Wadu Mesthrige Jayantha and Wan Sze Man
It is known that people's expectation towards their living “green” is increasing. Green features are now regarded as one of the important considerations of buyers in purchasing a…
Abstract
Purpose
It is known that people's expectation towards their living “green” is increasing. Green features are now regarded as one of the important considerations of buyers in purchasing a property. This research paper aims to investigate the significance of the green features of residential buildings to property buyers.
Design/methodology/approach
HK‐BEAM certification and HK‐GBC Award are used as the measurement of green residential buildings. The study used a hedonic price model to determine whether there is a relationship between green features and residential property price and the influence of green features on the residential property price if there is such relationship.
Findings
The empirical results show that green features have a significant and positive relationship with residential property price. People are willing to pay more for green buildings recognized by HK‐BEAM and HK‐GBC. They are willing to pay a sale price premium ranging from 3.4 percent to 6.4 percent. Furthermore, a relatively larger premium is found in Hong Kong Island compared to the New Territories.
Research limitations/implications
The results imply that environmentally friendly green buildings both increase the value of a property and attract property buyers; and well‐recognized green building schemes add value to properties and hence increase the property price.
Originality/value
The study has contributed an indication of the amount a buyer would be willing to pay for quality green buildings as a reference for users, developers and investors. The study sheds light on the ability of the market to capitalize environmental considerations in investment decisions.
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Poses the question: what are the consequences of employing a household help on the domestic division of labour? Researches this question by talking to ten couples who employ…
Abstract
Poses the question: what are the consequences of employing a household help on the domestic division of labour? Researches this question by talking to ten couples who employ cleaners. Reports that employing some sort of domestic help has enabled middle‐class women to enter employment in greater numbers than ever before and that it is simply too costly to a family’s economy to have an educated female potential wage‐earner concentrating on unpaid domestic tasks. Refers to a “stalled revolution“, whereby men (theoretically) are carrying out a greater share of domestic tasks but (in actuality) women do not report any great difference. Notes also, that it is increasingly difficult to rely on assistance from relatives. Puts forward reasons for and against the employment of domestic help, as well as four perspectives – the individual perspective, the gender perspective, the general structure of society, and the labour market, and social policy – relating to the consequences of employing a cleaner. Explores “partner‐typology”, determined on a continuum stretching from traditional role‐held beliefs to symmetrical roles for men and women. Concludes that employing domestic help leads to a more equal relationship between the employing couple, that housework is perceived as an increasingly unattractive option, and that new inequalities creep into the gender relationship as it is usually women who perform low‐paid domestic work.
This paper aims to analyse how both Lin’s birthplace identity and his Christian identity contributed to his fruitful public career and to ascertain which identity became the most…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to analyse how both Lin’s birthplace identity and his Christian identity contributed to his fruitful public career and to ascertain which identity became the most significant.
Design/methodology/approach
Archival research is the main method used in this paper. The most important archives drawn from are the Daniel Tse Collection in the Special Collection and Archives of the Hong Kong Baptist University Library. Oral history has also been used in this paper to uncover more material that has not yet been discussed in existing scholarly works.
Findings
This paper argues that although Lin’s birthplace identity and social networks helped him to start his business career in Nam Pak Hong and develop into a leader in the local Chaozhou communities, these factors were insufficient to his becoming a respectable member of the Chinese elite in post-war Hong Kong. He became well known not because of his leading position in local Chaozhou communities or any great achievement he had obtained in business but because of his contribution to the development of Christian education. These achievements earned him a reputation as a “Christian educator”. Thus Lin’s Christian identity became more important than his birthplace identity in contributing to his successful public career.
Originality/value
This paper has value in showing how Christian influences interacted with various cultural factors in early Hong Kong. It also offers insights into Lin’s life and motivations as well as the history of the institutions he contributed to/founded. It not only furthers our understanding of the Chinese Christian business elite in early Hong Kong but also provides us with insights when further studying this group of people in other British colonies in Asia.
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Nazrinda A. Samah, Lokman Mohd Tahir and Wan Ali @ Wan Yusoff Wan Mamat
This qualitative study explores the issue of library management support in providing a self-directed learning environment for research-support librarians which is an…
Abstract
Purpose
This qualitative study explores the issue of library management support in providing a self-directed learning environment for research-support librarians which is an under-explored feature of librarianship in Malaysian public university libraries.
Design/methodology/approach
A total of nine research-support librarians purposely selected from these libraries took part in in-depth interview sessions. The responses were analysed using Miles and Huberman's technique, which involves data reduction, data display, conclusion-drawing and verification.
Findings
Five emerging themes and 31 sub-themes were identified. There was a general consensus among the respondents that their library management does provide research-support librarians with a self-directed learning environment to enhance their competencies as academic librarians. Nevertheless, these librarians also highlighted some challenges, issues and barriers related to the initiative and support received. Some suggestions are advanced for improvements to support self-directed learning by research-support librarians working in public university libraries.
Originality/value
Empirically, this study attempts to fill the gap in the knowledge that needs to be addressed from the perspective of Malaysian librarians, especially the research-support librarians, who serve in public universities in Malaysia, who have received little attention from local librarianship researchers.
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Yongzhong Wu, P. Ji and William Ho
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the optimization for a placement machine in printed circuit board (PCB) assembly when family setup strategy is adopted.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the optimization for a placement machine in printed circuit board (PCB) assembly when family setup strategy is adopted.
Design/methodology/approach
A complete mathematical model is developed for the integrated problem to optimize feeder arrangement and component placement sequences so as to minimize the makespan for a set of PCB batches. Owing to the complexity of the problem, a specific genetic algorithm (GA) is proposed.
Findings
The established model is able to find the minimal makespan for a set of PCB batches through determining the feeder arrangement and placement sequences. However, exact solutions to the problem are not practical due to the complexity. Experimental tests show that the proposed GA can solve the problem both effectively and efficiently.
Research limitations/implications
When a placement machine is set up for production of a set of PCB batches, the feeder arrangement of the machine together with the component placement sequencing for each PCB type should be solved simultaneously so as to minimize the overall makespan.
Practical implications
The paper investigates the optimization for PCB assembly with family setup strategy, which is adopted by many PCB manufacturers for reducing both setup costs and human errors.
Originality/value
The paper investigates the feeder arrangement and placement sequencing problems when family setup strategy is adopted, which has not been studied in the literature.
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The purpose of this paper is to compare two corruption scandals in Singapore to illustrate how its government has dealt with these scandals and to discuss the implications for its…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to compare two corruption scandals in Singapore to illustrate how its government has dealt with these scandals and to discuss the implications for its anti-corruption strategy.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper analyses the Teh Cheang Wan and Edwin Yeo scandals by relying on published official and press reports.
Findings
Both scandals resulted in adverse consequences for the offenders. Teh committed suicide on 14 December 1986 before he could be prosecuted for his bribery offences. Yeo was found guilty of criminal breach of trust and forgery and sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment. The Commission of Inquiry found that the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) was thorough in its investigations which confirmed that only Teh and no other minister or public official were implicated in the bribery offences. The Independent Review Panel appointed by the Prime Minister's Office to review the CPIB's internal controls following Yeo's offences recommended improvements to strengthen the CPIB's financial procedures and audit system. Singapore has succeeded in minimising corruption because its government did not cover-up the scandals but punished the guilty offenders and introduced measures to prevent their recurrence.
Originality/value
This paper will be useful for scholars, policymakers and anti-corruption practitioners interested in Singapore's anti-corruption strategy and how its government handles corruption scandals.
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Michael Y.L. Chew, Sheila Conejos and Jessie Sze Long Law
Nanostructured titanium dioxide (TiO2) coatings can potentially address the current surge in façade cleaning cost, maintenance and labour problems. The purpose of this paper is to…
Abstract
Purpose
Nanostructured titanium dioxide (TiO2) coatings can potentially address the current surge in façade cleaning cost, maintenance and labour problems. The purpose of this paper is to investigate potential maintainability issues and design challenges concerning the effective performance of TiO2 façade coatings’ hydrophilic properties, especially in tropical environments such as Singapore. This paper aims to establish a list of green maintainability design criteria to help minimise future TiO2 façade coating issues when this coating is applied on commercial buildings with concrete and stonemasonry façade materials.
Design/methodology/approach
A mixed-mode approach that includes a literature review, site investigation, instrumental case studies and expert interviews is used in this study.
Findings
TiO2 coatings help improve façade performance whilst offering environmental benefits to society. This study reports that green maintainability design criteria are vital requirements in designing sustainable buildings at the outset. The identified defects and issues will aid in ensuring the effectiveness of TiO2 application in building façades.
Originality/value
This study acts as a foundation for future researchers to strengthen this little researched area, serves as a useful guide in preventing possible TiO2 coating issues and promotes industry awareness of the use of TiO2 façade coatings.
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Yongzhong Wu and Ping Ji
The purpose of this paper is to propose an effective and efficient solution method for the component allocation problem (CAP) in printed circuit board (PCB) assembly, in order to…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to propose an effective and efficient solution method for the component allocation problem (CAP) in printed circuit board (PCB) assembly, in order to achieve high‐throughput rates of the PCB assembly lines.
Design/methodology/approach
The investigated CAP is intertwined with the machine optimization problems for each machine in the line because the latter determine the process time of each machine. In order to solve the CAP, a solution method, which integrates a meta‐heuristic (genetic algorithm) and a regression model is proposed.
Findings
It is found that the established regression model can estimate the process time of each machine accurately and efficiently. Experimental tests show that the proposed solution method can solve the CAP both effectively and efficiently.
Research limitations/implications
Although different regression models are required for different types of assembly machines, the proposed solution method can be adopted for solving the CAPs for assembly lines of any configuration, including a mixed‐vendor assembly line.
Practical implications
The solution method can ensure a high‐throughput rate of a PCB assembly line, and thus improve the production capacity without further investment on the expensive PCB assembly equipment.
Originality/value
The paper proposes an innovative solution method for the CAP in PCB assembly. The solution method integrates the meta‐heuristic method and the regression method, which has not been studied in the literature.
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Sze Ling Ng, Sajad Rezaei, Naser Valaei and Mohammad Iranmanesh
The objective of this study is to examine the drivers of retail apps satisfaction and continuance intention. An integrative theoretical framework was developed based on the IS…
Abstract
Purpose
The objective of this study is to examine the drivers of retail apps satisfaction and continuance intention. An integrative theoretical framework was developed based on the IS success model, E-S-QUAL and expectancy and disconfirmation model to explain retail apps users’ satisfaction and continuance intention.
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 359 useable data were collected from the targeted Malaysian respondents who had experience in using retail apps services. Data were analysed using the partial least squares technique.
Findings
The results indicate that system quality and e-service quality positively influence retail apps usage satisfaction and have positive direct and indirect effects through satisfaction on continuance intention. The price level has a negative effect on retail apps usage satisfaction. Even though price level has no direct effect on continuance intention to use retail apps, it has an indirect effect on continuance intention through satisfaction.
Originality/value
Although the success of a marketing channel mainly depends on its continuance usage rather than first-time usage, few studies have paid attention to retail apps services. This study contributes to the advancement of knowledge on retail apps by explaining the roles of system quality, e-service quality and price level on retail apps satisfaction and continuance intention. Interestingly, the findings of multi-group analysis imply that female Gen Y app users are more satisfied than males while such differences do not impact their continuance intention to use the retail apps. The findings also suggested that frequency of using apps has no relevance to retail apps user satisfaction, but highly relevant to their continuance intention to use retail Apps services.
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Masum Miah, S.M. Mahbubur Rahman, Subarna Biswas, Gábor Szabó-Szentgróti and Virág Walter
This study aims to examine the direct effects of Green Human Resource Management (GHRM) practices on employee green behavior (EGB) in the university setting in Bangladesh and to…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine the direct effects of Green Human Resource Management (GHRM) practices on employee green behavior (EGB) in the university setting in Bangladesh and to find the indirect effects of how GHRM promotes EGB through sequentially mediating employee environmental knowledge management (EEKM) (environmental knowledge and knowledge sharing) and green self-efficacy (GSE).
Design/methodology/approach
For the empirical study, the researcher uses partial least squares structural equation modeling to test the proposed conceptual model built on existing literature for greening workplaces in the university in Bangladesh. The study has collected data from 288 Bangladeshi university employees using convenient sampling.
Findings
The findings that GHRM practices positively and significantly promote EGB, which captures the employee's tendencies to exercise green behavior in daily routine activities such as turning off lights, air conditioning, computers and equipment after working hours, printing on both sides, recycling (reducing, repair, reuse), disseminating good green ideas, concepts, digital skills and knowledge to peers and champion green initiatives at work. Moreover, the findings also revealed the sequential mediation of EEKM (environmental knowledge and knowledge sharing) and GSE of employees between the link GHRM and EGB. At last, the findings suggested that HR managers can implement the GHRM practices to promote green behaviors among the academic and non-academic staff of the university.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the field by extending knowledge of Social Cognition Theory and Social Learning Theory for greening workplaces in Bangladesh, particularly universities. Specifically, this empirical study is unique to the best of our knowledge and highlights the role of EEKM and GSE as mediation between GHRM and EGB association.