Jean B. Hopson and Jimmy T. Yeung
Small, specialized libraries are often unable to provide reference assistance at all hours the library is open. A means was sought to give MBA students guidance in locating…
Abstract
Small, specialized libraries are often unable to provide reference assistance at all hours the library is open. A means was sought to give MBA students guidance in locating standard kinds of management information at hours when librarians are not on duty. For this purpose, a self‐help program was written and installed on an IBM PC which allows users to access frequently‐used sources of information. The program is both a menu‐driven text generator and a database file written first in dBase II, later converted to dBase III+. The program provides the user a hierarchical series of menus from which options are selected to identify sources of specific information of a corporate nature, materials on reserve for class preparation, and items useful for career development. General information regarding the library is also included and serial holdings are now being added.
Kuok Kei Law, Matthew C-H Yeung and Jimmy H-T Chan
This paper aims to examine the effect of short-term performance fluctuations on long-term performance of football clubs.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine the effect of short-term performance fluctuations on long-term performance of football clubs.
Design/methodology/approach
This study did not develop any hypothesis for statistical testing. Instead, a database composing of 24 seasons of English Premier Club clubs’ performance was used to analyse for temporal fluctuations of club performance and examined whether such fluctuations would be substantiated in the long run.
Findings
Findings showed that club performance exhibited a non-unit root nature, which in turn suggested that clubs’ long-term performance was only temporally affected by short-term performance fluctuations, leading to the evidence that club performance tended to return to the club’s long-run equilibrium after experiencing temporary high or low positions.
Originality/value
Findings of this paper provide important information regarding the cost-benefit implications of the reactions of the club management to boost or rectify short-term performance fluctuations by, for example, replacing the club manager or head coach.
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Jimmy H.T. Chan, Anthony C.K. Ko, Alan K.M. Au and Matthew C.H. Yeung
The understanding of leaders’ network centrality in social networks has been acknowledged as a major topic that can advance the social network field; most studies in this area…
Abstract
Purpose
The understanding of leaders’ network centrality in social networks has been acknowledged as a major topic that can advance the social network field; most studies in this area have either taken firms as the subject by which the network centrality of firms was measured or/and have been conducted for the functional project context. Very little research has been done in the pure project context. This paper aims to revisit the centrality–performance link in the singular specialized project context.
Design/methodology/approach
The proposed relationships using panel data on 48 movie directors who lead pure projects has been studied. Freeman’s (1979) and Wasserman and Faust’s (1994) procedures have been adopted to compute our three centrality measures and their effects have been examined on box-office and artistic performance. A random effect and a mixed-effects Poisson model have been fit to examine the significance of the centrality–performance relationship.
Findings
The findings provide empirical evidence to support three out of the six hypotheses. The findings suggested that degree and closeness centrality are positively related to commercial performance and betweenness centrality is negatively related to commercial performance. However, it was found that only the degree centrality is related to artistic performance.
Originality/value
This study has two features that distinguish it from prior studies that link centrality to performance. First, the focus is on centrality attached to the leaders instead of the centrality attached to functional project teams or firms, as previously investigated. Second, this study is the first attempt of its kind to analyse the proposed relationship for an Asian market.
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The purpose of this paper is to aim at assessing the impacts of the embedded nature of ethnic Chinese businesses on the management of business failure in China ventures.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to aim at assessing the impacts of the embedded nature of ethnic Chinese businesses on the management of business failure in China ventures.
Design/methodology/approach
Upon reviewing the key literature on ethnic Chinese transnational business ventures and, in particular, the concept of embeddedness, the paper proceeds with a description of the data based on ethnographic research among ethnic Chinese entrepreneurs in both Singapore and Malaysia and a brief portrayal of the development of their investments in China since the 1980s. In subsequent sections the empirical findings are first presented and then analyzed. The conclusions reflect on the changing nature of the embeddedness of the ethnic Chinese in diverse but shared legacies.
Findings
The experience of business failure in China contributes to a reorientation among the ethnic Chinese towards both their national communities and each other – and finally affects their transnational business strategies. This process of re‐embedding identity is intertwined with the diverging ethnic politics of the Singaporean and Malaysian nation states and results in the redefinition of a shared identity.
Originality/value
While the literature on the ethnic Chinese business community is focusing on those factors that are conducive to business operations, little attention has been paid to the manners in which business failure is dealt with. In this paper, business failure will be investigated in terms of the impact emanating from the embeddedness of ethnic Chinese businesses in complex economic, social‐cultural, and political configurations.
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Guanxi has been a popular research topic but commentators do not have consensus on its ethical and positioning aspects. Attempts to tackle these two aspects and the problem of…
Abstract
Guanxi has been a popular research topic but commentators do not have consensus on its ethical and positioning aspects. Attempts to tackle these two aspects and the problem of guanxi and favor according to a survey in a Sino‐Hong Kong business negotiation environment. Respondents perceived that there are four dimensions within the guanxi concept, i.e. opportunism, dynamism, business interaction, and protectionism. According to these four dimensions, they can be segmented into three clusters, i.e. the preserver, the wiser, and the braver. Different clusters have different psychological approaches to Sino‐foreign negotiation but there is no difference in their perceptions towards the relationship between guanxi and favor. Concludes that guanxi is basically ethical and it can be used as a positioning strategy in China. However, there is some evidence to suggest that guanxi and favor are sensitive and situation‐specific, but further research is needed to confirm these claims.
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This study aims at providing exploratory insights into the initiative and capabilities of Chinese SMEs to develop and utilize diverse networks to support internationalization…
Abstract
This study aims at providing exploratory insights into the initiative and capabilities of Chinese SMEs to develop and utilize diverse networks to support internationalization. Such network development and utilization efforts are fundamental to the analysis and explanation of Chinese firms’ internationalization patterns and outcomes. Extending from the existing network studies in the Chinese context that generally put emphasis on strong‐tie and ethnic‐oriented networks, this paper investigates and explains explicitly the use and effects of both strong‐ and weak‐tie networks in the international development of Chinese SMEs. Indepth case studies on four rapidly internationalized Chinese SMEs are conducted. The case findings demonstrate that weak‐tie networks are essential to the firms’ business development in foreign markets; and were proactively developed and utilized in the course of the firms’ development. The cases also provide alternative perspectives to the beliefs and values underpinning strong‐tie networks presumed in existing literature. The findings draw attention to the changing business values and approaches of the Chinese firms aiming at developing internationally. Managerial implications concerning the significant influence of effective networking on internationalization are pinpointed.
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Theja Kuruppu Arachchi, Laurianne Sitbon, Jinglan Zhang, Stewart Koplick, Maria Hoogstrate and Margot Brereton
This study explored the current and desired use of web-search, particularly for health information, by adults with intellectual disability.
Abstract
Purpose
This study explored the current and desired use of web-search, particularly for health information, by adults with intellectual disability.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors surveyed 39 participants who were in supported employment or attending day centers in Australia. The survey, delivered through structured interviews, increased participation with data in a form of the participants' narratives. The responses were analyzed through a form of thematic analysis.
Findings
This study's results present the participants' daily health information interests, approaches to finding information and expectations for self-sufficiency. Participants' interest was in information to stay healthy rather than purely clinical information. The participants were keen to use online information in, accessible as well as entertaining and engaging formats. Supporting others close to the participants was the prominent intention of participants' health information access. Participants showed aspirations for an autonomous life by wanting to learn how to search.
Research limitations/implications
The findings of this study provide some avenues for consumer health information access to be respectful and inclusive of users with intellectual disability, both from an accessible design perspective as well as from a learning and support standpoint.
Originality/value
This study complements other human–computer interaction (HCI) studies which observe how adults with intellectual disability can be supported to engage with web search; this study offers the adults' verbalized perspectives on how adults wish to interact with web searching for health information, nuanced by adults' existing abilities and support needs.
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Jean Boisvert and Nicholas J. Ashill
Grounded in categorization theory, this study examines the impact of luxury parent brand status signaling on brand extension authenticity and consumer attitudes in two…
Abstract
Purpose
Grounded in categorization theory, this study examines the impact of luxury parent brand status signaling on brand extension authenticity and consumer attitudes in two international luxury markets.
Design/methodology/approach
Using samples of luxury consumers from France and the United States, the study's hypotheses are tested using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), structural equation modelling (SEM) and multi-groups comparisons.
Findings
Findings demonstrate that luxury parent brand (PB) status signaling, familiarity and perceived quality impact luxury extension authenticity, and authenticity has a significant effect on consumer attitudes toward the extension. The relationship between PB status signaling and extension authenticity is stronger for French consumers compared to their American counterparts. The effect of luxury PB perceived quality and familiarity on PB status signaling is similar for both American and French consumers. However, the effect of PB familiarity on luxury brand extension authenticity is stronger in France than the United States.
Research limitations/implications
Results provide researchers and managers with insights on how to design marketing programs for luxury line extensions in a cross-national context.
Originality/value
The authors contribute to existing literature examining factors related to the parent brand and the relationship between the parent brand and the extension by examining the effect of PB status signaling and extension authenticity on extension attitudes in two international luxury markets.
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Julien Cayla and Giana M. Eckhardt
This study aims to analyze Asian branding strategies at the regional level, and provide a map of opportunities and challenges for Asian regional branding.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to analyze Asian branding strategies at the regional level, and provide a map of opportunities and challenges for Asian regional branding.
Design/methodology/approach
The study takes, a multi‐sited interpretive approach and interview 22 brand managers throughout the Asian region. The length of interviews was approximately 1.5 hours/respondent. In‐depth case studies of two prominent pan‐Asian brands, Tiger Beer and Zuji, were also conducted. An interpretive analysis to this data set was applied and five themes were developed.
Findings
The two major challenges for regional Asian branding are negative country of origin perceptions and regional positioning being inherently fragile. Despite these key challenges, our respondents saw clear opportunities for regional branding initiatives. Brands can achieve a regional positioning by focusing on Asian modernity rather than on common cultural heritage. They can also capitalize on newfound Asian pride and confidence, and finally they can use a Western stamp of approval to signal to Asians the viability of the brand.
Originality/value
The paper extends previous work on the globalization of marketing activities by advancing the region as an important unit of analysis. It helps understand the development of brands in a part of the world that is becoming more important at the economic and political level. The study shows how marketers are shaping culture in the Asian context. Finally, the paper contributes a better understanding of the opportunities and challenges associated with a regional positioning and the development of regional branding strategies.
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Melissa J. Markley and Lenita Davis
The paper's purpose is to outline the potential competitive advantage firms can create through the creation of a sustainable supply chain, and to describe potential measures for…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper's purpose is to outline the potential competitive advantage firms can create through the creation of a sustainable supply chain, and to describe potential measures for managers to use.
Design/methodology/approach
Arguing that firms can increase their competitive advantage as a result of a stronger triple bottom line, propositions are created from a natural‐resource‐based view of the firm perspective that is supported using accounting theory, management strategy, green logistics and supply chain literatures. Secondary data resources that could be used for testing by managers and academicians are identified.
Findings
The paper finds that, as sources of competitive advantage for firm become scarcer, potential new areas of advantage must be explored.
Practical implications
This research will serve to help managers in the exploration of these possible outlets.
Originality/value
This paper is the first to explore the impact of a sustainable supply chain on the triple‐bottom line of a firm. Not only does this fill a necessary gap, it also serves to bring together the supply chain, sustainability and triple‐bottom‐line literatures to create a potential advantage for future organizations.