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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Creativity Needed In Non-Profits?, Wee Liang Tan Dec 2006

Creativity Needed In Non-Profits?, Wee Liang Tan

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Creativity is something that one might not associate with the social service sector. In fact, one might consider creativity something quite distant from the non-profit sector. "We in the social service sector have more important things to do - we serve our clients and beneficiaries; we don't have the time to fool around with fancy new ideas or projects." Yet such sentiments could be no further from the truth.


Economics Of Competition': A Study Of Low-Cost Manufacturing Enclaves In Batam Island, Indonesia, Caroline Yeoh, Feng Hao Chua, Sylvie Tan Dec 2006

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.


Singapore's Regionalization Blueprint: A Case For Transnational State Enterprise Networks?, Caroline Yeoh, Victor Sim, Louisa Zhang Dec 2006

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.


The Singapore 'Advantage' In Suzhou, China: Premium Or Perception?, Caroline Yeoh, Di Kun Goh, Victor Sim, Norhanna Yumi Dec 2006

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 …


A Within-Person Perspective On Feedback Seeking About Task Performance, Frederik Anseel, Filip Rene O Lievens Dec 2006

A Within-Person Perspective On Feedback Seeking About Task Performance, Frederik Anseel, Filip Rene O Lievens

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

In organisations, feedback about multiple performance dimensions is often available. Consequently, employees have to decide on which performance dimensions they will be seeking feedback. In a lab experiment 126 students indicated on which performance dimensions they wanted to receive feedback after completing a computerized in-basket task. Results showed that participants especially sought feedback about their best and most important performance dimensions. Individuals with a high learning goal orientation sought more feedback about their least important performance dimensions as compared to individuals with a low learning goal orientation. In general, results indicated that previous findings obtained in between-person studies of feedback …


Managing News In A Managed Media: Mediating The Message In Malaysiakini.Com, Augustine Pang Dec 2006

Managing News In A Managed Media: Mediating The Message In Malaysiakini.Com, Augustine Pang

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Widely regarded as an anomaly in the neo-authoritarian system in Malaysia, Malaysiakini.com is proving that managing an independent media in a government-managed media landscape is more than a Sisyphean struggle. Employing participant observation and interviews, supplemented by artifacts and media accounts, this study seeks to understand the media management of Malaysiakini.com through news management, using Shoemaker and Reese’s (1996) hierarchy of influence model, which posits a framework of internal and external forces that affect news management. The study found determined attempts to minimize ideological influences through media socialization by accentuating on the direct influences, such as the journalists’ role in …


Choice Of Currency By East Asia Bond Issuers, David Fernandez, Simon Klassen Nov 2006

Choice Of Currency By East Asia Bond Issuers, David Fernandez, Simon Klassen

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

In discussing bond markets in Asia, academics and policymakers typically begin by noting that the Asian crisis of 1997-98 in part resulted from the underdevelopment of the region’s domestic bond markets and the resultant currency and duration mismatches. When assessing the progress made in developing these markets in the post-crisis years, academics and policymakers usually observe that, while several domestic currency government bond markets have moved ahead, corporate bond markets have lagged (Asian Development Bank (2002), Reserve Bank of Australia (2003)). The policy conclusion is therefore often drawn: to prevent another Asian crisis, Asian bond markets must be further developed.


Performance, Growth And Earnings Management, Chi Wen Jevons Lee, Laura Yue Li, Heng Yue Sep 2006

Performance, Growth And Earnings Management, Chi Wen Jevons Lee, Laura Yue Li, Heng Yue

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

We study the relationship between the amount of managed earnings and firms' earnings performance and expected growth in a reporting model, where managers manipulate earnings to influence the valuation of firms' equity while bearing a cost that is increasing and convex in the amount of managed earnings. In the unique revealing equilibrium to the model, firms with higher performance and growth over-report earnings by a larger amount because price responsiveness increases with earnings performance and growth. And earnings quality, defined as the proportion of true economic earnings in total reported earnings, increases with earnings performance but decreases with earnings growth. …


Video-Based Versus Written Situational Judgment Tests: A Comparison In Terms Of Predictive Validity, Filip Lievens, Paul R. Sackett Sep 2006

Video-Based Versus Written Situational Judgment Tests: A Comparison In Terms Of Predictive Validity, Filip Lievens, Paul R. Sackett

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

In this study, the authors examined whether video-based situational judgment tests (SJTs) have higher predictive validity than written SJTs (keeping verbal content constant). The samples consisted of 1, 159 students who completed a video-based version of an SIT and 1,750 students who completed the same SIT in a written format. The study was conducted in a high stakes testing context. The video-based version of an interpersonally oriented SJT had a lower correlation with cognitive ability than did the written version. It also had higher predictive and incremental validity for predicting interpersonally oriented criteria than did the written version. In this …


The Boundary Spanner’S Role In Organisational Learning: Unleashing Untapped Potential, Siu Loon Hoe Sep 2006

The Boundary Spanner’S Role In Organisational Learning: Unleashing Untapped Potential, Siu Loon Hoe

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

PurposeThe organizational behavior and management literature has devoted a lot attention on processes and technology in organizational learning. There has been little work to examine the role of boundary spanners in organizational learning. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the importance of boundary spanners in enhancing organizational learning.Design/methodology/approachThe existing boundary spanning literature was reviewed and the salient points on their role in organizational learning discussed.Practical implicationsThe paper offers a view on tapping the hidden potential of boundary spanners in organizations in order to enhance the organization's learning capacity form the external environment. Practicing manager would then be able …


Perceptions Of Corporate Social Responsibility: An Empirical Study In Singapore; Strategic Management Policy, Gilbert Yip Wei Tan, Rajah Vellan Komaran Jul 2006

Perceptions Of Corporate Social Responsibility: An Empirical Study In Singapore; Strategic Management Policy, Gilbert Yip Wei Tan, Rajah Vellan Komaran

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

In Singapore, there is no doubt that there have been efforts by various local and foreign corporations to incorporate some CSR principles in their operations. Indeed, there was a national initiative modeled after the tripartite approach to industrial relations where national economic and industrial issues are collectively resolved by the government, employers and employees. Against the backdrop of this national initiative and the effort by some corporations to incorporate CSR principles, not much is really known about the state of affairs in Singapore.


Gender Differences In Perceived Work Demands, Family Demands, And Life Stress Among Married Chinese Employees, Jaepil Choi, Chao C. Chen Jul 2006

Gender Differences In Perceived Work Demands, Family Demands, And Life Stress Among Married Chinese Employees, Jaepil Choi, Chao C. Chen

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Although gender-based division of labour and the identity theory of stress suggest that the relationship between work and family demands and life stress may vary as a function of gender, it is largely unknown whether these arguments are also valid in China. To address this gap in the existing literature, the current study investigates the gender differences in perceived work and family demands, and the effects of these perceived demands on the life stress of Chinese male and female employees. The study of 153 married Chinese employees found that Chinese women perceived a higher level of family demands than did …


The Internationalization Of Singapore's State Enterprise Network In The Context Of Asia's Transborder Industrialization: New Evidence From Indonesia, Vietnam And China, Caroline Yeoh, Victor Sim, Genrong Meng Jun 2006

The Internationalization Of Singapore's State Enterprise Network In The Context Of Asia's Transborder Industrialization: New Evidence From Indonesia, Vietnam And China, Caroline Yeoh, Victor Sim, Genrong Meng

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

State-led, market-driven interventions have been the hallmark of the Singapore `success story’. This paper revisits Singapore’s state-enterprise strategy, in the context of the city-state’s determined efforts at internationalization, and takes a closer look at the portability of this strategy, in the framework of Regionalization21, a series of transborder industrialization experiments in Indonesia, Vietnam and China. These state-engineered projects, orchestrated to encapsulate economic space for Singapore-based firms to expand into the region, remains 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 …


Strategic Investments In Japanese Corporations: Do Foreign Portfolio Owners Foster Underinvestment Or Appropriate Investment?, Parthiban David, Toru Yoshikawa, Murali D. R. Chari, Abdul A. Rasheed Jun 2006

Strategic Investments In Japanese Corporations: Do Foreign Portfolio Owners Foster Underinvestment Or Appropriate Investment?, Parthiban David, Toru Yoshikawa, Murali D. R. Chari, Abdul A. Rasheed

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

This paper investigates the effect of foreign ownership on strategic investments in Japanese corporations. Foreign owners are typically portfolio investors who frequently buy and sell shares and hold diversified portfolios of small stakes in many firms. Prior research has presented two conflicting perspectives on the role of such investors: (a) their frequent trading leads to pressure for short-term returns that fosters underinvestment; (b) their active trading fosters appropriate investments. We investigated the relationship between foreign ownership and strategic investments using dynamic panel data analysis of a sample of 146 Japanese manufacturing firms from 1991 to 1997. We found that foreign …


Do We Stand On Common Ground? A Threat Appraisal Model For Terror Alerts Issued By The Department Of Homeland Security, Augustine Pang, Jin Yan, Glen T. Cameron Jun 2006

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

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

The fabric and faces of threat, and the expediency and efficiency in the communication of threat, are examined with a threat appraisal model. This model is empirically tested on an ongoing communication challenge, the issuance of terror alerts by the United States' Department of Homeland Security (DHS), focusing on how threat is appraised by both the conservative and liberal audiences. Findings showed a shared view by the DHS and conservative audiences on the levels and nature of threats; liberal audiences thought otherwise. Though there appeared to be a consensus between the conservative and liberal audiences on the efficacy of threat …


Designing Successful Executive Program On Creativity: Theoretical Approaches And Practical Challenges In Asia, Gilbert Tan Jun 2006

Designing Successful Executive Program On Creativity: Theoretical Approaches And Practical Challenges In Asia, Gilbert Tan

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

This paper traces the theoretical approaches of creative training to the 4 Ps of creativity research, namely, People, Process, Product and Press. It discusses some practical considerations that need to be taken into account to ensure success in creativity training programs. These considerations include: (a) accommodating individual differences; (b) addressing resistance; (c) demonstrating impact and results; (d) ensuring transfer-of-training; and (e) overcoming time and resource constraint. The paper concludes with the IDEAL tips on creativity training.


Dynamics Of Trust In Guanxi Networks, Roy Y. J. Chua, Michael W. Morris Jun 2006

Dynamics Of Trust In Guanxi Networks, Roy Y. J. Chua, Michael W. Morris

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Interpersonal trust is an important element of Chinese guanxi network. In this chapter, we examine Chinese guanxi network from a trust perspective. We adopt the distinction that trust could be built on either a socio-emotional basis (affect-based trust) or an instrumental basis (cognition-based trust) and use this lens to examine cultural differences in Chinese and Western social networks. Specifically, we will discuss (a) how the two dimensions of trust are related in the Chinese versus American context, and (b) how affect-based trust is associated with different forms of social exchange in Chinese versus American social networks. Because dyadic relationships are …


Asian Market Microstructure, David K. Ding, Charlie Charoenwong Jun 2006

Asian Market Microstructure, David K. Ding, Charlie Charoenwong

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Along with the rapidly burgeoning Asian economy, the financial markets in the region have seen spectacular development during the past few decades. Several recent statistics will best illustrate their success. Net capital flows to Asia and Pacific over 1999 to 2003 constituted 40% of total flows to emerging markets and about 13.9% of the world's FDI flows. Over 90% of net capital flows to the Asia Pacific region has been in the form of equity and portfolio investment. By the end of 2004, Asia's share (including Japan) in world equity market capitalization has grown to 21%, with a total market …


Within And Beyond Communities Of Practice: Making Sense Of Learning Through Participation, Identity And Practice, Karen Handley, Andrew Sturdy, Robin Fincham, Timothy Adrian Robert Clark May 2006

Within And Beyond Communities Of Practice: Making Sense Of Learning Through Participation, Identity And Practice, Karen Handley, Andrew Sturdy, Robin Fincham, Timothy Adrian Robert Clark

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Situated learning theory offers a radical critique of cognitivisttheories of learning, emphasizing the relational aspects of learning withincommunities of practice in contrast to the individualist assumptions ofconventional theories. However, although many researchers have embraced thetheoretical strength of situated learning theory, conceptual issues remainundeveloped in the literature. Roberts, for example, argues in this issue thatthe notion of ‘communities of practice’– a core concept in situated learningtheory – is itself problematic. To complement her discussion, this paperexplores the communities of practice concept from several perspectives.Firstly, we consider the perspective of the individual learner, and examine theprocesses which constitute ‘situated learning’. Secondly, we …


A Construct-Driven Investigation Of Gender Differences In A Leadership-Role Assessment Center, Neil Anderson, Filip Lievens, Karen Van Dam, Marise Born May 2006

A Construct-Driven Investigation Of Gender Differences In A Leadership-Role Assessment Center, Neil Anderson, Filip Lievens, Karen Van Dam, Marise Born

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

This study examined gender differences in a large-scale assessment center for officer entry in the British Army. Subgroup differences were investigated for a sample of 1,857 candidates: 1,594 men and 263 women. A construct-driven approach was chosen (a) by examining gender differences at the construct level, (b) by formulating a priori hypotheses about which constructs would be susceptible to gender effects, and (c) by using both effect size statistics and latent mean analyses to investigate gender differences in assessment center ratings. Results showed that female candidates were rated notably higher on constructs reflecting an interpersonally oriented leadership style (i.e., oral …


Experimental And Empirical Perspectives On Grid Resource Allocation For The Singapore Market, Danny Oh, Steven Miller, Nan Hu Apr 2006

Experimental And Empirical Perspectives On Grid Resource Allocation For The Singapore Market, Danny Oh, Steven Miller, Nan Hu

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

In this paper, we describe our work on using the Tycoon system developed by HP Labs to provide a market-based resource allocation and bidding framework for a grid. We discuss how we intend to evaluate the feasibility of the Tycoon system by measuring its economic performance using agent-based simulation experiments for a particular type of grid usage scenario, namely, the digital media market scenario. We will also discuss a related effort in collecting and using real grid data from the National Grid Pilot Platform in Singapore and how we will be using real data collected to derive actual usage patterns …


The Rise In House Prices In China: Bubbles Or Fundamentals?, Jianying Hu, Liangjun Su, Sainan Jin, Wanjun Jiang Mar 2006

The Rise In House Prices In China: Bubbles Or Fundamentals?, Jianying Hu, Liangjun Su, Sainan Jin, Wanjun Jiang

Research Collection School Of Economics

The dramatic rise of house prices in many cities of China has brought huge attention from both the governmental and academic circles. There is a huge debate on whether the increasing house prices are driven by market fundamentals or just by speculation. Like Levin and Wright (1997a, 1997b), we decompose house prices in China into fundamental and non−fundamental components. We also consider potential nonlinear feedback from the historical growth rate of house prices on the current house prices and propose a semiparametric approach to estimate the speculative components in the model. We demonstrate that the non−fundamental part contributes a relatively …


Regulation And Freedom In Global Business Education, Stefano Harney, Cliff Oswick Mar 2006

Regulation And Freedom In Global Business Education, Stefano Harney, Cliff Oswick

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Purpose: This paper seeks to confront the orthodoxy of global business education with some insights from postcolonial theory in order to develop a new critical pedagogy adequate for a global sociology of management and accounting. Design/methodology/approach: Reviewing the state of play in postcolonial theory and noting the new politicisation in that field, the paper asks what relevance this politicisation might have for an alternative to orthodox global business education. Findings: The paper finds that the texts available to postcolonial theory present a wealth beyond the regulation of colonial and neo‐colonial regimes and in contrast critical management studies do not have …


Strategic Communication In Crisis Governance: Singapore’S Management Of The Sars Crisis, Jin Yan, Augustine Pang, Glen T. Cameron Mar 2006

Strategic Communication In Crisis Governance: Singapore’S Management Of The Sars Crisis, Jin Yan, Augustine Pang, Glen T. Cameron

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

The contingency theory of conflict management and current crisis management literature are integrated in this paper to examine how crisis has been communi-cated and managed by the Singapore government and what kinds of strategies arose during the various stages of the SARS crisis life-cycle. Findings show that the Singapore government played a predominant role in managing how its multiple publics perceived the crisis by extensive communication through the news media. The media, in turn, playing a supporting nation-building role, assisted the government's management and communication of the crisis. To effectively manage the perception and emotion of the various public, the …


Large-Scale Investigation Of The Role Of Trait Activation Theory For Understanding Assessment Center Convergent And Discriminant Validity, Filip Lievens, Christopher S. Chasteen, Eric A. Day, Neil D. Christiansen Mar 2006

Large-Scale Investigation Of The Role Of Trait Activation Theory For Understanding Assessment Center Convergent And Discriminant Validity, Filip Lievens, Christopher S. Chasteen, Eric A. Day, Neil D. Christiansen

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

This study used trait activation theory as a theoretical framework to conduct a large-scale test of the interactionist explanation of the convergent and discriminant validity findings obtained in assessment centers. Trait activation theory specifies the conditions in which cross-situationally consistent and inconsistent candidate performances are likely to occur. Results obtained by aggregating correlations across 30 multitrait-multimethod matrices supported the propositions of trait activation theory, shedding a more positive light on the construct validity puzzle in assessment centers. Overall, convergence among assessment center ratings was better between exercises that provided an opportunity to observe behavior related to the same trait, and …


Tacit Knowledge, Nonaka And Takeuchi Seci Model And Informal Knowledge Processes, Siu Loon Hoe Mar 2006

Tacit Knowledge, Nonaka And Takeuchi Seci Model And Informal Knowledge Processes, Siu Loon Hoe

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

The organizational behavior and knowledge management literature has devoted a lot attention on how structural knowledge processes enhance learning. There has been little emphasis on the informal knowledge processes and the construct remains undefined. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the importance of informal knowledge processes, propose a definition for these processes and link them to the socialization and internalization processes suggested by Nonaka and Takeuchi in the SECI model. The paper offers a fresh perspective on how informal knowledge processes in organizations help to enhance the organization’s learning capability. It will enable scholars and managers to have …


Effects Of Technological Improvement In The Ict Producing Sector On Business Activity, Hian Teck Hoon, Edmund S. Phelps Feb 2006

Effects Of Technological Improvement In The Ict Producing Sector On Business Activity, Hian Teck Hoon, Edmund S. Phelps

Research Collection School Of Economics

It seems to be taken for granted by many commentators that the sharp decline in prices of computers, telecommunications equipment and software resulting from the technological improvements in the information and communications technology (ICT)-producing sector is good for jobs and is a major driving force behind the non-inflationary employment miracle and booming stock market in the latter half of the nineties in the U.S. and their recurrence since 2004. We show that, in our model, a technical improvement in the ICT-producing sector by itself cannot explain a simultaneous increase in employment and a rise in firms’ valuation (or Tobin’s Q …


Government Ownership And The Performance Of Government-Linked Companies: The Case Of Singapore, James Ang, David K. Ding Feb 2006

Government Ownership And The Performance Of Government-Linked Companies: The Case Of Singapore, James Ang, David K. Ding

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

In an emerging economy, the alternative to government control is often no governance. We investigate the governance structure of government-linked companies (GLCs) in Singapore under the ownership/control structure of Temasek Holdings, the government holding entity, which typically owns substantial cash flow rights but disproportional control rights and exercises no operational control. We compare the financial and market performance of GLCs with non-GLCs, where each has a different set of governance structure, the key difference being government ownership. We show that Singaporean GLCs have higher valuations and better corporate governance than a control group of non-GLCs. The results hold even when …


Impact Of Gender And Ethnic Composition Of South African Boards Of Directors On Intellectual Capital Performance, Jean-Luc Wolfgang Mitchell Van Der Zahn Jan 2006

Impact Of Gender And Ethnic Composition Of South African Boards Of Directors On Intellectual Capital Performance, Jean-Luc Wolfgang Mitchell Van Der Zahn

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

This study examines the association between the gender and ethnic composition of boards of directors and firm performance in a transitional nation. In contrast to prior research that largely focuses on firm performance within a financial context, this study concentrates on intellectual capital performance. Using data collected from 84 South African, empirical results indicate a positive association between the percentage of female and non-white directors on the board and a firm’s intellectual capital performance. Additional analysis shows the designation of female directors as an insider has a negative effect of intellectual capital performance. Designation of female and non-white directors as …


Information Value Of Credit Ratings In Asia Ex-Japan Markets, Chen Zhou Jan 2006

Information Value Of Credit Ratings In Asia Ex-Japan Markets, Chen Zhou

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

This study investigates the information value of credit ratings by exploring the relationship between ratings and security price. Unlike previous studies, we concentrate on the major markets ex-Japan in Asia. We begin with an investigation of rating reclassification as well as credit watch placement events by three leading international rating agencies. We show that markets with differing level of sophistication behave differently. Specifically, South Korea and Hong Kong are found to respond in a similar manner. Indonesia shows possible ign of information leakage. In the cases of Malaysia and Thailand, significant and positive equity price responses exist for upgrades, suggesting …