bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A viewpoint on cartels: an Indian perspective
Authors: Babu Chennupati Divakara , Mouly Potluri Rajasekhara 
Published: July 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to critically analyze the adverse effects of cartels on the economy and the interests of consumers and how they are sought to be regulated under the Indian Competition Act, 2002.Design/methodology/approachThe paper focuses on the definition of cartels and the various factors conducive for the promotion of cartels and how they are sought to be regulated in the select jurisdictions with the help of decided case laws. It also sheds adequate light on the deficiencies of the Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices (MRTP) Act, 1969 in curbing cartels and how such deficiencies are sought to be remedied under the Competition Act, 2002. The paper further highlights the new trends and investigative tools in busting of cartels in the developed world and the salutary lessons that could be drawn by the competition regimes of the developing countries.FindingsThe paper discloses that the earlier MRTP Act, 1969 as well as the prevailing Competition Act suffers from various flaws in curbing cartels, resulting in the feeble regulation of cartels with all attendant baneful consequences on the economy and consumer interests. The paper strongly advocates the need to treat cartels as criminal offences warranting prosecution and punishment apart from encouraging leniency and whistle blowing for facilitating the busting of cartels.Practical implicationsThe paper identifies the potential difficulties and intricacies that could be encountered by the competition authority in addressing the cartels owing to shortcomings in the Competition Act, 2002. Hence, the paper articulates that these concerns should be addressed by the legislature at the earliest for further strengthening the regulatory mechanism over cartels in the interests of economy and consumers.Originality/valueThe subject focused in the paper is a topic of utmost contemporary importance having wide implications on the national economies across the world, calling for novel methods and techniques in dealing effectively with the menace of cartels.
Lessons learned from a comparative examination of global civil justice reforms
Authors: Ali Shahla , Lee Felicia 
Published: July 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of recent civil justice reforms in five jurisdictions including Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, the UK and Canada on the resolution of civil and commercial disputes.Design/methodology/approachThe study, drawing on a comparative cross‐jurisdictional methodology, reviews the scope and nature of such reforms and examines lessons learned regarding implementation.FindingsThe findings of the research indicate that such reforms are most effective where regular evaluation to fine‐tune mediation rules occurs concurrently and in conjunction with the implementation of such reforms.Research limitations/implicationsThe limitation of this research is that it is confined to already existing court case statistics, judicial commentaries and reviews of the five selected jurisdictions.Practical implicationsThe practical implications of the study find that in general, civil justice reforms have made some progress in achieving the aims of encouraging cost‐effective, expeditious and amicable case handling within the civil justice system.Originality/valueThe paper contributes to a global analysis of effective approaches to civil justice reform and in particular reforms in mediated case handling.
Empirical analysis of the sources of China's economic growth in 1978‐2008
Authors: Hongwei Wang , Ping Li 
Published: July 2011

PurposeThis paper aims to reflect the quality of Chinese economic growth and analyze its influential factors through measuring the change rate of technological progress and its contribution rate to economic growth between 1978 and 2008.Design/methodology/approachIn this paper, an all factor productivity (AFP) method is taken. AFP is essentially a weighted sum of all input factors' productivity. Besides, general hypotheses for production function, such assumptions are not required as neutral technological progress, constant returns to scale and producer equilibrium in method of AFP. Furthermore, specific forms of production function are not needed and can be calculated directly. This method tries to relax the assumptions to make the estimated rate of technological progress closer to the reality in China.FindingsEmpirical research using the AFP method shows a contribution rate of AFP to economic growth has been significantly improved since reform and opening‐up; however, that AFP fluctuates during different periods. China's economic growth is driven by investment and mainly depends on accumulation of capital input and moderate technological progress. Generally speaking, China's change of technological progress is consistent with its economic growth and technological progress plays an important role in its economic growth. The paper concludes that it is becoming significant for China to speed up its large‐scale technological progress, strengthen indigenous innovation, accelerate human resource development, and to facilitate promotion of system reform in an in‐depth manner.Originality/valueFirst, in order to ensure the accuracy measurement, and taking into account the impact of macro‐economic control policies, the rate of change of technological progress and its contribution to economic growth are measured, according to the stages of China's economic cycles. Second, the perpetual inventory method is taken to calculate the annual value of fixed asset investment, and price deflated index is used to convert fixed asset investment into comparable data of the base year, 1978. Since the data of fixed assets price index began to be released from 1992, data from 1978 to 1991 are obtained by mathematical method through extension. Third, the theoretical model of AFP is transformed into an empirical one to estimate the change rate of technological progress and its contribution to economic growth in China.
Examining the impact of knowledge management practices on knowledge‐based results
Authors: Ramezan Majid 
Published: July 2011

PurposeThis research proposes to study the connection between knowledge management practices and knowledge‐based results.Design/methodology/approachTheoretical relations are tested through an empirical study carried out on Iranian firms in the car manufacturing industries.FindingsThis paper shows how the firms that adopt knowledge management practices obtain better results than their competitors.Research limitations/implicationsThe main limitation of this research is the lack of literature about knowledge productivity.Originality/valueAs limited studies have been carried out on knowledge productivity, the findings of this study will be useful in assessing the learning ability to create knowledge‐based results or innovation in organization.
Guest editorial: comparative research at the frontier of planning law
Authors: Alterman Rachelle 
Published: July 2011

PurposeThis paper aims to present the merits of cross‐national comparative research as a method for pushing the frontier of knowledge about planning laws. Since in every country there is usually some dissatisfaction with its present planning laws or certain aspects of them, cross‐national research can open an arena of alternatives based on real‐life experiences. To demonstrate this argument the paper focuses on a shared dilemma – how should the law handle the negative effects of some planning decisions on land values. This case is used to demonstrate both the comparative method and the usefulness of comparative findings. The conclusions point out the opportunities for cross‐learning.Design/methodology/approachThe overall argument about the comparative research draws on the author's extensive experience in conducting cross‐national research on a variety of issues in planning laws. The research on compensation rights reported here draws on the author's recent book which analyses the laws and practices in 13 countries. To ensure a “common platform” for comparison, the author developed a method based on a set of factual scenarios and a shared framework of topics. A team of country‐based researchers conducted the legal analysis, and the team leader conducted the comparative analysis.FindingsThe 13‐country analysis shows that there is a great variety of approaches to compensation rights around the world and a broad range of degrees, from no compensation at all to extensive compensation rights. There is no “consensual approach”. The search for similarities based on region in the world, legal family, cultural background, density or demography, shows that the differences cannot be “explained” on the basis of these variables. The degree of political controversy on this issue also varies greatly. The breadth of laws and practices offer a range of alternative models to enrich local debates.Research limitations/implicationsAny comparative research on a new topic is bound to be exploratory. There are not yet any established theories in planning law (or in comparative research) from which hypotheses can be derived and tested. However, the large sample of countries, covering 40 per cent of the OECD countries (at the time), and the careful shared method have likely produced reliable findings.Originality/valueMost of the comparative research that the author has conducted over the years charted new grounds in both its topics and its comparative breadth. The paper reports in brief on cross‐national comparative research on compensation rights. The full research, on which this paper draws (published as a book in 2010), is the first to look at this specific issue globally with a large 13‐country sample of OECD countries.
Women's enterprise and the Scottish economy
Authors: Waring Jackie , Brierton Jackie 
Published: July 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to quantify the impact of women's enterprise on Scotland's economy and to provide policy recommendations to the Scottish Government on increasing women's business ownership.Design/methodology/approachThe paper has been developed in collaboration with the Royal Bank of Scotland Group (RBS Group) and has utilised existing business data and research sources which have not recently been analysed to provide gender‐based information on businesses within Scotland. Where possible, calculations of gross value added (GVA) contribution by gender have been made. In addition, a review of relevant entrepreneurship data was carried out and comparative studies from other parts of the UK and North America were used to benchmark findings.FindingsThe impact of women's business ownership on Scotland's economic performance is not consistently measured by the Scottish Government. An increased commitment to women's enterprise policy development from the UK Government has not been emulated in Scotland despite devolved responsibility for economic development.Practical implicationsPractical outcomes from this research include: policy recommendations for the Scottish Government; practical recommendations for business support providers; actions for the RBS Group “Women in Business” team; recommendations for improved data disaggregation.Originality/valueThis is the first report to evaluate the impact of women's enterprise on the Scottish economy since 2005. Its findings and recommendations are of value to the Scottish Government and Scotland's economic development and business support agencies.
The politics of gendered growth
Authors: Fleck Emma , Hegarty Cecilia , Neergaard Helle 
Published: July 2011

PurposeAgainst a backdrop of global economic recession, high production costs and increased international competition, the performance, survival and growth of small businesses is high on the global political agenda. However, like many other nations, Ireland is lagging behind in terms of a co‐ordinated approach to the specific challenge of supporting women‐owned ventures, hence possibly reducing their opportunity to act as economic agents. Based on a review of growth‐oriented support programmes for women in business in Ireland, this short viewpoint seeks to identifiy a number of gaps in the current support system and to propose a range of possible alternative intervention strategies that the authors believe can help facilitate business growth.Design/methodology/approachUsing secondary data, a review of the current government support programmes was carried out. Further, evidence obtained through an in‐depth qualitative study of 33 women entrepreneurs in Ireland and Northern Ireland which identified a number of specific barriers inhibiting the development of these firms was used.FindingsThe analysis of current government practices revealed that whilst women are making progress in starting more businesses in Ireland, the current statistics indicate that they still tend to start small and stay small. This points towards a need to reassess and understand the issue of growth among women entrepreneurs and, in doing so, develop new mechanisms that can have real impact on growth‐oriented women‐owned firms whilst also respecting and supporting those who choose not to grow their business. The qualitative study identified a number of specific barriers, which hinder the development of their firms. These included financial, regulatory and employability challenges; a lack of management skills and confidence. Motherhood and personal goals were also found to be inhibiting factors for women entrepreneurs.Practical implicationsThe paper proposes a number of possible government and personal intervention strategies to overcome the identified barriers. These include encouraging lending within the small growth sectors, conducting a regional skills audit, reducing the administration and paperwork associated with trading and accessing support and develop customised training and up‐skilling designed to meet the specific needs of women entrepreneurs.Originality/valueThe paper argues that government agencies in Ireland must now act on the evidence provided and confront the issues affecting women entrepreneurs.
Can there only be one? Towards a post‐paradigmatic service marketing approach
Authors: Hultman Johan , Ek Richard 
Published: July 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to unlock positions regarding the goods/services dichotomy in service marketing and to offer an argument that treats goods and services on an ontologically equal basis.Design/methodology/approachA close reading of influential texts that argue in favor of a service‐dominant logic (SDL) and new paradigms in service marketing.FindingsBoth the SDL proposal and calls for new service paradigms can be understood as ad hoc solutions that serve to reproduce and even strengthen the asymmetry between goods and services. A post‐paradigmatic analysis opens up new possibilities for service marketing research and practice.Research limitations/implicationsBy showing how goods and services can be positioned equally, hitherto invisible sites of value creation become potential subjects for analyses in service marketing.Practical implicationsService marketing practices are situated so as to explain the value creating interactions between service providers and customers in a more transparent way than is usual.Originality/valueAn ontologically grounded critique of the ad hoc nature of contemporary service marketing theory.
Issues of delivering quality customer service in a higher education environment
Authors: Julia Vauterin Johanna , Linnanen Lassi , Marttila Esa 
Published: July 2011

PurposeThis paper seeks to redress the lack of academic attention being given to the relationship between academia and industry in the competitive environment of international higher education‐related service delivery and use. It adopts a relational marketing approach to value creation in service interactions and explore the expectations and perceptions of employers and university academics and practitioners. The research focuses on a comprehensive mapping of gaps in the international higher education service at large, and specifically in the context of degree programme development, recruiting international students and associated service interactions with industry. It highlights some of the issues pertaining to service quality, customer orientation and sustainability in international higher education and associated service delivery.Design/methodology/approachThis paper is an exploratory case study set in the context of Finnish higher education. It relies on qualitative research methods and applies the GAP model for the analysis of the empirical data.FindingsFive gaps and a surplus gap are identified in the delivery of high‐quality customer service in the context of university‐industry interactions in international higher education. To close the gaps between academia and industry, the relationship marketing approach is proposed.Originality/valueThe paper contributes to the research stream on university‐industry relationships. The results should help to enhance understanding of customer service delivery in the linkage between academia and industry. The novelty of the paper lies in the integration of the language and logic associated with customer‐oriented service delivery into the operational context of higher education service interaction between academia and industry.
The (revised) future of financial markets
Authors: Bennett Paul 
Published: July 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to evaluate recent financial system reforms in the USA by placing them in the context of major structural trends currently underway in the markets, due to technology and globalization of trading.Design/methodology/approachThe paper describes trends underway in markets and examines how the new rules recently agreed to in the USA and among regulators globally will bear on them.FindingsThe paper finds that the financial system reforms in the USA can be expected to have modest beneficial effects in terms of making markets more robust and efficient, and that key trends affecting markets need to be taken into account as regulators implement the new rules and evaluate the need for future amendments. Our findings imply that regulators should be willing to closely monitor the reforms and adjust them quickly as needed.Originality/valueThis article adds the perspective of interacting key secular trends in the structure of the banking and financial system with the latest regulatory initiatives.
Pro‐market reforms and allocation of capital in India
Authors: Desai Sameeksha , Eklund Johan , Högberg Andreas 
Published: July 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to study the efficiency of capital allocation, across levels of ownership, in the aftermath of pro‐market reforms in India.Design/methodology/approachThe paper measures investment efficiency using the accelerator principle and examines the effect of ownership type on capital allocation.FindingsNo significant improvement in capital allocation during the period studied is found. The findings suggest firms face significant costs in adjusting their capital stock.Originality/valueThe paper uses unique data to estimate the elasticity of capital with respect to output.
Boundary‐crossing and governance “space”
Authors: Dawkins Adam 
Published: July 2011

PurposeThe purpose of the paper is to provide a personal, reflexive examination of the negotiation of the professional identity of governance services personnel as a specific role set in professional services in higher education (HE).Design/methodology/approachA reflexive framework is adopted, drawing on the author's own professional positioning and practice in a UK higher education institution (HEI). Drawing on, and challenging aspects of Whitchurch's typology of professional identities in HE, a “weak” social constructivist approach is adopted, through examination of the author's inter‐professional interfaces with the external members populating institutional governance structures. This epistemological approach resonates with an exploration in the paper of the author's interventions as secretary to the institution's audit committee, in production of documentation as a form of corporate knowledge‐creation and narrative production in a wider scheme of accountability.FindingsThe paper proposes that in contrast to Whitchurch's notion of “bounded” professionalism, the HE governance professional, in migrating to and from governance “space”, constitutes a mode of boundary‐crossing unexamined in the literature and policy.Research limitations/implicationsWhile adopting a self‐reflexive stance, the paper provides a basis for undertaking empirical research into professional identity configurations in the corporate governance of HEIs, grounded in the experience of the actors populating governance structures, including professional services staff,ex officio, elected and external members of HE governing bodies.Originality/valueThe paper contributes to an emerging literature on professional identities in HE, and to qualitative approaches to HE governance.
From segments and lifestyles to communities‐light
Authors: Mossinkoff Marco , Corstanje Charlotte 
Published: July 2011

PurposeThe ethnic marketing field has long recognized the need to address specific needs and tastes of ethnic minorities in traditionally Western‐dominant societies. However, it has done so mainly by considering socio‐demographic indicators such as ethnic provenance. The growing importance of ethnic minorities in Western societies calls for a further refinement of existing segmentation models which takes into account the development of specific sub‐cultures within ethnic groups. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how Islamic minorities in Europe are developing into a complex set of micro‐cultures.Design/methodology/approachEthnographic methods, such as participant observation, photographic analysis and phenomenological interviewing helped identifying extant sub‐cultures within the Islamic youth minority in The Netherlands. By applying interpretive methods, the aim is not external generalization but rather theory informing.FindingsFive sub‐cultures/neo‐tribes have been identified, which differ consistently in terms of preferences, values and behaviour.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper advocates a shift from conceiving markets in terms of socio‐demographic, or psychometric, variables to considering markets as sub‐cultural systems or communities‐light.Social implicationsA more realistic approach to segmenting markets helps marketers and consumers to develop more meaningful products and marketing activities. The paper also adds to knowledge about the increasingly important Islamic minority in The Netherlands.Originality/valueTo the authors' knowledge, this is the first study addressing the importance of Islamic minorities for marketers, from a sociological perspective, in Europe.