International Business Commons^™

Relationships Between Goal Setting, Innovation, Project Management, Quality, Speed To Market And New Product Success, Ying-Chieh (Andrew) Yang

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

Successful new products and services are critical for business success in the global economy. Many companies, however, continue to find successful new product development (NPD) difficult. Few studies have investigated the impact of organizational culture on NPD. The literature suggests that environmental conditions intervene in NPD, but little research has been conducted on relationships between organizational culture, environmental conditions, and NPD success.

This dissertation develops a theoretical framework based on Nakata and Sivakumar's (1996) culture-NPD model which integrates four cultural values, environmental uncertainty, and firm size as keys to NPD success. Research questions and hypotheses originate from this theoretical framework. …

China And Latin America: A Match Made In Trade Heaven Or Dependency Reloaded?, Meghan Skira

Senior Honors Projects

China’s economy is expanding rapidly, and the emerging powerhouse is searching for energy resources, raw materials, and markets to maintain its economic growth. China has shown an insatiable appetite for Latin American natural resources, commodities, and agricultural products, from oil to lumber to copper to soybeans. Trade values between the two regions increased greatly from $1.3 billion in 1980 to about $13 billion in 2000 to over $50 billion in 2005. Latin America has the raw materials that China needs to fuel its economic expansion and offers a large market for cheap Chinese manufactured goods. Many analysts claim that Sino-Latin …

La Mondialisation Qui Menace L’Identité Française Et Ses Relations Avec Le Commerce, Kelly Mcbrien

Senior Honors Projects

Globalization is an integral part of our society today: economically, socially and politically. Some may see Globalization as the world coming together through the ease and speed of capital, goods, services, ideas, information, and technology across our “shrinking” borders. Others may hold a more negative view of Globalization, and may see it as simply growing conflicts between nations and cultures. One of the central problems of globalization is the fear of homogenization or Americanization. Many cultures see globalization as cultural uniformity. As Benedict Anderson has said, “one man’s imagined community is another mans political prison.” This quote can help to …

The Impact Of Standardized Testing On Student Performance In The United States, Stephanie Linden

Pell Scholars and Senior Theses

In the United States, the current trend in education is the dependence on standardized testing to improve our current education system. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 mandates higher test scores and improved academic performance in schools nation-wide, especially inner city schools. This thesis will attempt to evaluate whether standardized testing and the methods used to assess high performance has helped to create a better education system in the United States, or whether it has hindered student performance. There has been much discussion about this topic, some positive and some not. In this paper I will present both …

Electrochemical Detection Of Prostate Carcinoma Biomarkers Using Nanotechnology, Kathryn Leonard

Pell Scholars and Senior Theses

The first chapter of this thesis speaks about prostate specific antigen, carbon nanotubes and horseradish peroxidase. The second chapter discusses the electrochemistry and catalysis of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and myoglobin (Mb) covalently attached to vertically aligned carbon nanotube arrays used as a tranducer. Cyclic voltammetry results gave quasi-reversible FeIII/FeII voltammetry and electrochemical catalysis involving catalytic reduction of hydrogen peroxide for both the iron-heme enzymes in myoglobin and horseradish peroxidase coupled to the carboxylated ends of the carbon nanotube arrays by amine bioconjugation reactions. Reduction peak currents gave linear relationships with scan-rates, typical of thin layer voltammetry. Results suggest that the …

Apologies And Corporate Governance In The Japanese Context -- Tatsum Tanaka's Sonna Shazai De Wa Kaisha Ga Abunai [Apologizing That Way Will Endanger Your Company], Colin P.A. Jones

Brigham Young University International Law & Management Review

No abstract provided.

Examining The Performance Of Competition Policy Enforcement Agencies: A Cross-Country Comparison, A. E. Rodriguez, Lesley A. Denardis

Political Science & Global Affairs Faculty Publications

An examination of a cross-section of 102 nations reveals marked differences in the performance of their competition policy enforcement agencies. Likely explanatory factors considered include gross domestic product per capita, the intensity of competition, physical size, the level of corruption, national experience with a modern antitrust law and whether the common law prevails. Competition policy agencies operate poorly in jurisdictions characterized by corruption and poor competitive intensity. In fact, differences in levels of corruption and variations in the intensity of competition account for approximately 78 percent of the observed variance in agency performance. Group characteristics, however, vary by region and …

State-Led Transborder Industrialization In Asia: A Note On Singapore's Manufacturing Enclaves In Vietnam And China, Caroline Yeoh, Wilfred Pow Ngee How

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Singapore-based firms to expand into the region, remain controversial. This strategic initiative is promulgated on the exportability of Singapore’s state credibility, systemic and operational efficiencies as well as technological competencies, to locations where these attributes are less distinct. We present evidence culled from surveys and interviews conducted in the Singapore-styled industrial townships in Vietnam and China. Our results suggest that, while the parks have arguably been a measured success, the advantages supposedly created by the abovementioned export of Singapore’s competencies have proven either illusionary or far less significant than originally envisioned, vis-à-vis more practical economic and competitive concerns.

Cultural Implications Of "Excellent Employees": Comparing American And Korean Workers, Chong W. Kim, Yung-Ho Cho, Andrew Sikula Sr.

Management Faculty Research

As noted in Kim & Sikula (2003, 2005), there are three types of people in the workplace: "Necessities", "Commoners," and "Parasites". A necessity (excellent employee) is irreplaceable and crucial to the functioning of an organization. A Commoner (average laborer) is a person of normal ability and talent who has no significant impact on organizational success. Lastly, Parasites (problem workers) are detrimental freeloaders who damage the functioning of an organization.

In the 2005 paper, we analyzed the survey responses of 25 students in an MBA Organizational Behavior class and 13 working managers, all in the United States. In this paper, we …

Reflections On A Seminal Force In International Accounting, Karen Cascini

WCBT Faculty Publications

Accounting is a manifestation of several important environmental factors within a country, including economic, educational and political, and, as such, is evolutionary in accordance with those changing social structures. In today‟s ever expanding global economy, the understanding of international aspects of accounting is critical to understanding world events and the way in which they affect our lives. As new nations and new economic powers emerge, continually updated information, including accounting information, is an essential resource for linking an internal accounting system with worldwide systems. Because of the major impact that international accounting has had on countries‟ internal accounting systems, it …

Business Output And Business Experience: Evidence From China's Nongovernmental Businesses, Liangjun Su

Research Collection School Of Economics

We study the application of the Solow growth model in China's non-governmental businesses and propose a reasonable modification for it. Our analysis indicates that business experience is closely tied to the output of China's non-governmental businesses. Our major findings include: (1) the business experience has little overall impact on the elasticity of output with respect to labour; (2) the business experience has a large impact on the elasticity of output with respect to capital and the elasticity increases as the business experience increases; (3) the adjusted Solow residual that reflects technological progress exhibits a negative relationship with the business experience, …

A Content Analysis Of Print Advertising From The United States And Hong Kong, Ka Man Carman Chu

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study was to extend the research in cross-cultural advertising by investigating the differences in cosmetics and fragrance advertising in Hong Kong and the United States.

A Comparative Study Of Product Placement In Movies In The United States And Thailand, Woraphat Banchuen

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this research was to compare the presence of product placement in movies across two different cultures, namely the U.S. and Thailand. In particular, this research examined the frequency of product placement in movies, the position of product placement in movies, and the target audiences in the U.S. and Thailand.

Impact Of Cultural Factors On Transnational Teams: Diversity, Adaptation, Communication Quality, And Trust, Shu-Yir Lee

Theses Digitization Project

The present research proposes a general model of Transnational Teams (TNTs) to investigate how value placed on cultural diversity, cultural adaptation, communication quality, and trust affect the performance of TNTs and their interaction to each other. TNTs contribute to decisions about a firm's total portfolio of transnational interests, global brands and products, organizational configuration, and global sourcing strategy. Qualitative and quantitative methods are applied in this study of thirty members of TNTs from diverse teams. Based on the qualitative and quantitative analysis, relationships between theory and practice are examined. The analysis shows that there is a strong relationship between trust …

The Potage Of Chinese Stocks: Strengths And Weaknesses For United States Investors, Shubhi Srivastava

Theses Digitization Project

The thesis examined the differences between the Chinese market, a fast-growing emerging market, and that of the United States, a well-known developed market. In order to understand the overall performance of the Chinese stock market, the research compared the risk and returns characteristics of Chinese stock markets using the S & P 500 Index for the 2000-2005 period. Findings show that significant differences exist between the Chinese and the U.S. markets. The thesis also attempted to identify the characteristics of the Chinese markets that hinder their efficiency.

Literary, Historical, And Socio-Economic Dimensions Of Race And Identity In The Dominican Republic: A National Delusion?, Megan Christine Harris

Inquiry: The University of Arkansas Undergraduate Research Journal

The article discusses race, racism, and self-concept in the Dominican Republic. It explains the reasons behind the present view of race, identifies links between race and Dominican economic and political issues, and explores how the unique situation of the Dominican Republic in terms of cultural history and geography has contributed to racism toward Haitians. The article also deals with the negative self-image many Dominicans have as a result of the color of their skin and their ancestry. In conclusion, it offers suggestions on revaluating race that could be applicable to not only the Dominican Republic, but also racially-segregated groups of …

Regional Trade Agreements Revisited, Hui Chin Tan

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

The gravity model is a workhorse for econometric studies of the impact of regional trade agreements (RTAs). Despite its initial lack of theoretical basis, the model has been successfully derived from various trade theories. The latest theoretical derivation by Anderson and van Wincoop (2003) reveals that prior gravity studies have made the critical error of omitting the multilateral resistance variable, which results in biased estimates. Other recent studies have highlighted empirical issues with the commonly used procedure of log-linearizing the gravity model and estimating the parameters using Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression. Silva and Tenreyro (2006) point out that this …

Exploring The Role Of Industry Structure In New Venture Internationalization, Stephanie A. Fernhaber, Patricia P. Mcdougall, Benjamin M. Oviart

Scholarship and Professional Work - Business

While we have gained considerable knowledge since the late 1980s regarding the phenomena of international new ventures, less is known about the influence of industry structure on these ventures. In the present paper, we draw on literature from industrial economics, international business and entrepreneurship to identify industry structure variables that fit within the theoretical framework of international new ventures. We then offer propositions as to how the identified industry structure variables individually and jointly influence the likelihood of new venture internationalization.

The Effectiveness Of Insider Trading Regulation: International Evidence, Art Durnev, Amrita S. Nain

Finance Faculty Publications

There is a long standing debate in the finance and law literatures about the need for insider trading regulation. Some scholars and practitioners argue that insider trading restrictions should be revoked because insider trading allows private information to be quickly incorporated into stock prices, thereby leading to more informationally efficient stock prices (Carlton and Fischel (1983); Dye (1984)). For example, Milton Friedman, laureate of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics, said: “You want more insider trading, not less. You want to give the people most likely to have knowledge about deficiencies of the company an incentive to make the public …

Evaluating The Nordea Experiment: Evidence From Market And Accounting Data, Lawrence G. Goldberg, Richard J. Sweeney, Clas Wihlborg

Business Faculty Articles and Research

This paper discusses results and difficulties of comparing banks’ performance based on publicly available data for the case of Nordea, a pan-Nordic bank created through mergers of important national banks. The objective is to determine whether Nordea’s unique strategy of functional integration across four countries can be advantageous. For stock-market data, however, Nordea does not have stable betas on risk factors, and thus the comparables method must be used with great care. The Nordea holding company performed about as well as the comparables, both in terms of stock-market and accounting data. Nordea banks in individual countries outperformed comparable holding companies; …

Recent Developments In Selected Asian Countries’ Bankruptcy Laws: Should Multinational Company Strategists Be Concerned, Jane Lemaster, Clara Downey, Francis J. Brewerton

International Business and Entrepreneurship Faculty Publications

This paper explains why multinational companies should be concerned about adjudication of international insolvencies. The Territorialism and Universalism Models of bankruptcy law are reviewed and employed as a backdrop to describe recent developments in the insolvency laws of four Asian nations. We conclude with an assessment of the status of the selected Asian nations’ insolvency laws, progress toward a uniform global system for resolving multinational insolvencies, and the strategic implications these developments hold for strategy formulation.

The International Protean Career: Four Women’S Narratives, Marian Crowley-Henry, David Weir

Articles

In this paper, we share individual narratives outlining the experiences of four well-educated western women following a permanent international career in the South of France. By virtue of detailed interview transcripts and contextual information regarding the specificity of the location in question, a comprehensive picture of the experiences and choices of individual women in leadership business positions on an international level is painted. Our aim is not to generalise the findings to a wider population, but to gain an insight into the depth and complexity of career issues for women in general, and particularly for women working in a foreign …

Critical Success Factors For E-Commerce In Thailand: Cultural And Infrastructural Influences, Kittipong Laosethakul, William Boulton

WCBT Faculty Publications

The main purposes of this paper are to identify critical success factors (CSFs) for electronic commerce (e-commerce) in Thailand and explain the major influences behind these factors. Detailed case studies of nine e-commerce companies from different industries in Thailand were conducted. Results showed that social behavior and national culture, more specifically issues pertaining to trust and shopping behavior, were the major influences for the success of e-commerce in Thailand. The phenomenon could be partly explained by Hofstede’s cultural dimensions. Thailand’s infrastructure also played an important role in the success of its e-commerce development. The findings provide a framework to guide …

Internationalization Of Chinese Firms : A Contingent Resource Perspective, Xiaoyan Ma

Lingnan Theses

This study examines the role of inward activities in the internationalization of firms from China and proposes a theoretical framework of internationalization using the contingent resource theory. Based on case studies of four Chinese enterprises and a survey of Chinese manufacturing firms, the study shows that by engaging in inward activities, firms may acquire the critical resources that can lead to outward activities and the internationalization process. Whether firms can succeed in internationalization is conditional upon several contingency factors including management motivation, absorptive capacity, resource fungibility, exploration strategy, exploitation strategy and government support. Lastly, we explore the implications of the …

[Introduction To] A New Generation In International Strategy, Stephen Tallman

Bookshelf

This book comprises eighteen cutting edge chapters by emerging scholars in international strategy, offering a variety of fresh perspectives on critical issues that the field will face in the near future. These young scholars have unique and innovative thoughts about international strategy, which are well ahead of the mainstream of international business academics.

Various topics are addressed, including the rise of outsourcing and the global spread of research and development activities; structural innovations by multinational firms, with particular attention to organizing for the efficient transfer of knowledge resources within networks of alliances; and new ways of considering the effects of …

The Internationalization Of Singapore’S State-Enterprise Networks In The Context Of Asia’S Transborder Industrialization: Further Evidence From Indonesia, Vietnam And China, Wilfred Pow Ngee How, Caroline Yeoh

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

No abstract provided.

Adjusting To The Euro, Gabriel Fagan, Vitor Gaspar

CRIF Seminar series

In this paper we argue that, for a group of converging economies of the European Union, participation in the euro area has been associated with easier access to financing by domestic economic agents. Easier access to financing was a significant impulse leading to a sharp increase in households' expenditures and a corresponding fall in the savings ratio. Increased expenditure was associated with current account deficits, a sharp fall in the net foreign asset position and an increase in the households' indebtedness. At the same time there was a sizeable increase in the real exchange rate. In this paper, we show …

The Singapore 'Advantage' In Suzhou, China: Premium Or Perception?, Caroline Yeoh, Di Kun Goh, Victor Sim, Norhanna Yumi

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

This paper revisits Singapore’s industrial development in Suzhou, China, which has been in operation for more than a decade. We aim to glean insights from this experiment and more importantly, to verify recent claims of it generating political gain and economic capital for Singapore. The flagship project took on an identical framework as the other Singaporean transborder industrialization ventures in the region by adopting Singapore’s expertise and reputation for an efficient and stable government and investment environment. These measures were coupled with the combination of local-specific advantages in the region, such as availability of cheaper labour and market access. Singapore’s …

Singapore's Regionalization Blueprint: A Case For Transnational State Enterprise Networks?, Caroline Yeoh, Victor Sim, Louisa Zhang

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

No abstract provided.

Economics Of Competition': A Study Of Low-Cost Manufacturing Enclaves In Batam Island, Indonesia, Caroline Yeoh, Feng Hao Chua, Sylvie Tan

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Singapore’s transborder industrialization projects in China and India have received much attention. This regionalization initiative was intended to set in place a strategic configuration for the city-state to restructure its domestic industries and, pari passu, retain important linkages with contiguous, low-cost environments. Our study reports on Singapore’s pioneering, albeit lesser-known, project - Batamindo Industrial Park – in neighboring Batam Island, Indonesia, and finds that the strategic intent of this policy gambit remains stymied by non-economic, socio-political complexities in the host environment, and the economics of competition from other industrial estates in the vicinity of this prototype, remains to be addressed.