Business Commons^™

Regret From Consumer Action Versus Inaction: The Effects Of Post-Decision Information, Decisional Responsibility And Perceived Source Expertise, Neel Das

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation proposes to examine regret arising from action versus inaction in consumer decision-making contexts. Although there has been extensive research in the area of regret, no extant literature in marketing has been found that has investigated the nature of regret arising from inaction, specifically in stockout conditions. The first study defines the concept of decisional action and inaction as the key sources of the regret emotion. Specifically, regret arising from inaction (and action) is investigated under sub-optimal and optimal conditions. Subsequently, circumstances are identified when inaction-driven levels of regret are likely to be higher than levels of action-driven regret …

Service Recovery And The Elusive Paradox: An Examination Of The Effects Of Magnitude Of Service Failure, Service Failure Responsiveness, Service Guarantee And Additional Recovery Effort On Service Recovery Comes, Anthony Hugh Kerr

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Service failure and recovery remain critical issues for both academicians and marketing practitioners. Defined as a service provider’s response to a failed service, service recovery can mean the difference between a firm’s success and failure, for increasing customer retention and limiting customer defection are integral components of organizational growth and profitability. The purpose of this dissertation was two-fold: (1) to test the effects of magnitude of service failure, service failure responsiveness, and the presence of a service guarantee on customer satisfaction levels and other service recovery outcomes (Study 1); and (2) to test the effects of additional recovery effort and …

An Investigation Of The 150-Hour Requirement In Developing Personal Competencies In Accounting Education, Laura Davis Delaune

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study investigated if accounting graduates from Louisiana State University, a public institution, perceived that their accounting curriculum enhanced the development of their personal competencies of professional demeanor, problem solving/decision making, interaction, leadership, and communication. A survey mailed to accounting graduates who graduated from Fall 1999 to Spring 2002 was used to gather the data for the study. Responses from graduates with different curricular paths were compared to determine if significant differences existed in their perceptions of the development of their personal competencies. Results revealed that no significant difference exists in the perception of the development of personal competencies among …

Small Business Smart Business: Final Report, Beth Walker, Beverley Webster

Research outputs pre 2011

The Small Business Smart Business (SBSB) program is in it's fifth year of operation and while acknowledging the changes that have occurred to SBSB over the past five years, it was determined that a review of the effectiveness of SBSB in connecting small business to the VET system would be of benefit in planning for SBSB in 2005 and beyond.

The SBSB program was initially designed to provide eligible small businesses with a training voucher valued up to $200.00 towards approved training and was aimed at improving the productivity of their business. Emphasis was placed on ensuring a wide range …

Malaga Business Review 2004, Beth Walker

Research outputs pre 2011

This report is the result of a Swan Grant to review the current status of business and business activity in the Malaga Business District and to map any changes that have occurred since the original Malaga Business Audit was conducted in 2001. This project was undertaken in two parts. The first part was a replication of the 2001 Malaga business survey so that the City could review trends and analyse if any of the implemented recommendations based on the 2001 results had any discernable effect. The results of the current survey were also used to inform the second part of …

Smart Business Incubators : The Australian Context, Beverley Webster, Beth Walker, Janice Burn

Research outputs pre 2011

The aim of this collaborative study was to research the current status of Australian incubators and develop a benchmark based on successful business incubators, using criteria such as tenant and manager selection, operating indicators and exit criteria...

Divergent Opinions And The Performance Of Value Stocks, John A. Doukas, Chansog Francis Kim, Christos Pantzalis

Finance Faculty Publications

Divergence of opinions among investors, manifested in the dispersion of analysts' earnings forecasts, may play an important role in asset pricing. This article reports tests of whether disagreement can explain the cross-sectional return difference between value and growth (or "glamour") stocks in the U.S. market over the 1983-2001 period. Consistent with the theoretical proposition that stocks subject to greater investor disagreement earn higher returns, the tests found value stocks to be exposed to greater investor disagreement than growth stocks. This finding suggests that the return advantage of value strategies is a reward for the greater disagreement about their future growth …

Short Interests In Real Estate Investment Trusts, Deqing Diane Li, Kenneth Yung

Finance Faculty Publications

We examine short interests in equity real estate investment trusts (REITs) between 1994 and 2001. Our results show that only high levels (the 90th percentile) of short interest are associated with significant negative REIT returns as the bearish content of short interest may have been mitigated by the favorable risk characteristics of real estate securities. In addition, the significant negative relationship between short interest and REIT returns applies only to REITs with poor performance. The result implies that the bearish sentiment of short interest could aslo be mitigated by good REIT managers in a real estate market that is informationally …

A Bayesian Operationalization Of The Resource-Based View, Mark H. Hansen, Lee T. Perry, C. Shane Reese

Faculty Publications

This paper argues that the gap between the theoretical utility and the practical utility of the resource-based view (RBV) may be narrowed by operationalizing the theory more consistently with Penrose's original framework. The operationalization proposed here is a twofold approach. First, the RBV may be enhanced by the explicit recognition of Penrose's two classes of resources, namely, administrative resources and productive resources. This distinction suggests a focus on the administrative decisions of managers that lead to economic performance. Second, we argue that the RBV is a theory about extraordinary performers or outliers—not averages. Therefore, the statistical methods used in applying …

Building A Better World, Pierre Landell-Mills

Human Rights & Human Welfare

A review of:

The Global New Deal: Economic and Social Rights in World Politics by William Felice. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2002. 204pp.

Global Economic Forces And Individual Labor Rights: An Uneasy Coexistence, Alice De Jonge

Human Rights & Human Welfare

A review of:

Workers’ Rights as Human Rights edited by James A. Gross. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2003. 272pp.

and

International Labor Standards: Globalization, Trade, and Public Policy edited by Robert J. Flanagan and William B. Gould IV. Palo Alto: Stanford University Press, 2003. 275pp.

Why Teach Environmental Ethics? Because We Already Do, Raymond Benton Jr.

School of Business: Faculty Publications and Other Works

In this paper we argue for the importance of the formal teaching of environmental ethics. This is, we argue, both because environmental ethics is needed to respond to the environmental issues generated by the neoliberal movement in politics and economics, and because a form of environmental ethics is implicit, but unexamined, in that which is currently taught. We maintain that students need to become aware of the latent ethical dimension in what they are taught. To help them, we think that they need to understand how models and metaphors structure and impact their worldviews. We describe how a simple in-class …

Building A Company Culture That Drives Performance: A Case Study, K. Dow Scott, Gregory K. Shives, James W. Bishop, Vito A. Cerra

School of Business: Faculty Publications and Other Works

No abstract provided.

Foundations In Wisconsin: A Directory [23rd Ed. 2004], Mary C. Frenn, Rebecca Cesarz, Katie Schrader, Vance Thomas, Lisa Zongolowicz

Foundations in Wisconsin: A Directory

This 2004 edition of Foundations in Wisconsin marks the 23^rd release of the print directory and the 4^th year of the online version. The directory is designed as a research tool for grantseekers interested in locating information on private, corporate, and community foundations registered in Wisconsin. Each entry in this new edition has been updated or reviewed to provide the most current information available. Most of the data was extracted from IRS 990-PF tax returns filed by the foundations. However, additional information was obtained from surveys, annual reports, and foundation Web sites.

Wisconsin foundations have shown small increases …

Crisis In American Information Systems Education: Innovations To Address The Threat Of Offshoring, Kate Kaiser, Erran Carmel, Mike Gallivan, Monica Adya, Arkulgud Ramprasad, Amar Gupta

Management Faculty Research and Publications

Our classrooms are nearly empty. The job prospects for our graduates are bleak. Offshoring is reconfiguring the American information technology industry. What are we to do? After years of unprecedented growth, demand, and skill shortages, IT faculty find themselves in a new environment. As a shortterm solution, some faculty are scrambling to develop and redesign courses. This is not enough and will not sustain the fundamental shifts needed in a global economy. How can individual faculty, Information Systems departments, and schools respond to survive the rapidly changing landscape? The situation calls for innovations in academic delivery. Academics must serve as …

Plan Design And 401(K) Savings Outcomes, James J. Choi, David Laibson, Brigitte C. Madrian

Faculty Publications

We assess the impact of 401(k) plan design on four different 401(k) savings outcomes: participation in the 401(k) plan, the distribution of employee contribution rates, asset allocation, and cash distributions. We show that plan design can have an important effect on all of these savings outcomes. This suggests an important role for both employers in determining how to structure their 401(k) plans and government regulators in creating institutions that encourage or discourage particular aspects of 401(k) plan design.

For Better Or For Worse: Default Effects And 401(K) Savings Behavior, James J. Choi, David Laibson, Brigitte C. Madrian, Andrew Metrick

Faculty Publications

Seemingly minor changes in the way a choice is framed to a decision maker can generate dramatic changes in behavior. Automatic enrollment provides a clear example of such effects. Under automatic enrollment (also called negative election), employees are automatically enrolled in their company’s 401(k) plan unless the employees elect to opt out of the plan. This contrasts with the usual arrangement in which employees must actively choose to participate in their employer’s 401(k).

Do Venture Capitalists Add Value To Small Manufacturing Firms? An Empirical Analysis Of Venture And Nonventure Capital-Backed Initial Public Offerings, James C. Brau, Richard A. Brown, Jerome S. Osteryoung

Faculty Publications

We examine a set of small, venture capital (VC)-backed manufacturing firms and compare it to a control sample of nonVC-backed manufacturing firms going public between 1990 and 1996. We use the degree of underpricing, three-year sales growth, three-year cumulative stock return, and three-year survivability as measures of success. First, we test if the presence of VC backing results in significant differences in success between the two samples. Next, we test if certain VC and deal characteristics are discriminators within the VC-backed sample of firms. Despite previous literature, which argues for either inferior or superior VC post-initial public offering (IPO) performance, …

Microfinance: A Comprehensive Review Of The Existing Literature, James C. Brau, Gary M. Woller

Faculty Publications

Although the word finance is in the term microfinance, and the core elements of microfinance are those of the finance discipline, microfinance has yet to break into the mainstream or entrepreneurial finance literature. The purpose of this article is to introduce the finance academic community to the discipline of microfinance and microfinance institutions (MFIs). We provide a comprehensive review of over 350 articles and address the issues of MFI sustainability, products and services, management practices, clientele targeting, regulation and policy, and impact assessment.

The Construction Of A Business English Curriculum, Relevant To The Workplace, And Making Use Of Word Processing In Place Of Handwriting, Ladawan Wattanaboot

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Since the Thailand economic crisis in 1997 there has been a sense of urgency expressed in many areas of the society that businesses must modernize their practices and focus more on international trade and communication. Two important components of the changes required are better use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and better use of the English language for business communication. In the education arena this has translated into the need to provide graduates with better skills in the use of English and computers. These two skill areas come together naturally in the study of Business English. In Thailand Rajabhat …

Self-Reported Business Leadership Competencies Of Middle-Level Managers, Philip Teo

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study aims to investigate self-reported managerial leadership competencies of middle-level managers in business organisations in Australia, and stems from the Karpin Report (1995) on perceived weaknesses in Leader hip and Management skills in Australia. The report leads to a need to investigate the perceptions of the current middle level business managers in regard to leadership competency and to develop a scale to measure leadership competency. A model of leadership competency, based on a literature review, was developed for this study and involves four aspects: Leading, Managing, Communicating and Best Practice. Data were collected in two parts-a questionnaire and interviews. …

The Search For Character: Servant-Leadership In An Australian Organisation, Margaret R. Whitmore

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study is in response to globalisation, changing world values and the call in modern literature for leaders of good character. Servant-leadership is offered to fill this requirement because its effectiveness is said to be reliant on the good character of the leader. In the literature this type of leadership is said to represent a new paradigm. The work of servant-leadership’s proponent, Robert Greenleaf, is thoroughly examined to explain how his understanding of trust as faith is linked to spirituality and this is the key to understanding the character of servant-leaders. Greenleaf’s work is compared with the modern servant-leadership literature …

Market Reaction To The Expiration Of Ipo Lockup Provisions, James C. Brau, David A. Carter, Stephen E. Christophe, Kimberly G. Key

Faculty Publications

Initial public offering (IPO) lockup agreements prevent insider sale of shares for specified periods of time (often 180 days). This study investigates share price reactions at and around the time the lockup agreements expire. Results indicate statistically significant negative abnormal returns in the event window surrounding the expiration date. The results are consistent with informational asymmetries and decreasing incentive alignment between insiders and general shareholders. In addition, multivariate analysis identifies several variables that help explain these abnormal returns.

Operational Hedging: A Review With Discussion, Onur Boyabatli, L. Beril Toktay

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Motivated by the increasing prevalence of operational hedging in corporate-level risk management programs, this paper provides an extensive overview and synthesis of the existing literature on operational hedging. In particular, we focus on the treatment of operational hedging in the operations management literature. We then explore how the concept of operational hedging is studied in the fields of finance, strategy and international business. Finally, we discuss and critique the approaches adopted in the operations management literature in the context of the broader literature on the topic.

From Dramaturgy To Theatre As Technology: The Case Of Corporate Theatre, Timothy Adrian Robert Clark, Iain Mangham

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

This article examines a piece of corporate theatre. Although theatre has entered organization studies through the dramatistic writing of Kenneth Burke and the dramaturgical writings of Erving Goffman, this article is concerned with an approach variously described as organizational, radical, situation or corporate theatre that treats theatre not primarily as a resource, an ontology or a metaphor but as a technology. This approach involves the deployment by an organization of dramatists, actors, directors, set designers, lighting specialists, and musicians to put on performances in front of audiences. Using frameworks derived from studies of theatre a particular piece of corporate theatre …

Exporting Expertise And Extending Economic Boundaries: Extrapolations From The Singapore Experience In Bangalore, India, Siang Yeung Wong, Priyam Saraf, Caroline Yeoh

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

No abstract provided.

Notes From An ‘Intelligent Island’: Towards Strategic Knowledge Management In Singapore’S Small Business Sector, Thomas Menkhoff, Yue Wah Chay, Benjamin Loh

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

This essay outlines some of the benefits and challenges of implementing strategic knowledge management systems in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with reference to respective initiatives in the Republic of Singapore. The article addresses following research questions: What is knowledge management (KM) and why has it become an issue? How can SMEs benefit from strategic KM? What are the potential pitfalls of KM applications in small firms? What are the strategic imperatives of using KM in SMEs? Do small and large firms require different KM systems? What are the critical success factors which have to be considered during implementation? How …

Metaheuristics With Local Search Techniques For Retail Shelf-Space Optimization, Andrew Lim, Brian Rodrigues, Xingwen Zhang

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Efficient shelf-space allocation can provide retailers with a competitive edge. While there has been little study on this subject, there is great interest in improving product allocation in the retail industry. This paper examines a practicable linear allocation model for optimizing shelf-space allocation. It extends the model to address other requirements such as product groupings and nonlinear profit functions. Besides providing a network flow solution, we put forward a strategy that combines a strong local search with a metaheuristic approach to space allocation. This strategy is flexible and efficient, as it can address both linear and nonlinear problems of realistic …

Resource-Based Theory And Its Link To The Global Strategy, Structure And Performance Relationship: An Integrative Framework, Olivier Furrer, Jeffrey A. Krug, D. Sudharshan, Howard Thomas

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

The global strategy literature provides a basis for examining strategy, structure, and performance relationships in multinational firms. We develop a framework that examines these relationships and their linkages to the firm's intangible asset portfolio. Drawing on resource-based theory, this framework suggests that an on-going multinational firm's worldwide performance is dependent on the fit between its intangible asset portfolio, foreign market entry strategies, partner relationships, and worldwide organisational structure. Each of these dimensions can be linked back to the firm's worldwide strategy and the characteristics of its industry. Implications for research are discussed.

Privatizing Telecoms And Residual State Influence On Financial Performance, Burkhard N. Schrage, Paul M. Vaaler

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

We test competing theoretical perspectives explaining likely shareholder returns from material investment decisions announced by privatizing telecommunications firms (telecoms) with varying levels of residual state ownership. A principal-agent perspective suggests that decrease in residual state ownership in privatizing telecoms leads to more positive shareholder returns. Over time, this effect increases. An alternative credible privatization perspective suggests that retention of substantial (though not controlling) residual state ownership leads to more positive shareholder returns, but only in the short run. Over time this ownership effect fades quickly. We examine empirical support for these competing perspectives with an event study analyzing cumulative abnormal …