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Full-Text Articles in Business

E-Government Capabilities And Crisis Management: Lessons From Combating Sars In Singapore, Shan Ling Pan, Gary Pan, Paul R. Devadoss Dec 2005

E-Government Capabilities And Crisis Management: Lessons From Combating Sars In Singapore, Shan Ling Pan, Gary Pan, Paul R. Devadoss

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

The city-state of Singapore has been highly ranked for its e-government services. Over the past two decades, it has leveraged its IT infrastructure for economic development and transformed its public services. The SARS outbreak in 2004 turned into a national health crisis because it spread rapidly and the medical community had little knowledge of how to treat the new mutation of the corona virus. Yet, several Singaporean government agencies utilized the e-Government infrastructure and related resources to quickly bring the outbreak under control. In particular, the government?s IT infrastructure streamlined communications, information exchange, and data flow, and significantly eased collaboration …


Fostering Total Wellness Through Peer Helping: Reflections On The Smu Experiences, Gilbert Tan, Timothy Hsi Dec 2005

Fostering Total Wellness Through Peer Helping: Reflections On The Smu Experiences, Gilbert Tan, Timothy Hsi

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Peer Helping is widely implemented in Colleges and Universities in the United States and Canada. Despite the popularity of these programs, very little has been researched on peer helping in the Asian context. This paper traces the theoretical foundations of peer helping and the nascent development of a peer helping program in the Singapore Management University and how this program has developed since the beginning of 2004. The initial focus of the program was based on the model of paraprofessional student counselors assisting their fellow peers through difficult moments in their lives. Over time, the program was fine-tuned to embrace …


Using Community Service Projects To Teach Leadership And Team-Building: Theoretical Foundations, Students' Reactions And Practical Considerations, Gilbert Tan Dec 2005

Using Community Service Projects To Teach Leadership And Team-Building: Theoretical Foundations, Students' Reactions And Practical Considerations, Gilbert Tan

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

This paper discusses the theoretical foundations of utilizing Community Service Project (CSP) or service-learning to teach Leadership and Team-Building. It examines the students’ reactions to this innovative method of instruction. This is done through conducting a content analysis of students’ learning journals, in which students reflect on their CSP learning experiences. Two themes emerged from the data: (a) variety of learning experiences, and (b) impact of CSP experience. The data suggested that students derived a variety of learning experiences from the CSP. In addition, there were attitudinal and learning impacts associated with the CSP experiences. The paper also outlines some …


The Risk Of Adverse Impact In Selections Based On A Test With Known Effect Size, Wilfried De Corte, Filip Lievens Oct 2005

The Risk Of Adverse Impact In Selections Based On A Test With Known Effect Size, Wilfried De Corte, Filip Lievens

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

The authors derive the exact sampling distribution function of the adverse impact (AI) ratio for single-stage, top-down selections using tests with known effect sizes. Subsequently, it is shown how this distribution function can be used to determine the risk that a future selection decision on the basis of such tests will result in an outcome that reflects the presence of AI. The article therefore provides test and selection practitioners with a valuable tool to decide between alternative selection predictors.


Regret And The Control Of Temporary Preferences, Terry Connolly, Jochen Reb Oct 2005

Regret And The Control Of Temporary Preferences, Terry Connolly, Jochen Reb

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Regret is often symptomatic of the defective decisions associated with temporary preference problems. It may also help overcome these defects. Outcome regret can modify the relative utilities of different payoffs. Process regret can motivate search for better decision processes or trap-evading strategies. Heightened regret may thus be functional for control of these self-defeating choices.


The Emergence Of Corporate Forms In China, 1872- 1949. An Analysis On Institutional Transformation, Wai Keung Chung Oct 2005

The Emergence Of Corporate Forms In China, 1872- 1949. An Analysis On Institutional Transformation, Wai Keung Chung

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

No abstract provided.


To Pete Or Not To Pete: Review Of The Practical Entrepreneurship Teaching Engagement (Pete) Model To Produce Practically Relevant Entrepreneurial Learning: A Comparison Of The Effectiveness Of Action-Learning In Entrepreneurship In Singapore, China, Korea, New Zealand And Australia, Jens Mueller, John Thornton, Joe Dewberry, Wee Liang Tan, Hanjun Hu Oct 2005

To Pete Or Not To Pete: Review Of The Practical Entrepreneurship Teaching Engagement (Pete) Model To Produce Practically Relevant Entrepreneurial Learning: A Comparison Of The Effectiveness Of Action-Learning In Entrepreneurship In Singapore, China, Korea, New Zealand And Australia, Jens Mueller, John Thornton, Joe Dewberry, Wee Liang Tan, Hanjun Hu

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Purpose: To discuss the effectiveness of a sustainable entrepreneurship training program in several countries in Asia, used by global firms to identify junior management talent, by applying the PETE model of creating an engaging action-learning program. Design/Methodology/Approach: Current literature is reviewed to make a case for the applicability of action-learning based entrepreneurship training. The results of interviews with more than 20 senior level managers of multi-national corporations in 5 Asian countries are compared to self-evaluations of more than 300 student participants and more than 30 faculty evaluations of the program. We use the Practical Entrepreneurship Teaching Engagement (PETE) model to …


Reviews: Architectures Of Knowledge: Firms, Capabilities And Communities, Timothy Adrian Robert Clark Sep 2005

Reviews: Architectures Of Knowledge: Firms, Capabilities And Communities, Timothy Adrian Robert Clark

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Audiences are constantly bombarded by a whole host of bland catchphrases. Indeed, their verygeneration is viewed as a necessary part of the art of modern media communication. Complexand contested issues are forcibly reduced to snappy and memorable phrases so as to be quicklydigested by an apparently impatient and inattentive audience. In some respects capturing theattention of the audience is more important than the precision of the statement. If we were tosurvey the most frequently uttered phrases, some of the following would very likely be in the topten: `Markets are more competitive than ever', `we live in a truly globalized world', …


From Academia To Diplomacy And Back, Eng Fong Pang Aug 2005

From Academia To Diplomacy And Back, Eng Fong Pang

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Prof Pang talked about his experiences as a diplomat in South Korea and Europe during the period 1994-2002.


Understanding Interpersonal Trust In A Confucian-Influenced Society: An Exploratory Study, Hwee Hoon Tan, Dave Chee Aug 2005

Understanding Interpersonal Trust In A Confucian-Influenced Society: An Exploratory Study, Hwee Hoon Tan, Dave Chee

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Adopting a qualitative methodology, this exploratory study examined the construct of trust and its factors of trustworthiness as perceived in a Confucian-influenced society. The findings of our study indicated that there are emic differences in the meaning of trust as perceived in a Confucian-influenced setting. Specifically, we found a heavy reliance on affective factors of trustworthiness in the decision to trust. In addition, we found a number of factors unique to the context that facilitates the development of trust: diligence, perseverance, filial piety, thriftiness, respect for authority, a shared value of collective effort, harmonious relationship in the office, humbleness and …


Regret In Cancer-Related Decisions, Terry Connolly, Jochen Reb Jul 2005

Regret In Cancer-Related Decisions, Terry Connolly, Jochen Reb

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Decision-related regret is a negative emotion associated with thinking about a past or future choice. The thinking component generally takes the form of a wish that things were otherwise and involves a comparison of what actually did or will take place with some better alternative--a counterfactual thought. For predecisional (anticipated) regret, the thinking involves a mental simulation of the outcomes that might result from different choice options. Prior research has focused on regret associated with decision outcomes, addressing especially (a) the comparison outcome selected and (b) whether the outcome resulted from action or inaction. More recent research examines regret associated …


Re-Engineering Economic Space: The Case Of Singapore's Transborder Industrialization 'Experiments' In Asia, Caroline Yeoh, Wilfred Pow Ngee How, Di Kun Goh Jul 2005

Re-Engineering Economic Space: The Case Of Singapore's Transborder Industrialization 'Experiments' In Asia, Caroline Yeoh, Wilfred Pow Ngee How, Di Kun Goh

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

No abstract provided.


Enclaves For Enterprise: An Empirical Study Of Singapore's Industrial Parks In Indonesia, Vietnam And China, Caroline Yeoh, Wilfred Pow Ngee How, Ai Lin Leong Jul 2005

Enclaves For Enterprise: An Empirical Study Of Singapore's Industrial Parks In Indonesia, Vietnam And China, Caroline Yeoh, Wilfred Pow Ngee How, Ai Lin Leong

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

The dynamics of globalization have prompted governments to re-examine accustomed policies, and search for alternative strategies, in order to re-position their economies for the future. This paper explores the spatial context of state involvement in the new economics of competition, with the focus on Singapore’s much publicized, and controversial, orchestration of its state enterprise network to encapsulate economic space for Singapore-based firms to expand into the Asian region. This strategic initiative is promulgated on the exportability of Singapore’s ‘state credibility’, systemic and operational efficiencies, and technological competencies, to locations where these attributes are less certain. A logit model is applied …


The Korean Language And The Effects Of Its Honorifics System In Advertising: Deferential Vs. Informal Speech As Regulatory Prime On Persuasive Impact, Jin K. Han, Yong Seok Sohn, Kun Woo Yoo Jul 2005

The Korean Language And The Effects Of Its Honorifics System In Advertising: Deferential Vs. Informal Speech As Regulatory Prime On Persuasive Impact, Jin K. Han, Yong Seok Sohn, Kun Woo Yoo

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

A very prominent feature of the Korean language is its extensive honorifics system, where the speaker is obliged to adopt a level of speech (deferential vs. informal) befitting the status of the target audience. As the context for using deferential (informal) speech parallels the setting for prevention (promotion) focus, we set out to examine whether the Korean honorifics system itself functions as a natural prime for regulatory orientation. In Study 1, we find that deferential (informal) speech style activates prevention (promotion) focus in the addressee. Accordingly, we show that ad copies in deferential (informal) speech style resulted in regulatory fit …


Staying Ahead Of The Competition: Insights From Singapore's Manufacturing Enclave In Vietnam, Caroline Yeoh, Di Kun Goh, Wilfred Pow Ngee How Jul 2005

Staying Ahead Of The Competition: Insights From Singapore's Manufacturing Enclave In Vietnam, Caroline Yeoh, Di Kun Goh, Wilfred Pow Ngee How

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

The apparent success of Singapore-styled industrial parks in attracting foreign investments into the emerging Asian economies to capitalize on cheap and abundant resources has led, pari passu, to a mushrooming of similarly-patterned competitor parks in close proximity to the flagship projects. Many of the competitor parks offer either similar or comparable facilities, lower rates, or, in some cases, both. The ensuing dynamic competitive interactions between the competitor parks and the Singapore-styled parks have forced a re-examination of the viability of the Singapore advantage in navigating the economics of competition, and in sustaining competitive advantage. The Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Park (VSIP), unsurprisingly, …


Exporting Expertise: Singapore's Gambit In Vietnam Revisited, Caroline Yeoh, Ai Lin Leong, Xun Cai Jun 2005

Exporting Expertise: Singapore's Gambit In Vietnam Revisited, Caroline Yeoh, Ai Lin Leong, Xun Cai

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Infrastructure can be unreliable and administration subject to corruption in Asia’s rapidly emerging economies. This context presented Singapore with unique opportunities to export its expertise to locations where these attributes are less certain, through the provision of superior infrastructure, the ability to negotiate investment concessions and, where existing, through the links to influential business groups in the investment location. This strategic initiative is further premised on the perception that Singapore’s positive reputation with multinationals, as well as ‘guanxi’, or connections, with Asian business networks, will give the industrial-township projects a marketing advantage. Their progress is a litmus test of Singapore’s …


Jackknifing Bond Option Prices, Peter C. B. Phillips, Jun Yu Jun 2005

Jackknifing Bond Option Prices, Peter C. B. Phillips, Jun Yu

Research Collection School Of Economics

Prices of interest rate derivative securities depend crucially on the mean reversion parameters of the underlying diffusions. These parameters are subject to estimation bias when standard methods are used. The estimation bias can be substantial even in very large samples and much more serious than the discretization bias, and it translates into a bias in pricing bond options and other derivative securities that is important in practical work. This article proposes a very general and computationally inexpensive method of bias reduction that is based on Quenouille's (1956; Biometrika, 43, 353-360) jackknife. We show how the method can be applied directly …


Subethnische Dimensionen Des Veraenderungsmanagements In Asiatischen Klein- Und Mittelunternehmen: Trends In Singapur, Ulrike Badibanga, Thomas Menkhoff May 2005

Subethnische Dimensionen Des Veraenderungsmanagements In Asiatischen Klein- Und Mittelunternehmen: Trends In Singapur, Ulrike Badibanga, Thomas Menkhoff

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Against the background of a rapidly changing business environment, the article examines the organisational change management behavior of the owner-managers of small and medium-sized enterprises in Singapore. The analysis of survey data is aimed at ascertain whether there are any differences between Chinese and English-educated small (Chinese) businessmen in terms of Change Management (CM), a dichotomy which is of great historical and politico-cultural significance in Singapore. The survey data show that there are indeed differences between the subgroups (e.g. with regard to the initiation of a more participatory people management style) but these variations turned out to be far less …


The Impact Of Ownership Structure On Wage Intensity In Japanese Corporations, Toru Yoshikawa, Phillip H. Phan, Parthiban David Apr 2005

The Impact Of Ownership Structure On Wage Intensity In Japanese Corporations, Toru Yoshikawa, Phillip H. Phan, Parthiban David

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

The authors studied the effect of ownership structure on human capital investments as indicated by wage intensity, defined as the ratio of expenditure on employee wages to sales, in a sample of 996 Japanese manufacturing firms during their economic recession of 1998-2002. They found that domestic shareholders, with interests beyond financial considerations, enhance wage intensity, especially when performance is low, and thereby safeguard human capital investments. Foreign shareholders with sole interest in financial returns have an opposite effect; they reduce wage intensity when firm performance is low.


The Effects Of Ownership And Capital Structure On Board Composition And Strategic Diversification In Japanese Corporations, Toru Yoshikawa, Phillip H. Phan Mar 2005

The Effects Of Ownership And Capital Structure On Board Composition And Strategic Diversification In Japanese Corporations, Toru Yoshikawa, Phillip H. Phan

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

The board of directors plays an important role in solving the agency problem between shareholders and management. This paper investigates the relationships between ownership and board structure with the diversification strategy of large Japanese firms. The results show that corporate nominee directors are associated with lower levels of product diversification of their investee firms. This suggests that nominee directors in large Japanese corporations see themselves representing specific interests and therefore investors should pay attention to board composition in order to assess the level of protection they can expect to receive. Even without any apparent agency problem with management, there remains …


Corporate Divestitures And Spinoffs In Singapore, Francis Koh, Winston T. H. Koh, Benedict S. K. Koh Mar 2005

Corporate Divestitures And Spinoffs In Singapore, Francis Koh, Winston T. H. Koh, Benedict S. K. Koh

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

This paper discusses the different forms of corporate divestitures, the motives for this corporate activity, and the empirical findings about their economic outcomes. A sample of corporate divestitures is also used to identify the main motivations in the Singapore context. We conclude that divestitures are carried out to achieve operational efficiency and gain incremental profitability and liquidity. Using share price data around the event-dates, we show that announcements of divestitures generally lead to significant increases in the returns of the parent company. The positive abnormal returns are related to the relative size of the divestitures and the computed accounting gains. …


Assessment Centers In Belgium: The Results Of A Study On Their Validity And Fairness, Filip Lievens, Etienne Van Keer, Morel De Witte Mar 2005

Assessment Centers In Belgium: The Results Of A Study On Their Validity And Fairness, Filip Lievens, Etienne Van Keer, Morel De Witte

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

In Belgium, assessment centers have grown in popularity. Despite this growing popularity, the validity of these selection and development methods has not been examined in Belgium. Therefore, this study examines the predictive validity and fairness of an assessment center of a large bank. The sample consisted of 252 middle level managers. Results revealed that the assessment center provides a valid prediction of success in higher managerial positions. With respect to fairness, this assessment center also scores well. Virtually no significant differences between men and women and between Flemish and French speaking Belgians are found. These positive results might be explained …


Do We Stand On Common Ground? A Threat Appraisal Model For Terror Alerts Issued By The Department Of Homeland Security, Augustine Pang, Yan Jin, Glen T. Cameron Mar 2005

Do We Stand On Common Ground? A Threat Appraisal Model For Terror Alerts Issued By The Department Of Homeland Security, Augustine Pang, Yan Jin, Glen T. Cameron

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Having developed a threat appraisal model to examine the fabric and faces of threat, and how it can becommunicated, the authors empirically test the model on an ongoing issue, the issuance of terror alerts bythe Department of Homeland Security (DHS), on how threat is appraised by DHS, and the conservativeand liberal audiences. Findings showed a shared view by the DHS and the conservative audiences whilethe liberal audiences thought otherwise. Though there appear to be consensus in threat communication,more internal consistency within DHS is needed to optimize its effectiveness.


The Performance Of Value And Growth Portfolios In East Asia Before The Asian Financial Crisis, David K. Ding, Jia-Leng Chua, Thomas A. Fetherston Mar 2005

The Performance Of Value And Growth Portfolios In East Asia Before The Asian Financial Crisis, David K. Ding, Jia-Leng Chua, Thomas A. Fetherston

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

We examine value and growth portfolios in seven East Asian countries just before the onslaught of the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis. The value premiums in these countries, except in Indonesia, Taiwan, and Thailand, are found to be mainly positive. After controlling for firm size, risk, liquidity, and growth potential, we find higher returns among value stocks with a small firm size and low growth potential in Hong Kong and Malaysia. In Japan and Singapore, higher returns are found in growth portfolios with a small firm size and low growth potential. Growth stocks in Taiwan with a small firm size, and …


Competing At The Frontier: The Changing Role Of Technology Policy In Singapore's Economic Strategy, Winston T. H. Koh, Poh Kam Wong Mar 2005

Competing At The Frontier: The Changing Role Of Technology Policy In Singapore's Economic Strategy, Winston T. H. Koh, Poh Kam Wong

Research Collection School Of Economics

For an economy competing at the global frontier, an innovation-based growth strategy requires a well-developed technological infrastructure, a set of capabilities-focused technology policies, as well as an institutional environment that stimulates innovation and entrepreneurship. This paper examines the role played by science and technology policy in an economy's transition to an innovation-based growth strategy. We discuss the challenges governments face as they restructure economic institutions to deepen R&D capabilities and encourage technology creation. We review Singapore's experience in this regard and assess its ongoing efforts to remake itself to compete at the global frontier.


Older Workers: Untapped Assets For Creating Value, Knowledge@Smu Feb 2005

Older Workers: Untapped Assets For Creating Value, Knowledge@Smu

Knowledge@SMU

The days when an executive could look forward to a leisurely retirement out on the golf course are over, thanks to a possible looming job shortage, a graying population, low savings rates and an insecure Social Security system. The impact of these factors on both workers and companies was the subject of the Symposium on Older Workers, co-sponsored recently by the AARP Global Aging Program along with Wharton's Center for Human Resources and Boettner Center for Pensions and Retirement Research. Speakers included AARP CEO William D. Novelli, Olivia Mitchell, executive director of Wharton's Pension Research Council, and Thomas Dowd, a …


Investing In Real Estate: Mortgage Financing Practices And Optimal Holding Period, Winston T. H. Koh, Edward H. K. Ng Feb 2005

Investing In Real Estate: Mortgage Financing Practices And Optimal Holding Period, Winston T. H. Koh, Edward H. K. Ng

Research Collection School Of Economics

Real estate investments are typically characterized by high degrees of leverage and long loan tenures. In perfect capital markets, leverage has no impact on the investment decision apart from tax considerations. However, the mortgage financing market is imperfect in many countries. In the presence of market imperfections, an optimal holding period exists for real property investments. We provide a simple rule to calculate the optimal holding period is to compare the required rate of return with the leveraged rate of return on equity.


Disproportionate Ownership Structure And Ipo Long-Run Performance Of Non-Soes In China, Xiaoming Wang, Jerry Cao, Jinghua Tang, Gary Gang Tian Feb 2005

Disproportionate Ownership Structure And Ipo Long-Run Performance Of Non-Soes In China, Xiaoming Wang, Jerry Cao, Jinghua Tang, Gary Gang Tian

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

This paper examines the relationship between ownership structures and IPO long-run performance of non-SOEs in China. Although non-SOEs underperform the market in general after IPO but the poor performance is mainly caused by the IPOs with ownership control wedge. Non-SOEs with one share one vote structure outperform those with control-ownership wedge by 30% for three years post-IPO performance in adjusted buy-and-hold returns. Non-SOEs with control-ownership wedge have higher frequency of undertaking value-destroying related party transactions. These findings suggest that non-SOEs need to improve corporate governance such as disproportionate ownership structure to better safeguard the interest of long-run shareholders.


Regionalisation And Singapore's Transborder Industrialisation: A New Perspective On Suzhou Industrial Park, Xun Cai, Lu Gao, Caroline Yeoh Jan 2005

Regionalisation And Singapore's Transborder Industrialisation: A New Perspective On Suzhou Industrial Park, Xun Cai, Lu Gao, Caroline Yeoh

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

The dynamics of international economic competition have prompted governments to re-examine accustomed policies, and search for alternative strategies, in order to re-position their economies for the future. This paper takes a look at Singapore’s search for a competitive positioning in the global marketplace, and focuses on the city-state’s much-publicized, and controversial, flagship project in China, viz, the Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP). This strategic initiative is premised on the perceptions that Singapore’s positive reputation with multinational corporations, and ‘guanxi’ (or connections) with regional governments, will give the regional sites a strategic advantage in the competition for foreign investments. Earlier studies have …


Rhythms Of Life: Antecedents And Outcomes Of Work-Family Balance In Employed Parents, Samuel Aryee, E. S. Srinivas, Hwee Hoon Tan Jan 2005

Rhythms Of Life: Antecedents And Outcomes Of Work-Family Balance In Employed Parents, Samuel Aryee, E. S. Srinivas, Hwee Hoon Tan

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

This study examined antecedents and outcomes of a fourfold taxonomy of work-family balance in terms of the direction of influence (work-family vs. family-work) and type of effect (conflict vs. facilitation). Respondents were full-time employed parents in India. Confirmatory factor analysis results provided evidence for the discriminant validity of M. R. Frone' s (2003) fourfold taxonomy of work-family balance. Results of moderated regression analysis revealed that different processes underlie the conflict and facilitation components. Furthermore, gender had only a limited moderating influence on the relationships between the antecedents and the components of work-family balance. Last, work-family facilitation was related to the …