Business Administration, Management, and Operations Commons^™

Change Management Can Be Simple And Complex, Lalit Jagtiani

Asian Management Insights

The success of any intervention is achieved by winning over the support of staff and aligning team members who are driven by different professional agendas.

Redefining Corporate Strategies And Functions, Havovi Joshi

Asian Management Insights

Traditional corporate planning—marked by a march towards a series of deliverables, detailed spreadsheets that project costs and revenue into the future, and review meetings according to an annual calendar—is not enough to succeed in today’s business environment. Ken Favaro, Senior Partner at Booz & Company, warned leaders of the common trap of confusing vision, mission, purpose, plans or goals for the real work of strategy. He explained that if these five are the cart and strategy is the horse, leaders who put the cart ahead of the horse often end up with no horse at all.

An Examination Of The Effectiveness Of A Training Programme To Improve Decision Making In Insurance Risk Underwriting, Gavin Raj Maistry

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

This dissertation studies the effectiveness of a training programme to improve decision making in insurance risk underwriting. A key component of insurance risk underwriting decisions is qualitative judgement, in addition to quantitative analytical modelling. In the training of insurance underwriters, great strides have been made on the analytical side. However, the training of judgement, both intuitive and deliberate, has largely been ignored. The aim of this research proposal is to design and test a training programme to improve judgement in insurance underwriting.

Our research extends the script training concept, used extensively in medical training, to the domain of insurance underwriting …

Transformational Leadership And Follower Risk-Taking: Examining The Effects Of Psychological Safety And Power Distance Orientation, Josephine Poh Tin Kang

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

Risk-taking is a necessary part of business, yet little is known about how leaders might impact follower risk-taking. A theoretical model is developed in which transformational leaders are hypothesized to indirectly affect follower risk-taking through follower psychological safety. Additionally, this partially mediated effect is theorised to be moderated by follower power distance orientation. Data were collected over two time periods from followers (N = 331) to test the hypothesized model. Results provided limited support for the hypothesized model. Specifically, results indicated that transformational leadership positively affected psychological safety, but psychological safety did not predict follower risk-taking. Power distance orientation did …

Successful Venture Building: What Matters! An Empirical Examination Of Effective Incubation Practices, Patrick Thng

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

Incubator models have evolved since the first known US incubator in 1959. From the first generation of a facilities-focused incubator model in the 1960s to the fourth generation of emerging models, commonly referred to as, the “Accelerator” model and the “Venture Builder” model.
Since 2006, there has been a significant increase in the number of venture builders and accelerators. Yet very little is known about a) their performance and the antecedents; b) the key differences between venture builders and accelerators; c) the factors and practices that characterise highly successful venture builders and d) their (venture builders)comparative advantages or disadvantages compared …

Three Useful Things To Know About Customer Value Propositions, Singapore Management University

Perspectives@SMU

Business performance will be boosted for firms that get it right

Altering The Environment To Improve Appointment System Performance, Tugba Cayirli, Kum Khiong Yang

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Current research on clinicperformance is focused primarily on appointment scheduling rather than shapingthe clinical environments. The goal of this study is to investigate the impactof environmental factors on the total cost performance of a clinic, measured asa weighted sum of patients’ wait times and physician’s idle time and overtime.The environmental factors investigated include the variability of servicetimes, the probabilities of no-shows and walk-ins, the number of appointmentsper session and the cost ratio of physician’s time to patients’ time. The effectsof these factors are evaluated using a near-optimal rule that already adjuststhe patients’ appointment times to minimize the negative effects of …

Responsible And Sustainable Business, Singapore Management University

Perspectives@SMU

The Tanoto Foundation builds on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals for a win-win solution

Why Not All Failing Teams Are Equal, Singapore Management University

Perspectives@SMU

New research identifies five team archetypes and an understanding of their trajectories can help managers foster a more effective collaboration

Battling Counterfeits In A Massive Market: Designing And Evaluating An Id-Tag Based Solution For Electronic Product Monitoring And Controlling, Xiao Ying Chen

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

The problem of counterfeit and shoddy goods in China has been rampant and persistent one. The complexity of the Chinese market makes solving this problem extremely difficult. Three government agencies have tried to combat this problem extensively, from market entrance permission for prior-processing, sampling and inspection for in-processing, and punishment for post-processing. The responsibility division among agencies, however, created the cracks and holes in dealing with the problem. The existing government solution is too slow in response and too sparse in coverage to be effective and efficient. Anti-counterfeit labels and their derivatives are employed for counterfeit identification and prevention. Their …

A Recipe For Success: Asia's F&B Franchising, Kek Sin Koh

Asian Management Insights

Asian food and beverage (F&B) brands are exploding in popularity all over the world. Since 1999, Asian fast food restaurants have grown by 500 percent globally, making it the single fastest-growing food category, outstripping the growth of the next four, i.e. Middle Eastern, Chicken, Pizza, and Latin.1 At the same time, there is a huge opportunity for F&B franchising in Asia Pacific—over the past decade, the sector has flourished with the entry and expansion of both international and Asian brands, and in 2016, the restaurant industry in this region was estimated to be worth some US$1.5 trillion.2 Going forward, there …

The Multidimensionality Of Business Risk: A Managerial Perspective Implications For Its Classification, Interpretation & Management, Prakash Bagri

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

Business risk has been a critical area of managerial attention and the topic of extensive academic research. Despite the intense focus, there is little convergence around its understanding and limited insights on how managers deal with it. Extant literature provides an ex post model of business risk, focusing on the behavioural context of risk-taking driving a linear expression of risk action.

We conducted in-depth interviews of 16 C-suite executives to find that managers (1) view business risk as a multi-dimensional construct involving different facets of risk, (2) emphasize the importance of people across these facets, (3) differ in their prioritization …

Selling Off-Grid Light To Liquidity Constrained Consumers, Bhavani Shanker Uppari, Ioana Popescu, Serguei Netessine

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Problem definition: A large proportion of the world’s population has no access to electricity and so relies on noxious kerosene for their lighting needs. Solar-based solutions require a large up-front investment and are often unaffordable in this market owing to consumers’ tight liquidity constraints. As an alternative, there are business models relying on rechargeable light bulbs that are sold at a subsidized price (which renders them affordable) and require regular micropayments for recharges (which eases liquidity constraints). These bulbs provide a cheaper and healthier light source than kerosene, yet their adoption is lower than expected, and some consumers continue …

Paris Baguette: A Korean's Brand Success In France, Singapore Management University

Asian Management Insights

Winning the annual Coupe du Monde de Boulangerie, the most prestigious baking competition in the world, was no mean feat for South Korea’s Paris Baguette, a relatively new kid on the global baking block. It certainly did not get bigger than this—the French-inspired Korean franchise bakery chain had taken on its toughest challenge by entering the French market in early 2014, and now, just two years later, its baguettes had been officially declared as the best in the world. While the award and the ceremony—which was attended by French President Hollande himself—recognised the company’s baking expertise, it also showed how …

Voting And Commenting Mechanisms In Ongoing Crowdsourcing Platforms: A Case Study Of Lego Ideas Platform, Khalid Murzig M. Alharbi

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

Although crowdsourcing, an innovative online call to help solve problems or generate new ideas, has gained much traction in the business word, not much research has been done on the commenting and voting mechanisms. Most of the research has focussed on the why and how businesses crowdsource. To fill the gap, this research focusses on the commenting and voting mechanisms and aims to analyse the effectiveness of the commenting and voting mechanism in an ongoing crowdsourcing platform, Lego Idea. Using Python software, 8663 comments were extracted from the Lego Ideas platform. These comments were then manually categorised into 10 variables …

Venturing Overseas, Keeping Business In The Family, Singapore Management University

Perspectives@SMU

Commune’s venture into China breathes new life into parent company Koda

Hard Discounters: Underestimate At Your Own Peril, Singapore Management University

Perspectives@SMU

A combination of high quality products and low prices have beaten Walmart twice; hard discounters are coming for Asia

The Rise And Fall Of Bike-Sharing Platforms: A Lesson In E-Commerce, Singapore Management University

Perspectives@SMU

In the era of digital economy, bike-sharing platforms have grown rapidly. However, not all of them survived the competition. Why?

Cagencies: The Future Of Creative Agencies?, Singapore Management University

Perspectives@SMU

Consultancies are moving into creative agencies’ turf; agencies should be thinking about going upstream as consultancies move downstream

Handling Communications In A Crisis, Singapore Management University

Perspectives@SMU

Rapidly changing communications infrastructure makes speed of response crucial. Co-ordination within organisations is crucial to avoid conflicting messages

Regulating The Blockchain, Singapore Management University

Perspectives@SMU

Collaboration, principles-based legislation, and accountability are crucial in regulating the cross-border and decentralised nature of the technology.

Passion Made Practical, Declan Ee

Research Collection Institute of Service Excellence (2007-2024)

Declan Ee of Castlery breaks down the importance of localising brand expansion and the difficulties of scaling customer service.

Manufacturing For Success And Change, Singapore Management University

Perspectives@SMU

Capturing value upstream via IP, or downstream via application is key for manufacturers looking to survive when low-cost labour dries up

According to a 2017 McKinsey & Co. report, 10,000 Chinese firms operate in Africa, with one-third of them manufacturing companies. Many are midsize manufacturers without the critical mass to take on the big boys, and so decide to capitalise on Africa’s lower labour costs as those in China creep ever higher.

Identifying The Competencies Of Middle Managers Leading Successful Strategy Implementation, Zafar Abdulmajid Momin

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

How does one successfully implement strategy? Persistent and alarmingly high failure rates of strategy implementation still prevail due to the myriad variables and complexities associated with execution, the brunt of which typically falls to middle management. Unfortunately, most organizations do not exercise sufficient rigor in the process and criteria to select the right middle managers for executing strategy, despite middle managers having a substantial impact on outcomes. Business leaders lack the necessary tools and frameworks for competency assessment to support their decision-making. This research seeks to provide evidence that selection of the right middle managers is more likely to lead …

Baguettes In Paris By Paris Baguette, Singapore Management University

Perspectives@SMU

South Korea’s biggest bakery chain officially makes a classic French food item better than the French; the U.S. and parts of Asia already know that. Is the rest of Europe about to find out?

A Mid-Career Entrepreneur’S Journey, Singapore Management University

Perspectives@SMU

Tan Chia-Zhi left his job at 41 to create a startup. He learnt lessons beyond that which apply to himself

In a 2014 survey, the Singapore government found that households spent over a billion dollars on private tuition, up over 30 percent from 2009 and almost double that from a decade ago. Stories of tutors raking in over S$1 million (approx. US$750,000) a year make occasional headlines in a country where parents spare little expense to help their children excel in an increasingly competitive education system.

Managing The Energy Business In The 21st Century, Singapore Management University

Perspectives@SMU

ExxonMobil’s top man in Asia Pacific gets to grips with shale oil, being environmentally responsible, and a changing workforce

Yes, Offshore Services Can Meet Customer Expectations, Singapore Management University

Perspectives@SMU

Dealing with a foreign call centre doesn’t have to be vexing.

Tollyjoy: Growing With Baby Steps, Singapore Management University

Perspectives@SMU

CEO Tan Wee Keng was thrust reluctantly onto the hot seat following his father’s untimely demise. He has since grown the company and is planning for succession

Waking Up And Smelling The Entrepreneurial Coffee, Singapore Management University

Perspectives@SMU

Chris Wanden gave up a high-flying corporate job in his forties to start Dimbulah Coffee and found success and financial freedom