bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The effects of financial deepening on income inequality based on grey incidence analysis
Authors: Zhang Quanda 
Published: November 2014

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to clarify the relationship between income inequality and financial deepening. The majority of theoretical studies on the relationship between them argue that financial deepening has a positive effect on the income inequality. This paper aims to study the case of China, and explores whether the effects of financial deepening on income inequality varies between urban residents and rural residents.

Design/methodology/approach
– Using the grey incidence analysis, this paper first calculates the degree of grey incidence between dependent variables, i.e. per capita disposable income of urban residents, per capita net income of rural residents and overall Theil Inequality Index for China, and independent variables, depth of credit, depth of direct financing and depth of insurance. Next, multiple non-linear regression is introduced to build the model. With the method of unit root test and co-integration test, some equations are given to show the clear relationship among the variables.

Findings
– The empirical results indicate that the development of credit market does not have a strong relationship both with the growth of income and income inequality. While the development of both the direct financing market and the insurance market is closely related to the growth of income and income inequality.

Originality/value
– The results of this paper suggest that the protection of the rights and interests of medium-sized investors is the key for the capital market. Meanwhile, the insurance market should be encouraged to expand in both breadth and depth, which helps to take full advantage of its functions. As for the credit market, more resources should be allocated to those who need them most the small- and medium-sized enterprises, which will contribute to the growth of the income for the majority and narrowing the income gap.
An application of grey based decision making approach for the selection of manufacturing system
Authors: Ji Shukla Om , Soni Gunjan , Anand G. 
Published: November 2014

Purpose
– In the current customer-driven market, the manufacturers have to be highly responsive and flexible to deliver a variety of products. Hence, to meet this dynamic and uncertain market changes, the production system, which enables the manufacturing of such variety of products should be able to meet such diverse, dynamic changes. Hence, selecting a suitable manufacturing system is a key strategic decision for today's manufacturing organization, which needs to survive in these uncertain market conditions. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to present a decision-making model for selecting the best manufacturing system and also discuss the criteria on the basis of which the management can select the same.

Design/methodology/approach
– A case of small- and medium-sized company is presented, in which the management is deciding to establish a most suitable manufacturing system. To supplement this, a suitable multi-criteria decision-making model (MCDM), the grey approach is used to analyze manufacturing system alternatives based on various decision criteria to arrive a comparative ranking.

Findings
– An extensive analysis of grey-based decision-making model described grey decision matrix, grey normalized decision matrix, grey weighted normalized decision matrix and grey possibility degrees for three alternatives revealed that lean manufacturing systems was found to be the most suitable manufacturing system among three alternatives for a given case.

Research limitations/implications
– The same study can be extended by including sub-criteria with main criteria for selection of manufacturing system by utilizing two MCDM techniques such as AHP or ANP with Grey approach.

Practical implications
– The Grey approach has been discussed in a detailed way and it will be useful for the managers to use this approach as a tool for solving similar type of decision-making problems in their organizations in the future.

Originality/value
– Although, the problem of selecting a suitable manufacturing system is often addressed both in practice and research, very few reports are available in the literature of Grey-based decision models that demonstrated its application for selecting a suitable manufacturing systems.
Properties of comprehensive incidence degrees
Authors: Wei Yong , Zeng Kefang 
Published: November 2014

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to study the properties of comprehensive incidence degrees of closeness incidence degrees and similitude incidence degrees.

Design/methodology/approach
– Based on the new definitions of the closeness incidence degree and the similitude incidence degree, the properties of comprehensive incidence of closeness incidence and similitude incidence are studied in this paper. It is proved that weighted arithmetic average of two closeness incidence degrees as well as power product (including weighted geometric average) of two closeness incidence degrees is still closeness incidence degree; and arithmetic weighted average of two similitude incidence degrees as well as power product (including weighted geometric average) of two similitude incidence degrees is still similitude incidence degree. Mixed weighted arithmetic average of closeness incidence degree and similitude incidence degree and mixed power product (including weighted geometric average) of closeness incidence degree and similitude incidence degree are closeness incidence degrees.

Findings
– The result shows that the effect of closeness incidence degree is stronger than similitude incidence degree. As long as the weight of closeness incidence degree is not equal to zero, the comprehensive incidence degree results are closeness incidence degrees.

Practical implications
– Grey incidence degrees have been widely applied in many fields, such as the test of grey model's forecasting effect, the system analysis and so on. The obtained result in this paper is to illustrate two kinds of incidence degrees are incompatible, namely there does not exist both closeness and similitude incidence degree.

Originality/value
– The paper succeeds in showing that the attempt to get comprehensive incidence degree by arithmetic or geometric weighted average of closeness incidence degree and similitude incidence degree to reflect both closeness and similarity is in vain. And it is undoubtedly a new development in grey system theory.
Does money matter in Africa?
Authors: A. Asongu Simplice 
Published: November 2014

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of monetary policy on economic activity using a plethora of hitherto unemployed financial dynamics in inflation-chaotic African countries for the period of 1987-2010.Although in developed economies, changes in monetary policy affect real economic activity in the short-run, but only prices in the long-run, the question of whether these tendencies apply to developing countries remains open to debate.Design/methodology/approach– Vector autoregresion (VARs) within the frameworks of Vector Error Correction Models and simple Granger causality models are used to estimate the long- and short-run effects, respectively. A battery of robustness checks are also used to ensure consistency in the specifications and results.Findings– The tested hypotheses are valid under monetary policy independence and dependence, except few exceptions.H1: Monetary policy variables affect prices in the long-run but not in the short-run. For the first-half (long-run dimension) of the hypothesis, permanent changes in monetary policy variables (depth, efficiency, activity and size) affect permanent variations in prices in the long-term. But in cases of disequilibriums, only financial dynamic fundamentals of depth and size significantly adjust inflation to the cointegration relations. With respect to the second-half (short-run view) of the hypothesis, monetary policy does not overwhelmingly affect prices in the short-term. Hence, but for a thin exception,H1is valid.H2: Monetary policy variables influence output in the short-term but not in the long-term. With regard to the short-term dimension of the hypothesis, only financial dynamics of depth and size affect real gross domestic product output in the short-run. As concerns the long-run dimension, the neutrality of monetary policy has been confirmed. Hence, the hypothesis is also broadly valid.Practical implications– A wide range of policy implications are discussed. Inter alia: the long-run neutrality of money and business cycles, credit expansions and inflationary tendencies, inflation targeting and monetary policy independence implications. Country-/regional-specific implications, the manner in which the findings reconcile the ongoing debate, measures for fighting surplus liquidity and caveats and future research directions are also discussed.Originality/value– By using a plethora of hitherto unemployed financial dynamics (that broadly reflect monetary policy), we provide significant contributions to the empirics of money. The conclusion of the analysis is a valuable contribution to the scholarly and policy debate on how money matters as an instrument of economic activity in developing countries.
Addressing the trade-off between style and practicality in wearable computing
Authors: Fox Stephen 
Published: November 2014

Purpose
– Potential for practical stylish combination of micro-electronics and computational functionalities into apparel has been recognized for many years. Yet, wearable computing is often characterized by distinctive style or by utilitarian practicality. The purpose of this paper is to investigate what actions can be taken to address the style vs practicality trade-off in wearable computing.

Design/methodology/approach
– Action research with luxury apparel company, comprising interviews, facility views, literature reviews, technology analyses, production, and evaluation of prototypes.

Findings
– Trade-off between style and practicality is likely to continue to be intractable for luxury garments. This is because the inclusion of micro-electronics into garments can compromise comfort and introduce onerous regulatory issues.

Practical implications
– There is more scope for practical stylish wearable computing with accessory apparel such as bags. This is because comfort is less likely to be compromised by micro-electronics, and requirements for charging can be less reliant on human intervention.

Originality/value
– The originality of this paper is that reports findings from a wearable computing action research case study that involved active participation of a luxury apparel company. The value of this paper is that it covers both technological factors and luxury considerations.
The evolution of business ethics in India
Authors: Berger Ron , Herstein Ram 
Published: November 2014

Purpose– Religion and culture can influence ethical behavior in business. It is suggested that there has been and continues to be, a deep interrelationship between religion, business ethics, and economic activity in India. As India is becoming a major global economic business partner, understanding its unique ethical business infrastructure is gaining in importance. The purpose of this paper is to intend to further the understanding of Indian (“Vendantic”) business ethics, as opposed to Greco – Roman business ethics, as the foundation of business culture in India. This paper further elaborates on the evolution of business ethics and its implications on doing business in and with Indian companies.Design/methodology/approach– The authors undertook a conceptual approach in order to understand the evolutionary process of Indian business ethics in a holistic view in order to understand better its workings and effect on business interaction.Findings– The paper explains the constructs of business ethics in India and shows its evolution over time.Originality/value– This original theoretical paper examines the evolution of Indian business ethics over time in line with environmental changes in the Indian business landscape.
Customers’ attitudes toward insurance frauds: an application of Adams’ equity theory
Authors: Tseng Lu-Ming , Kuo Chia-Lin 
Published: November 2014

Purpose– Although research on insurance frauds has found that deductible amount influences customers’ attitudes toward insurance frauds, very little work has further investigated the roles of deductible-premium ratios and insurance experiences. Building on the foundations of Adams' equity theory, the authors examined the impact of the deductible-premium ratios on customers' attitudes toward insurance frauds. The authors also studied the relationship among the experience of applying claims, the reasons customers accept insurance frauds, and customers' intentions to carry out frauds. The paper aims to discuss these issues.Design/methodology/approach– Survey was used, and the sample of this study comes from the full-time civil servants at the Agricultural Research Institutes in Taiwan.Findings– The results showed that the deductible-premium ratios may relate to the responders’ perceptions of insurance frauds. In addition, the reasons customers accept frauds were also the influential predictors of the customer frauds.Originality/value– Previous studies found that an unfair treatment by an insurer (e.g. an unfair deductible amount) may enhance customer insurance frauds. However, the “fairness and fraud” problems should involve the consideration of insurance premium because a high deductible amount is usually associated with lower premium. The other discussions of perceived fairness also accept that perceived fairness was often rooted in a social comparative situation. Based on the literature gap, this is the first time that Adams’ equity theory is applied in the customer insurance fraud research.
The German miracle or the miracle of the cultural attitude
Authors: Tubadji Annie , Gnezdilova Nataly 
Published: November 2014

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to explore the link between redistribution, convergence and local cultural capital (as defined by culture-based development concept).Design/methodology/approach– The paper infers the basic mechanism of the cultural dependence of convergence and inequality – through an empirical test for the case of the “German job miracle” during the current crisis. Two empirical questions are asked: first, is local income inequality associated with local cultural capital and second, is the negative convergence between East and West Germany during the crisis related to culturally sensitive employers’ preference for job preservation vs job loss. An OLS enquiry and two deeper estimation methods (a logit model and a 3SLS simultaneous equations model) are alternatively applied in order to triangulate the empirical results.Findings– The findings support the existence of cultural effect on local income inequality and cultural path dependence of employers’ preferences for job preservation vs job loss in a condition of economic shock.Originality/value– The paper provides both theoretical reasoning and empirical illustration of the significance of the cultural effect on human preferences which may or may not allow for redistribution and convergence between localities.
The influence of organisation culture on E-commerce adoption
Authors: Senarathna Ishan , Warren Matthew , Yeoh William , Salzman Scott 
Published: November 2014

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to empirically examine the influence of different organisational cultures on e-commerce adoption maturity in small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Design/methodology/approach
– The data for this study were gathered using postal survey questionnaire and analysed using quantitative analysis methods.

Findings
– The result indicates a positive correlation between adhocracy culture and e-commerce adoption. However, those firms with hierarchy cultural characteristics indicate a negative correlation in relation to e-commerce adoption. The organisational culture differences explain these issues.

Research limitations/implications
– The analysis is conducted in a single country (i.e. Sri Lanka). Initial findings provide a basis for further research in other country.

Practical implications
– This research reveals the significance of organisational culture and how it influences e-commerce adoption maturity, both positively and negatively. The research findings are useful for SMEs that are planning or are in the process of implementing or reviewing their e-commerce, as well as for SMEs policy makers and business support community that engaged with e-commerce initiatives.

Originality/value
– This study is the first to research the influence of different types of organisational cultures on e-commerce adoption maturity. It fills the research gap by advancing the understanding between the association of organisation cultures and e-commerce adoption.
Mobile TV: a new form of entertainment?
Authors: Wong Choy-Har , Wei-Han Tan Garry , Loke Siew-Phaik , Ooi Keng-Boon 
Published: November 2014

Purpose
– While mobile TV (m-TV) is beneficial and is currently an emerging area within mobile commerce, the adoption rate is at the infancy stage. The purpose of this paper is therefore to adapt the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 (UTAUT2) model to explore on the factors in predicting users’ behavioral intention (BI) of m-TV.

Design/methodology/approach
– Partial least square structural equation modeling approach was employed using 193 respondents to test the findings.

Findings
– The findings revealed that effort expectancy (EE), social influence (SI), facilitating conditions (FC), hedonic motivation (HM) and habit (HT) have significant effects on BI. In addition, gender was found to have moderating effect between FC and BI.

Practical implications
– Findings from this study provide valuable insights and contribute to the marketing strategy for mobile marketers, wireless communications vendors and application developers in the m-TV industry.

Originality/value
– Since the emergence of m-TV is regarded as a new concept, what factors that may motivate users to watch TV using m-devices remains unexplored and therefore is currently a neglected research area. This paper provides clues and valuable insights for mobile marketers, wireless communications vendors and application developers in the m-TV industry.
Off-balance sheet activities and community bank performance
Authors: Kashian Russell D. , Tao Ran 
Published: November 2014

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to examine loan commitments and lending patterns of community banks. The authors also test for shifts in these relationships in the period unwinding the subprime crisis.

Design/methodology/approach
– Standard panel fixed-effect models as well as hierarchical (mixed) regression models are estimated given that banks operating in a specific geographic market may vary systematically with differences in firm-level characteristics. Hierarchical (mixed) regression models can control for within-counties and within-banks similarities. The authors also employ pooled estimations with clustered standard errors at the bank level as robustness check.

Findings
– The empirical results show that the use of loan commitments is generally associated with moderate increase in profitability and higher insolvency risk. However, during the recent financial crisis, the use of loan commitments becomes safer. The use of loan commitments is more risky for community banks that concentrate more on loans that focus on real estate, while it is safer for community banks with higher equity. In regards to the performance of community banks’ balance sheet loan activities, a more concentrated loan portfolio results in lower return and higher insolvency risks. High loan growth generates higher return and higher risks.

Originality/value
– Prior to the 2008 credit meltdown, community banks significantly increased their issuance of off-balance sheet loan commitments. While the ratio of loan commitments to total loans has come down in recent years it continues to exceed the levels reached in the 1990s. This evolution has, however resulted in little research regarding its implications on community bank profitability and risk.
Should before or after tax equilibria point elasticities be calculated when the Laffer effect is considered in a micro market?
Authors: Özçam Ahmet 
Published: November 2014

Purpose– Traditionally, the Laffer effect has been discussed in the context of endogenous growth models or in the case of the labor market with respect to willingness to supply more labor given a tax incentive on wages. The paper adopts an inductive approach to discuss it in the context of a product's market, say automobile industry in Turkey.Design/methodology/approach– The author revisits the ad valorem tax model on a product and investigates how the elasticities of demand and supply and the tax rate are related to the Laffer effect. The author considers a special case where demand curve is non-linear and the supply curve is completely elastic. This specific model fits the practical case where the Turkish government expected the auto sellers to pass fully the temporary partial tax concession onto the consumers during the global crisis in 2009.Findings– The author showed that the demand elasticitiy must be calculated neither at the intersection of the initial equilibrium nor that of the final equilibrium points, but somewhere else. The author defined a pass-through coefficient which was different from the classical burden of tax concept, calculating the degree of pass-through of a tax decrease from firms to consumers. Moreover, the author found a one-way relationship between the overall tax revenues of the government and a single sector.Research limitations/implications– The case of tax revenues where both the demand and supply curves are non-linear and non-extreme must be solved.Practical implications– The author showed that the government's dual expectation of both boosting the economy, increasing employment and raising its tax revenues can sometimes be consistent given a usual upward sloping supply curve. In the case of a perfectly elastic supply curve, the tax revenues can even be higher with a higher level of equilibrium quantity.Social implications– The Turkish government aiming to support the production and employment in this leading export industry, may have expected this temporary tax decrease to be passed completely onto the consumers by the producers. However, this did not happen as producers’ prices to the consumers did not decrease as much as the amount of tax. This paper shows that the after tax elasticities and the current level of tax rate must have been compared.Originality/value– The author pointed out to the importance of being clear in explicitly indicating at which points the elasticities derived from some function (tax revenue function) of equilibria variables (price and quantity) must be interpreted. In this paper, doing many numerical calculations allowed us to notice the proper point of calculation of the demand elasticity, which is the after-tax price along the “no tax demand curve”. Moreover, a pass-through coefficient is defined which is different from the classical burden of tax concept.