bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Corporate governance in China: a review
Authors: Sabbaghi Omid
Published: October 2016

Purpose

This study aims to provide a review of corporate governance in China because effective and strong corporate governance is necessary for the efficient functioning and long-term sustainability of financial markets and corporations.

Design/methodology/approach

The author provides a literature review of corporate governance in China through themes such as the concentration of state ownership, the degree of independence among board directors, insider trading, quality of financial disclosures and the maturity of capital markets.

Findings

The author reviews empirical work surrounding key corporate governance variables and identifies avenues for future research. The author finds that corporate governance mechanisms exhibit implications for firm performance, fraud, capital retention, financial constraints, institutional investors, auditing and the quality of financial disclosures. In addition, the author reviews evidence documenting the importance of independent board directors in regulation and ethical conduct.

Originality/value

The literature review contributes to the growing literature on responsible corporate governance and provides further understanding of the importance of business ethics for promoting the integrity and long-term sustainability of China’s capital markets and corporations and to ensure that company assets are used efficiently and productively in the best interests of investors and other stakeholders. This study offers insights to policy-makers interested in enhancing the quality of corporate governance within their nation. In addition, it provides a macro-level perspective for executives of multinational firms to consider if they are considering making a direct investment in China.
The influence of green marketing functions in building corporate image
Authors: Yadav Rambalak , Kumar Dokania Abhishek , Swaroop Pathak Govind
Published: October 2016

Purpose

The present study aims to explore the influence of green marketing functions (green activities, corporate communication of green activities and green image) on corporate image in the hospitality sector. Further, the study tries to explore the consumer’s intention to visit the hotels practicing green marketing.

Design/methodology/approach

Using snowball sampling approach, a total of 220 usable responses were obtained from the consumer via an internet survey. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling to evaluate the strength of relationship and model fit.

Findings

The findings show that green/eco-friendly activities and green image significantly influence the corporate image of the hotel, which in turn results into significant positive impact over consumer’s intention to visit the hotel. No significant influence of corporate communication of green activities on corporate image of the hotels was found, which may be because of the low level of communication of green practices by the hotels in India.

Practical implications

The findings offer insight to the managers regarding the impact of green marketing practices adopted by the hotels on their corporate image which in turn results into increased visit/revisit intention.

Originality/value

The study deals with the topic “the influence of green marketing on corporate image”, which has received scant attention by researchers. The paper attempts to provide empirical evidence in this area. The study yields several implications that can be helpful for managers while devising green marketing strategies for the hospitality sector. The study is among the initial studies exploring the influence of green marketing on corporate image in the Indian context.
Back to the future: progress and trends in hotel loyalty marketing
Authors: Tanford Sarah , Shoemaker Stowe , Dinca Alexandra
Published: October 2016

Purpose

In 1999, Shoemaker and Lewis declared customer loyalty as “the future of hospitality marketing”. This paper aims to evaluate the state of research and practice in hotel loyalty and reward programs in the subsequent 15 years to determine if the tenets set forth have occurred. The loyalty circle provides a conceptual framework within which to evaluate progress and trends in hotel loyalty marketing.

Design/methodology/approach

Three approaches were used: a comprehensive review of hotel loyalty and reward program literature from 2000 to 2015, a classification and analysis of program benefits for major hotel companies and in-depth interviews with industry professionals.

Findings

The literature shows a progression from process-focused research to a greater emphasis on brand relationships. Communication is neglected compared to the other loyalty circle components. Reward programs still depend largely on financial benefits but have added greater flexibility and customization of rewards.

Research limitations/implications

The literature search was limited to hotels and did not consider other hospitality segments. The sample of interviews was small and may not represent the opinions of all loyalty professionals.

Practical implications

The findings have practical implications for developing more effective loyalty programs and theoretical implications for expanding research horizons.

Originality/value

Shoemaker and Lewis (1999) was a landmark article that led to a period of prolific research on hospitality loyalty. During that time, loyalty programs were progressing and permeating the industry. This study applies the loyalty circle to provide a framework within which to evaluate both research and practice in hotel loyalty marketing.
The influence of e-word-of-mouth on hotel occupancy rate
Authors: Viglia Giampaolo , Minazzi Roberta , Buhalis Dimitrios
Published: October 2016

Purpose

Online consumer reviews have become increasingly important for consumer decision-making. One of the most prominent examples is the hotel industry where consumer reviews on websites, such as Bookings.com, TripAdvisor and Venere.com, play a critical role in consumers’ choice of a hotel. There have been a number of recent studies analyzing various aspects of online reviews. The purpose of this paper is to investigate their effects in terms of hotel occupancy rates.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper measures through regression analysis the impact of three dimensions of consumer reviews (i.e. review score, review variance and review volume) on the occupancy rates of 346 hotels located in Rome, isolating a number of other factors that might also affect demand.

Findings

Review score is the dimension with the highest impact. The results suggest that after controlling for other variables, a one-point increase in the review score is associated to an increase in the occupancy rate by 7.5 percentage points. Regardless the review score, the number of reviews has a positive effect, but with decreasing returns, implying that the higher the number of reviews, the lower the beneficial effect in terms of occupancy rates is.

Practical implications

The findings quantify the strong association of online reviews to occupancy rates suggesting the use of appropriate reputational management systems to increase hotel occupancy and therefore performance.

Originality/value

A major contribution of this paper is its comprehensiveness in analyzing the relation between online consumer reviews and occupancy across a heterogeneous sample of hotels.
Effects of managerial response on consumer eWOM and hotel performance
Authors: Xie Karen L. , Zhang Zili , Zhang Ziqiong , Singh Amrik , Lee Seul Ki
Published: October 2016

Purpose

This study aims to measures the effects of managerial response on consumer electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) and hotel performance.

Design/methodology/approach

A sample of 56,284 consumer reviews and 10,793 managerial responses for 1,045 hotels was retrieved from TripAdvisor, along with 30,232 performance records matched to these hotels on a quarterly basis.

Findings

This study finds that managerial response leads to an average increase of 0.235 stars in the TripAdvisor ratings of the sampled hotels, as well as a 17.3 per cent increase in the volume of subsequent consumer eWOM. Moreover, managerial response moderates the influence of ratings and volume of consumer eWOM on hotel performance.

Practical implications

This study offers a practical model that enables hotel managers to orchestrate social media marketing approaches and efforts toward an optimal social media strategy.

Originality/value

This study differs from extant literature that has extensively focused on consumer reviews by providing a new perspective of management intervention in the social media context. By examining the interplay of managerial response and consumer eWOM at the individual hotel level, this study provides empirical evidence of managerial response affecting hotel performance through the increased ratings and volume of consumer eWOM. This study also offers insights into the practical importance of crafting intervention opportunities to cultivate the continued engagement of consumers on social media and increased hotel performance.
Supervisory support climate and service-oriented organizational citizenship behavior in hospitality
Authors: Tang Ya-Yun , Tsaur Sheng-Hshiung
Published: October 2016

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the effect of a supervisory support climate on frontline employees’ service-oriented organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) using a multilevel conceptual model. A positive group affective tone – a meaningful construct – is introduced to investigate the mediating and moderating roles in this relationship in the context of hospitality.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from 41 international tourist hotels in Taiwan. A total of 476 valid questionnaires from frontline employees were received for data analysis. The results were analyzed by using hierarchical linear modeling (HLM).

Findings

These results not only indicate that a supervisory support climate has a positive effect on service-oriented OCB but also reveal that a positive group affective tone partially mediates and notably interacts with the relationship between the supervisory support climate and service-oriented OCB.

Practical implications

Based on the results, this study recommends that hotels train their managers to build a supervisory support climate, because this is the key source of service-oriented OCB in frontline employees. In addition, hotel managers need to exert a positive group affective tone to reinforce the effect of a supervisory support climate on service-oriented OCB.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the current hospitality literature by verifying the effect of a supervisory support climate on service-oriented OCB from a multilevel perspective. It also extends the understanding of the mechanism and interaction effect of the positive group affective tone in this multilevel relationship.
Back to the basics: how feelings of anger affect cooperation
Authors: Motro Daphna , Kugler Tamar , Connolly Terry
Published: October 2016

Purpose

The authors propose that angry individuals are much more likely to consider the emotional state of their partner than are neutral individuals. They then apply a lay theory dictating that anger decreases cooperation and react accordingly by lowering their own level of cooperation.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors report four experiments involving different samples, manipulations, payment schemes and interfaces. The methodological approach was to capitalize on the positives of experimental research (e.g. establishing causality) while also trying to conceptually replicate the findings in different settings.

Findings

The authors found evidence for a lay theory (i.e. expectation) that anger decreases cooperation, but that actual cooperation was lowest when angry individuals were paired with other angry individuals, supporting the hypotheses.

Research limitations/implications

Anger can spill over from unrelated contexts to affect cooperation, and incidental anger by itself is not enough to decrease cooperation. However, the findings are limited to anger and cannot necessarily be used to understand the effects of other emotions.

Practical implications

Before entering into a context that requires cooperation, such as a negotiation, be wary of the emotional state of both yourself and of your partner. This paper suggests that only if both parties are angry, then the likelihood of cooperation is low.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, they are the first researchers to address the question of how incidental anger affects single-round cooperation. By going back to the basics, the authors believe that the findings fill a gap in existing research and offer a building block for future research on anger and cooperation.
Servant leadership and conflict resolution: a qualitative study
Authors: Jit Ravinder , Sharma Chandra Shekhar , Kawatra Mona
Published: October 2016

Purpose

The purpose of the present study was to examine the choice of conflict management strategies made by servant leaders.

Design/methodology/approach

The present qualitative study uses the method of narrative enquiry within the framework of interpretative phenomenological analysis (Smith et al., 2009) to capture the life experiences as lived.

Findings

The study suggests that the servant leaders manifest conflict management styles which are more persuasive, humane and participative. Their chief strategies for resolving subordinate-subordinate conflict are initial diagnosis of the situation; leader’s intervention in facilitating an amicable solution; and impartiality of the leader while effecting resolution of conflict. Diagnosis of the conflict situation, self-restraint, patience, composure and humility of the servant leader have emerged as major leadership characteristics, as well as strategies for dealing with any provocative employee behavior.

Practical implications

Insight provided by this study into alternate strategies for conflict resolution will guide the academicians, working managers and trainers to understand and practice the process of managing conflict in a more humane way.

Originality/value

Despite the presence of a few studies linking leadership style with the choice of conflict resolution strategies, an important gap till now has been the absence of leaders’ personal account of their experiences, reflections and analysis in their choice of conflict resolution strategies. This study seeks to investigate the approach of servant leaders when they handle subordinate-subordinate and superior-subordinate conflict.
Influence of family ownership on company performance
Authors: Beuren Ilse Maria , Politelo Leandro , Martins José Augusto Sousa
Published: October 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between family ownership and the performance of Brazilian companies listed on BM&FBovespa. It also provides a comparison with the results of Shyu’s (2011) survey conducted in Taiwanese companies.

Design/methodology/approach

A sample of 187 Brazilian companies were surveyed, of which 120 were classified as family owned, considering the family participation in the capital and in the board of directors. As in Shyu’s (2011) study, three variables of performance, two of accounting and one of market, and seven variables of control were considered. Simultaneous equations were used to analyze the relationship between family participation and corporate performance, the test of mean was used to compare performance and other variables between family- and non-family-owned companies, and a graphical analysis was used to verify the extent to which family involvement contributes to better performance.

Findings

The results show that family-owned companies have lower performance compared with non-family-owned companies. They indicate a positive relationship between family participation (ownership) and performance of the company. They also reveal that the performance of family-owned companies is maximized when family involvement reaches 60 and 70 percent.

Originality/value

The survey conducted on Brazilian companies shows results that are partially consistent with those observed by Shyu (2011) in Taiwanese companies. Similarities were found in the relationship between family involvement and the performance of the company. However, the results differ with regard to the performance of family- and non-family-owned companies and the optimal level of family participation that can maximize performance.
The effect of short-sale restrictions: another perspective
Authors: Le Van
Published: October 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of short-sale restrictions (SSR) with particular emphasis on their impact on the liquidity and informed trading in the stock and option markets.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a panel regression with controls for volatility, VIX and matched stocks, this study examines the effect of the short-sale ban (SSB) on stock and option liquidity, expressed in terms of spread and volume. In addition, the PIN and option information share (OIS) measures have been used to analyze its impact on informed trading in those related markets.

Findings

The results suggest that the SSB leads to a significant reduction in the liquidity of the affected stocks and their options. However, no significant change in the trader composition can be detected. This result is consistent to the short-prohibition effect predicted by Diamond and Verrecchia (1987).

Research limitations/implications

Due to the sizeable data required to estimate the PIN and OIS measures, only a select sample of optionable stocks has been examined.

Originality/value

This study offers both academics and policy makers some useful insights into the effect of SSR on trading activities in both stock and option markets. From a policy perspective, it clearly demonstrates that regulatory changes targeting a specific market also affect other related markets via the arbitrage link between them.
Effectiveness of power use in buyer-supplier negotiations
Authors: Reimann Felix , Shen Pei , Kaufmann Lutz
Published: October 2016

Purpose

Building on the dual-system approach and resource-advantage theory, the purpose of this paper is to investigate how a particular personality trait of negotiators – namely, agreeableness – moderates the effectiveness of using coercion and reward power to appropriate value in buyer-supplier negotiations.

Design/methodology/approach

Simulated negotiations in buyer-supplier dyads with 152 participants are analyzed using hierarchical regression analysis.

Findings

The analysis shows that negotiators’ agreeableness moderates the effectiveness of using coercion and reward power for suppliers, but not for buyers. Negotiators in the role of suppliers use reward power more effectively and coercion power less effectively if they have high agreeableness. Buyer negotiators benefit from using coercion, regardless of their personality.

Research limitations/implications

This research focuses on two common negotiation tactics and one particularly relevant personality trait. Future research might examine additional tactics and personality traits, and might delve deeper into explaining the observed differences between negotiators in the role of buyer and supplier.

Practical implications

The findings suggest that negotiators on the supplier side can improve their effectiveness by choosing tactics that fit their personality. Negotiators on the buyer side should consider using coercion power, regardless of their personality.

Originality/value

This research introduces dual-system theory to the supply chain management (SCM) literature and suggests that SCM research can benefit from simultaneously examining conscious decision processes and subconscious influences. It further suggests that the effects of dual-system interactions are sensitive to context, and more theory accounting for differences between buyers and suppliers in a dyad should be developed.
Structural crisis?
Authors: Ljungkvist Torbjörn , Boers Börje
Published: October 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to understand the interdependence between regional culture and resilience in family business-dominated regions.

Design/methodology/approach

The study is based on a literature review and helps to fill the knowledge gap regarding regional culture and resilience in family business-dominated contexts.

Findings

The authors highlight similarities and differences between two regions of Sweden with distinct regional cultures that support resilience. A number of norms that are significant in generating resilient regions are identified. One key finding is that the regional culture developed during the proto-industrial era, in connection with home production, still affects and contributes to resilience in these family business-dominated regions.

Research limitations/implications

The study is based on two case studies, so no generalizable conclusions can be drawn.

Practical implications

For policy makers, this study shows that structural crises can be overcome with a strong regional culture, as it can foster resilience. However, regional culture is hard to implement by political decisions. For owners and managers of organizations, this study suggests that it is essential to consider regional culture as an important factor for the organization.

Originality/value

This study draws on a comparison of two regions in Sweden with explicit regional cultures.
Generating resources through co-evolution of entrepreneurs and ecosystems
Authors: Björklund Tua A. , Krueger Norris F.
Published: October 2016

Purpose

The emerging perspectives of entrepreneurial ecosystems, bricolage and effectuation highlight the interaction between the entrepreneur and the surrounding community, and its potential for creative resource acquisition and utilization. However, empirical work on how this process actually unfolds remains scarce. This paper aims to study the interaction between the opportunity construction process and the development of resources in the surrounding ecosystem.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper is a qualitative analysis of the extreme case of Aalto Entrepreneurship Society (Aaltoes), a newly founded organization successfully promoting entrepreneurship within a university merger with virtually no resources, based on interviews of six key contributors and four stakeholder organizations.

Findings

The opportunity construction process both supported and was supported by two key resource generating mechanisms. Formulating and opportunistically reformulating the agenda for increasing potential synergy laid the groundwork for mutual benefit. Proactive concretization enhanced both initial resource allocation and sustaining input to the process through offering tangible instances of specific opportunities and feedback.

Research limitations/implications

Although based on a single case study in a university setting, proactive concretization emerges as a promising direction for further investigations of the benefits and dynamics of entrepreneur–ecosystem interaction in the opportunity construction process.

Practical implications

Intentionally creating beneficial entrepreneur–ecosystem interaction and teaching proactive concretization becomes a key goal for educators of entrepreneurship.

Originality/value

The paper extends an understanding of creative resource generation and utilization in the opportunity construction process. The role of proactive concretization was emphasized in the interaction of the entrepreneur and the ecosystem, creating virtuous spirals of entrepreneurial activity.
Rethinking enterprise flexibility: a new approach based on management control theory
Authors: Yanine Fernando , Valenzuela Lionel , Tapia Juan , Cea Jorge
Published: October 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to draw attention to a void in the literature on enterprise flexibility: The Management Control Systems’ (MCS) role in the enterprise flexibility and stability discussion. MCS can be instrumental in securing an organization’s strategic performance objectives, far beyond the mere managerial control and accounting perspectives of traditional MCS’ roles.

Design/methodology/approach

This study is qualitative in nature, and presents a theoretical approach with a conceptual model to address enterprise flexibility and stability jointly; arguing that both should be part of the MCS’ design and implementation with a distinct strategic outlook. Several theoretical and practical arguments are presented which reinforce this thesis.

Findings

To operate optimally, enterprises must be able to manage their limited resources in efficient and effective manner. This is especially so when dealing with uncertainty and contingencies on an ongoing basis, while following a defined strategic choice. Such choices are expected to mirror enterprise flexibility types and measures without neglecting enterprise stability requirements, linking both to strategic performance measurement indicators.

Research limitations/implications

Further work is needed to explore not only how different types of enterprise flexibility and stability measures can bring additional benefits to the firm but also how best to apply such types in accordance with business and operations strategies, organizational stability requirements and management control strategies.

Practical implications

MCS can and should take part of an organization’s strategic performance measures but these are to be understood from a systemic design perspective of the enterprise system’s metacontrollability, addressing flexibility and stability jointly.

Social implications

There is a need to reevaluate the role of MCS and their strategic potential. The approach presented can have valuable potential ramifications and insights for management and information sciences as well as for the enterprise management practitioners as a whole.

Originality/value

This paper provides original research on enterprise flexibility and stability analysis, covering all aspects of MC and its role on the enterprise’s metacontrollability. Design and coordination of the seven basic elements which comprise MCS are analyzed, as well as how they influence one another. The paper includes two tables to illustrate the approach being proposed. Table I presents a classification of the literature reviewed in the paper while Table AI presents the choice of the theoretical lens on enterprise flexibility from other authors which contrasts with the model proposed. The role of MCS in the enterprise is also included.
Organizing ERP research: a knowledge-centric approach
Authors: Amani Farzaneh , Fadlalla Adam
Published: October 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to gain insight into enterprise resource planning (ERP) research by framing ERP intellectual contributions using a knowledge-centric taxonomy that was originally proposed as an organizing framework for classifying conceptual contributions in marketing. Thus the paper provides a better understanding of existing gaps and future opportunities in ERP research.

Design/methodology/approach

Using MacInnis framework, the authors classified a sample of 300 ERP articles published during the period 2000-2014 into a topology of four generic contributions types and eight sub-types.

Findings

The findings indicate that whereas the explicating type received the most attention by researches, the debating type received the least. It also seems that there is a temporal dimension to the different types of conceptual contributions. Identification of usefulness of the ERP systems to business was not addressed as would have been predicted by the build-evaluate lens of March and Smith framework.

Research limitations/implications

The main limitation of this research is that only used articles from scholarly journals, and did not include conference proceedings, books, and other outlets. Another limitation is that the search criteria was title-based, which may have missed some relevant papers. Research implications include highlighting the importance of a knowledge-centric view of ERP research, and practical implications include the call for robust measurement criteria for ERP benefits and rigorous ERP comparison schemes.

Originality/value

The main contribution is providing an alternative approach to framing the ERP intellectual contributions. The proposed taxonomy revealed major areas of focus and opportunities for future ERP research emphasis. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first instantiation of MacInnis framework into ERP research.
Absence and the advertising historian
Authors: Smulyan Susan
Published: October 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the commonly held idea that American advertising agencies closely supervised their Australian counterparts during the globalization of advertising.

Design/methodology/approach

The author, a cultural historian based in the USA, searched American archives without finding evidence of the kind of oversight often associated with the Americanization of advertising.

Findings

The paper concludes that American advertisers paid less attention to Australian advertising than the other way around. In addition, Australian and American advertising industries agreed on the importance of advertising as part of transnational capitalism and did not need to outline, or follow instructions, on how advertising worked.

Originality/value

Reviewing the history of advertising in a global context reminds scholars that the national advertising industries have different subject positions and yet agree on advertising’s practice and efficacy.
“It’s time”: revolution and evolution in Australian political advertising
Authors: White Leanne
Published: October 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine two significant political advertising campaigns which used the “It’s Time” slogan and to reflect on how these related to official, popular and commercial nationalism in Australia. The paper is primarily concerned with two main issues: identifying and examining the variety of images of Australia in two key television advertisements, and exploring the methods by which advertising agencies created positive images of Australia and Australians in the two campaigns. It specifically highlights the significance of the “It’s Time” campaign, which is relevant for scholars and advertisers seeking to understand effective political communication.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper examines television advertisements by using semiotics as the principal methodology. The research methodology devised for the advertisements consists of two main components: a shot combination analysis, also known as a shot-by-shot analysis, and a semiological reading of the visual and acoustic channels of the advertisement.

Findings

This paper examines the use of commercial nationalism in television advertising. As one of many social and cultural influences, advertisements assist the individual in understanding their notion of themselves and their relationship with the wider community – be it local, national, regional or global. The primary focus of this research is the phenomenon of commercial nationalism – the adoption of national signifiers in the marketplace. However, by examining the more general discourse on nationalism, particularly the voice of official nationalism – the promotion of nationalism by the nation-state (or those aspiring to power), the symbiotic relationship between these two complementary brands of nationalism is explored.

Originality/value

The methodology adopted for analysing the two political advertising campaigns offers conceptual and practical value. It provides a consistent set of terms and concepts for further research to build upon. The paper provides insights for the marketing or examination of advertising campaigns. The paper demonstrates the power of market research to inform a framing strategy for a political campaign. The paper contributes to the body of knowledge in this area and thus society’s understanding of these important periods in the nation’s history. In particular, the paper provides an exploration into the “It’s Time” campaign and how it mobilised a broader cultural awakening to engineer success at the ballot box in 1972. The two case studies examined in this paper are relevant to political scientists and media and communication scholars.
TQM and lean strategy deployment in Italian hospitals
Authors: Chiarini Andrea , Baccarani Claudio
Published: October 2016

Purpose

This paper aims to contribute to the debate concerning total quality management (TQM)–Lean strategy in public healthcare by analyzing the deployment path for implementation, the possible benefits that can be achieved and the encountered pitfalls.

Design/methodology/approach

Three case studies are drawn from three large Italian hospitals with more than 500 beds each and structured with many departments. The hospitals are located in Tuscany, Italy. These three hospitals have embraced TQM and Lean, starting from strategic objectives and their deployment. At the same time, they have also implemented many TQM–Lean tools. The case studies are based on interviews held with four managers in each of these three public hospitals.

Findings

Results from the interviews show that there is a specific deployment path for TQM–Lean implementation. The hospitals have also achieved benefits linked to patient satisfaction and improved organizational performances. Problems related to organizational and cultural issues, such as senior managers’ commitment, staff management, manufacturing culture and tools adaptation, could affect the benefits.

Research limitations/implications

The research has been carried out in just three Italian public hospitals. Hence, similar investigations could be managed in other countries. Researchers could also use a larger sample and investigate these issues by means of quantitative inquiry.

Practical implications

Practitioners could try to apply the deployment path revealed by these case studies in other public and private hospitals.

Originality/value

The results of this research show that there is a specific, new deployment path for implementing TQM–Lean strategy in some public hospitals.
Classifying Chinese bull and bear markets: indices and individual stocks
Authors: Chi Wei , Brooks Robert , Bissoondoyal-Bheenick Emawtee , Tang Xueli
Published: October 2016

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate Chinese bull and bear markets. The Chinese stock market has experienced a long period of bear cycle from early 2000 until 2006, and then it fluctuated greatly until 2010. However, the cyclical behaviour of stock markets during this period is less well established. This paper aims to answer the question why the Chinese stock market experienced a long duration of bear market and what factors would have impacted this cyclical behaviour.

Design/methodology/approach

By comparing the intervals of bull and bear markets between stocks and indices based on a Markov switching model, this paper examines whether different industries or A- and B-share markets could lead to different stock market cyclical behaviour and whether firm size can determine the relationship between the firm stock cycles on the market cycles.

Findings

This paper finds a high degree of overlapping of bear cycles between stocks and indices and a high level of overlapping between the bear market and a fraction of stock with increasing stock prices. This leads to the conclusion that the stock performance and trading behaviour are widely diversified. Furthermore, the paper finds that the same industry may have different overlapping intervals of bull or bear cycles in the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock markets. Firms with different sizes could have different overlapping intervals with bull or bear cycles.

Originality/value

This paper fills the literature gap by establishing the cyclical behaviour of stock markets.
A new theory of innovation and growth: the role of banking intermediation and corruption
Authors: Jalles João Tovar
Published: October 2016

Purpose

There has been an increased interest in the role of the financial sector and institutional quality in the development process.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper addresses the relationship between corruption and financial sector development by constructing a Schumpeterian endogenous growth model, allowing for the entry of competitive firms with an explicit role for politics and banking.

Findings

Assuming that technologically advanced firms are located in developed countries and backward firms in developing countries, the model in this study suggests that low corruption are more growth enhancing in the former group of countries. Better institutions stimulate entry by reducing banking screening costs and entry is more growth enhancing in sectors closer to the technological frontier.

Research limitations/implications

The model in this study is a partial equilibrium analysis and one should include a role for labour markets to address the household’s problem and enrich the model’s conclusions. Secondly, the model specification rests on the fact that the degree of corruption is correlated with the level of institutions. Even though this might be subject to some criticism, this is a common practice across the literature and so, it is clearly a matter of taste.

Practical implications

The main policy conclusion is that anti-corruption policy initiatives should prioritize corruption that distorts incentives with respect to productive investment that directly and negatively affects growth.

Originality/value

This paper addresses the relationship between corruption and financial sector development by constructing a Schumpeterian endogenous growth model, allowing for the entry of competitive firms with an explicit role for politics and banking.
Arbitrage opportunities, efficiency, and the role of risk preferences in the Hong Kong property market
Authors: Tsang Chun-Kei , Wong Wing-Keung , Horowitz Ira
Published: October 2016

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate how a prospective buyer’s optimal home-size purchase can be determined by means of a stochastic-dominance (SD) analysis of the historical data of Hong Kong.

Design/methodology/approach

By means of SD analysis, the paper uses monthly property yields in Hong Kong over a 15-year period to illustrate how buyers of different risk preference may optimize their home-size purchase.

Findings

Regardless of whether the buyer eschews risk, embraces risk or is indifferent to it, in any adjacent pairing of five well-defined housing classes, the smaller class provides the optimal purchase. In addition, risk-averters focusing on total yield would prefer to invest in the smallest and second-smallest classes than in the largest class.

Research limitations/implications

As the smaller class provides the optimal purchase, the smallest class affords the buyer the optimal purchase over all classes in this important housing market – at least where rental yields are of primary concern.

Practical implications

The findings suggest that in the Hong Kong housing market, long-term investors may be better off purchasing smaller homes. For other type of investors, it depends on their risk preference.

Originality/value

There is a very small body of empirical literature on housing investment, especially if the focus is on the optimal home-size purchase.
Exploring exchange rate based policy coordination in SADC
Authors: Zerihun Mulatu Fekadu , Breitenbach Martinus C. , Kemegue Francis
Published: October 2016

Purpose

This paper explores the possibilities for policy coordination in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) as well as real effective exchange rate (REER) stability as a prerequisite towards sensible monetary integration. The underlying hypothesis goes with the assertion that countries meeting optimum currency area conditions face more stable exchange rates.

Design/methodology/approach

The quantitative analysis encompasses 12 SADC member states over the period 1995-2012. Correlation matrixes, dynamic pooled mean group (PMG) and mean group (MG) estimators and real effective exchange rate (REER) and real exchange rate (RER) equilibrium and misalignment analysis are carried out to arrive at the conclusions.

Findings

The study finds that the structural variables used in the PMG model show that there are common fiscal and monetary policy variables that determine REER/RER in the region. However, the exchange rate equilibrium misalignment analysis reveals that SADC economies are characterised by persistent overvaluation at least in the short term. This calls for further sustained policy coordination in the region.

Practical implications

The findings in this paper have important policy implications for economic stability and for the attempt of policy coordination in SADC region for the proposed monetary integration to proceed.

Originality/value

This study is the first attempt that relates the exchange rate as a policy coordination instrument among SADC economies.
Five steps toward recognizing and mitigating bias in the interview and hiring process
Authors: Chamberlain Rosalie P.
Published: October 2016

Purpose

This paper aims to build awareness of the impact of unconscious bias when interviewing and hiring new employees so that employers can hire diverse talent with multiple aspects of diversity to build a workforce that excels toward excellence.

Design/methodology/approach

The five areas discussed in the paper delve into understanding bias by creating a broader sense of understanding to support inclusion for difference by recognizing subtle beliefs and behaviors that exclude potential candidates.

Findings

Specific strategies include examining the subtle biases and beliefs that block the ability to see candidates’ potential; identifying thoughts, interpretations and beliefs that create misconceptions about people; exploring verbal and non-verbal communications that send implicit cues borne from or reflecting bias; recognizing the danger of comparisons using biased criteria; and establishing a checklist that helps the interviewers recognize bias in their thoughts and assumptions.

Practical implications

The marketplace is competitive, and the ability to hire the best candidates is impacted by what the organization has to offer. If biases are not addressed, the organization can miss out on those candidates by not seeing the value added by hiring them or because the message being sent by those in recruitment and hiring is unwelcoming and/or off-putting.

Social implications

Addressing bias has been brought to the forefront in the news because of the past few years of incidents dealing with diversity and inclusion, especially exclusion. Organizations need to be aware because of potential Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) implications; focusing on the inclusiveness of the culture is the smart and right thing to do.

Originality/value

The information and suggestions in the paper are original and taken from the author’s work as a diversity and inclusion consultant and leadership coach. These tips have been utilized with success at organizations and helped improve the inclusivity of the organizations.
How and why to hire a diverse workforce: what you need to know
Authors: Brodock Kate , Massam Geoff
Published: October 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide suggestions for hiring teams, human resources departments and hiring decision-makers on how to create more diverse hiring practices.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors will be drawing on their experience in leadership roles running global organizations for women in technology and running technology divisions for one of the world’s largest banks.

Findings

By instituting one or more of the following recommendations, companies will move towards a higher level of inclusion of diverse candidates.

Originality/value

Diversity is important!
A review on image reconstruction algorithms for electrical capacitance/resistance tomography
Authors: Cui Ziqiang , Wang Qi , Xue Qian , Fan Wenru , Zhang Lingling , Cao Zhang , Sun Benyuan , Wang Huaxiang , Yang Wuqiang
Published: October 2016

Purpose

Electrical capacitance tomography (ECT) and electrical resistance tomography (ERT) are promising techniques for multiphase flow measurement due to their high speed, low cost, non-invasive and visualization features. There are two major difficulties in image reconstruction for ECT and ERT: the “soft-field”effect, and the ill-posedness of the inverse problem, which includes two problems: under-determined problem and the solution is not stable, i.e. is very sensitive to measurement errors and noise. This paper aims to summarize and evaluate various reconstruction algorithms which have been studied and developed in the word for many years and to provide reference for further research and application.

Design/methodology/approach

In the past 10 years, various image reconstruction algorithms have been developed to deal with these problems, including in the field of industrial multi-phase flow measurement and biological medical diagnosis.

Findings

This paper reviews existing image reconstruction algorithms and the new algorithms proposed by the authors for electrical capacitance tomography and electrical resistance tomography in multi-phase flow measurement and biological medical diagnosis.

Originality/value

The authors systematically summarize and evaluate various reconstruction algorithms which have been studied and developed in the word for many years and to provide valuable reference for practical applications.
A DNA hybridization detection sensor based on photo biased ZnO thin film FET devices
Authors: Habibi Mehdi , Fanaei Maryam
Published: October 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present a DNA hybridization detection sensor. An inexpensive fabrication procedure was used so that the sensors can be disposed economically after the measurement is completed.

Design/methodology/approach

Field effect transistor (FET) devices are used in the proposed structure. The FET device acts as a charge detection element and produces an amplified output current based on surface charge variations. As amplification is performed directly at the sensor frontend, noise sources have less effect on the detected signal, and thus, acceptably low DNA concentrations can be detected with simple external electronics. ZnO nano layers are used as the FET active semiconductor channel. Furthermore, a photobiasing approach is used to adjust the operating point of the proposed FET without the need for an additional gate terminal.

Findings

The proposed sensor is evaluated by applying matched and unmatched target DNA fragments on the fabricated sensors with capture probes assembled either directly on the ZnO surface or on a nano-platinum linker layer. It is observed that the presented approach can successfully detect DNA hybridization at the nano mole range with no need for complex laboratory measurement devices.

Originality/value

The presented photobiasing approach is effective in the adjustment of the sensor sensitivity and decreases the fabrication complexity of the achieved sensor compared with previous works.