bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
La necesidad de conciliar la normativa de habitabilidad con la rehabilitación acústica de la vivienda mínima
Authors: Daumal F. , Monzón M. , López-Mesa B.
Published: April 2018

No hay literatura científica sobre la interacción entre los procesos de subsanación de patologías acústicas en la edificación y las condiciones de habitabilidad de viviendas. En este artículo, los autores deducen, en primer lugar partiendo de casos de reclamaciones relacionadas con rehabilitación acústica de viviendas de Cataluña, las principales interferencias de la rehabilitación acústica de la vivienda mínima en las condiciones de habitabilidad. Posteriormente realizan un análisis del grado de interferencia usando como caso de estudio las viviendas sociales de Aragón del periodo 1939-1975 antes y después de una rehabilitación acústica teórica. Se constata que las soluciones de rehabilitaciones acústicas pueden tener consecuencias inoportunas en lo que respecta a los parámetros de habitabilidad de las viviendas. Asimismo, se observa que algunas de estas viviendas antes de una hipotética intervención ya son deficitarias en este sentido, por lo que se plantea la necesidad de una revisión de la normativa de habitabilidad para el parque de vivienda mínima.
L’expérience vécue et les valeurs en acte des accompagnants pour la conception d’un service de transport par navettes destinées à être autonome
Authors: Monéger Ferdinand , Coutarel Fabien , Moták Ladislav , Chambres Patrick , Izaute Marie , Dhome Michel
Published: April 2018

Dans le cadre d’un projet industriel de conception de navettes de transport autonomes (sans chauffeur), notre recherche analyse les expériences vécues et les valeurs en acte des accompagnants afin d’identifier leur contribution à l’acceptation des navettes et du service associé, et de poursuivre la conception de ce service de transport. En effet, à l’étape du développement actuel du projet, le système de transport n’atteint pas le niveau d’autonomie visé et un accompagnant est systématiquement présent à bord de chaque navette. En 2015 et 2016, des investigations ont été menées sur quatre sites sur lesquels les navettes étaient mises à l’essai. Ont alors été réalisés : des analyses systématiques des situations critiques gérées par les accompagnants, et des entretiens composites (semi-directifs inspirés des techniques d’explicitation) auprès de 19 accompagnants. Les résultats montrent que les accompagnants mobilisent 7 valeurs dans leur activité. Quatorze situations critiques impliquant des arbitrages dans des situations où ces valeurs se révèlent contradictoires ont été identifiées. Les réponses apportées en situations révèlent que la hiérarchisation de ces valeurs dépend d’arbitrages variables et situés. Nous discutons ensuite de la contribution de ces réponses à l’acceptation du système de transport, notamment en fiabilisant sa performance, en maximisant son utilité et en développant une relation de service auprès des passagers. Ces résultats conduisent ainsi à interroger le statut de l’humain dans les processus de conception et d’acceptation de technologies autonomes et des services associés.
Simuler pour changer la conception et les rapports sociaux de conception du travail : un commentaire sur les dispositifs de simulation de l’activité dans les organisations
Authors: Ughetto Pascal
Published: April 2018

L’article commente les contributions du dossier consacré à la simulation de l’activité. Se concentrant sur la simulation de l’activité en organisation, le commentaire défend que les méthodes correspondantes affectent potentiellement les rapports de pouvoir dans les processus de conduite du changement. Dans ces processus, les démarches participatives ne parviennent pas toujours à faire prendre en compte le point de vue de l’activité. Les méthodes de simulation s’attelleraient à faire prendre au sérieux les contraintes de l’activité et à envisager les ressources qui lui sont utiles.
De la modélisation de l’activité humaine à la modélisation pour la simulation sociale : entre réalisme et fécondité technologique
Authors: Haradji Yvon , Guibourdenche Julien , Reynaud Quentin , Poizat Germain , Sabouret Nicolas , Sempé François , Huraux Thomas , Galbat Mariane
Published: April 2018

SMACH (Simulation Multi-Agent de l’ACtivité Humaine) est une plateforme de simulation sociale qui s’inscrit pour EDF dans un cadre de recherche visant à utiliser la simulation pour l’anticipation et la réduction des consommations d’énergie dans l’habitat. Dans cet article, nous développons l’idée que la simulation nécessite d’intégrer une relation structurelle à l’activité humaine, car la consommation énergétique dans l’habitat résulte pour beaucoup de la dynamique de vie quotidienne. Pour cela, nous concevons le réalisme de la simulation en articulant deux niveaux de modélisation de l’activité humaine. Le premier niveau a consisté à cadrer la conception avec trois hypothèses épistémologiques de l’énaction et du cours d’action (activité individuelle, collective et couplage avec l’environnement). Le deuxième niveau de modélisation a consisté à décliner ces hypothèses sur la base de notre connaissance empirique de l’activité dans l’habitat. Nous explicitons, pour chacune de ces hypothèses, des proximités et des différences entre les connaissances issues de l’analyse empirique et les dynamiques créées dans la simulation. La plateforme SMACH est aujourd’hui sollicitée par des experts métiers qui s’appuient sur les diagrammes d’activité humaine ou sur les courbes de consommation d’énergie pour réaliser des études relatives à l’utilisation future de l’électricité.
Oskar Gröning et Maurice Papon : mêmes crimes, même situation liée à l’âge et à la santé, même difficile remise en liberté
Authors: Gaudin Bérénice
Published: April 2018

Dans sa décision du 21 décembre 2017, la Cour constitutionnelle fédérale allemande a refusé d’accorder une suspension de peine à Oskar Gröning, ancien comptable d’Auschwitz. Vingt ans plus tôt, en France et au niveau européen, Maurice Papon mena un combat similaire. Si la protection des détenus âgés et malades diffère entre ces pays, ces deux demandes soulèvent des problèmes similaires, d’une part en raison des critères autorisant une remise en liberté, et d’autre part, en raison des crimes commis.
The Diagnosis of Dengue Disease
Authors: Gambhir Shalini , Malik Sanjay Kumar , Kumar Yugal
Published: April 2018

This article describes how Dengue fever is a fatal and hazardous disease resulting from the bite of several species of the female mosquito (principally, Aedesaegypti). Symptoms of the dengue fever mimic those of a number of other infectious and/or mosquito-borne tropical diseases such as Viral flu, Chikungunya, and Zika fever. Yet, with dengue fever, human life can be more at risk due to severe depletion of blood platelets. Thus, early detection of dengue disease can ensure saving lives; furthermore, it can help in making a preventive move before the disease progresses to epidemic proportion. Hence, the target of this article is to propose a model for an early detection and precise diagnosis of dengue disease. In this article, three prevalent machine learning methodologies, including, Artificial Neural Network (ANN), Decision Tree (DT) and Naive Bayes (NB) are evaluated for designing a diagnostic model. The performance of these models is assessed utilizing available dengue datasets. Results comparing and contrasting performance of diagnostic models utilizing accuracy, sensitivity, specificity and error rate parameters showed that ANN-based diagnostic model appears to yield better performance measures over both the DT and NB models.
The Motivational Profile of Employees in Simulated Enterprises
Authors: Mândricel Diana Andreea
Published: April 2018

Human motivation is the centre of interest for many specialists in management because it is the activity that produces the most profound economic consequences for organizations. As employees become more involved in IT processes, traditional methods of motivation are no longer efficient, and so within this paper drastic changes in practices related to human resources can be seen. This article intends to identify and analyse the motivational profile of employees in simulated enterprises as well as develop a plan to measure motivation adapted to the Romanian socio-economic reality. Thus, managers should avoid common approaches in the development of programs, models, and policies to help motivate employees. This will allow them to be able to create a work environment that will allow employees to motivate themselves because extrinsic motivation can decrease productivity.
Rumor Detection on Twitter Using a Supervised Machine Learning Framework
Authors: Thakur Hardeo Kumar , Gupta Anand , Bhardwaj Ayushi , Verma Devanshi
Published: April 2018

This article describes how a rumor can be defined as a circulating unverified story or a doubtful truth. Rumor initiators seek social networks vulnerable to illimitable spread, therefore, online social media becomes their stage. Hence, this misinformation imposes colossal damage to individuals, organizations, and the government, etc. Existing work, analyzing temporal and linguistic characteristics of rumors seems to give ample time for rumor propagation. Meanwhile, with the huge outburst of data on social media, studying these characteristics for each tweet becomes spatially complex. Therefore, in this article, a two-fold supervised machine-learning framework is proposed that detects rumors by filtering and then analyzing their linguistic properties. This method attempts to automate filtering by training multiple classification algorithms with accuracy higher than 81.079%. Finally, using textual characteristics on the filtered data, rumors are detected. The effectiveness of the proposed framework is shown through extensive experiments on over 10,000 tweets.
A Fuzzy Multicriteria Decision-Making Approach to Crime Linkage
Authors: Goala Soumendra , Dutta Palash
Published: April 2018

This article describes how serial crimes are very interesting for study in the absence of proper and solid evidence. From a high volume of criminal cases of similar types, it is difficult to detect the crimes that were committed by the same offender or not. The process of linking of crimes which were committed by the same offender or offenders is called Crime Linkage Analysis. In this article, a new hesitant fuzzy distance measure has been introduced and a fuzzy multicriteria decision-making approach has been proposed to help Crime Linkage Analysis, which enables us to find to what extent a pair of crime shares a common offender or offenders.
Risk Centric Activities in Secure Software Development in Public Organisations
Authors: Tøndel Inger Anne , Jaatun Martin Gilje , Cruzes Daniela Soares , Moe Nils Brede
Published: April 2018

When working with software security in a risk-centric way, development projects become equipped to make decisions on how much security to include and what type of security pays off. This article presents the results of a study made among 23 public organisations, mapping their risk-centric activities and practices, and challenges for implementing them. The authors found that their software security practices were not based on an assessment of software security risks, but rather driven by compliance. Additionally, their practices could in many cases be characterised as arbitrary, late and error driven, with limited follow up on any security issues throughout their software development projects. Based on the results of the study, the authors identified the need for improvements in three main areas: responsibilities and stakeholder cooperation; risk perception and competence; and, practical ways of doing risk analysis in agile projects.
Using Computer-Based Assessment and Feedback
Authors: Helfaya Akrum , O'Neill James
Published: April 2018

This article describes how assessment and feedback represent two key factors that affect students' learning. Using e-assessment with prompt e-feedback reduces the gap between present and desired performance and is considered to be a reflexive and dynamic system in dealing with the new generation of digital natives. Action research was used to investigate students' perception of using computer-based assessment (CBA) and/or computer-based feedback (CBF) in teaching and learning process. Both semi-structured interviews and focus groups were conducted with 44 UG students to assess their perceptions of using CBA and CBF. Findings show that students are generally agreed on the use of and benefits of CBA and/or CBF in teaching accounting and non-accounting modules. For example, these results reveal that many participants valued working online compared to traditional assessment and appreciated the instant feedback they received. Additionally, technology can provide an avenue for assessment and personalised and comprehensive prompt feedback that diverse and digital students need in the 21st Century Higher Education.
Role of Instructors' Forum Interactions With Students in Promoting MOOC Continuance
Authors: Zhang Chenghong , Chen Hong , Phang Chee Wei
Published: April 2018

This article describes how MOOCs, being a new global education and technology phenomenon, present both opportunities and challenges to educators and learners. The lack of face-to-face engagement introduces a sense of isolation in students, resulting in a high dropout rate. To this end, online forums are deemed to help overcome the problem by enabling interactions among the learners and facilitating their learning. Recent research further suggests that with an online forum provided in a MOOC, the presence of instructors may not be important. However, in this article, the authors provide two important insights: First, online forum indeed plays an important role in motivating learner continuance. Second, among the different types of forum activities, they find that interaction with instructors emerge as an important factor contributing to more assignment completions in addition to forum posting. The authors' post-hoc analysis also indicates that the importance of instructor presence may be particularly salient in the Eastern vis-à-vis Western culture, which points to future research opportunities.
Synthesis of Spinel Color Pigments from Aluminum Dross Waste
Authors: Yongvanich Niti , Emtip Bovornrat , Hengprayoon Boonyarit , Jankat Ekkapot
Published: April 2018

Spinel-based ceramic color pigments were successfully synthesized from utilization of aluminum dross waste and relevant oxide precursors by solid-state processing. Cobalt ions were selected as a chromophore to produce blue pigments. The conventional oxide route was also carried out for comparison purposes. The spinel phase readily formed when fired at 1100 °C; longer duration yielded a higher degree of purity. No preferential orientation of XRD reflection was observed, indicating random crystallographic arrangement. Phase formation was also confirmed by Fourier Transformed Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) which displayed both Co-O tetrahedral and Al-O octahedral which are the main framework for a spinel crystal. Slightly sharper FTIR peaks for the dross route compared to those from the oxide route suggest a difference in crystallinity between the two with different precursors. The particle size distribution was relatively wide (5 – 30 micron), possibly due to a crude nature of the dross precursor. The UV-vis spectra showed absorption in the range of 450-550 nm which is associated with the blue color caused by a shift of the 3d7 electrons of Co2+. The obtained dross-route pigments possessed both a and b color parameters (a = -2.3 to-2.6; b = -3.4 to-4.0) in the negative territory, implying greenness and blueness respectively. The L values were in the 20-30 range. When incorporating into practical glazes, the b parameters unexpectedly became more negative, indicating an even deeper blue tone. This result suggested a high potential for utilization of this dross waste as an alternative precursor source for sustainable production of spinel ceramic pigments.
Effect of Peptizing Agent Concentration on Morphology of Unsupported Alumina Membrane
Authors: Thongdee Nantana , Watcharamaisakul Sukasem , Golman Boris
Published: April 2018

Ceramic membranes have received significant attention from both academia and industry, as they show the great potential in several important applications such as H2 separation, recovery of CO2 from natural gas and reduction of green-house gas emission from flue gas. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of peptizing agent concentration on morphology of unsupported alumina membranes that are suitable for gas separation. The unsupported alumina membranes were prepared by the sol-gel method using aluminum-tri-sec-butoxide as a precursor and acetic acid as a peptizing agent. The particle size distributions of produced boehmite sols, as measured by dynamic light scattering technique, range from 10 to 600 nm. The increase in the concentration of acetic acid results in formation of particles of smaller median diameter. The pore volume and size distribution of unsupported alumina membranes were characterized by the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) method of adsorption of nitrogen gas. The pore size distributions of membranes were rather narrow in the range of 3 to 6 nm. The average diameter and volume of pores increase and the surface area decreases while the concentration of acetic acid increased.
Biomimetically Co-Deposition of Bovine Serum Albumin and Calcium Phosphate on 3D Printed Hydroxyapatite: Influence of Time, Temperature and Concentration
Authors: Thammarakcharoen Faungchat , Suwanprateeb Jintamai
Published: April 2018

Influence of bovine serum albumin (BSA) concentration, soaking times and soaking temperatures during biomimetic co-deposition process of three dimensionally printed hydroxyapatite (3D printed HA) on weight change, phase composition and microstructure were studied. At 23°C, weight change of all samples monotonically increased with increasing soaking time regardless of BSA concentration used while the weight change initially increased, but leveled off later with increasing soaking time when using solution temperature of 37°C. At 50°C, weight change initially increased for up to 4 h and remained constant for up to 16 h where the weight decreased afterward. This decrease could be related to the competition between the dissolution of 3D printed HA, the deposition of new calcium phosphate crystals and the incorporation of BSA during biomimetic process at high temperatures. From X-ray diffraction, no influence in BSA concentration, time and temperature on the phase composition was observed. Scanning electron microscopy revealed the deposition of new plate-like calcium phosphate crystals on all 3D printed HA. Hydroxyapatite and octacalcium phosphate were found to be the main phases of all biomimetically BSA.
The REM-theory: Implications for the study of large scale change
Authors: Goldman G.
Published: April 2018

The University of Johannesburg (UJ) merger is typical of the transformation in South African Higher Education. This merger does not conform to the “norm”, as it is ideologically motivated and thus the ideal base to study individual experiences of large scale change. Following a qualitative, grounded theory approach, 40 academic employees from UJ were interviewed. Findings indicate that academic staff relay their experiences and perceptions of the merger in three discernable time frames, each with its own dynamic. Collectively, these time-frames constitute the Reflective Experience of Mergers (REM) theory, which examines how merger experiences of academic staff shape their perceptions of and attitudes towards the merger over time. The REM- theory reiterates the temporal nature of change, its effect on the emotional and psychological wellbeing of individuals, and the role of leadership during a merger.
International tourists’ perceptions of crime-risk and their future travel intentions during the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ in South Africa
Authors: George R,
Published: April 2018

The 2010 FIFA World Cup™ tournament provided an opportunity for South Africa to showcase its unique beauty and attractiveness as an international tourist destination. However, the trepidation over crime emerged as a key concern in relation to South Africa’s ability to host a successful 2010 FIFA World Cup™. This study investigates 398 foreign tourists’ perceptions of South Africa during the soccer tournament, especially regarding crime and safety concerns. A questionnaire was distributed among tourists in Cape Town and Johannesburg; two of the major host cities and semi-final and final venues respectively. Findings reveal that most respondents had positive perceptions of South Africa as a holiday destination. Two-thirds of those interviewed agreed that South Africa was a safe place to visit. Over half of respondents were not concerned about their safety while in South Africa. Several individual factors were found to affect their crime-risk perceptions of which the most significant was nationality. Most notably, soccer tourists from the Middle East felt the safest, whereas those from South America and Western Europe felt the least safe. Crime-safety issues did not appear to affect respondents’ future travel intentions, as the majority of study respondents said crime-safety concerns would not deter them from returning to South Africa. The findings of the study are useful to practitioners and contribute to the development of staging major sporting events in Africa, specifically, and globally more generally, in the future.
Job insecurity and the emotional and behavioural consequences thereof
Authors: Van Zyl L. , Van Eeden C. , Rothmann S.
Published: April 2018

The aim of this study was to investigate the relations among negative emotional reactions (reduced affective organisational commitment and higher job-related stress), and behavioural reactions to job insecurity (coping behaviour). A non-experimental correlation research design was used and the participants were a convenience sample of employees working for a private hospital in Gauteng, South Africa (N = 242). The measuring instruments included the Job Insecurity Inventory, the Organisational Commitment Questionnaire, the Experience of Work and Life Circumstances Questionnaire, and the COPE Questionnaire. The results showed that job insecurity was associated with job-related stress. Affective job insecurity was associated with detachment from the organisation, while cognitive job insecurity was associated with low identification with the organisation. Experiences of affective job insecurity, job-related stress, and low organisational commitment were associated with the use of avoidance coping strategies. Employees who experienced cognitive job insecurity (compared to those who experienced lower cognitive job insecurity) were less inclined to apply active coping strategies, even if their job-related stress was low.
Customer complaints and service policy in electronic commerce
Authors: Fan Y-W. , Miao Y-F. , Wu S-C.
Published: April 2018

Handling customer complaints is an important strategy to retain customers. Therefore, in the event of service failure, e-retailers should concentrate on recovery policies. However, studies discussing prevention policies to avoid customer complaints are scant. This study collected 5933 real customer complaint data from an electronic commerce customer-service database and classified customer complaints into 6 types. The findings showed that a number of customers were dishonest and took advantage of recovery policies. After interviewing business managers and consultants, this research suggests that e-retailers have prevention policies to guarantee accuracy of packaging and delivery processes. Prevention policies can reduce customer complaints, and avoid extra costs for businesses conducting recovery policies.
Corporate social responsibility and firm performance in South Africa
Authors: Demetriades K. , Auret C. J.
Published: April 2018

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) can be viewed from two different perspectives: that of the business; and that of the individual investor (Socially Responsible Investing, SRI). In this study regression analysis as well as an event study was used to examine the link between CSR and firm performance. The results suggested that in the short-term there were no significant price effects on the SRI shares. In contrast, the returns of SRI portfolios over the sample period seemed to be superior to those of conventional firms. The regression analysis found that generally the SRI coefficients were insignificant; however using one of the models during the fifteen year sample period, SRI constituents attained a ROE that was 11.18% higher (as well as a ROA that was 1.824% lower) than conventional firms. When the period was restricted to 2004-2009 it was found that social performance was positively - and sometimes significantly - correlated with ROE.
Entrepreneurial orientation and firm performance: A comparative study of Austria, Liechtenstein and Switzerland
Authors: Filser M. , Eggers F.
Published: April 2018

As noted by numerous studies entrepreneurial orientation (EO) is assumed to have a positive effect on firm performance. However, there is an ongoing debate concerning the importance of each of the constructs’ dimensions namelyinnovativeness, proactiveness and risk-taking and the respective impact of environmental factors. Therefore, the objective of this study is to investigate the influence of the EO dimensions on the performance of small and medium-sizedenterprises (SMEs) in different but neighboring countries. The focus is on the Rhine Valley, a region that covers parts of Austria, Liechtenstein and Switzerland. Based on a telephone survey responses from 304 business owners and CEOs in the Rhine Valley were collected. Multiple regression analysis shows that firm performance is affected by innovativeness and risk-taking and surprisingly not by proactiveness. The findings reveal that firms in different countries show different configurations of EO dimensions. Therefore, our results suggest that firm performance depends on each EO dimension with regard to environmental aspects. Practical as well as theoretical implications are discussed and recommendations for future research are proposed.
How do learning orientation and strategy yield innovativeness and superior firm performance?
Authors: Dülger M. , Alpay G. , Yılmaz C. , Bodur M.
Published: April 2018

This paper attempts to shed light on the role of learning orientations of firms and their adoption of Porter’s generic strategies on four dependent variables: Behavioral innovativeness, product innovativeness, technological innovativeness and, ultimately, firm performance. Hierarchical regressions were run with data from a random sample of 121 firms operating in Turkey. Findings indicate that internally-focused learning, market-focused learning and differentiation strategy have significant effects on the three innovativeness dimensions. When firm performance is included as the eventual outcome variable into the analysis, internally-focused learning, focus strategy and product innovativeness emerge as its main predictors. In fast-paced, highly unpredictable market environments, managers can make use of these findings to their benefit in terms of elevating their firms’ innovativeness and performance levels.
Factors influencing electronic commerce adoption in developing countries: The case of Tanzania
Authors: Makame W. H. , Kang J. , Park S.
Published: April 2018

Electronic commerce is rapidly replacing the old ways of doing business. Although many studies have been conducted on the adoption of various forms of e-commerce, there are few on this topic in African countries; in particular, there is no research on Tanzania. Therefore, this paper analyzes the factors determining e-commerce and their impact on its adoption in Tanzania. This paper extends the technology acceptance model (TAM) to an empirical study analyzing the factors influencing e-commerce adoption in Tanzania. A survey involving 111 respondents including Tanzanian government officers was conducted, and structural equation modeling was used to assess the model for the influence of three new factors: national policy initiatives, technology infrastructure, and trust in e-commerce adoption. The results show thattechnology infrastructure is an important factor in e-commerce adoption, and national policy initiatives are important in building online trust and improving technology infrastructure in Tanzania. Therefore, government policy makers need to encourage the presence of good technology infrastructure and build trust in e-commerce through national policy initiatives such as e-commerce promotion. Limitations of this paper are that the respondents are limited to people who have access to the Internet and some might not have enough knowledge about e-commerce. Further, the survey is conducted only in Tanzania; therefore, the results may differ in other African countries.
The HEDQUAL scale: A new measurement scale of service quality for MBA programs in higher education
Authors: Icli G. E. , Anil N. K.
Published: April 2018

HEdPERF is the most developed scale in the literature to measure service quality in higher education. However, HEdPERF is designed to measure service quality at university level (macro level) as a generic measurement instrument. Students’ expectations regarding education show differences as levels of education at universities (MBA, PhD) vary. Thus, in order to measure the quality of education at different levels, a new scale is required to meet the needs of that particular level (MBA). The purpose of this study was to develop and validate HEDQUAL, a new measurement scale of service quality specifically designed for MBA programs in the higher education sector.A 36 item (Turkish) questionnaire on service quality in higher education was developed and tested for unidimensionality, reliability and validity using both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. A total of 317 usable questionnaires were collected with a return rate of 42%. SPSS 15 and LISREL 8 were used and exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were applied. The recommended goodness-of-fit indices of the model were found to be within tolerable ranges, suggesting that the model provides a close fit to the data.The study identified five factors namely academic quality, administrative service quality, library services quality, quality of providing career opportunities, and supporting services quality as the key dimensions of service quality. This paper uses existing literature on services quality and MBA students’ expectations and needs, and develops an instrument that provides insights into measuring service quality for MBA students in a university.
Choosing celebrity endorsers for advertising campaigns in cosmopolitan China: Does their ethnicity matter?
Authors: Apaolaza A. , Hartmann P. , He J. , Barrutia J. M. , Echebarria C.
Published: April 2018

This study asks if endorsers function as surrogates for country-of-origin, and if the effectiveness of the tactic varies with the perceived ethnicity (Western versus Chinese) of the celebrities. It finds no significant influence on the country-oforiginperception, brand attitudes or product quality evaluations in the reactions of 797 consumers in Shanghai to magazine advertisements featuring celebrities of Chinese vs. Western ethnicity. The lack of any significant effect of the ethnicity of celebrities on a brand’s perceived country of origin precludes country image having any effect on those variables for the case of the cosmopolitan Chinese consumer.
Keys to reduce earnings management in emerging markets
Authors: Palacios Manzano M. , Martínez Conesa I. , Garza Sánchez H.
Published: April 2018

This paper examines earnings quality adapted to International Financial Reporting Standards in Mexican emerging capital market and how investor protection and audit quality to override managers’ incentives to engage in earnings management. We evidence that the new accounting regulation could be considered of high quality financial reporting standard because it is associated with lower earnings management. The analyses also suggest that cross-listed firms have higher quality local generally accepted accounting principles accounting information as measured by earnings management. There is also evidence that earnings of Mexican companies with Big 4 auditors are of higher quality. The results contribute to the ongoing debate on whether high standards are sufficient and effective in countries with weaker investor protection rights.
Managing visitors’ dining and retail experiences in South African national parks
Authors: Kruger M. , Saayman M. , Slabbert E.
Published: April 2018

In the light of the issue of declining government funding of South African National Parks (SANParks), as well as the negative influence of the poor service levels in shops, restaurants and eating facilities in these parks on visitor spending, SANParks needs to improve the retail and dining experiences at these facilities. This research attempts to provide guidelines for SANParks management in addressing these issues, by determining visitors’ retail and dining preferences and the relationship between these constructs. Quantitative research was conducted in 2011 using a web-based survey on the SANParks’ official website for two months (1st October – 30th November). This method resulted in obtaining 5 464 usable responses for the study. Factor analyses identified three relevant dining experience factors: Quality, Variety and value and Nature ambience and four retail experience factors: Goods and services, Pricing (consisting of two separate constructs: Expensive shops and Pay more inside Park) and Quality. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this was the first time that research was conducted with regard to addressing visitors’ retail and dining preferences at any South African national park, thereby contributing significantly to literature regarding visitor experiences in a nature-based context.
Share repurchase and dividend payout behaviour: The South African experience
Authors: Wesson N. , Bruwer B. W. , Hamman W. D.
Published: April 2018

Share repurchases, rather than dividend payments, are increasingly becoming the globally favoured payout method. This has prompted a renewed interest in the field, and raises questions about the actual motivation for share repurchases and whether companies are now repurchasing shares in preference to investing in future growth. This study set out to ascertain whether South African company payout behaviour mirrors global company behaviour. Comprehensive data on share repurchases are, however, not compiled by South African financial data sources or by the Johannesburg Stock Exchange Ltd. In preparation for this study, the authors thus compiled the first comprehensive share repurchase database for companies in selected JSE-listed sectors for the first 11 years (i.e. 1999 to 2009) since share repurchases were first allowed in this country.Share repurchases were found to be a popular payout method, especially in the more recent periods covered in the study. Payout value was dominated by a few companies paying dividends every year and regularly repurchasing shares. Aspects unique to the South African regulatory environment, however, resulted in the South African share repurchase experience not fully mirroring current global practice. The main constraint in the South African share repurchase environment is that comprehensive, actual-time-based share repurchase data are not available. Recommendations are made on how to align the South African regulatory environment with global best practice. Regulatory changes, as well as continued research in the field, will equip stakeholders to make informed decisions.
An integrated entrepreneurial performance model focusing on the importance and proficiency of competencies for start-up and established SMEs
Authors: Botha M. , Van Vuuren J. J. , Kunene T.
Published: April 2018

Functional and enterprising competencies were identified in the integrated entrepreneurial performance model and the paper highlights which key skills and which supportive skills should be included in entrepreneurial training models and programmes. Functional competencies depend on business management/general business and technical skills. Enterprising competencies depend on entrepreneurial and personal skills. A clear distinction is made between general management and entrepreneurial skills. A multi-sample of 570 start-up and established small and medium enterprises (SMEs) was used to determine whether there are statistically significant differences between the groups in terms of the importance and proficiency in these competencies. Exploratory factor analysis was conducted to confirm the validity and reliability of the measuring instrument and several statistical tests, including t-tests and ANOVAs, were performed to test the hypotheses. Established SMEs considered functional competencies as being much more important than start-ups. This finding implies that start-up SMEs need to focus on the importance of functional competencies if they want to increase their chances of becoming established businesses. It was found that start-up, as well as established SMEs, consider enterprising competencies as important. The established group considered themselves very proficient in both the functional and enterprising competencies while the divergent was true for the start-up group.
Examining the relationship between corporate governance and bank performance in Bangladesh
Authors: Islam J. , Sathye S. , Hu H.
Published: April 2018

Previous research has studied the impact of corporate governance on bank performance, but only a few aspects of the impact were reported. The present study develops a unique corporate governance index to provide a comprehensivemeasure of corporate governance and examines the relationship between this comprehensive measure and bank performance. We apply the Wilcoxon signed rank test to examine whether the introduction of the Code of CorporateGovernance in Bangladesh has significantly promoted the improvement of corporate governance practices in Bangladeshi banks. Our results provide support for the hypothesis that corporate governance practices of Bangladeshi banks have been significantly improved since the introduction of the code. Further, the present study adopts regression analysis and reveals that the comprehensive measure of corporate governance is not significantly related to Bangladeshi banks’ performance.
Measuring business schools’ service quality in an emerging market using an extended SERVQUAL instrument
Authors: Mbise E. R. , Tuninga R. S.J.
Published: April 2018

An extended SERVQUAL instrument is developed, validated and used to measure perceived service quality delivered to students by business schools in an emerging market economy. A longitudinal survey is conducted with selected students in their final year of study from two business schools in an emerging market economy. The use of the extended SERVQUAL model is suggested to monitor student/employee expectations and perceptions during and after the education service delivery process. Students attach different weights to the service quality dimensions. A new Process Outcome dimension is found to substantially add to the SERVQUAL model and is more important than the other dimensions. The validity of the extended SERVQUAL model for practical use is α >0.95. Prediction of the level of service quality delivered, using four dimensions, indicates that the level of service quality is explained mostly by Process Outcome and Tangibles dimensions. It is suggested that using the extended SERVQUAL model as a tool can enable managers of business schools to identify the factors on which students/employees base their quality assessment of the education services they receive. Knowledge of these factors will enable managers in emerging economies to periodically assess, sustain and improve quality of the whole service delivery process. Priorities can be set to allocate scarce resources properly to make effective investment decisions to improve quality per school and in higher education, in general. The paper further suggests that regulatory bodies make use of this model when comparing performance of business schools, focusing on student experiences as a supplement to the traditional performance measures.
Moderating effects of the relationship between offshore outsourcing and the export capability of firms
Authors: Garcilazo Lagunes S. , Danvila Del Valle I. , Sastre Castillo M. A.
Published: April 2018

This paper analyzes the effect of offshore outsourcing on the export performance of firms, based on the theories of international business, the resource-based view of the firm and the transaction cost theory.Outsourcing can reduce production costs and increase flexibility. It can also provide new resources and market knowledge. However, the impact of offshore outsourcing depends on the resources and capabilities of firms to manage a network of foreign suppliers, and to absorb knowledge of foreign markets. Using a database of about 1,000 manufacturing companies in Mexico in 2011, we found that offshore outsourcing increases the performance of exports. The effects are stronger in export markets from which the company also imports intermediate goods.The results also show that the size of the company, the organization of intra-firm imports and export experience moderate the effects of outsourcing in a positive way.
The interrelationships between customer satisfaction, brand loyalty and relationship intentions of Generation Y consumers towards smart phone brands
Authors: Mostert P. G. , Petzer D. J. , Weideman A.
Published: April 2018

Smart phone marketers are finding it difficult to maintain market share in a market characterised by fierce competition and continued new product development. Generation Y consumers generally have a good command of technology and engage in technology-related behaviour such as texting, tweeting and web-surfing. When it comes to the adoption of smart phone applications, it is believed that Generation Y is leading the way. To retain Generation Y consumers, it is critical for organisations to ensure that customer satisfaction is achieved, brand loyalty has to be generated and meaningful long-term relationships with these consumers should be established. In this regard, this study aims to determine the interrelationships between customer satisfaction, brand loyalty and the relationship intentions of Generation Y smart phone users. Self-administered questionnaires were fielded among 395 Generation Y smart phone users living in Gauteng, South Africa. Results indicate significant and positive interrelationships between customer satisfaction, brand loyalty and relationship intention.
Investigating value-laden leadership styles among family business owners
Authors: Venter E. , Farrington S. M.
Published: April 2018

Given the need for a different approach to leadership, as well as the need for further investigation on leadership among family businesses, this study investigates several value-laden leadership styles among family businesses. More specifically the primary objective is to establish the levels of Servant, Ethical, Authentic, and Participative leadership displayed by family business owners and the influence thereof on the Perceived business performance of the family business. A survey was undertaken and 266 usable questionnaires were returned from 133 family business owners and 133 from family business employees. The data analysis involved calculating descriptive statistics and undertaking t-tests. Multiple regression analysis (MRA) was done to test the hypothesised relationships. Although the MRA analysis revealed no statistically significant relationships between the leadership styles investigated and Perceived business performance, the vast majority of respondents agreed that the styles investigated were displayed by the family business owners. For both sample groups Ethical leadership returned the highest mean score, followed by Servant and Participative leadership. The importance of these value-laden leadership styles to family businesses is thus highlighted, contradicting the literature that family businesses owners are often autocratic in their leadership style. In addition, increased clarity on the effectiveness of these value-laden leadership styles within the context of family business is provided.
What characterises high-growth firms in South Africa? Evidence from World Bank Enterprise Survey
Authors: Mthimkhulu A. , Aziakpono M.
Published: April 2018

In the past two decades, considerable efforts have been made to promote small and medium enterprises as a catalyst for job creation in many countries, including South Africa. However, globally a growing body of evidence shows that only a small segment of small and medium enterprises in an economy accounts for 50 to 70% of net new jobs. Using the World Bank Enterprise Survey and logit and quantile regressions, this paper empirically explores the characteristics of high growthfirms in South Africa. The study finds that firms that are less than 6 years create more jobs than the average firm in the sample. The results further suggest that the typical high-growth firms are black-owned.
Retention or defection? Chinese consumers’ decision-making styles for domestic and global brands
Authors: Tzeng S. Y. , Wong W. M.
Published: April 2018

This study explores consumers’ decision-making in terms of intention to switch to foreign brands from domestic brands when purchasing cell phones and sports shoes. A survey of 584 undergraduates in Guangdong, China, shows that domestic brands retain their low quality-conscious, low fashion-and-recreational-conscious and low price-conscious customers and attract low brand-conscious and high choice-confused buyers from foreign brands. Foreign brands typically retain their consumers who are highly conscious of fashion and recreation and keep and draw customers with low choice confusion. High-price-conscious consumers and those who are highly brand-confused will assess foreign and domestic brands when searching for bargains. Regarding managerial implications, local brands should offer products of high quality at low pricesand constantly invest in R&D; foreign brands may expand their customer bases and build interactive brand channels; all companies can retain brand-confused customers with preferential packages and design their marketing strategies based on decision-making styles of their target consumers.
The effect of vertical brand extensions on consumer-brand relationships in South Africa
Authors: Muroyiwa O. , Abratt R. , Mingione M.
Published: April 2018

The purpose of this research is to evaluate the impact of the introduction of vertical brand extensions on Consumer-Brand Relationships (CBRs) in the mobile phone market. In particular, we aim at exploring the effect vertical brand extensions that luxury and functional brands have on consumers’ perceptions, as well as the effect the extensions will have on CBRs. This study pursues a quantitative approach, developing and testing four hypotheses on the influence vertical brand extensions have on four CBR-related constructs, namely brand attachment, brand trust, brand commitment and brand identification. The elicited context is the South African market and the selected brands are Apple, to represent luxury brands, and Samsung, representative of functional brands. Results only partially confirm previous research on vertical brand extension. Supporting previous studies, a vertical step-down extension has been found to have a stronger negative impact on brand commitment for the luxury brand than for the functional one. However, findings disconfirm the literature in revealing a stronger negative impact on the functional brand than the luxury brand and a positive effect on the brand attachment of both brands, especially the functional brand.