Business Commons^™

The Market Perception Of Corporate Claims, Qiang Cheng, Peter Frischmann, Terry Warfield

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

This paper examines the economic substance of a broad range of securities by investigating their association with systematic risk and prices. The analysis is motivated by continuing security innovation and its impact on hybrid security reporting. Based on a sample of 2,617 firms that reported minority interests or preferred stock during 1993–1997, the results indicate that redeemable preferred securities (including trust preferred stock) are not viewed by the market as either debt or equity, suggesting dichotomous security classification may lack representational faithfulness. Inconsistent with their treatment in the financial statements, non-redeemable preferred stock and minority interests are viewed as debt-like …

Incentive Compatibility In Multi-Unit Auctions, Sushil Bikhchandani, Shurojit Chatterji, Arunava Sen

Research Collection School Of Economics

We characterize incentive compatibility in multi-unit auctions with multi-dimensional types. An allocation mechanism is incentive compatible if and only if it is nondecreasing in marginal utilities (NDMU). The notion of incentive compatibility we adopt is dominant strategy in private value models and ex post incentive compatibility in models with interdependent values. NDMU is the following requirement: if changing one buyer’s type, while keeping everyone else’s types the same, changes this buyer’s allocation then the new allocation must be relatively more attractive (or relatively less unattractive) to this buyer. We also establish a price characterization of incentive compatible mechanisms.

Education, Technological Progress And Economic Growth, Winston T. H. Koh, Hing-Man Leung

Research Collection School Of Economics

An important role of education – and the resultant accumulation of human capital – for a less-developed economy is to facilitate technology diffusion in order for it to catch up with developed economies. This paper presents a model linking education, the accumulation of physical capital and technological progress. In the model, investment in education and the accumulation of physical capital are complementary, and intertwine with the technology progress through related effects on technology diffusion and the expansion of the technology frontier. The allocation of effort to education, the optimal savings rate and the technology gap are endogenously determined in the …

Analyzing The Short Term Link Between Public Policy Support And Export Performance Improvement: The Importance Of The Mediating Effects Of Price Strategy, Luis Filipe Lages, David B. Montgomery

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

No abstract provided.

Are All Rivals Affected Equally By Bond Rating Downgrades?, Gary L. Caton, Jeremy Goh

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

We use revisions in analysts' earnings forecasts to examine how the bad news associated with a bond rating downgrade gets transferred from the downgraded company to its rivals. In general, we find that stock analysts revise their earnings expectations downward for rivals of companies with downgraded debt. However, the significance of the revision is limited to rivals of downgraded companies with non-investment grade debt only. For the rivals of companies with investment grade debt, we find no significant forecast revisions. We hypothesize that this differential impact is due to differing levels of market visibility. This is consistent with our finding …

A New Node Centroid Algorithm For Bandwidth Minimization, Brian Rodrigues, F. Xiao, A. Lim

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

We propose a Node Centroid method with Hill-Climbing to solve the well-known matrix band-width minimization problem, which is to permute rows and columns of the matrix to minimize its bandwidth. Many heuristics have been developed for this NP-complete problem including the Cuthill-McKee (CM) and the Gibbs, Poole and Stockmeyer (GPS) algorithms. Recently, heuristics such as Simulated Annealing, Tabu Search and GRASP have been used, where Tabu Search and the GRASP with Path Relinking have achieved significantly better solution quality than the CM and GPS algorithms. Experimentation shows that the Node Centroid method achieves the best solution quality when compared with …

Issues And Challenges Of Corporate Change Initiatives In Singapore's Small Business Sector, Thomas Menkhoff, Benjamin Loh, Lena Kay

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

No abstract provided.

The Integrated Networks Model: Explaining Resource Allocations In Network Markets, Judy K. Frels, Tasadduq Shervani, Rajendra Kumar Srivastava

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

The last decade has witnessed a shift from a focus on the value created by a single firm and product to an examination of the value created by networks of firms (or product ecosystems) in which assets are comingled with external entities. The authors examine these market-based assets in the context of network markets and propose an Integrated Networks model in which three types of networks-user, complements, and producer-add value or enhance the attractiveness of the associated focal product. The authors empirically test the proposed model by surveying information technology professionals on their resource allocation decisions regarding the Unix and …

A Transformational Model Of Legal-Claiming, B. M. Goldman, R. Cropanzano, Elizabeth Layne Paddock

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

No abstract provided.

The Use Of Rewards To Increase And Decrease Trust: Mediating Processes And Differential Effects, Donald L. Ferrin, Kurt T. Dirks

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Hypotheses asserting that reward structures - an omnipresent element of the work context - have a strong influence on interpersonal trust are tested, and the cognitive and behavioral routes through which the effects may occur are explored. Specifically, attribution theory is used to identify several core processes including social perception, self-perception, and attributional biases that may explain trust development. A 3 x 2 experimental design in a problem-solving task was used to examine the hypotheses. The results suggest that reward structures have a strong influence on trust, and that the effect is mediated by causal schemas, suspicion effects, and self-perception. …

Developmental Financial Institutions As Technology Policy Instruments: Implications For Innovation And Entrepreneurship In Emerging Economies, Gerard George, Ganesh N. Prabhu

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Developmental financial institutions (DFIs) in emerging economies regularly assess new technology platforms to support their investments in new ventures, established firms, and technology institutions (TIs). Their financing decisions are guided by national priorities such as achieving technological self-reliance. By providing attractive financing options and related support, DFIs are well placed to consciously channel finance into designated priority technology areas. To better understand DFI roles, we conducted multiple interviews with participants affiliated with DFIs, firms and TIs in India. From data gathered from these interviews and secondary data on DFIs in emerging economies, we develop a preliminary framework to suggest that …

Competitiveness And Price Convergence On The Internet: Evidence From The Online Dvd Market, Xiaolin Xing, Fang Fang Tang, Zhenlin Yang

Research Collection School Of Economics

We compare the pricing behavior between online branches of traditional retailers (MCR) and pure Internet retailers (Dotcom) in the DVD market. Based on a set of panel data from July 5, 2000 to June 11, 2001, we find that the average price of the MCRs is about 11.2% higher than that of the Dotcoms. Further statistical analyses on the market dynamics of price trends show that the prices of the Dotcoms went up with time much faster than the prices of the MCRs, which points to a possibility that eventually both types of retailers may charge similar prices on average. …

Situational Tests In Student Selection: An Examination Of Predictive Validity, Adverse Impact, And Construct Validity, Filip Lievens, Pol Coetsier

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

The Flemish Admission Exam 'Medical and Dental Studies' is comprised of four cognitive ability tests and four situational tests, namely two work samples (i.e., a lecture and a medical text) and two video-based situational judgement tests (i.e., a physician-patient interaction and a medical expert discussion). On the basis of the Admission Exam scores of 941 candidates (359 men, 582 women) this study shows that situational tests significantly can predict better than cognitive ability tests, with lecture and text emerging as significant predictors. When situational tests are combined with cognitive ability tests, there are no mean gender differences. Situational tests also …

Management Consultancy: Issues, Perspectives, And Agendas [Preface], Robin Fincham, Timothy Adrian Robert Clark

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

This issue of International Studies of Management and Organizationbrings together five articles that reflect the rich array of contemporaryresearch that is being conducted into the activities of the managementconsultancy industry. Management consultancy, in various forms, has existed foras long as complex organizations. However, its increasing economicsignificance, associated with the rapid expansion in the number ofconsultancies and the rise of large multinational consultancy firms, as well asthe influence and impact of the fashionable management knowledge and techniqueson which much of their work is based, are more recent phenomena. To date,detailed conceptual and empirical research into the work of consultants hasbeen slight …

Managing Project Uncertainty: From Variation To Chaos, Arnoud De Meyer, Christoph H. Loch, Michael T. Pich

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

The article cites a study finding that accurately gauging the degree of uncertainty inherent in the projects can help project managers quickly adapt to it. Researchers studied 16 projects in areas including personal-computer development, telecommunications, Internet startups, pharmaceutical development, iron-ore processing, airship development, and building construction, to examine risk management and project outcomes. They found that most managers failed to recognize that there are different types of uncertainty, each requiring a different management approach. This paper explores uncertainty-based management, which derives planning, monitoring and management style from an uncertainty profile comprising four types of uncertainty: variation, foreseen uncertainty, unforeseen uncertainty, …

The Culture Of Technology Of Singapore, Alwyn Lim

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

The objective of this paper is to map the sociological context in which the cultural economy of technology of Singapore exists. Taking a socio-histori cal perspective, this paper argues that the development of Singapore as a technological 'intelligent island' must take centre stage in relation to the soci ological analysis of modern Singapore's political, economic, and socio-cultural structure. This involves a critique of theories of the information society and empirical research on East Asian developmental states. The aim is to chart the development of technology in Singapore, from its founding as a colonial port-city to its current status as an …

The Choice Between Joint Venture And Wholly Owned Subsidiary: An Institutional Perspective, Daphne W. Yiu, Shige Makino

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

The study of foreign entry-mode choice has been based almost exclusively on transaction-cost theory. This theory focuses mainly on the impacts of firm- and industry-specific factors on the choice of entry mode, taking the effects of country-specific contextual factors as constant or less important. In contrast, the institutional perspective emphasizes the importance of the influence of both institutional forces embedded in national environments and decision makers' cognitive constraints on the founding conditions of new ventures. Still, this theoretical perspective has yet to provide insights into how institutional factors influence the choice of foreign entry mode. The primary goal of the …

Venture Capital And Economic Growth: An Industry Overview And Singapore's Experience, Francis Koh, Winston T. H. Koh

Research Collection School Of Economics

This paper provides an overview of the venture capital industry, and its development in Asia and Singapore. Venture capital plays an important role in innovation and economic growth. Indeed, the resurgence of the United States as a technology leader is intimately linked to the success of Silicon Valley. As Singapore enters the next phase of economic development, the creation of internal engines of growth is an urgent task. The Singapore government has done much to provide an environment for entrepreneurship to thrive. Its success at replicating the Silicon Valley culture will be important for Singapore’s future economic success.

Venture Capital And Economic Growth: An Industry Overview And Singapore's Experience, Francis Koh, Winston T. H. Koh

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

This paper provides an overview of the venture capital industry, and its development in Asia and Singapore. Venture capital plays an important role in innovation and economic growth. Indeed, the resurgence of the United States as a technology leader is intimately linked to the success of Silicon Valley. As Singapore enters the next phase of economic development, the creation of internal engines of growth is an urgent task. The Singapore government has done much to provide an environment for entrepreneurship to thrive. Its success at replicating the Silicon Valley culture will be important for Singapore's future economic success.

Medical Students' Personality Characteristics And Academic Performance: A Five-Factor Model Perspective, Filip Lievens, Pol Coetsier, Filip De Fruyt, Jan De Maeseneer

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Objectives: This study investigates: (1) which personality traits are typical of medical students as compared to other students, and (2) which personality traits predict medical student performance in pre-clinical years. Design: This paper reports a cross-sectional inventory study of students in nine academic majors and a prospective longitudinal study of one cohort of medical students assessed by inventory during their first pre-clinical year and by university examination at the end of each pre-clinical year. Subjects and methods: In 1997, a combined total of 785 students entered medical studies courses in five Flemish universities. Of these, 631 (80.4%) completed the NEO-PI-R …

Investigating The Effects Of Store-Brand Introduction On Retailer Demand And Pricing Behavior, Pradeep K. Chintagunta, Andre Bonfrer, Inseong Song

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

The effects of the introduction of a store-brand into a particular product category are studied. The paper focuses on the effect of store-brand introduction on the demand as well as on the supply side. On the demand side, the changes in preferences for the national brands and price elasticities in the category are investigated. On the supply side, the effects of the new entrant on the interactions between the national brand manufacturers and the retailer introducing the store brand are studied, including how these interactions influence the retailer's pricing behavior. In doing so, it is possible to test whether the …

Structural Analysis Of Audit Evidence Using Belief Functions, Hai Lu, Hai Lu

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

This article performs two types of analysis using Dempster-Shafer theory of belief functions for evidential reasoning. The first analysis deals with the impact of the structure of audit evidence on the overall belief at each variable in the network, variables being the account balance to be audited, the related transaction streams, and the associated audit objectives. The second analysis deals with the impact of the relationship (logical "and" and "algebraic relationship") among various variables in the network on the overall belief. For our first analysis, we change the evidential structure from a network to a tree and determine its impact.

The Effects Of Business-University Alliances On Innovative Output And Financial Performance: A Study Of Publicly Traded Biotechnology Companies, Gerard George, Shaker A. Zahra, D. Robley Wood

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Companies in the biotechnology industry face major challenges in developing and commercializing new products. Focusing on publicly traded biotechnology firms that are not members of university incubators or research parks, this paper argues that the links these companies develop with universities can have beneficial effects on a company's operations. Analysis of 2457 alliances undertaken by 147 biotechnology firms shows that companies with university linkages have lower research and development (R&D) expenses while having higher levels of innovative output. However, the results do not support the proposition that companies with university linkages achieve higher financial performance than similar firms without such …

Social Entrepreneurship In Singapore, Wee Liang Tan, Teck Meng Tan

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Social entrepreneurship is a new phenomenon in Singapore. Unlike the US, where there are entrepreneurship programs offered at various ACCSB accredited universities such programs do not as yet exist in Asia. The motivations for social entrepreneurship in Asia differ from those in developed countries. While as social entrepreneurship often stem from the social agenda of successful entrepreneurs who are motivated to repay society, the recent trend of social entrepreneurship in Asia may stem from initiatives directed at political liberalisation and the development of civil society on the part of existing governments. The Singapore government in 1997 introduced a series of …

Laughing With The Gurus, David Greatbatch, Timothy Adrian Robert Clark

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Management gurus are among the most influential public orators of the day. But mastery of age–old rhetorical devices, including the use of humour, is central to their effectiveness.

Solving The Pickup And Delivery Problem With Time Windows Using "Squeaky Wheel" Optimization With Local Search, Hongping Lim, Andrew Lim, Brian Rodrigues

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

The Pickup and Delivery Problem with Time Windows (PDPTW) is an important problem in fleet planning where decisions can involve not only dispatching company fleets but also the selection of carriers on certain routes. In this problem, vehicles travel to a variety of locations to deliver or pick up goods and to provide services. The increasing costs for additional vehicles motivate managers to optimize fleet usage. Managers also seek to achieve economical use of fuel, maintenance and overtime costs by minimizing travel distance and duration. As such, PDPTW impacts the interface of supplier-customer relationship management in the supply chain process …

Trust In Leadership: Meta-Analytic Findings And Implications For Research And Practice, Kurt T. Dirks, Donald L. Ferrin

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

In this study, the authors examined the findings and implications of the research on trust in leadership that has been conducted during the past 4 decades. First, the study provides estimates of the primary relationships between trust in leadership and key outcomes, antecedents, and correlates (k = 106). Second, the study explores how specifying the construct with alternative leadership referents (direct leaders vs. organizational leadership) and definitions (types of trust) results in systematically different relationships between trust in leadership and outcomes and antecedents. Direct leaders (e.g., supervisors) appear to be a particularly important referent of trust. Last, a theoretical framework …

Making Justice Sense Of Local-Expatriate Compensation Disparity: Mitigation By Local Referents, Ideological Explanations, And Interpersonal Sensitivity In China-Foreign Joint Ventures, Chao C. Chen, Jaepil Choi, Chu-Cheng Chi

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

We examined how local employees of international joint ventures (IJVs) perceived disparity between their compensation and foreign expatriates' compensation from equity theory and social justice perspectives. Chinese locals perceived less fairness when comparing their compensation with expatriates' than when comparing it with other locals'. However, fairness vis-a-vis expatriates increased if the locals were compensated higher than their peers in other IJVs or endorsed ideological explanations for expatriates' advantage. Furthermore, expatriates' interpersonal sensitivity toward locals reduced the effect of disparity on perceived fairness. Finally, perceived compensation fairness was related positively to compensation satisfaction but negatively to intentions to quit.

Trying To Understand The Different Pieces Of The Construct Validity Puzzle Of Assessment Centers: An Examination Of Assessor And Assessee Effects, Filip Lievens

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

This study examined the effects of assessor-related factors (i.e., type of assessor) and assessee-related factors (i.e., type of assessee profile) on the construct validity of assessment center ratings. In particular, 3 types of assessors (26 industrial/organizational [I/O] psychologists, 20 managers, and 27 students), rated assessee performances that varied according to cross-exercise consistency (i.e., relatively inconsistent vs. relatively consistent) and dimension differentiation (relatively undifferentiated vs. relatively differentiated). Construct validity evidence was established for only one assessee profile and only in the I/O psychologist and managerial samples. More generally, these results indicate that 3 factors (poor design, assessor unreliability, and especially cross-situational …

On Uncertainty, Ambiguity, And Complexity In Project Management, Michael T. Pich, Christoph H. Loch, Arnoud De Meyer

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

This article develops a model of a project as a payoff function that depends on the state of the world and the choice of a sequence of actions. A causal mapping, which may be incompletely known by the project team, represents the impact of possible actions on the states of the world. An underlying probability space represents available information about the state of the world. Interactions among actions and states of the world determine the complexity of the payoff function. Activities are endogenous, in that they are the result of a policy that maximizes the expected project payoff.

A key …