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Small Businesses And Liquidity Constraints In Financing Business Investment : Evidence From Shanghai's Manufacturing Sector, Kong Wing, Clement Chow, Ka Yiu, Michael Fung

Hong Kong Institute of Business Studies Working Paper Series

This paper studies the relationship between investment and internal funds in the manufacturing sector of Shanghai with a focus on the relationship between firm size and liquidity constraints faced by manufacturing firms. By using a firm level data set in the Chinese economy in transition, we obtain a different result which contradicts the conventional wisdom that smaller firms should face a tighter liquidity constraint: Larger firms actually are more cash-constrained than smaller firms. This result is actually caused by some institutional features which are common among transition economies: (1) Facing less available means of external finance from the state banking …

Organisational Self Assessment In Higher Education : Experimenting With The Competing Values Model And Behaviourally Anchored Rating Scales, James S. Pounder

Hong Kong Institute of Business Studies Working Paper Series

Organisational self assessment in higher education tends to employ criteria which represent an implicit and untested view of institutional effectiveness. However, the Competing Values Model (Quinn & Rohrbaugh, 1981, 1983) contains effectiveness criteria which may be relevant to higher educational organisations. This paper described a Hong Kong study which examined the applicability of those criteria to higher education organisations through the development of organizational effectiveness behaviourally anchored rating scales (BARS). The analysis produced rating scales in four of the Competing Values Model’s nine effectiveness dimensions. The study raised issues relating to the assessment, and nature, of organisational effectiveness in higher …

Hong Kong Business Through Countertrade : Past, Present And Future, Henry C. Steele

Hong Kong Institute of Business Studies Working Paper Series

The Hong Kong economy is dependent on external trade which is growing as governments have become more positive towards promoting unrestricted multilateral trade. It is paradoxical that barter and countertrade, forms of trade predating the use of money and trade finance continue to grow in importance. The paper examines the role of countertrade in Hong Kong's foreign trade, offering a contextual background to propose that countertrade has been an important element in the development of international trade and investment.

Available evidence is considered, the implications are discussed and a number of propositions made. There is a need for empirical research …

承判制度與僱傭福利 = Subcontracting System And Employment Benefits, Kwok Keung Chow

Hong Kong Institute of Business Studies Working Paper Series

研究工業關係中僱傭關係的文獻並不重視對以不同經濟活動身份提供服務的分析。過往，因為僱主以承判或「包工」制度逃避僱傭福利而觸發的勞資糾紛時有所聞，然而，縱使不少案例顯示僱主這樣做未必得逞，不過也有僱主成功避過服務提供者索取僱傭福利賠償要求的例子。

本文透過對過去一連串環繞僱傭關係不明朗而引發的勞資糾紛事件以致法庭案例的分析，提出改善的方法，包括要求政府或公營機構帶頭在承包合約中規定承包公司將員工的工資待遇，訂為不低於某一水平。當局亦應考慮以立法方式強制以書面訂立僱傭合約，或將過去由判例介定僱傭關係的原則寫入《僱傭條例》中，令勞資審裁處也有權據所定的原則性條文進行審理，如此，則對立約雙方均有好處。

Aids, Employment Rights And Policies In Hong Kong, Kwok Keung Chow

Hong Kong Institute of Business Studies Working Paper Series

In considering employment rights and AIDS in Hong Kong, this paper tries to draw implications from the generalization and comparison of employment policies on AIDS between the United States and countries of western and northern Europe. It firstly gives a general profile of employment policies on AIDS in these countries and on the local scene, followed by specific discussion of the issues tackled by AIDS policies in the workplace which include testing, confidentially, and discrimination. Though such an investigation, the formulation of local employment policies and educational programme on AIDS is positively raised. These policies are essential in the management …

Comparing International Human Resource Management Practices Between Yaohan And Jusco In Hong Kong, Mei Ling, May Wong

Hong Kong Institute of Business Studies Working Paper Series

The performance of Jusco and Yaohan in Hong Kong were examined and compared by exploring their international human resource management (IHRM) practices in terms of recruitment and selection, compensation, and training and development. Yaohan and Jusco employed different IHRM systems as a response to their contextual factors - history and background of the company, competitive environment and business strategy, especially the use of retail technology. The results show that the IHRM systems employed by Yaohan and Jusco affect the performance of the company which help to explain the factors contributing to Yaohan's bankruptcy and Jusco 's increasing profitability.

Knowledge And Skills Of Is Graduates : A Hong Kong Perspective, Ming Te Lu, Chi Wai Chung, Pien Wang

Hong Kong Institute of Business Studies Working Paper Series

The results of a survey of Hong Kong employers concerning the knowledge and skills of IS graduates are presented. In the survey, both the needed and actual levels of knowledge and skills together with their perceived importance are rated by IT managers and professionals in Hong Kong. Differences between needed and actual levels for important IT knowledge and skills are analyzed and serve as guidelines for improvement in IS education in Hong Kong. Results are also compared with similar surveys conducted on IS graduates in Taiwan and the U.S.

Relationships For Quality Improvement In The Hong Kong China Supply Chain : A Study In The Theory Of Cooperation And Competition, Shiu Ho, Alfred Wong, Dean Tjosvold, Winnie Wong, C. K. Liu

Hong Kong Institute of Business Studies Working Paper Series

Manufacturers recognize trusting, long-term relationships with suppliers can contribute to improving the quality of their products. However, developing these relationships has proved quite challenging. This study uses the theory of cooperation and competition to specify the nature of these relationships and how they can be established. Results of structural equation analyses suggests that manufacturers and suppliers who build cooperative goals rather than competitive or independent are able to discuss quality issues open-mindedly. This open-mindedness in turn strengthens trust and a long-term orientation which results in quality enhancing relationships with suppliers. Deutsch’s theory of cooperation and competition, although developed largely through …

Factors Affecting Joint Venture Performance In China, Yui Tim, Edward Wong

Hong Kong Institute of Business Studies Working Paper Series

The study of joint venture performance in China is important due to the increasing number of establishments and value of foreign investment. However, prior studies have mainly focused their analysis on the joint ventures in developed countries, and their findings cannot be generalized directly to the Chinese setting. This article fills the gap by reviewing the recent studies of the factors affecting joint venture performance in PRC. Basing on the studies of joint venture performance in China, it can be seen that Chinese and U.S. managers prefer to use different criteria to evaluate the performance of IJV. For instance, due …

A Framework For Effective Commercial Web Application Development, Ming Te Lu, Wing Lok Yeung

Hong Kong Institute of Business Studies Working Paper Series

The World Wide Web (WWW) or the Web has been recognized as a powerful new information exchange channel in recent years. Today, an ever-increasing number of businesses have set up Web sites to publicize their products and services. However, careful planning and preparation is needed to achieve the intended purpose of this new information exchange channel. This paper proposes a comprehensive framework for effective commercial Web application development based on prior research in hypermedia and human-computer interfaces. The framework regards Web application development as a special type of software development projects. At the onset of the project, its social acceptability …

性別歧視招聘廣告 : 《性別歧視條例》實施後的情況 = Sex Discriminatory Advertisement Of Recruitment : After The Enforcement Of The Sex Discrimination Ordinance, Kwok Keung Chow

Hong Kong Institute of Business Studies Working Paper Series

至一九九七年十月止，《性別歧視條例》在香港已經實施了一年多，條例的執行機構亦即平等機會委員會所收到的投訴數目合共四百多宗，其中涉及僱傭方面因刊登性別歧視招聘廣告而被檢控的案件為數甚少。本文分析平等機會委員會在處理性別歧視廣告投訴方面的缺失，包括條例中缺怏、廉、簡審裁機制、平等機會委員會處事作風被動和過於著重和解難收警惕之效、廣告發佈人免責不易和難避免僱主在實際遴選過程的歧視等，進而提出改善的建議，包括應明確規定，就算指示他人刊登歧視廣告亦屬有罪；對暗示性的性別歧視廣告亦需加以禁止；並應規定在遴選過程中推定僱主負上舉證並無歧視的責任。

Job Turnover In China : A Case Study Of Shanghai's Manufacturing Enterprises, Kong Wing, Clement Chow, Ka Yiu, Michael Fung, Hang Yue Ngo

Hong Kong Institute of Business Studies Working Paper Series

This paper studies the job turnover among manufacturing enterprises in Shanghai during the period from 1989 to 1992. Various indicators of job turnover, including job expansion rate, job contraction rate, net job growth rate, gross job reallocation rate, and excess job reallocation rate are calculated. The empirical results demonstrate that types of ownership and firm size are significant factors in accounting for the changes in job generation and job reallocation. Among various types of enterprise, international joint ventures and small firms (i.e., those that employ less than 100 workers) are more able to create jobs and to generate job reallocation.