John Killingsworth, Mohammed Hashem Mehany and Jeff Kim
The apparent lag between macro-economic behavior and financial implications in the construction industry is yet to be examined. The purpose of this paper is to understand the…
Abstract
Purpose
The apparent lag between macro-economic behavior and financial implications in the construction industry is yet to be examined. The purpose of this paper is to understand the nature of the lag and the relationship between economic changes from year-to-year and the impact on the financial status of construction companies.
Design/methodology/approach
Correlation was made between US economic growth and construction industry financial indicators over a 28-year period. Cumulative per cent growth in US GDP was considered an independent variable, while nine financial ratios were calculated and considered dependent variables in this study.
Findings
The results of this study found that correlation improved when considering lag of two, three or sometimes four years after the economic event. Some financial ratios proved more sensitive than others, supporting the hypothesis of this study.
Research limitations/implications
The practical application of this study for construction companies is to understand how the construction industry lag impacts financial behavior. It therefore informs managerial decisions related to solvency, liquidity, equity structure and managerial practices; all of which are measured by financial ratios.
Practical implications
This study was intended to advance the research in this area and also to serve to strengthen industry members in their financial management of construction companies. Economic dynamics have long-lasting implications, which can be addressed through an increased focus on managing financial health.
Originality/value
Though the lag is intuitively known and has been studied from market perspectives, there is a lack of empirical study evaluating the impact of lag on financial key performance indicators.
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Tracy Noga and Tim Rupert
Both accounting professionals and accounting academics have noted the importance of communication skills for the career success of students. Further, the general consensus from…
Abstract
Both accounting professionals and accounting academics have noted the importance of communication skills for the career success of students. Further, the general consensus from the academic and practitioner literature is that these communication skills are an area in which many students could use improvement. One factor that has been shown to impact the improvement and development of these skills is communication apprehension.
In this chapter, we describe a combination of pedagogical methods we employed in tax classes at two universities to reduce written communication apprehension among students. More specifically, we draw ideas from communications research which suggest that increased writing opportunities, progressively increasing the weighting of the assignments, using models and examples for study and comparison, and trying to make feedback more effective may help to reduce written communication apprehension. We implemented this suggested approach by using a series of assignments that incorporated writing components.
Results suggest that writing apprehension reduced from the beginning of the semester to the end of the semester. Further, the reduction in writing apprehension was even greater for those students who began the semester with high written communication apprehension. In addition, the results of the survey questions at the end of the semester suggest that the methods also improved students’ confidence in preparing tax-related written communication.
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Thomas Willett, Eric M.P. Chiu, Sirathorn (B.J.) Dechsakulthorn, Ramya Ghosh, Bernard Kibesse, Kenneth Kim, Jeff (Yongbok) Kim and Alice Ouyang
There has been significant interest in the classification of exchange rate regimes in order to investigate a wide range of hypotheses. Studies of the effects of exchange rate…
Abstract
Purpose
There has been significant interest in the classification of exchange rate regimes in order to investigate a wide range of hypotheses. Studies of the effects of exchange rate regimes on crises and other aspects of economic performance can have important implications for policy choices. The paper provides a guide to the major new large data sets that classify exchange rate regimes and to critically analyze important methodological issues.
Design/methodology/approach
The study surveys and critiques the literature and provides theoretical analysis of major issues involved in classifying exchange rate regimes.
Findings
The study finds that all of the new data sets have problems but some have more problems than others and several of them are substantial improvements on what was previously available. It is also shown that the best ways to classify depend on the issue being addressed and that for detailed studies variants of measures using the concept of exchange market pressure are the most promising. Directions for future research are also discussed.
Originality/value
The paper makes researchers aware of the new data sets that are available and discusses their strengths and weaknesses. It also presents original analysis of several of the major conceptual issues involved in classifying exchange rate regimes.
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Humberto A. Brea-Solís and Emili Grifell-Tatjé
The purpose of this paper is to understand how a major retailer like Kmart lost its dominant position in the American retail industry.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to understand how a major retailer like Kmart lost its dominant position in the American retail industry.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper contains a decomposition of profit change into meaningful economic drivers using a methodology that combines frontier analysis with index number theory. The empirical analysis is complemented with a description of Kmart’s business model produced from corporate documents and other sources.
Findings
A quantification of Kmart’s business model performance expressed in monetary terms. This assessment is presented by CEO tenures showing the contribution of different economic drivers to the evolution of profits.
Practical implications
The study’s empirical results highlight the importance of the correct implementation of all aspects of the business model in order to achieve success.
Originality/value
This paper presents a new empirical framework to assess business model performance. Despite Kmart’s important role in American discount retailing history there have been very few studies that have analyzed its downfall. This paper contributes by filling that gap.
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Dae-seok Kang, Jeff Gold, Jeongeun Kim and Ilsoo Kim
The purpose of this paper is to examine the instrumental use of social capital regarding career growth within an organization, focusing on the mediating role of perceived…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the instrumental use of social capital regarding career growth within an organization, focusing on the mediating role of perceived competence mobilization and the moderating role of two situational variables: perceived external prestige and job insecurity climate.
Design/methodology/approach
Relationships among the constructs are predicted based on relevant literature, and are tested using survey results from 324 employees working in 14 leading corporations in Korea.
Findings
Results show that social capital positively influenced, via perceived competence mobilization, each of two career growth dimensions (i.e. the personal efforts to develop a career and the experience of being rewarded by the organization). In contrast, moderated path analysis indicated that perceptions of external prestige and job insecurity climate failed to moderate the indirect effect of social capital on career growth.
Practical implications
In light of the instrumental use of social capital and the ensuring mechanism of competence mobilization, a detailed understanding of this effect on career growth cannot only neutralize the fears of brain drain, but is also helpful in providing possibilities for building new career development strategies.
Originality/value
Although social capital has become an influential concept in social sciences, little evidence has been presented on the above relationship, particularly from the perspective of careerist orientation. This may be the first research examining how and when the influence of social capital becomes instrumental with respect to career attainment within an organization.
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Hyounae (Kelly) Min and Jeff Joireman
The purpose of this study is to examine how customer race (Black vs White) influences the extent to which customers attribute an ambiguous service failure (i.e. subtle degradation…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine how customer race (Black vs White) influences the extent to which customers attribute an ambiguous service failure (i.e. subtle degradation of service) to discrimination and how perceived discrimination relates to customer anger and on-site coping behaviors (vindictive complaining, problem-solving complaining and avoidance). This study further investigated how customer race affects the strength of relationships among perceived discrimination, anger and these three coping behaviors.
Design/methodology/approach
This study used a video-based simulation in which participants watched a subtle service failure from the customer’s viewpoint before completing a survey. A total of 421 participants – 210 Blacks and 211 Whites – were recruited through Qualtrics. Multigroup structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis was used to test hypotheses.
Findings
Compared with White customers, Black customers were more likely to attribute a service failure to discrimination and exhibited a stronger relationship between perceived discrimination and anger. In addition, increasing anger in White customers tended to lead to more active coping strategies (i.e. vindictive complaining, problem-solving complaining). For Black customers, increasing anger tended to lead to vindictive complaining at a similar level to White customers. However, the impact of anger on problem-solving complaining – known to be a more beneficial coping strategy – was stronger among White customers than among Black customers.
Practical implications
This study advances hospitality practitioners’ understanding of how customers respond on-site to a service failure that can be interpreted as discrimination. The varying effects of race on customer-coping behavior are also identified. In addition, this study offers practical advice to develop organizational strategies to dissuade customers from attributing service failure to discrimination and to respond effectively to customer-coping behaviors.
Originality/value
Complementing and extending past research documenting the prevalence and causes of racial discrimination in service settings, the present study advances prior work by developing and testing a comprehensive structural model linking race with coping responses via perceived discrimination and anger, and by exploring how race affects the strength of relationships among perceived discrimination, anger and coping strategies.