Business Commons^™

Relative Values And Complementarity Of Online And Offline Interactions In Consumer Buying Behaviour: A Proposed Research Plan To Study Purchasing Of A Consumer Service Product Bundle, Robert G. Grant

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Current research into online consumer behaviour seems to be limited in two respects, firstly it treats online interaction as a stand-alone phenomenon and secondly it focuses on discrete steps in consumer processes, neglecting links between the steps. This paper proposes a research method to investigate relative values and complementarity between online and offline interactions in a consumer's buying process, examining differences within and between steps. A range of information source types and functional resource options will be researched for both effectiveness and efficiency benefits as well as emotional preferences for both online and offline interactions.

The research will focus on …

Attitudes Of Private Firms In Gcc Countries Towards Employing Indian Nationals: A Case Study, Mokhtar M. Metwally

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This paper tries to find out how private firms engaged in different economic activities in GCC countries differ in terms of their preference ratings of various attributes of Indian employees.

Managing Spoiled Identity Through Entrepreneurship: An Exploratory Study Of Australian Aboriginal Entrepreneurs, James Reveley, Simon Down

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This paper argues that spoiled identity, which results from stigmatization, is an important spur to engaging in entrepreneurial activity. The idea that some people become entrepreneurs in response to fragmentation or damage done to the self is not new. To date, however, this idea been addressed from the standpoint of depth psychology. This paper uses Goffman’s spoiled identity concept to shift the focus from psychological dysfunction to social and contextual dimensions of self-identity, understood sociologically. These issues are explored through the abbreviated life histories of two people, who regard themselves as Australian Aboriginal entrepreneurs. Each person dealt with the effects …

An Exploratory Study Of Turnaround In Chinese And Malay Firms In The Malaysian Context, Ah Ba Sim

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

While research on turnaround in the Asian context is a recent phenomenon, there is little research on firms of different cultural and ethnic background within Asian countries. This paper reports the findings of an exploratory study on the impact of different ethnic background, ownership types and role of government on corporate recovery and turnaround using case studies of a Chinese and a Malay firm in Malaysia. The findings reveal turnaround characteristics similar to those reported in recent literature on Asian turnaround as well as differences between the Chinese and Malay firm. These findings are discussed and implications for future research …

Qualitative Case Study Research: A Research Project On Employee Participation In The Malaysian Private Sector, Balakrishnan Parasuraman

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Employee participation is one of the important fields in industrial relations. Research on employee participation in Malaysia is usually conducted through large-scale surveys and quasi-experiments and only focuses on the public sector. Therefore, this research instead uses a qualitative case study approach in investigating employee participation practices in private sector companies in Malaysia. This paper discusses aspects of the methodology of case study research and qualitative data collection and the theory and arguments affecting the choice of research and data gathering strategy in this research. Concludes that carrying out qualitative case study research, in the author's experience, is first and …

Qualitative Case Study Research In Africa And Asia: Challenges And Prospects, Bubaker Shareia, Balakrishnan Parasuraman, Bernadine Cantrick-Brooks

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Much of the literature on research design has focussed on research conducted in developed, uni-cultural or primarily English speaking countries. Studies of qualitative case study research, the challenges and prospects, have been embedded in Western/Euro-centric society and social theories. Although there have been some theoretical studies, few empirical studies have been conducted to explore the nature of the challenges of qualitative case study in Africa and Asia. These challenges include cultural and language issues affecting access to companies and respondent issues and data analysis and financial issues. The authors while conducting qualitative case study research in Libya and Malaysia faced …

An Investigation Into Student Approaches To Learning At A Multicultural University Using The Revised Study Process Questionnaire, L. Smith

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This paper is an exploratory study into student approaches to learning at a multicultural university. It is particularly relevant to higher education today, which is taking on a more global perspective, especially in the developing world where this university is situated. The instrument used to measure student approaches to learning is the revised Study Process Questionnaire (SPQ) and the results are analysed using factor analysis. The SPQ was revised in 2001 to take into account the changing nature of students in higher education, with emphasis on students from diverse cultural backgrounds, and was therefore considered appropriate for this study. The …

Electronic Commerce Adoption And Strategic Alliance Membership: A Study Of Regional Smes In Sweden, Robert C. Macgregor, Lejla Vrazalic

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

The changes brought about by electronic commerce have had a profound effect on small to medium enterprises (SMEs). To manage these changes, SMEs have been encouraged to form strategic alliances. Yet despite the proclaimed advantages of such alliances, little research has been carried out to determine whether these structures have any impact on an SME’s decision to adopt e-commerce. There has also been a lack of research into comparing e-commerce adoption in those SMEs that are members of a strategic alliance to those that have opted to remain outside such arrangements. This paper aims to correct the situation by presenting …

Country-Of-Origin Influence On Quality Perception Of Products Sold In Gcc Countries: A Case Study, Mokhtar M. Metwally

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This paper attempts to test the importance of country of origin in influencing the quality perception of products by GCC consumes.

Executive Information Systems And The Top-Officers' Roles: An Exploratory Study Of User-Behaviour Model And Lessons Learnt, Emmanuel Ikart

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

In recent years a number of organisations have implemented executive information systems (EIS) in order to improve the performance of their executives’ jobs. Although the use of EIS is important in executives’ work, the majority of executives are unwilling to use EIS applications because of their design flaws. By using social factors, habits and facilitation condition variables from Triandis’ framework, this paper extends the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to derive useful variables to address the problem of the low usage of EIS by executives. This paper reports on research in progress in Australia on the adoption and usage of EIS …

A Factor Analytic Study Of The Determinants Of Success In Manufacturing Smes, Hema Wijewardena, Anura De Zoysa

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Although there has been a sizeable amount of literature on the causes of failure as well as the determinants of success in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in developed countries, empirical investigation into such factors in developing countries is extremely sparse. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine, through an empirical investigation, factors that would contribute to the success or growth of SMEs in a developing country. The data for the study were obtained from a questionnaire survey conducted on a sample of manufacturing SMEs in Sri Lanka.

Enhancing User Acceptance Of Mandated Technology Implementation In A Mobile Healthcare Setting: A Case Study, Carole Alcock, Lois Burgess, Joan Cooper, Damien Ryan, Jason P. Sargent

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

A paradigm shift is underway towards the acceptance and utility of Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) systems within mobile-based healthcare environments. This paper contends that intervening to address user concerns as they arise throughout the system development lifecycle will lead to greater levels of user acceptance, while ultimately enhancing the deliverability of a system that provides a ‘best fit’ with end user needs. It is envisaged this research will lead to the development of a framework based on an agile approach to user acceptance measurement. The results of an ongoing study of user perceptions towards a proposed mandated electronic point-of-care (ePOC) …

An Exploratory Study Into The Giving Behaviour Of Small To Medium Enterprises (Smes): An Australian Experience, Gary I. Noble

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

A constant growth in the number of non-profit organisations (NPOs) over the past decade has also meant an increase in competition between NPOs for ongoing support. In this environment and without the marketing resources of their national and international counterparts many smaller NPOs do not attract the same level of individual or corporate support as their larger NPO rivals. Evidence suggests an alternative source of support for these smaller NPOs is often small to medium enterprises (SMEs).

This paper argues that although there is a considerable body of literature on the giving behaviour of individuals, and to a lesser extent …

A Grounded Study Of Erp Adoption And Vendor Selection In Thailand, Santipat Aruthari, Helen M. Hasan

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This paper contributes to the literature of the adoption of ERP systems and other existing and new IT-based innovation in developing countries. There is an imperative for a framework to explain the decision-making processes in ERP system adoption and vendor selection in general but particularly in developing Asian countries where knowledge on ERP systems is limited. The authors conducted interviews with IT managers and end-users to identify factors affecting ERP system adoption and ERP system vendor selection by Thai-owned and
multinational companies (MNCs) in Thailand. The findings from the study have led to the development of a research model of …

Is A Reduction In Government Expenditure A Good Strategy To Reduce Budget Deficits?: A Case Study From The Middle East, Ali Salman Saleh, Charles Harvie

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This paper explores the macroeconomic implications arising from the Lebanese governments approach to dealing with its budget deficit, which has become one of the highest amongst in the Middle East.

Impacts Of B2c E-Commerce On Hospital Productivity: An Empirical Study, Shin-Yuan Hung, Hsin-Min Hung, Mu-Yi Huang

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

This work conducted a comprehensive study of Business-to-Consumer Electronic Commerce (B2C e-Commerce) applications in Taiwanese hospitals. To further assess the impacts of B2C e-Commerce on hospital productivity, this study also employed three quantitative methods to analyze historical data. The results confirm those of broader research into applications of B2C e-Commerce to hospitals. Additionally, the results of the quantitative analysis demonstrate that B2C e-Commerce significantly impacts the hospital productivity.

Managers Look To The Social Network To Seek Information, Maureen L. Mackenzie Ph.D.

Faculty Works: Business (1973-2022)

Introduction. The purpose of this study was to explore how managers selected individuals to serve as information sources. The social context of a for-profit business environment offered opportunity to study information seeking among interacting line-managers.

Method. The qualitative methods of social network mapping and interview were used to capture the data. The study was conducted within a stand-alone business unit of a major US-based corporation. A total of twenty-two line-managers participated in the study.

Analysis. Content analysis was selected as the data analysis technique. The elements of interest were the themes within the data. Open coding was used to interrogate …