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Increasing the Deposit Business of Commercial Banks by Developing
Strategic Alliances with the Funeral Services Industry
Miao-Sheng Chen, Chuan-Hsing Huang |
423 |
Increasing the Deposit Business of Commercial Banks by Developing
Strategic Alliances with the Funeral Services Industry
Miao-Sheng Chen
Nanhua University, Taiwan
Chuan-Hsing Huang
Tamkang University, Taiwan
The Statute of Funeral and Interment Management1 was passed in Taiwan on 14 June 2002. The statute establishes the legal basis for the sale of inter vivos contracts by funeral services providers and stipulates that 75% of the fees should be managed by trust agencies. As a corollary, available trust funds of banks are passively increased. This paper considers how, from the perspective of banks, strategic alliances with the funeral services industry may be actively pursued. By combining time deposit business and inter vivos contracts, a mutually interacting relationship between the bank, the funeral services provider and time deposit customer can be constructed. This practice may open up a new perspective for banks on how to stabilize time deposit business in the midst of over-competitiveness and successively declining deposit rates. Also explored in this paper is how banks may choose funeral services providers and customers as potential marketing targets. This paper also discusses how the acquisition of patent rights by funeral services providers may be enhanced to enable banks to obtain long-term returns. In contrast to the framework of discussion on strategic alliances in the U.S., Europe and Japan, which is centered on insurance companies, this paper considers from banks’ point of view. This method may serve to provide a novel perspective and broaden the scope of strategic alliances.
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The Attitudes of British Managers in Small and Medium-Sized
Enterprises to the Implementation of the Value Chain Concept
Roy McLarty |
430 |
The Attitudes of British Managers in Small and Medium-Sized
Enterprises to the Implementation of the Value Chain Concept
Roy McLarty
University of East Anglia, England
The concept of the value chain, first developed by Porter (1985) has intrigued managers and researchers alike and given rise to numerous articles and debates within the academic community. This paper examines the applicability of the value chain to SMEs (Small Medium Enterprises). In particular it built upon earlier work by McLarty (2000), slightly modifying and confirming an original model which it is claimed, aids applicability in the small firm sector. It is predicted from a national survey within England in 2002 and substantiates modifications to both primary and secondary activities. The article concludes with suggestions as to how smaller firms can implement the SME Value Chain effectively.
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The Brand-Switching Behaviour of Taipei Female Consumers when
Purchasing U-V Skincare Products
Chin-Tsai Lin, Su-Man Wang, Huei-Ying Hsieh |
443 |
The Brand-Switching Behaviour of Taipei Female Consumers when
Purchasing U-V Skincare Products
Chin-Tsai Lin
Yuanpei Institute of Science and Technology, Taiwan.
Su-Man Wang
Ming Chuan University, Taiwan
Huei-Ying Hsieh
Roche Products Ltd., Taiwan
While classifying consumers as either satisfied switchers, dissatisfied switchers or stayers, Ganesh et al. (2000) studied the behavior differences of these three groups regarding their satisfaction with, loyalty towards, and involvement with service providers, in terms of three constructs: customer satisfaction, customer loyalty, and customer involvement. Ganesh also statistically analyzed data relating to these behaviors. Based on the study of Ganesh et al. (2000), this study aims to further examine whether advertising can influence the three customer groups in their satisfaction with, loyalty towards, and involvement with service providers. Advertising was introduced as an intermediate variable, and models of how advertising affects consumers (Vakratsas & Ambler, 1999) were applied to develop a new analytical model. This study finds that satisfaction with the services provided by UV-skincare companies and the satisfaction with and loyalty towards these customers’ currently used brand differ among the three customer groups and the three customer groups differ significantly in their brand purchasing involvement but do not differ significantly in their responses to advertising. Therefore, results in this study provide a valuable reference for UV-skincare providers in utilizing current customer databases and formulating marketing strategies to better obtain and retain customers by targeting different customer groups.
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Relationship between the Adoption of Different Career Strategies and
Employee Background: An Empirical Study in the Information Services Industry
Ying-Feng Kuo |
453 |
Relationship between the Adoption of Different Career Strategies and
Employee Background: An Empirical Study in the Information Services Industry
Ying-Feng Kuo
Shu-Te University, Taiwan
This study explores relationships between career strategy adoption and employee background of information service industry in Taiwan. Results show that males adopt “opinion conformity” more than females do. Employees with two years’ work experience or less adopt “other enhancement” more often than those with 6-10 years’ work experience. Managers adopt “creating opportunities” and”“self-nomination/self-presentation” more often than professionals and clerks do. Employees with an annual salary of NT$ 800,000 dollars or more practice “self-nomination/self-presentation” than those whose annual salary under NT$ 600,000 dollars. Employees’ marital status, age, and educational level do not influence their adoption of the career strategy.
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Reconstructing Financial Reporting following the Accounting Fraud
Disclosure at Enron Energy Company
Andrea Hotaling, Jeffrey Lippitt |
464 |
Reconstructing Financial Reporting following the Accounting Fraud
Disclosure at Enron Energy Company
Andrea Hotaling
Siena College
Jeffrey Lippitt
Ithaca College
There have been apparent breakdowns in the financial reporting process as evidenced by the recent numerous restatements of financial results and legal actions brought against both companies and their auditors. In designing the appropriate corrective measures we need to keep in mind that the financial reporting process involves a variety of parties with differing responsibilities. This article points out some of the weaknesses in the current reporting standards illustrating that much of the divergence from actual economic reality is the responsibility of the standard setters. CPAs are often prohibited from deviating from the rigid standards as promulgated even if strict application of the standards results in misleading financial information.
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The Measurement of Human Capital and its Effects on the Analysis
of Financial Statements
Hai-Ming Chen, Ku-Jun Lin |
470 |
The Measurement of Human Capital and its Effects on the Analysis
of Financial Statements
Hai-Ming Chen
Tamkang University, Taiwan
Ku-Jun Lin
Tamkang University, Taiwan
Users take financial statement information as a reference of making decisions. However, financial statements today do not properly report, measure and disclosure human capital that creates intelligence and competence advantages properly. Thus the usefulness of financial statements is diminishing. This paper introduces importance of proper disclosure of human capital in financial statements. And suggests ways to disclose and to measure the human capital. Then it uses the results of a high-tech company in Taiwan to present the effects of recognizing human capital as capital investment on financial statement analysis formulae.
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The Productivity Effects of Employee Stock-Ownership Plans:
Evidence from Panel Data of Taiwan Electronic Companies
Ya-Ting Lee |
479 |
The Productivity Effects of Employee Stock-Ownership Plans:
Evidence from Panel Data of Taiwan Electronic Companies
Ya-Ting Lee
Tamkang University, Taiwan
I report the results for Taiwan electronic firms on the effects of employee stock-ownership plans (ESOP’s) by estimating production functions using panel data. I find that the introduction of an ESOP will lead to a 4-5 percent increase in productivity; this productivity payoff takes 3-4 years. Also, these results are independent of the particular specification of production technology
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Towards a Better Manufacturing Sector: A Perspective on the
Implementation of Advanced Manufacturing Technology in Malaysia
Kevin Low Lock Teng, Arumugam Seetharaman |
490 |
Towards a Better Manufacturing Sector: A Perspective on the
Implementation of Advanced Manufacturing Technology in Malaysia
Kevin Low Lock Teng
Multimedia University,Malaysia
Arumugam Seetharaman
Multimedia University, Malaysia
In order to stay competitive, there is always a constant need in improving the efficiency of technology in a company. As a result of this, many efforts have been made to develop new technologies such as Advanced Manufacturing Technology (AMT). The study investigates the implementation justification of Advanced Manufacturing Technology (AMT) in the manufacturing companies. The paper also provides information, which will help companies in Malaysia, particularly the manufacturing industry to be aware of the Advanced Manufacturing Technology. Adoption of this technology will assist Malaysian companies to compete in the international market arena.
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The Effect of Organizational Attributes on the Adoption of Data Mining
Techniques in the Financial Service Industry: An Empirical Study in
Taiwan
Su-Chao Chang, Hae-Ching Chang, Chin-Ho Lin, Shu-Chen Kao |
497 |
The Effect of Organizational Attributes on the Adoption of Data Mining
Techniques in the Financial Service Industry: An Empirical Study in
Taiwan
Su-Chao Chang
National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan
Hae-Ching Chang
National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan
Chin-Ho Lin
National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan
Shu-Chen Kao
Kun Shan University of Technology, Taiwan
In this paper, we open up the organizational attributes that significantly influence the adoption of data mining (DM) technique for financial service industry. The technique of factor analysis was employed to explore the features and multivariate data analysis technique t-test to investigate the hypotheses. Based on the data collected from medium- to large-sized firms, the empirical results confirmed that the organizational size, attitude of data resource, and style of decision-making significantly influence the DM adoption. In addition, it was found that the DM adoption did not significantly affected by the types of both marketing orientation and information orientation in terms of organizational culture. Research implications were also discussed in this research.
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A Comparison of Different Frontier Efficiency Methods for Estimating
the Effects of Diversification on the Operations of Conglomerates:
An Empirical Study in Taiwan
Jaw-Yang Day |
504 |
A Comparison of Different Frontier Efficiency Methods for Estimating
the Effects of Diversification on the Operations of Conglomerates:
An Empirical Study in Taiwan
Jaw-Yang Day
Taiwan Research Institute, Taiwan
The two purposes of this study is (1) to provide a new information on the efficiency estimation by applying various estimation techniques to a assess the efficiency of Taiwanese conglomerate firms and compare the performance and (2) to provide a new information on cost efficiency to the Taiwanese conglomerate firms. This paper employs the Fixed Effects, the Random Effects and Maximum Likelihood three approaches in the stochastic cost frontier function model to estimate the influence of diversification regarding the operating efficiency of Taiwanese conglomerates. Based on the results of empirical analysis in this study, it is noted that: (1) if a company has a higher degree of diversification, its cost efficiency increases;(2) the above approaches generate similar estimation on efficiency in terms of their correlation. The result (2) above is consistent with the research findings made by Bauer and Hancock (1993), and Ahmad and Bravo-Ureta (1996).
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Audit Committees in Malaysia and the Blue Ribbon Committee Report:
A Comparative Study
Kalaithasan Kuppusamy, Mohamed Nazim, Bala Shanmugam |
509 |
Audit Committees in Malaysia and the Blue Ribbon Committee Report:
A Comparative Study
Kalaithasan Kuppusamy
Monash University Malaysia, Malaysia
Mohamed Nazim
Monash University Malaysia, Malaysia
Bala Shanmugam
Monash University Malaysia, Malaysia
Audit committees gained prominence amidst clamours for corporate accountability by the investing community. Issues on audit committees’ mandatory establishment and its effectiveness, have always been widely discussed. One of the most authoritative contributions towards this cause was the Blue Ribbon Committee Report (BRC). This paper will provide a brief account on the mandatory establishment of audit committees and, its effectiveness in Malaysia as compared to the recommendations in the BRC report. It will objectively analyze the adequacy of the provisions on strengthening audit committees’ effectiveness in Malaysia.
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The Determinants of the Capital Structure of Commercial Banks
in Taiwan
Hsien-Chang Kuo, Chi-Haw Lee |
515 |
The Determinants of the Capital Structure of Commercial Banks
in Taiwan
Hsien-Chang Kuo
National Chi-Nan University, Taiwan
Chi-Haw Lee
National Chi-Nan University, Taiwan
On the basis of an empirical analysis of determinants of capital structure in commercial banks in Taiwan, from a perspective of variables in the banks’ financial statements, and a comparative analysis between domestic commercial banks and local branches of foreign banks (Kuo and Lee, 1998; Kuo, 2000). However, under impacts from internationalization of finance and opening of markets, there have been structural changes in the financial market. Therefore, this study extends an analysis of the above researches in order to further explore these impacts on the capital structure of commercial banks in Taiwan. Investigating the financial performance of domestic banks and local branches of foreign banks between 1991 and 2000, we find the following: In terms of liquid reserve ratios, although domestic banks may have lower ratios than local branches of foreign banks, they are still maintained above the legal ratio of 7%. In terms of capital ratios, for domestic banks, both debt from deposit and debt from non-deposit decreased progressively, while for local branches of foreign banks increased progressively. In terms of profitability ratios, both domestic banks and local branches of foreign banks suffer a decline in probability ratios, while local branches of foreign banks still maintained better operating and non-operating income over domestic banks. These changes reveal that traditional activities of banks for deposits and loans are increasingly less important as determinants of capital structure in banking in the changing financial markets of Taiwan.
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The Development of Virtual Collocation Strategies in Information
Technology for Small Businesses: A Taiwanese Case Study
Chi-Ya Chang |
523 |
The Development of Virtual Collocation Strategies in Information
Technology for Small Businesses: A Taiwanese Case Study
Chi-Ya Chang
National Taipei University, Taiwan
This study attempts to enumerate virtual collocation strategies in the context of small-sized businesses engaged in traditional industry. It is argued that under the combination of a rapidly changing business environment and global competition, small businesses in traditional industry have increased reasons to apply IT to form specialized virtual teams with members in geographically dispersed locations, with the aim of achieving organizational effectiveness. The empirical work presented includes a case study based on in-depth interviews as well as field observation of IT-based, cross-functional, inter-organizational, project-based collocation of virtual teams in a three-year old, small-sized publishing company focused on publishing computer software and hardware DIY books for the Taiwanese and Mainland Chinese markets. Hopefully, the management processes applied in this case could significantly benefit both similar sized companies and industries in developing countries.
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The Effect of Financial Factors on the Performance of New Venture
Companies in High Tech and Knowledge-Intensive Industries:
An Empirical Study in Denmark
Anne Bøllingtoft, John Parm Ulhøi, Henning Madsen, Helle Neergaard |
535 |
The Effect of Financial Factors on the Performance of New Venture
Companies in High Tech and Knowledge-Intensive Industries:
An Empirical Study in Denmark
Anne Bøllingtoft
Aarhus School of Business, Denmark
John Parm Ulhøi
Aarhus School of Business, Denmark
Henning Madsen
Aarhus School of Business, Denmark
Helle Neergaard
Aarhus School of Business, Denmark
This paper addresses important financial aspects during the formation of knowledge-intensive entrepreneurship. A number of ex ante derived hypotheses are submitted to an empirical test to identify and explain some of the key financial factors affecting the survival and first preliminary growth of new ventures in high-tech and knowledge-intensive sectors. The paper builds in part upon existing literature on venture capital, theory on risk and trust. The results document that high variation on several dimensions can be found across the two sectors investigated (IT and life sciences).
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Direct and Indirect Forms of In-Country Support for Expatriates and
their Families as a Means of Reducing Premature Returns and
Improving Job Performance
Aaron W. Andreason |
548 |
Direct and Indirect Forms of In-Country Support for Expatriates and
their Families as a Means of Reducing Premature Returns and
Improving Job Performance
Aaron W. Andreason
University of Montana
Expatriate failures in foreign assignments are due primarily to an inability to adjust to foreign cultures. Business executives, however, often do not engage in special efforts for their expatriates. Research indicates, however, that successful assignments must begin with appropriate anticipatory adjustments in the form of screening and training. Further, there is an emerging body of evidence which points to the fact that expatriates and their families often will not succeed unless there is adequate follow through in the form of direct (organization-sponsored) and indirect (organization-encouraged) in-country support. This paper identifies some specific ways in which this support can be provided.
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Advertisement Intensity and Market Concentration: A Formal
Theoretical Analysis
Jin-Li Hu, Wei-Kai Chu |
556 |
Advertisement Intensity and Market Concentration: A Formal
Theoretical Analysis
Jin-Li Hu
National Chiao-Tung University, Taiwan
Wei-Kai Chu
National Taipei University, Taiwan
Most empirical literature on advertisement finds an inverted U-shaped relation between advertisement intensity and the CR4 ratio. This relation is significant especially in consumer goods industries, but such a relation is insignificant in producer goods industries. Based on empirical observations, this paper provides an n-firm oligopoly model to explore the relation between advertisement intensity and market concentration.
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