Khee Giap Tan, Kong Yam Tan and Kang Chen
The paper is a pioneering attempt to study the relative competitiveness of Association of South East Asian Nations – ASEAN‐10, 31 provinces of mainland China and 35 states of…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper is a pioneering attempt to study the relative competitiveness of Association of South East Asian Nations – ASEAN‐10, 31 provinces of mainland China and 35 states of India by disaggregate approach vis‐à‐vis ranking and simulation studies.
Design/methodology/approach
The proposed methodology is based on the standard ranking adopted by the World Competitive Yearbook but redefines a relevant set of data matrix consisting of 101 indicators to better reflect local conditions and characteristics of local economies. Under the proposed methodological approach, the basis of ranking is the standardized value (STD), and first the 31 economies' average for each indicator were computed following which the standard deviation was calculated. STD was computed by subtracting the 31 economies' average from an economy's original value and then dividing the result by the standard deviation.
Findings
The empirical findings revealed the specific shifts in relative competitiveness between China and India over decades and over four different environments, namely economics, government‐institutions, business social categories. It was found that competitive provinces for China are concentrated along the eastern coastal region, whereas more competitive states of India are well distributed across the Indian continent. This implies that the Chinese government needs to play a more pro‐active role in drawing foreign direct investment to less developed western, central and north eastern China by way of infrastructure development, tax incentives and investment in education in those regions. Studies further revealed that Vietnam is a rapid rising economy drawing closer towards Thailand while Indonesia and Philippines are deteriorating within the ten Associate of Southeast Asian Nations. Based on these empirical findings, comparative strategies and cooperation for growth and development amongst China, India and ASEAN were drawn.
Originality/value
The fundamental raison d'être of this study stems from the desire to address an area of research gap previously overlooked. Most international studies on competitiveness rankings to date either ranked economies across the globe and/or by population sizes. One of the critical issues in emerging economies of Asia is the uneven regional development, especially the urban‐rural growth disparity amongst local economies of China and India. Through competitiveness ranking of vast and diverse economies such as China, India and ASEAN‐10.
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States that since the mid‐1980s, substantial deregulation and competitive liberalization of the South‐East Asian economies in their trade and investment regimes has resulted in…
Abstract
States that since the mid‐1980s, substantial deregulation and competitive liberalization of the South‐East Asian economies in their trade and investment regimes has resulted in greater integration of their economies with the North‐East Asian economies. Proposes that, together with the rising purchasing power of the expanding middle class, massive infrastructural development, as well as the expansion in intra‐regional trade and investment, East Asia has emerged as an independent centre of growth in the global economy since the early 1990s. Presents empirical evidence on the rise of this autonomous growth momentum. Contends that, no longer a mere wagon hitched to the locomotive of the US and European economy, East Asia′s emerging independent engine of growth has tremendous implications for executives of multinationals keen to expand market share and form strategic alliances with companies in East Asia. Submits that it also has implications for fund managers in the OECD countries keen to look to the region for asset diversification and higher returns.
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Yongtao Tan, Liyin Shen, Craig Langston, Weisheng Lu and Michael C.H. Yam
Thie purpose of this paper is to present the critical success factors (CSFs) for engaging in the building maintenance business in Hong Kong where maintenance is a major market…
Abstract
Purpose
Thie purpose of this paper is to present the critical success factors (CSFs) for engaging in the building maintenance business in Hong Kong where maintenance is a major market sector.
Design/methodology/approach
In this study, CSFs are identified for the business of building maintenance based on data collected from a questionnaire survey and interviews.
Findings
A total of 12 CSFs are identified, such as client's satisfaction, certification of company, reliability of service, quality of service, and company reputation, and most are related to two principal factors, namely maintenance service and organization, and project management.
Originality/value
This paper provides a review of building maintenance in Hong Kong and identifies a list of success factors for the business of building maintenance. The identified CSFs and principal factors provide useful reference for maintenance contractors to have a clear understanding of the expectations of the building maintenance market in Hong Kong.
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This paper reviews the strategic responses of successful local Chinese banks (LCBs) in the changeable Hong Kong banking sector over the past decades. Given the mixed outlook of…
Abstract
This paper reviews the strategic responses of successful local Chinese banks (LCBs) in the changeable Hong Kong banking sector over the past decades. Given the mixed outlook of the industry resulting from the handover of sovereignty, financial internationalization, and regional and domestic economic developments, this paper also discusses the benefits of using strategic alliance as a means for LCBs to meet current and future challenges. Based on case reviews, the paper demonstrates the values of strategic management concepts for small banks to cope with an externally oriented and politically uncertain operating environment.
Anthony Y.K. Yam, Michael F.S. Chan and Walter W.C. Chung
The challenge of global product design and manufacturing in the networked enterprise is to have an information hub supported by an information infrastructure that is difficult to…
Abstract
Purpose
The challenge of global product design and manufacturing in the networked enterprise is to have an information hub supported by an information infrastructure that is difficult to imitate by competitors. The global company can use this global network to share information among its members and provide fast response to customers. The purpose of this paper is use to the dispersed production network to show where knowledge management can be deployed in operations for gaining competitive advantage.
Design/methodology/approach
The case study method was selected as the research method. The case of Hasbro Far East Ltd is presented to depict the components of the information hub and why knowledge management can be effectively deployed in the management of the collaborative product development process.
Findings
The findings of the case study support the argument that the streamlined collaborative process can be institutionalised in the form of information hub to facilitate the use of a new business model for global product design and outsourced manufacturing. The new business model guides an incremental approach in transforming the operations of a global enterprise which serves a show case in business process management for benchmarking.
Research limitations/implications
This paper offers a business model of knowledge management in networked enterprise for global product design and manufacturing. The success of using the model depends on the sponsor in the creation of the knowledge‐based system and the ability in resolving conflicts through information sharing among members of networked enterprise. Future research should concentrate on developing enterprise performance tools to facilitate the alignment of views from different participants of the network so that they can become sponsors earlier in committing to the development of an information hub for knowledge management and achieve the new dispersed production network business model.
Originality/value
Findings may pose interesting implications for global entrepreneurs, policymaker, suppliers and supporting institutions, for the way they work together to gain the most benefits and competitive advantage from the new business model.
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Richard C M Yam and Cliff Chan
In today’s market, firms are riding on the wave of globalisation to enhance competitiveness through corporate collaboration in new product development (NPD). In joint NPD, huge…
Abstract
Purpose
In today’s market, firms are riding on the wave of globalisation to enhance competitiveness through corporate collaboration in new product development (NPD). In joint NPD, huge amounts of information and knowledge are interchanged among business partners. However, industrial experience and past research have indicated that knowledge sharing among firms invite opportunism, that is, knowledge being leaked or misused by others. To determine the means to rectify the problems of opportunism in joint NPD, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of commitment and knowledge sharing on opportunism.
Design/methodology/approach
An online questionnaire survey was conducted to verify the research model with 312 valid responses from manufacturing firms. The survey data were analysed by structural equation modelling, and the findings were verified by follow-up interviews.
Findings
Contradictory to most studies, this study finds that knowledge sharing among committed business partners suppresses, rather than invites, opportunism.
Research limitations/implications
This finding is new in the literature with strong managerial implication. Firms that hesitate to share their knowledge with others because of the fear of opportunism should commit more seriously to their business partners so that they could share knowledge for better NPD.
Originality/value
This study has reversed the sceptical belief of knowledge sharing leading to opportunism. This new belief will encourage corporate collaboration in joint NPD. However, for a comprehensive view on opportunism in inter-firm NPD, other governance mechanisms, that is, contract and trust, should also be studied in future research.
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Wai-Peng Wong, Kim Hua Tan, Stephanie Hui-Wen Chuah, Ming-Lang Tseng, Kuan Yew Wong and Shamraiz Ahmad
This study investigates information quality, information security technology and information sharing with moderation by information security culture and information leakage and…
Abstract
Purpose
This study investigates information quality, information security technology and information sharing with moderation by information security culture and information leakage and how they all play out to influence supply chain performance for contract suppliers (Contract), noncontract suppliers (Noncontract) and pooled suppliers (Contract and Noncontract combined).
Design/methodology/approach
Multigroup analysis was deployed to compare the impact on Contract and Noncontract.
Findings
The finding on pooled suppliers confirmed the hypothesis that, in the multigroup analysis, information security culture negatively impacted the information quality–information sharing relationship of Contract.
Practical implications
The practical learning point is that Noncontract could still share information and perform and in some instances better than Contract. Noncontract suppliers are still workable.
Originality/value
Information security culture motivated Noncontract to share and perform better than Contract. This result presents a dilemma.
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Fei Kang, Jiyu Li, Han Zhang and Ying Zhang
Despite the increasingly growing empirical research on leader humor, the critical issue of how and when leader humor affects newcomer adjustment was largely overlooked. The…
Abstract
Purpose
Despite the increasingly growing empirical research on leader humor, the critical issue of how and when leader humor affects newcomer adjustment was largely overlooked. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between leader humor and newcomer adjustment. Based on social information processing theory, the authors identify newcomers' role breadth self-efficacy (RBSE) as the mediator and suggest that newcomers' cognitive flexibility moderates the effects.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were obtained from a 2-wave sample of 195 newcomers. The authors utilized the PROCESS procedure developed by Hayes to assess the hypothesized moderated mediation model.
Findings
The findings showed that leader humor could boost newcomers' RBSE which, in turn, was beneficial to newcomer adjustment. Besides, newcomers' cognitive flexibility plays a moderating role in the relationship between leader humor and newcomers' RBSE.
Research limitations/implications
This study utilized a cross-sectional research design, making the design difficult to obtain causal conclusions. Moreover, the data were all based on self-reports from newcomers, which may raise a concern of common method bias.
Originality/value
This paper extends the literature on leader humor and newcomer adjustment by treating RBSE as the mediator and newcomers' cognitive flexibility as the moderator. This study is one of several empirical studies to test the link between leader humor and newcomer adjustment.
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The purpose of this paper is to bring out the possibility of selecting good leaders in Asian countries, i.e., China and Singapore.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to bring out the possibility of selecting good leaders in Asian countries, i.e., China and Singapore.
Design/methodology/approach
Since comparative historical analysis enhances the objectivity for academic discussion, Deng Xiaoping’s and Lee Kuan Yew’s leadership successions have been chosen as the cases for studies by virtue of “method of agreement”. Incorporating “argument based on the contrary” into the context for macro-historical analysis, this paper characterises the duo’s successful (at least quite successful) leadership successions, thus offering an alternative paradigm beyond Western-style democracy.
Findings
Both cases of post-Mao China and the independent Singapore indicate that in quite a number of Asian countries, good leaders could still be selected beyond universal suffrage as practised among Western Electoral Democracies, mainly because of the elites-driven context. As to the duo’s succession results, Deng Xiaoping’s selection of leaders was somewhat successful, while Lee Kuan Yew’s was phenomenal.
Originality
This paper offers readers a glance over the possibility of selecting good leaders in Asian countries not fully based on Western-style democracy. Learning from the duo’s leadership successions, the West may treat elite politics as the supplement under Western Electoral Democracies in order to avoid their countries falling into the trap of populism. The West could meanwhile consider the exceptional criteria prized by the duo for leadership successions. Considering such interactions among elites in the real-life context, it could serve as an alternative model to Western-style democracy.