Business Commons^™

Reasons For Construction Firms Transiting To Iso 9001:2008 Quality Management Systems, Low Sui Pheng, Alfred Hah

Business Review

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is a worldwide federation of national standards bodies from approximately 162 countries. ISO is also a non-governmental organization that forms the missing link between the public and private sectors. With increasing awareness and attention on delivering quality and desirable products to the end users, ISO certification has increasingly become an important benchmark and confidence for both the organization and its customers. To keep up with the evolution and advancement in the different industries such as manufacturing, hospitality and construction, and also to satisfy higher customer’s expectations, ISO has to constantly improve and renew its …

The Impact Of Women Leaders Upon Organizational Performance, Humair Hashmi

Business Review

The aim of this research was to target television professionals in the state, and the private sector to develop their professional capabilities to address gender issues, and to portray women in an affirmative manner in the media. Research literature of the past indicated that women were paid 30% less than men: That they experienced an invisible barrier, the “glass ceiling effect": That organizations headed by women were less corrupt and more efficient. The present research focused on these issues in Pakistani organizations. Imperial College of Business Studies Lahore was assigned the research by United Nation Development Programme, to see if …

The Glass Ceiling Effect: A Pakistani Perspective, Shandana Shoaib, Romy Sajjad Khan, Sajjad Ahmad Khan

Business Review

The Glass Ceiling commonly refers to impediments to career growth and upward mobility in organizations owing to racial and gender biases. The study undertaken on this phenomenon has reflected different behavior patterns for different factors leading to the glass ceiling effect. This paper focuses specifically on gender and analyzes the behavior pattern of women in Pakistani society. We have also analyzed the impediments and pressures that have resulted in creating a Glass Ceiling for women in higher management.

Comparative Analysis Of Islamic And Conventional Banking Performance, Mirza Ali Huzaifa Sultan, Muhammad Zahid Siddique

Business Review

This paper analyzes the performance of Islamic banks compared to that of conventional banks in Pakistan. This comparison is based on the financial performance, product services and customer perception. We have selected two Islamic banks, namely Meezan Bank limited & Albaraka Bank, and two conventional Banks, Soneri and My Bank. This selection was made because of the similar size of these banks in terms of their deposits. The paper shows that Islamic Banking is falling behind the conventional one both in terms of its business as well as customer perspective. The research is divided into three parts. First part covers …

Epistemic Context Of Strategic Decisions - Interpreting The Grammar Of Managerial Praxis, Ahmad Raza, Hasan Sohaib Murad

Business Review

This paper makes a theoretical assertion that strategic decisions are deterministic and apriori cognitive programs, internalized by human actors through an epistemic context, generated by culturally contingent conditions. It is argued that, a pervasive worldview reverberates underneath the seemingly calm strategic attitude of the managerial leadership and, consequently shapes the grammar of managerial praxis. The leaders during their strategic engagements choose to decide on the basis of this deeply ingrained language of their respective worldviews, which have grown out of the collective symbolic knowledge of their respective societies. By analyzing three examples one each from society, economy and politics, which …

Chocolate Brand Familiarity And Product-Country Evaluation Among Young Consumersin Malaysia, Poh-Chuin Poh-Chuin, Osman Mohamad, Yudi Fernando

Business Review

Consumers’ product evaluation and brand familiarity are important in the marketing arena, considering the significant growth of the international trade and globalization. This study tries to identify young Malaysian’s chocolate brand familiarity and product-country evaluation. The results found that stereotyping and halo effects do influence young Malaysian chocolate evaluation. The discussion of this study also includes recommendation to marketing managers and research limitations.

Book Review Of: Meezan Bank’S Guide To Islamic Banking By Muhammad Imran Ashraf Usmani, Javed A. Ansari

Business Review

Islamic banking has been seriously effected by the financial crisis of 2007- 2010. The impending collapse of financial institutions in the Gulf, specially in Dubai and the growing threat of sovereign debt repudiation and default by oil exporting countries has had a particularly severe impact on global Islamic finance growth. Forecasts for Islamic finance transactions have been revised downwards several times during 2009 and riskiness and illiquidity of leading Islamic finance institution are perceived as having increased due to the growing instability of the Gulf economies.

Bankers Perceptions Of Electronic Banking In Pakistan, Ahmad Kaleem, Saima Ahmad

Business Review

Electronic distribution channels provide alternatives for faster delivery of banking services to a wider range of customers. E-channels have gained increasing popularity and have attracted the attention of both academics and practitioners. This paper aims to collect bank employees’ perceptions of the potential benefits and risks associated with electronic banking in Pakistan. The outcomes may help the management of banks develop effective strategic planning for the future of electronic banking in developing countries like Pakistan. Primary sources were used to collect the data and were analyzed via frequency analysis and mean score analysis. The results suggest that bankers in Pakistan …

The Life And Writings Of John C. Colt (1810-1842): A More Even-Handed Approach And A Request For Your Participation, Richard Vangermeersch

Special Collections (Miscellaneous)

No abstract provided.

Concentrating Solar Power Commercial Application Study: Reducing Water Consumption Of Concentrating Solar Power Electricity Generation, U.S. Department Of Energy

Publications (E)

This report discusses potential methods to reduce water consumption associated with CSP. Four main concentrating solar power technologies are described in this report: parabolic troughs, linear Fresnel, power towers, and dish/engine. Parabolic troughs are the most commercially available technology. Linear Fresnel and power tower technologies are presently being planned as commercial plants, but none have yet been built in the U.S. The first three of these technologies use the heat collected from the sun to power conventional Rankine steam cycles, similar to those used for coal and nuclear plants. Steam cycle power plants require cooling to function (cooling is needed …

Nrel: A Year In Clean Energy Innovations: A Review Of Nrel's Feature Stories, National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Publications (E)

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is the nation’s primary laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development.

NREL’s mission and strategy are focused on advancing the U.S. Department of Energy’s and our nation’s energy goals. The laboratory’s scientists and researchers support critical market objectives to accelerate research from scientific innovations to market-viable alternative energy solutions. At the core of this strategic direction are NREL’s research and technology development competencies. These areas span from understanding renewable resources for energy, to the conversion of these resources to renewable electricity and fuels, and ultimately to the use of renewable electricity …

United Parcel Service Evaluates Hybrid Electric Delivery Vans, National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Publications (T)

This fact sheet describes how the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's Fleet Test and Evaluation team evaluated the 12-month, in-service performance of six Class 4 hybrid electric delivery vans - fueled by regular diesel - and six comparable conventional diesel vans operated by the United Parcel Service.

Profitability And Return On Investment From Casino Amenities, Lonnie Bryant, Doug Walker

Caesars Hospitality Research Center Grant

We empirically analyze the return on investment of different casino resort amenities (e.g., casinos, hotels, restaurants, and other entertainment). We model casino corporation stock prices using regression analysis of cross-sectional time series data. Stock prices are explained by variables that represent firm-level investments in and revenues from different functional areas of the typical casino resort, and two macroeconomic control variables. Results are sensitive to the dependent return variable chosen; and revenue variable results differ from expenditure variable results. This suggests that subsequent research should focus on market-specific analyses, which may help to determine which amenities provide greatest returns in particular …

Not Undertaking The Almost-Impossible Task: The 1961 Wire Act’S Development, Initial Applications, And Ultimate Purpose, David G. Schwartz

Library Faculty Research

For a Camelot-era piece of legislation, the Wire Act has a long and unintended shadow. Used haltingly in the 1960s, when the Wire Act failed to deliver the death blow to organized crime, 1970’s Racketeer-Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) became a far better weapon against the mob. Yet starting in the 1990s, the Wire Act enjoyed a second life, when the Justice Department used to it prosecute operators of online betting Web sites that, headquartered in jurisdictions where such businesses were legal, took bets from American citizens. The legislative history of the Wire Act, however, suggests that it was …

The Burger King Revolution: How Las Vegas Bounced Back, 1983-1989, David G. Schwartz

Library Faculty Research

Most who have considered Las Vegas history have concluded that not much happened in Las Vegas gaming between the openings of the original MGM Grand (1973) and Mirage (1989). In fact, several structural changes during the 1980s had already reversed a declining appeal. Responding to three crises—competition from Atlantic City, a national economic downturn, and the MGM Grand fire—Las Vegas casino operators began to draw more extensively on a middle-class mass market. Capitalizing on the “Burger King Revolution,” Strip casinos drew more gamblers who, on average, played less, and slot machines displaced table games as the industry’s leading revenue producer. …

Decomposing The Effects Of Organizational Memory On Marketing Implementation, Stern Neill

Marketing

There is limited evidence to explain the effect of organizational memory on marketing implementation. This paper addresses this gap by identifying multiple components of organizational memory and examining how each affects marketing implementation. Organizational memory is a collective recollection of the past that is embedded within firm culture, procedures, and expertise. The findings demonstrate potential tradeoffs to linking versus locking into the firm’s past, particularly in turbulent environments. By decomposing organizational memory’s effects, this paper explains how organizational memory can both enable and constrain marketing implementation.

Exploring The Association Of The Attributes Of Self-Service Kiosks, Customer Check-In Satisfaction, And Customer Commitment In C, Gary Deel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research regarding self-service technology and its integration into the traditional service environment is relatively limited as it applies to the lodging industry. The purpose of this study was to investigate the customer check-in satisfaction and customer commitment impacts of self-service hotel kiosks as implemented in convention hotels by examining perceptions of kiosk users. It has been theorized that customer perceptions of self-service technology attributes are positively related to satisfaction and subsequent commitment. A model was employed in this study that had been previously supported outside of the hospitality industry which demonstrated support for a universal standard of investigating self-service technology …

Changing Patterns Xvi: Mortgage Lending To Traditionally Underseved Borrowers & Neighborhoods In Boston, Greater Boston And Massachusetts, 2008, Jim Campen

Gastón Institute Publications

This is the sixteenth in the annual series of Changing Patterns reports prepared for the Massachusetts Community & Banking Council (MCBC) by the present author. The series is aptly named: mortgage lending since 1990 has indeed been characterized by “changing patterns.” In recent years, the major focus of the series shifted from concern for fair access to credit for traditionally underserved borrowers and neighborhoods to concern for access to fair credit for these same borrowers and neighborhoods. This reflects the extent to which the problem of redlining had become overshadowed by the problem of reverse redlining, whereby areas that …

Do Analyst Earnings Beta Explain Growth Anomaly?, Sophie Phuong Thanh Doan

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

Using a measure of cashflow risk derived from analyst forecasts, I find that cashflow risk offers a partial explanation for the value – growth anomaly. In particular, the lowest asset growth portfolio has a higher earnings beta than the highest asset growth portfolio. Approximately cashflow risk measured by earnings beta carries a significant positive risk premium of 1.24% with a t-value of 3.51.

Corporate Governance And Earnings Management Before Share Repurchase Announcements In Singapore, Jian Ming Chua

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

Share repurchase in Singapore was legalized in 1998. It is well known that investors view share repurchase as good news. This study is based on share repurchase announcements from 2006 to 2009. The mean Cumulative Market-Adjusted Returns (CAR) for the period [0, +1] and [-1, +1] are significant at 1.25% and 1.33% respectively. In Singapore, there are positive abnormal returns following share repurchase announcements in support of the ―free cash flow‖ hypothesis. By using the Singapore Corporate Governance Index as a proxy, the weakly governed companies exhibit the strongest, positive and significant CAR of 2.62% for the period [0, +1]. …

Auditor Choice, Audit Fees And Internal Governance In Family Firms, Shaohua He

Lingnan Theses

I study the role of auditing in mitigating agency concerns in family firms. Family firms face less severe agency problems due to the separation of ownership and control (Type 1) but more severe agency problems between controlling and noncontrolling shareholders (Type 2). As family firms make up a large part of most free enterprise economies it is important to examine these two agency problems with respect to auditor choice and audit effort. I find that family firms are more likely to choose a specialist auditor than nonfamily firms, consistent with the argument that family firms need to signal their non-expropriating …

Auditor Type, Firm Ownership And Auditor Reporting Under A Joint Audit Requirement : Exploratory Evidence From India, Ting Zou

Lingnan Theses

India is one of the largest developing countries in the world. Although many issues and phenomena arising from its transitional economy are worthy of research from an accounting perspective, the Indian accounting market is a field that remains relatively unexplored in the extant literature. One of the institutional features of India is that while it is mandatory for public sector companies and banks to have joint auditors, their appointment is voluntary for other companies. In a thesis motivated by this and other institutional features and the absence of related accounting and auditing studies conducted in an Indian setting, I examine …

The Effects Of Perceived Brand Globalness On Consumer Responses To Brand Failures, Xue Gao

Lingnan Theses

Even big companies cannot guarantee their brands never ever fail customers. Recently the brand failures of Toyota taught us a vivid lesson that a brand takes decades to be built up but to be ruined overnight. Although, the advantages of building global brands are well recognized in literature, the superiorities of global brands in brand failure context are not yet studied. This study aims to investigate the effects of perceived brand globalness (PBG) on consumer affective and behavioral responses to brand failures. Global brands are perceived superior to local brands due to factors like higher quality perceptions and prestige feelings. …

Goal Interdependence And Conflict Management For Government And Business Collaboration In China, Xinru Wu

Lingnan Theses

This study empirically examines the dynamics and conditions of conflict managing approaches on government and business collaboration. It posits that conflict for mutual benefit critically effects government and business collaboration outcomes. This study adopts Deutsch’s (1973) theory of goal interdependence to understand when and how government officials and business managers adopt the mutually beneficial conflict approach. It proposes that cooperative goals between government officials and business managers promote the mutually beneficial conflict approach and reduce win-lose competitive conflict and avoiding conflict.

A total of 101 interviews were conducted in China in 2009. Results of structural equation modeling and other analyses …

Enhancing Green Tax Measures In Hong Kong : A Means Of Addressing The City's Environmental Problems, Yuzhu Lu

Lingnan Theses

Nowadays, pressures on the environment are increasing around the world. In particular, Hong Kong, a compact city with a population of nearly seven million, one which has undergone remarkable economic growth over the past few decades, has developed severe environmental problems. It also has deficiencies in its taxation system: a small tax base, for example. In today’s world, “green” taxes have been accepted and applied by more and more countries, especially those in the OECD. However, Hong Kong still has not adequately used the tax tool as an integral part of the government’s anti-pollution strategy. Accordingly, the major objective of …

Aicpa Annual Report; My Aicpa Is..., American Institute Of Certified Public Accountants (Aicpa)

AICPA Annual Reports

No abstract provided.

Municipalities And University Athletic Departments: The Collaborative Funding Of Capital Improvement Projects, James W. Satterfield, Tony Franklin, Jennifer Horace, April Flint, Mike Godfrey

AMTP Proceedings 2010

This panel takes three papers and details how municipalities and universities can collaborate, develop, and market policies that subsidize collegiate athletic capital improvement projects and improve both groups. Each paper uses either resource dependency theory or interpretive policy analysis as theoretical frameworks to explore how local governments and universities can add value to their environments, while improving the lives of their constituents. While this kind of community project is not new the difficulties rest in getting people to agree to an additional tax levy. Each paper on this panel communicates the multiple advantages and disadvantages associated with approving and marketing …

The Role Of Recovery Marketing To Recapture A Sport Market Over The Past Decade: From Travel And Tourism To Professional And Amateur Sport Business, Eric C. Schwarz

AMTP Proceedings 2010

Recovery marketing can be defined as the actual or possible regaining, restoration, or improvement of something lost or taken away as a result of a significantly negative situation or event through the transfer of goods and services from producers to consumers. This article seeks to elaborate on the concept of recovery marketing historically and in terms of the sport industry, and how sport marketing efforts can be utilized in various situations to recuperate from negative scenarios. In addition, suggestions will be presented to aid sport marketing professionals in the creation of a recovery marketing plan for their organization.

Dimensions Of Event Quality Associated With High School Football Games: Scale Development, Kevin K. Byon, Matthew Ziemnik, Eddie Lam, James J. Zhang

AMTP Proceedings 2010

The current study was the first attempt to develop a scale that measures high school football event quality that could lead to sport consumption. With continued improvement of the scale, the EQS-HSF has great potential to be a valuable marketing tool to examine sport consumption behavior associated with high school football games.

Revolutionizing The Market: Electronic Branding Strategies Within Ncaa Fbs Athletic Departments, Coyte G. Cooper, Richard M. Southall, Matthew Cooper

AMTP Proceedings 2010

Increasing competition for the discretionary dollar of sport consumers has created an environment where sport organizations are forced to find strategies to differentiate themselves from the competition (Mullin, Hardy, and Sutton, 2007; Ross, 2007). One rapidly growing platform that sport organizations are now utilizing is e-branding. However, segments of the sport industry are in the infancy stages of developing long- standing practices for communication via new technology (de Chernatony & Christoudoulides, 2004). The purpose of this study was to explore the technologies that Division I FBS athletic departments (N = 64) implement to build their brand image with consumers. The …