longevity of the tourist product, and encouraging environmental and cultural conservation. The practical implementation of sustainable tourism in LDCs via CBT models faces many challenges. The source of these challenges is the complex stakeholder environment in which the theoretical and practical elements of CBT exist. Stakeholders have influenced the …

"More Than Three "Rs" In The Classroom" : A Case Study In Aboriginal Tertiary Business Education, Keith Truscott

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This was an investigation of factors that assisted Australian Aboriginal students complete or incomplete a business course at a University in Perth between 2000 and 2010. The concept of resilience and related factors of inclusion and exclusion from the participants’ past were assumed clues by the researcher. The investigation involved four inquiries. First, the researcher reviewed recent statistics of Aboriginal population, education and employment. A short history of Aboriginal education in Western Australian was also made. Both reviews indicated Aboriginal people endured relative exclusion and a lower status than the mainstream population in areas of education and employment.

Second, the …

Encroaching On Freedoms? Values Related To Freedom And Readiness To Accept Social Marketing Activities In Australia And Japanese Students, Kaoru Nosaka

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Do Australian and Japanese university students feel that social marketing is encroaching on their freedoms or empowering them? For example, how do they react to social marketing messages such as ‘Don’t Drink and Drive’ and ‘Reduce, Reuse, Recycle’? Social marketing activities include advocating for environmental change, laws, and regulations as well as making recommendations to individuals to change behaviours to promote the good of society; however, some people believe that such activities are attempts to control people, infringing upon their individual freedom. While behavioural models and theories have recognised the influence of an individual’s predisposition towards a recommended behaviour (such …

An Investigation Into The Use Of Neural Networks For The Prediction Of The Stock Exchange Of Thailand, Suchira Chaigusin

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Stock markets are affected by many interrelated factors such as economics and politics at both national and international levels. Predicting stock indices and determining the set of relevant factors for making accurate predictions are complicated tasks. Neural networks are one of the popular approaches used for research on stock market forecast. This study developed neural networks to predict the movement direction of the next trading day of the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) index. The SET has yet to be studied extensively and research focused on the SET will contribute to understanding its unique characteristics and will lead to identifying …

Auditor Stress: Antecedents And Relationships To Audit Quality, Mohd Nazli Mohd Nor

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Research on Reduced Audit Quality Practices (RAQP) has consistently shown serious negative consequences in the auditing profession. It has found that under certain pressure levels, auditors tend to engage in RAQP. However, most of the previous studies that had investigated RAQP failed to examine RAQP from a stress model perspective which incorporates stressors, stress measures and stress consequences into the model and to measure the interactions among these constructs. Previous research has mainly focused on the direct effect of stressors (e.g., time budget pressure, leadership styles, individual personality etc.) on RAQP; there is no single investigation that has simultaneously examined …

The Relationship Between Human Resource Practices And Employee Retention In Public Organisations : An Exploratory Study Conducted In The United Arab Emirates, Waleed Alnaqbi

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

In recent years, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has rapidly developed into a dynamic global economy with the influx of foreign ideas and practices, facilitated by the development of the Internet and associated technologies. As with many organisations worldwide, staff retention problems affect organisational productivity and performance. Managers face the challenge of having to address retention problems in the context of increasing competition in the global marketplace. It is against this background that this research will look into employee retention problems within the socio‐economic context of the UAE. This study brings into focus the extent to which human resource management …

Systemic Problems Related To Multiple Stakeholders In Technology Adoption And Use In Organizations : A Systems Thinking Perspective, Syed A. Raza

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Understanding and creating the conditions under which information systems will be embraced by human organizations (thinking systems) remain high-priority research issues. Despite numerous benefits associated with information technology (IT), implementing an information system (IS) in organizational environment is challenging. The literature reports numerous IS project failures. During IS implementation, several factors impede technology’s widespread adoption and use in organizations. These organizational problems often result from such barriers or ‘systemic problems’. The proposed work is based on the argument that addressing ‘systemic problems’ can reduce barriers to organizational progress. Most of the IS/IT adoption theories (e.g. TAM, UTAUT, TAM2 and TAM3) …

The Malarkey Of Money Transfers: Overlooking E-Bay Whilst The Hawaladars Are Hunted, David M. Cook, Timothy Smith

Australian Counter Terrorism Conference

Informal Money Transfer systems represent one of several persistent loopholes in the fight against the War on Terror. Terrorist groups and criminal networks continue to use the Hawala system, as well as other informal transfer systems, to escape the regulatory and administrative control of formal international banking transactions. In an age where global financial regulation is underpinned by international agreement through Basel and others, the ongoing use of IVTs in Australia is cause for increasing concern. Yet Hawala is only half of the informal equation. E-bay and its associated bedfellows outstrip Hawala transfers through the same commercial imperative that drives …

Information Technology Capability Within Small-Medium Enterprises, Aurelio Ravarini

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The study presented in this thesis investigates the influence of IT capability on the relationship between IT expenditures and long term business performance. To do so, the Resource Based View (RBV) has been used as the theoretical framework, and, within such a framework, the concept of sustainable competitive advantage has been used as a point of reference. IT capability, a term often mentioned in the scientific literature dealing with the applications of RBV in the IS field, has been the subject of this study. Within the IS discipline, IT capability is perceived to have considerable influence on the effect of …

Why Ask The Guests? : An Examination Of Mechanisms And Efficacy Of Guest Feedback Used In Hotels In Perth, Selly Sugio

Theses : Honours

This study has explored the importance of feedback mechanisms in the hospitality industry. A mixed methodology was adopted so that the main or major issues could be identified and the respondents' feelings and emotions examined and discovered. In-depth interviews were conducted to discover and explore hotel managers' feeling, emotions, thoughts and understanding of feedback mechanism in the hotel. A questionnaire was developed to investigate the hotel front office or room division staff perspective on feedback mechanisms in the hotel. The rich data is very important because it gives the study more significance and detail. This research found that using feedback …

An Exploration Of The Perceptions Of Flexible Work Arrangements (Fwas) And Factors Affecting Their Uptake At A Tertiary Education Institution In Australia, Fleur Sharafizad

Theses : Honours

Flexible work arrangements (FW As) have become an area of considerable interest. The reason for this increased interest is that flexibility has been found to offer organisations a competitive advantage and helps in attracting and retaining high quality employees (Carlson, Grzywacz & Kacmar, 2010, p. 330). FWAs do not only offer employees the opportunity to create a better work-life balance (WLB) their uptake has also been linked to increased organisational commitment, morale and job satisfaction. Work-life conflict, on the other hand, has been linked to negative individual, as well as organisational consequences. Research has, however, identified gaps between the FW …

The Predictive Ability Of Corporate Financial Disclosures : Australian Evidence, Yun Ren

Theses : Honours

This thesis examines the predictive ability of corporate financial disclosures. Factor Analysis and Discriminant Analysis are used to differentiate between good companies and poor companies in Australian manufacturing industry. Good and poor companies are identified based on their 2009 financial data and the prediction models are constructed based on their 2008 data. 64 companies are selected finally, with 29 good companies and 35 poor companies. Financial ratios, company size, corporate governance and conservatism are employed in this study to examine whether they can predict corporate perforn1ance. Because only 3 7 companies disclosed research and development (R&D) expenses, which are used …

The Predictive Ability Of Corporate Narrative Disclosures: Australian Evidence, Yinan Dong

Theses : Honours

The mam objective of this study is to contribute to the academic literature by investigating the relationship between narrative disclosures and corporate performance based on Australian evidence. The research design takes as its starting from the content analysis of discretionary narrative disclosures conducted by Smith and Taffler (2000), and extends their research by combining thematic content analysis and syntactic content analysis. This study focuses on the discretionary disclosures (the Chairman's Statement) of· · Australian manufacturing companies. Based on the Earnings per Share (EPS) movement between 2008 and 2009, 64 sample companies are classified into two groups: good performer and poor …