September 2013
A review on constructs of the practices of quality management
Quality management is a management function that ensures the quality of the products, services and/or operation processes of an organization. It contributes to the competitiveness and maintains the sustainability of the organization. This paper reviews the constructs of practices of quality management adopted by researchers. Based on the literature review, the practices of quality management are summarized into eight...
September 2013
Effective customer service: A tool for client retention among stock broking firms in Nigeria
The paper examines the various customer retention measurement metrics and constructs, using concepts of customer service, customer satisfaction, behavioral intention and employee satisfaction. Pearson product moment correlation coefficient, t and F statistics were used to test the hypotheses formulated based on information received from 164 respondents (clients) patronizing four Stock broking firms in Cross River State,...
September 2013
Is enlarging the market share the best strategy for maximizing profits
This paper determines the best market strategy that can enable a firm to maximize its profit. An advanced panel threshold regression model is employed to investigate the panel threshold effect of market share on firm profits among publicly traded Taiwan firms. The results confirm that the double threshold effect does exist between market share and profit. Some important policy implications emerge from the...
September 2013
The effects of motivation on leisure time management
The purpose of this study was to determine recreational motivations and present its effects on user properties (socio-economic properties and land use habits). In line with this purpose, a questionnaire was applied to fifty users in Ankara Goksu Park. According to the analysis, it was stated that user properties (socio-economic properties and land use habits) have an impact on socialization, entertainment and escape...
September 2013
The effect of positioning in the world economic system on economic and social development: A relational approach to services
In this study, we aimed to evaluate how the positioning of the country in the world economic system influences economic development (per capita income) and social development (HDI). Taking exchange of services as a reference point, through social network analysis and panel data, we found that the positioning of the country in more central positions, i.e., the core and semiperiphery, and capacity for betweenness...
September 2013
Studying and analyzing the relationship between the functions of performance assessment system and organizational commitment
Generally, organizational members do not have a positive attitude on performance assessment system and see it as a barrier to achieve their aims. They believe that performance assessment system prevents them to achieve their awards, advantages and status so they consider it unfairly. On this basis, the aim of present paper is to study the relationship and impacts of various function of performance assessment including...
September 2013
Research on the relationship between forward freight agreements and the fuel oil index
Bulk shipping is a globalised industry, and market prices are entirely dependent on the world’s economic climate. The industries contractual arrangements are also rather flexible making it difficult for market participants to understand the trends and fluctuations of market prices and forcing market participants to face greater uncertainty and volatility. Oil and Forward Freight Agreements (FFAs) act as...
September 2013
Intellectual capital performance and its impact on financial returns of companies: An empirical study from insurance sector of Pakistan
The purpose of this paper is to examine the performance of intellectual capital (IC) of insurance sector of Pakistan for year 2009. The aim of this paper is also to explore various determinants of IC and its impact on financial performance of insurance sector of Pakistan. The performance of IC is measured by Valued Added Intellectual Coefficient (VAIC™) model which is employed by Ante Policy in its different...
September 2013
Software release management challenges in industry: An exploratory study
Release management has an essential role in the success of large software projects and there is no doubt that correct and efficient management of producing a new release can help the quality of the product and the satisfaction of the customers to a great extent. However, there is still problem in many companies for generating a new release, despite all the necessary resources like human, financial, and time resources,...
September 2013
The multidimensional impacts of external price shocks on macroeconomic variables: Malaysian experiences from recession to economic instability
The 2008 to 2009 global external price shocks on foods and oil exerted worldwide impacts on production, expenditure pattern, trade, welfare, internal resource allocation and ultimate impacts diverted to global recession; Malaysia is not an exception. Centering the world’s (2008 to 2009) oil and food price catastrophe, here we investigate Malaysian experiences from recession to economic instability. An applied...
September 2013
Determinants of firms marketing strategies on consumers’ loyalty intention toward online stores
In order to expand virtual retailing market, it is important to consider consumer-level opinion toward online stores and its relation to market-level measures of performance, such as marketing strategies, channel brand impression and customer online store loyalty intention. In this research, three online stores are selected as the research targets. A questionnaire survey is conducted to verify the determinant effects of...
September 2013
The negotiation styles of overseas Chinese: A comparison of Taiwanese and Indonesian Chinese patterns
Cross cultural negotiation has been an active area of study for a decade. A number of cross-cultural negotiation studies have been conducted using subjects from two diametrically different cultures (such as the US and Japan). However, a substantial amount of international trade takes place between geographically close countries, where cultural differences are more subtle, but still make an important difference....
September 2013
Moderating effects of total quality environmental management on environmental performance
In response to increasing worldwide awareness of the importance of business sustainability, there have been more and more environmental regulations enforced in the last decade for example, waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE)” and the “restriction of hazardous substances (RoHS). Those regulations have enormous impact on global supply chain systems and have begun to force companies to implement...
September 2013
The flex-fuel technology building process in Brazil: An analysis from the perspective of business platform
The conceptual perspective of "business platform" intent to demonstrate that in the current situation, industries can jointly establish innovations through formal exchanges of expertise between a "leader firm and its complementary." The research had qualitative and exploratory character, using grounded theory techniques and thematic content analysis of five in-depth interviews made to automakers and...
September 2013
Towards developing a framework on acceptance of sustainable agriculture among contract farming entrepreneurs
Acceptance of sustainable agriculture practices will undeniably facilitate agricultural entrepreneurs to enhance on their economic and social status, and thus, enable them to enjoy a better livelihood. The focus of this paper is to determine the likely factors that will influence the level of acceptance of sustainable agriculture among contract farming entrepreneurs. Data were collected based on literature analyses....
September 2013
A review of Ethiopian institutions and their role in poverty reduction: A case study of Amhara Credit and Saving Institution (ACSI)
In recent times the term ‘Microfinance’ (MF) became a buzz word in the every corner of the world as well as in the formulation of welfare programs by government. After hearing success stories in microfinance across the developing countries, particularly Bangladesh, third world nations started to give more importance to MFs. Since, banks have failed to reach the poorest of the poor of the countries...
September 2013
A cross-cultural empirical analysis between the US and Taiwan: Perceived leadership styles and organizational commitment at Certified Public Accountant (CPA) firms
This study investigates the effects of different leadership styles on organizational commitment in both the US and Taiwan along with CPA firms. The study sample consists of 137 respondents from among the Big-Four in the US and 247 respondents from the Big-Four in Taiwan. In addition to both promising future and royalty dimensions in organizational commitment, Americans are concerned with joy in their work while the...
September 2013
Analyzing for profit efficiency of banks with undesirable output
The primary objective of commercial banks is to maximize profit, but the usual ratio approach may encounter a problem when observed profit equals zero. This study uses the Nerlovian profit indicator, based on the difference rather than the ratio approach, to measure a profit efficiency indicator. We further decompose the profit efficiency indicator into technical and allocation efficiencies. The dataset consists of...
September 2013
Momentum strategy and board size: Evidence from Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE)
This paper establishes a link between momentum profitability and board size. We use stocks listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE) to show that momentum profits are derived mainly from firms with small and medium board size, but it is nonexistent among large board size firms. The momentum profitability across small and medium board size firms does not represent for system risk based on the Fama-French three-factor...
September 2013
The relationship between product quality and purchase intention: The case of Malaysia’s national motorcycle/scooter manufacturer
This study aims to determine the level of product quality based on the eight quality dimensions framework and the relationship towards the buyer purchase behaviour. For a good understanding of the study, a case study on Malaysia’s national motorcycle/scooter manufacturer has been used by considering the lack of theoretical studies being conducted on the sales of motorcycle/scooter products. In this study, the...
September 2013
International procurement practices of Indian firms
The study of Indian managers has been undertaken in response to the continuous increase in international activity in the area of procurement. This study is a step in the direction of fulfilling the information requirements of procurement managers around the globe. Based on the statistical findings, it can be concluded that there existed a significant difference in the procurement practices of Indian managers. To meet...
September 2013
Determinants for ar-Rahnu usage intentions: An empirical investigation
This study examines the applicability of theory of reasoned action (TRA) in a context of Islamic pawnshop using structural equation modelling (SEM). The present study presents a simplified theory of TRA, hence it is intended to test whether the two constructs in the theory are acceptable or not in a newly context of Islamic pawnshop. The simplified theory is tested using survey data from 250 respondents. Out of these,...
September 2013
Technological spillovers of transferred inventors from the perspective of Social Network Analysis (SNA)
Personnel involved in high-tech R&D commonly move between enterprises, bringing with them technology obtained elsewhere. This leads to an imperceptible circulation of analogous technology among different companies. Unfortunately, this so-called technological spillover is difficult to detect. This study combined social network analysis with patent data covering nearly 30 years to construct the networks that involve...
September 2013
The impact of computerized internal controls adaptation on operating performance
The development and application of information technology makes it possible to automate the tasks of approving, recording, processing and reporting of transactions. To ensure operational performance, financial reporting reliability and legal compliance, internal control mechanisms should be gradually constructed into the information systems, according to the computerization of the enterprise, in order to continue to...
September 2013
Evaluation of the factors that affect performances of active football referees in Turkey
The research was carried out for the purpose of evaluating the factors affecting performances of active football referees who function in different categories. Thesurvey method was used in the research in order to describe an existing situation. The research group is composed of 108 referees (FIFA = 4, senior referees = 37, senior assistant referees = 50, state referees = 17) who actively officiated in the...
September 2013
Corporate responsibility for socio-economic transformation: A focus on broad-based black economic empowerment and its implementation in South Africa
This article illustrates corporate responsibility for socio-economic transformation with a focus on broad-based black economic empowerment (BBBEE) and its implementation in South Africa. This article clarifies the need for the corporate sector to ensure consistency in the implementation of socially responsible behavior, particularly in the area of black economic empowerment. The article highlights that there is both a...
September 2013
Determinants of small and medium enterprises performance in the Malaysian auto-parts industry
This paper examines factors determining the performance of SMEs in the Malaysian auto-parts industry. Using a multiple regression analysis, it is evident that firm age and foreign equity are significantly related to the performance of the firms. This consolidates earlier expectations and studies that age and foreign equity ownership do matter to SMEs performance. These findings provide an important signal for SMEs for...
September 2013
Analysis of marketing data to extract key factors of telecom churn management
For telecom industries facing customer and market changes due to rapid developments, near saturation, and intense competition, avoiding churn is critical. Most churn management studies attempt to locate a list of potentially lost customers from existing customer data, for use in subsequent customer retention activities. However, the effectiveness of a telecom company’s churn management is determined by whether it...
September 2013
Is Country branding a panacea or poison?
The momentum towards complete globalisation advocated by proponents of the benefits of one big business village as the answer to the suffering of third world countries, has now been slowed down by the uncertainty resultant from the hitherto unprecedented global meltdown. With the coughing of America, the whole world seems to be catapulting into one big mess due to the global economic quagmire. Consequently, there is a...
September 2013
How does boundary-spanning search matter in China’s new technology venture? The role of external relationship and internal competence
Following on the resource-advantage theory, this study advances existing research by examining what configuration of a new venture’s boundary-spanning search can obtain successful venture performance and how a founding team’s external relationship and the internal firm competences shapes the relationship between the distant search and new venture performance. The paper is based on a questionnaire...
September 2013
An empirical estimation of the relationship between Edmund Phelps’ “investment driving forces†and the unemployment rate
On his invited lecture at Beijing University, China, December 2004, Edmund S. Phelps, the winner of the 2006 Nobel Prize in Economics, proposed four indicators of “investment driving forces”, which could be used in measuring the economic growth of a country’s performance, and which might in turn also be eventually reflected in the country’s employment situation. In addition to Edmund...
September 2013
Rank reversal problem related to wash criterion in analytic hierarchy process (AHP)
The rank reversal problem related to wash criterion in Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was studied. The purpose of this paper is threefold. Firstly, the rank reversal problem did not come off when proportional adjustment of Liberatore and Nydick (2004) and Saaty and Vargas (2006) was applied. Secondly, the conditions that insure the occurrence of rank reversal by using the approach of Finan and Hurley (2002) and Lin,...
September 2013
A comparative study of data mining techniques in predicting consumers’ credit card risk in banks
This paper investigates the use of batch and incremental classifiers such as logistic regression, neural networks, C5, Naïve Bayes updateable, IBk (instance-based learner, k nearest neighbour) and raced incremental logit boost to obtain the best classifier to be used for improving the predictive accuracy of consumers’ credit card risk of a bank in Malaysia. Prior to generating all the models for comparison,...
September 2013
A novel FOREX prediction methodology based on fundamental data
Markets play a critical role in economics of the world and the distribution of wealth. Predicting them can help with preventing crashes and avoiding severe losses, or making significant profits. But such prediction is not easy due to the very complex nature of markets and the wide variety of the influence factors involved. Technical analysts or chartists rely on historical chart data to predict patterns based on...
September 2013
Determinants of extent of financial derivative usage
The adaptation of free market policies in the world economy has increased the employment of risk management practices in corporation’s financial decisions in order to reduce the variability in firm’s future cash flows, due to the highly volatile exchange rates and interest rates. It is generally argued that, extensive usage of derivative instruments can minimize the firm’s cash flow unpredictability by...
September 2013
Leadership style, employee motivation and commitment: Empirical evidence from a consolidated retail bank operating in a depressed economy
The study investigated the relationship between different leadership styles and employee motivation and commitment after a merger in a retail bank operating in an economically volatile environment. Data was collected from 121 employees (17 managers and 104 non-managerial) using three closed-ended questionnaires. The Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire Form 5X was used to measure leadership styles and the Organisational...
September 2013
The effect of the 'golden ratio' on consumer behaviour
This paper evaluates the relationship between the "golden ratio" and consumer aesthetic preferences, and investigates its possible implementation into market offer. Due to the increasingly diverse offer to which consumers are exposed, each detail of the offer should be in the function to attract consumer’s attention. These requirements increase the importance of design. Package design should...
September 2013
An integrated inventory models under cooperative and non-cooperative seller-buyer and vendor supply chain
The first level of the supply chain basically contains three distinguished levels; these are single buyer (that is retailer), the second level vendor (that is warehouse) and single seller in the third level. The aim of this study was to investigate the cooperative of inventory models among the players in a three-level supply chain. In addition, the challenges involved in determining the optimal value of time...
September 2013
The role of need for achievement in self-leadership: Differential associations with hope for success and fear of failure
Self-leadership and need for achievement show conceptual convergences as both constructs have been found to be phenotypically associated with heightened levels of performance (Neck and Manz, 1992; Spangler, 1992). We thus aimed to clarify how both are interrelated with their respective subfacets in three studies (N = 185, N = 228, N = 374) and found that (a) self-leadership and need for achievement tap different...
September 2013
Effect of provision of micro-finance on the performance of micro-enterprises: A study of youth micro-enterprises under Kenya Rural Enterprise Program (K-REP), Kisii County, Kenya
Micro and small Enterprises (MSEs) sector contributes 20% to the GDP of the Kenyan economy. The vision of micro finance is to promote the growth of micro enterprises. In pursuit of this vision, the rapid growth of Micro finance institutions (MFIs) has made MSEs access to credit more than doubled from 7.5% in 2006 to 17.9% in 2009. Despite this increase, a recent study has shown that over 50% of MSEs continue to have a...
September 2013
Empirical analysis of regions of Mainland China’s manufacturing efficiency promotion: Experiences and lessons
The manufacturing sector has been a decisive force in promoting economic development in China. According to the number of workers, net fixed assets and other economic data in China during 2000 to 2007, using data envelopment analysis (DEA) we can build a single-figure index reflecting the comprehensive manufacturing competitiveness of all regions. Based on those index and extension data of producer services, panel data...
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