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Digital Pirates in Practice: Analysis of Market Transactions in Hong Kong’s Pirate Software Arcades
W. D. Walls, P. J. Harvey |
207 |
Digital Pirates in Practice: Analysis of Market Transactions in Hong Kong’s Pirate Software Arcades
W. D. Walls
University of Calgary
P. J. Harvey
Hong Kong University of Science & Technology, Hong Kong
The illegal copying and distribution of computer software, music, and films—known as digital piracy in industry parlance—is becoming an increasing problem around the world. In this paper, we discuss the institutional and operational details of the market for pirate software using first-hand knowledge obtained in Hong Kong’s infamous computer arcades. To gain an understanding of this market for use in theoretical, empirical, and policy analysis, this preliminary study sets out the means through which potential consumers of pirate software reveal their demand, and the clever real-time supply chain that allows sellers to respond within an hour to consumer demand while protecting pirate suppliers from the downside risk of criminal prosecution and asset confiscation.
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The Effect of Listening on the Formation of Students Trust and Commitment in Academic Advising: A Study at a United States
University
Scott Nadler, Roy L. Simerly |
215 |
The Effect of Listening on the Formation of Students Trust and Commitment in Academic Advising: A Study at a United States
University
Scott Nadler
East Carolina University
Roy L. Simerly
East Carolina University
The purpose of this study was to examine the perceived importance of listening and the willingness of students to both trust an academic advisor and to commit to working with that advisor. Wooten and McCroskey (1996) examined the relationship between a student’s trust of academic advisors and the socio-communicative style of the advisors. They found that there was a positive relationship between student trust and the communicative style of the advisor. Our study extended this work by examining one aspect of advisor communicative style – listening, and its relationship to both trust, and the added dimension of commitment on the part of the student. This study used a sample of students from a large south eastern university and found that while listening was strongly related to establishment of trust between students and advisors, there was a surprisingly low relationship between listening and a student’s commitment to that advisor.
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Perceptions of Career Influences Among Private University Academics: An Empirical Study in Malaysia
Leong Lit Hei, M. Sadiq Sohail |
222 |
Perceptions of Career Influences Among Private University Academics: An Empirical Study in Malaysia
Leong Lit Hei
Monash University, Malaysia
M. Sadiq Sohail
King Fahd University, Saudi Arabia
This paper examines current trends in perceptions of career influences on private academic staff in Malaysia and reports on an empirical research to study the influences of selection, training, promotion, work and career development as well as family issues in forming perceptions. Results on the analysis of data relating to 174 respondents indicate that there is a significant difference between the responses of males and females relating to recruitment policies and prospects provided by employers. Females indicate that recruitment policies are fair and find that academic prospects are rewarding primarily in non-financial terms. On the basis of ethnicity of respondents, it was found that there was agreement on gender being a non-issue in career influence. Further research directions are suggested.
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The Multiplier Effect of Investment in Training in China
Xiuli Wang, Christopher C. A. Chan |
234 |
The Multiplier Effect of Investment in Training in China
Xiuli Wang
Inner Mongolia University of Technology, People’s Republic of China
Christopher C. A. Chan
Australian National University,Australia
Although training is recognized as an essential investment, many practitioners in China may not be responding to this need adequately. A very likely reason for the lack of attention is due to the fear that trained employees may advance their careers with another organization. Since training can be costly, organizations pursuing cost leadership may avoid the investment or expect a high return immediately. Applying the multiplier effect of training could reduce training cost as fewer individuals are needed to be sent for training. Moreover, the multiplier effect example demonstrates that knowledge could be amplified. Implications of the multiplier are discussed.
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An Empirical Investigation of Egyptian Consumers Usage Patterns and Perceptions of the Internet
M.M. Mostafa |
243 |
An Empirical Investigation of Egyptian Consumers Usage Patterns and Perceptions of the Internet
M.M. Mostafa
University of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
This study investigated Egyptian consumers’ attitudes to and perceptions of the Internet held by a sample of 208 participants. The subjects completed a recently developed survey designed to measure usage patterns and perceptions of the Internet. The study validated the scale in an Arab non-Western context. As predicted, the results reveal that females used e-mail more than did males, and males used the Web more than did females. Age was found to be inversely related to Internet usage, while educational level was found to be positively related to the Internet use.
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Determinants of the Assignment of Managers to Foreign Branches by Banks, using theFuzzy Delphi Method
Shing-Ko Liang, Sung-Yi Hsieh, Hsiao-Chi Ling |
261 |
Determinants of the Assignment of Managers to Foreign Branches by Banks, using theFuzzy Delphi Method
Shing-Ko Liang
National Chiao Tung University, Taiwan
Sung-Yi Hsieh
National Chiao Tung University, Taiwan
Hsiao-Chi Ling
National Chiao Tung University, Taiwan
In this paper, we have analyzed the characteristics and traits required by the managers of banks in overseas branches, using the fuzzy Delphi method (FDM). The purposes of the research were: 1) to analyze characteristics and traits that an overseas bank branch manager should have; 2) to compare differences between managers in overseas branches in Japan and Hong Kong, using the Wilcoxon rank sum test; and 3) to set up assigning criteria with the fuzzy Delphi method. The research used the Wilcoxon rank sum test to compare the weighted value of the 2nd OM of evaluation factors for sending executives to branches in Japan and Hong Kong. The results showed that there were significant differences in the dimensions of skills, diversified intelligence and academic ability.
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The Development of a Contingency Model Relating National Culture to Total Quality Management
Syed Aziz Anwar, Naceur Jabnoun |
271 |
The Development of a Contingency Model Relating National Culture to Total Quality Management
Syed Aziz Anwar
Arab Open University, Kuwait
Naceur Jabnoun
University of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
TQM implementation across cultures has become a subject of intense discussion in contemporary business. While explicit barriers to international trade and investment flows have been substantially reduced under the influence of globalization of the world economy in recent years, business practices of firms continue to be cultural context-specific, to a great extent. This trend has important implications for the question of how far TQM implementation will go. If the depth and width of globalization is limited by the reach of cultural boundaries, does it not logically follow that national cultures impose constraints on TQM implementation? Can TQM become universal while culture remains local? Or, to ask a different but related question, what would TQM implementation look like in a world characterized by globalization on the one hand and the existence of different cultural contexts on the other? This paper addresses these questions and seeks to provide a contingency model of TQM implementation across cultures.
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The Big Bath Hypothesis: Accruals Management in Response to Dividend Reduction and Omission
Picheng Lee |
281 |
The Big Bath Hypothesis: Accruals Management in Response to Dividend Reduction and Omission
Picheng Lee
Pace University
The purpose of this study is to examine the association between income‑decreasing discretionary accruals and the magnitude of dividend reductions. Managers of dividend reducinglomitting firms are hypothesized to take a big bath in earnings using income decreasing discretionary accruals in order to remove future earnings drags, thereby helping to ensure prolonged earnings improvement. Such strategic accruals management in turn enables firms to achieve better performance in the future as well as achieve a quick turnaround in their subsequent operating performance after a significant dividend reduction or omission.
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Conflict Management Styles of Male and Female Junior Accountants
Christopher C. A. Chan, Gary Monroe, Juliana Ng, Rebecca Tan |
289 |
Conflict Management Styles of Male and Female Junior Accountants
Christopher C. A. Chan
Australian National University, Australia
Gary Monroe
Australian National University, Australia
Juliana Ng
Australian National University, Australia
Rebecca Tan
Australian National University, Australia
Conflict is often inevitable whenever people work together. There is, however, scant empirical evidence on how men and women handle conflicts. Such an examination is valuable for improving workplace relations and productivity. This study examined the conflict management styles used by male and female junior accountants. While males and females did not differ significantly in terms of using integrating, obliging and compromising styles, females were more inclined to avoid conflicts and males tended to be more dominating. Managerial implications of this study are addressed in this study.
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A Content Analysis of the Mission Statements of United States Firms in Four Industries
Joseph Peyrefitte, Forest R. David |
296 |
A Content Analysis of the Mission Statements of United States Firms in Four Industries
Joseph Peyrefitte
University of Southern Mississippi
Forest R. David
Francis Marion University
This study analyzes the mission statements of 57 large U.S. firms for their inclusion of nine components identified in the strategic management literature. We propose that although mission statements provide motivation and direction and are an important way for firms to communicate their corporate identity to stakeholders, firms may be subject to institutional pressures that influence what mission statements contain. We found similar use of mission components across and within four industry environments suggesting that firms respond to stakeholders in similar ways, creating unique industry profiles of mission statements.
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Determinants of the Adjustment of Expatriate Managers to Foreign Countries: An Empirical Study
Hung-Wen Lee, Ching-Hsiang Liu |
302 |
Determinants of the Adjustment of Expatriate Managers to Foreign Countries: An Empirical Study
Lee, Hung-Wen
National Chia-Yi University, Taiwan
Liu, Ching-Hsiang
National Formosa University, Taiwan
A proposed model of expatriate adjustment to international assignments was developed. Results from a study of 53 Taiwanese banking expatriates in the United States support the model. The results highlight the important role of job satisfaction in expatriate adjustment. They extend previous findings by demonstrating that expatriates who are satisfied with their job in the host country are likely to adjust more effectively cross-culturally, that job satisfaction is a strong predictor of cross-cultural adjustment. They also point to the important role of organization socialization. This study found that organizational socialization in the host country was also an important predictor of cross-cultural adjustment. The results showed that adjustment was enhanced with greater job satisfaction and better socialization in the host country on the part of expatriate managers.
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Modeling Customer Preferences: An Empirical Study of the Automobile Market in Brazil
Luiz Paulo Lopes Favero, Claudio Felisoni De Angelo, Anthony J. Kos,
Rangamohan V. Eunni |
312 |
Modeling Customer Preferences: An Empirical Study of the Automobile Market in Brazil
Luiz Paulo Lopes Favero
Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil
Claudio Felisoni De Angelo
Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil
Anthony J. Kos
Youngstown State University
Rangamohan V. Eunni
Youngstown State University
In this study, we applied a semi-logarithmic hedonic price model to a sample from the automobile market in Brazil in order to ascertain the most important attributes from the viewpoint of customers and assess their relative contribution to customer purchase decisions We analyzed a number of standard and optional features of the vehicles such as airbags, metallic paint, automatic windows and locks, and air conditioning, and inferred which attributes consumers value the most in terms of comfort, status, speed, and safety. Based on this analysis, we conclude that an understanding of consumer behavior relative to the attributes of goods, such as automobiles, could enhance the management of the industry value chain.
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The Construction of a Model and Scale for Assessing Technology Resources
Yiche Chen, Yan-Ru Li |
321 |
The Construction of a Model and Scale for Assessing Technology Resources
Yiche Chen
Yuan-Ze University, Taiwan
Yan-Ru Li
Yuan-Ze University, Taiwan
The resource-based perspective (RBP) has been seen as one of the key theories in contemporary strategy management, yet the academic efforts addressing issues of resource accumulation and its relation to a venture process are still under-theorized. Some bottlenecks of RBP indeed exist and have increasingly caught academics’ attention. Moreover, no suitable models are able to examine the endogenous creation of resources within a new enterprise. The lack of an appropriate unit of analysis for resource accumulation, its hardness of testing, and the difficulty in measurement are all looked at as being on the unsettled agenda. To respond to this, we establish a concept of a four-stage model to express the earlier stages of the technology venture process, including: intellectual property stage, seed money stage, start-up stage, and pre-growth stage. We then incorporate four dimensions of resources into the model to be measured: human resource, technology, market, and finances. The scale of resources in this research is based on the concept of “strategic” resources, which we recognize as the sources of success for a venture. There are basically four characteristics for measuring strategic resources: valuable, rare, hard to copy, and non-substitutable. This paper’s intent is to extend the boundaries of RBP theories with technology venture theories. Furthermore, from knowing its necessary “strategic” resource, we can apply this scale as a diagnostic tool when we try to figure out the successful possibilities of the new ventures.
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The Development and Testing of a Model to Explain Request Strategies in Purchasing Decision-Making
Che-Jen Su |
335 |
The Development and Testing of a Model to Explain Request Strategies in Purchasing Decision-Making
Che-Jen Su
Fu-Jen Catholic University, Taiwan
This article identifies and integrates constructs derived from the relevant literature into a framework and investigates the relative effects on the constructs of request strategies. It empirically analyzes how request strategies impact on targets in buying centers. A field survey of 208 purchase decisions collected in Taiwan suggests that a request strategy is effective in winning a target’s compliance. Target characteristics affect the choice of request strategies as strongly as source characteristics. However, the relative ability of requests to cause manifest influence is even more significant than that of target’s dependence on the source. Overall, the results of this study appear consistent with behavioral theories and research. Conclusions, limitations and future research directions are discussed.
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Task Characteristics as a Moderator of the Relationship between Human Resource Management Control and Product Innovation
Yao-Sheng Liao |
348 |
Task Characteristics as a Moderator of the Relationship between Human Resource Management Control and Product Innovation
Yao-Sheng Liao
National Pingtung Institute of Commerce, Taiwan
This study examined the effect of task characteristics on the relationship between human resource management (HRM) control and product innovation. Results from a survey of 209 firms support a contingency approach to innovation. When task analyzability is high, output or behavior control enhances innovation; in contrast, input control results in the opposite. These findings suggest that when number of exceptions is high, input control is the appropriate HRM approach to facilitate innovation.
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The Application of the Value Added Intellectual Coefficient to Measure Corporate Performance: Evidence from Technological Firms
Huei-Jen Shiu |
356 |
The Application of the Value Added Intellectual Coefficient to Measure Corporate Performance: Evidence from Technological Firms
Huei-Jen Shiu
National Changhua University, Taiwan
This research applies a new accounting tool for measuring the ‘value creation’ efficiency of a company, the Value Added Intellectual Coefficient (VAIC TM) of Pulic (1998). It also examines its correlation with corporate performance, based on the 2003 annual report from 80 Taiwan listed technologies firms. After modifying the model, applications show that the index of VAIC had a significantly positive correlation with profitability (ROA) and market valuation (MB), and a negative correlation with productivity (ATO), three aspects of a firm’s performance. The findings suggest that technological industry in Taiwan is capable of transforming intangible assets such as intellectual capital to high value added products or services, as claimed by Pulic (2004). Tests of VAIC and measures of corporate performance suggest that there are certain represented the time lag relationships between the two.
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The Attitudes of University Students to Classical Music Concerts: A Study in Consumer Behaviour
Chun-Fu Chen, Hsin-Yun Hu |
366 |
The Attitudes of University Students to Classical Music Concerts: A Study in Consumer Behaviour
Chun-Fu Chen
Nanya Institute of Technology, Taiwan
Hsin-Yun Hu
Yuan Ze University, Taiwan
The main purpose of this research is to acquire an understanding of consumer behaviour regarding classical music, through a consumer investigation study. The main objective is to examine why university students in Taipei, Taiwan, appreciate classical music concerts. How the different sub-cultures influence consumer behaviour is the main factor discussed within this research. Methods employed in this study include data collection, literature review, and questionnaire analysis. Firstly, we try to understand how consumers enjoy classical music concerts. Secondly, we study the relationship between the consumers’ sub-cultures and their attendance. Thirdly, we analyze the main factors which influence university students to appreciate classical music concerts. Finally, we conclude that the sub-culture, gender and age of consumers, influences consumer behaviour and appreciation of classical music concerts.
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The Application of Support Vector Machines to Forecast Tourist Arrivals in Barbados: An Empirical Study
Ping-Feng Pai, Wei-Chiang Hong, Ping-Teng Chang, Chen-Tung Chen |
375 |
The Application of Support Vector Machines to Forecast Tourist Arrivals in Barbados: An Empirical Study
Ping-Feng Pai
National Chi-Nan University, Taiwan
Wei-Chiang Hong
Da-Yeh University, Taiwan
Ping-Teng Chang
Tunghai University, Taiwan
Chen-Tung Chen
Da-Yeh University, Taiwan
Accurate tourist demand forecasting systems are essential in tourism planning, particularly in tourism-based countries. Artificial neural networks are attracting attention to forecast tourist arrivals due to their general nonlinear mapping capabilities. Unlike most conventional neural network models, which are based on the empirical risk minimization principle, support vector machines (SVMs) apply the structural risk minimization principle to minimize an upper bound of the generalization error, rather than minimizing the training error. This investigation presents an SVM model with genetic algorithms to forecast the tourist arrivals. Genetic algorithms (GAs) are used to determine free parameters in the SVM model. Empirical results that involve tourist arrival data for Barbados reveal that the proposed model outperforms other approaches in the literature.
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The Development of Indices to Measure Environmental Pollution: A Managerial Perspective
S. L. Kuo, W. T. Lin, K. S. Chen |
386 |
The Development of Indices to Measure Environmental Pollution: A Managerial Perspective
S. L. Kuo
National Chin-Yi Institute of Technology, Taiwan
W. T. Lin
National Chin-Yi Institute of Technology, Taiwan
K. S. Chen
National Chin-Yi Institute of Technology, Taiwan
Instrument error and instrument precision in analysis of the environment were examined. The PH value of pollution effluence in the control of wastewater is used to assess the quality of instruments in environmental analysis. In this paper, two dimensionless indices, the index of accuracy (Ed) and the index of precision (Ep), were developed, to examine PH values in environmental analysis. Then, another new index, the effective index of environmental analysis (EQ), was developed to assess instrument quality in the analysis of environmental pollution. In addition, the quality of environmental analysis was evaluated by the ratio of correct analysis (p%), p%=2F(3EQ)-1. A result of EQ ≥ 1.00 in environmental analysis indicates a ratio of correct analyses, p%, larger than or equal to 99.73 %. A ‘quality environmental analysis’ is indicated if p%≥2F(3EQ)-1. Finally, we propose a procedure for the analysis of PH values to judge whether actual instrument quality meets the required quality. An example of the analysis of PH values supports the procedure developed in this paper.
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