Entrepreneurial brand building is an area of study in its infancy. The nature of entrepreneurship which typically implies serious limitations on the availability of resources…
Abstract
Entrepreneurial brand building is an area of study in its infancy. The nature of entrepreneurship which typically implies serious limitations on the availability of resources suggests that entrepreneurs need to take an unconventional approach to brand building. This article provides an analysis of how one entrepreneurial manufacturing concern in the UK, Dyson Appliances, successfully built a strong brand of vacuum cleaners during the 1990s. In particular it considers the importance of brand image and the role of product attributes and the development of the brand’s personality in creating this. It argues that a key aspect of a brand’s personality is its values and therefore one of the tasks of brand builders is to find a way of imbuing the brand with these values. One of the richest sources of society’s values is mythology, which emphasizes especially the values of its heroes. A brand can be imbued with these values through association with mythology. This was the approach adopted by Dyson Appliances as it built its vacuum cleaners into a leading national brand.
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Entrepreneurial businesses are, by definition, different from large corporations. Thus, although the objectives of marketing communications of both types of firm are the same the…
Abstract
Entrepreneurial businesses are, by definition, different from large corporations. Thus, although the objectives of marketing communications of both types of firm are the same the ways in which each carries them out is different, and, whereas the nature of corporate marketing communications is well researched and understood, the nature of entrepreneurial marketing communications is largely unresearched. Entrepreneurs are restricted in their use of a wide range of marketing media favoured by larger organisations as a result of resource constraints. Thus, according to Stokes', entrepreneurs favour word‐of‐mouth marketing communication because it costs nothing. However, they could avail of other media. This article analyses the ways in which the entrepreneur, James Dyson, harnessed independent press publicity to create sales of his innovative new vacuum cleaner in the years from 1993 to1998. In particular it considers the content and linguistic style of the newspaper reports and how they influenced people's buying behaviour. The study was undertaken using a contemporary historical research methodology.
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Manuela Koch-Rogge, Georg Westermann, Chris Wilbert and Rob Willis
We outline the standards for “good” performance measures and propose the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) as a method for performance measurement on individual level.
Abstract
Purpose
We outline the standards for “good” performance measures and propose the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) as a method for performance measurement on individual level.
Methodology/approach
Using the example of a German cooperative bank with a cohort of 40 employees, we apply a multi-stage DEA approach to measure employee performance and report on the results. Based on those results a DEA-based approach for a strategic performance appraisal process is introduced.
Findings
We illustrate that DEA provides clear feedback information on an individual level, which enables management to accurately identify fields of specific improvement.
Research implications
The proposed approach for a strategic performance appraisal process is yet of theoretical nature. Consequently, the practical implementation of this approach is a purpose of further research.
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Jeremy K. Coggins and Steve Donohoe
The purpose of this paper is to analyse the development of English Law and the Law in New South Wales, Australia in statutory adjudication concerning judicial review of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyse the development of English Law and the Law in New South Wales, Australia in statutory adjudication concerning judicial review of adjudicators' errors in law.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper adopts a black‐letter law approach focussing on recent decisions and their effect on statutory adjudication.
Findings
Following the commencement of statutory adjudication in the UK, the English courts swiftly supported the new “pay now, argue later”, rapid form of dispute resolution by holding adjudication to be a private dispute resolution process akin to expert valuation. As such, the English courts have consistently held that adjudicators operate within their jurisdiction even though they may err on points of law, as long as such errors were committed in the course of attempting to answer a question they were contractually authorised to consider. The courts' position in New South Wales (NSW), however, has differed considerably. In NSW, the first Australian State to introduce statutory adjudication, the courts' position with respect to errors of law on the face of the record made by an adjudicator, who had jurisdiction to enter on the inquiry, in the course of making their determination has been somewhat tortuous. Contrary to the initial position following commencement of statutory adjudication, the paper concludes that it may now be more difficult to enforce an adjudicator's determination which contains an error of law in England than in NSW.
Originality/value
This paper compares the development of adjudication law in England with that of one state in Australia. The different directions that the law has taken in these jurisdictions will be of interest to academic and practitioners not only in England and Australia but to other jurisdictions where statutory adjudication has been introduced or where legislation is being considered. To the authors knowledge no previous study of this kind has been carried out previously.
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Matthias Nnadi, Kamil Omoteso and Yi Yu
This paper provides evidence on the impact of regulatory environment on financial reporting quality of transitional economies. This study compares the financial reporting quality…
Abstract
This paper provides evidence on the impact of regulatory environment on financial reporting quality of transitional economies. This study compares the financial reporting quality of Hong Kong firms which are cross-listed in mainland China with those of Hong Kong firms cross-listed in China using specific earnings management metrics (earnings smoothing, timely loss recognition, value relevance and managing towards earnings targets) under pre- and post-IFRS regimes.
The financial reporting quality of Chinese A-share companies and Hong Kong listed companies are examined using earnings management measures. Using 2007 as base year, the study used a cumulative of −5 and +5 years of convergence experience which provide a total of 3,000 firm-year observations. In addition to regression analyses, we used the difference-in-difference analysis to check for the impact of regulatory environments on earnings management.
Through the lens of contingency theory, our results indicate that the adoption of the new substantially IFRS-convergent accounting standards in China results in better financial reporting quality evidenced by less earning management. The empirical results further shows that accounting data are more value relevant for Hong Kong listed firms, and that firms listed in China are more likely to engage in accrual-based earnings management than in real earnings management activities. We established that different earnings management practices that are seemingly tolerable in one country may not be tolerable in another due to level of differences in the regulatory environments.
The findings show that Hong Kong listed companies’ exhibit higher level of financial reporting quality than Chinese listed companies, which implies that the financial reporting quality under IFRS can be significantly different in regions with different institutional, economic and regulatory environments. The results imply that contingent factors such as country’s institutional structures, its extent of regulation and the strength of its investor protection environments impact on financial reporting quality particularly in transitional and emerging economies. As such, these factors need to be given appropriate considerations by financial reporting regulators and policy-makers interested in controlling earnings management practices among their corporations.
This study is a high impact study considering that China plays a significant role in today’s globalised economy. This study is unique as it the first, that we are aware of, to compare real earnings activities against accrual-based earnings management in pre- and post-IFRS adoption periods within the Chinese and Hong Kong financial reporting environments, distinguishing between cross-listed and non-cross-listed firms.
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Grace Oakley and Umera Imtinan
In this chapter, we discuss initiatives that aim to improve children’s literacy in low- and middle-income (LMI) countries through m-learning. These projects, predominantly…
Abstract
In this chapter, we discuss initiatives that aim to improve children’s literacy in low- and middle-income (LMI) countries through m-learning. These projects, predominantly introduced by governments and international aid organisations, often involve the provision of e-books and apps including game-based apps, to be used either inside or outside school. In some cases, lesson plans and content for teachers in poorly resourced schools are also delivered via mobile devices. After a general overview, we briefly describe a selection of projects with reference to m-learning and literacy theory and research. It is indicated in this chapter that the use of mobile devices to improve literacy opportunities for children in LMI countries has a great deal of potential but that, in many cases, there are limitations in pedagogical design and implementation practices, not to mention restricted views of what literacy is and might be for children in these locations.
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Provides an overview of accounting reform in China since 1993, illustrates the structure of the current (juridicial‐based) accounting system and lists the accounting standards…
Abstract
Provides an overview of accounting reform in China since 1993, illustrates the structure of the current (juridicial‐based) accounting system and lists the accounting standards being developed. Contrasts historical Chinese accounting methods with current attempts at international harmonization and identifies some remaining peculiarities, e.g. the dominance of the state, limited application of the prudence principle etc. Criticizes the lack of coherance in accounting regulation and the failure of accounting practice to comply with accounting standards and auditing requirements.
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In this article, an analytical framework that can be used by educational administrators to evaluate and modify policy development in curriculum innovation is presented. The…
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In this article, an analytical framework that can be used by educational administrators to evaluate and modify policy development in curriculum innovation is presented. The framework is applicable to curriculum innovation of varying types and magnitudes, being relevant both to small‐scale innovation at individual schools and tertiary institutions as well as to large‐scale innovation emanating from centralised educational bureaucracies. Three criteria guided the generation of the analytical framework. Firstly, the framework must be sufficiently comprehensive to permit analysis of all the major components in policy development. Secondly, it should be systematic and enable orderly examination of issues and behaviour. Thirdly, it should facilitate objectivity in analysis. In producing the framework, a considerable volume of literature in areas such as administration, politics, decision‐making and policy‐making, educational planning and educational change was scrutinised. On the basis of this literature review, broad and generalised questions were generated so that diverse manifestations of policy development in curriculum innovation can be analysed. The framework derived relates to the four major interacting variables found to be operative in policy development in curriculum innovation, namely, the participants, the decision‐making and policy‐making processes, the innovation and the environment. It is also designed to allow examination of the interaction of the variables.
Robert D. Hisrich and Janos Vecsenyi
To start a new venture is indeed a risky and costly undertaking. The odds are against successfully creating something new whether it be a new system, a new product, a new…
Abstract
To start a new venture is indeed a risky and costly undertaking. The odds are against successfully creating something new whether it be a new system, a new product, a new organisational structure, or an entirely new company. The probability for success in new venture creation can be significantly increased and the corresponding risks of failure reduced when the information on the intentions, actions, and potential reactions of the environment are systematically considered in each strategic decision.