bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Enhancement of value portfolio performance using data envelopment analysis
Authors: Pätäri Eero J. , Leivo Timo H. , Samuli Honkapuro J.V. 
Published: August 2010

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the applicability of data envelopment analysis (DEA) as a basis of value portfolio selection criterion.Design/methodology/approachThe portfolios are composed of the comprehensive sample of Finnish non‐financial stocks based on their DEA scale efficiency scores. The performance of portfolios is evaluated on the basis of average return and several risk‐adjusted performance metrics. Moreover, the impact of holding period length on the results is examined by varying the portfolio reformation frequency from one to five years at annual frequency.FindingsThe results show that the DEA scale efficiency scores add value to portfolio selection. Though outperformance of the DEA value portfolios in contrast to both comparable glamour portfolio and the stock market average is most evident for shorter (i.e. annual and biannual) holding periods, the absolute performance of the DEA value portfolio can be enhanced by using longer reformation intervals.Research limitations/implicationsThe sample of stocks is not large in spite of its comprehensiveness from the local stock market aspect. Future studies can apply DEA approach to other stock markets to examine whether the results are parallel to this study.Practical implicationsThe DEA is particularly useful as a multicriteria methodology in cases in which the number of stocks in the sample is large.Originality/valueThis paper is the first attempt to form value portfolios using DEA models. The proposed methodology provides an interesting alternative to detect undervalued stocks by capturing several dimensions of relative value simultaneously. It provides also useful implications in portfolio management.
Rational speculative bubbles in MENA stock markets
Authors: Yu Jung‐Suk , Kabir Hassan M. 
Published: August 2010

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the existence of rational speculative bubbles in the Middle East and North African (MENA) stock markets.Design/methodology/approachTo complement shortcomings of the traditional bubble tests, such as unit root tests and cointegration tests, mainly relying on expectations of future steams of dividends, the authors employ fractional integration tests and duration dependence tests.FindingsDespite recent extreme fluctuations of MENA stock markets, fractional integration tests built on autoregressive fractionally integrated moving average models do not support the possibility of bubbles in the MENA stock markets. Similarly, duration dependence tests based on nonparametric Nelson‐Aalen hazard functions not only reject the existence of bubbles but also support equality of hazard functions between domestic and the US‐based investors without regard to the rapid financial liberalization and integration in the MENA stock markets.Originality/valueThe reliable results of bubble tests of the MENA stock markets provide domestic and international investors as well as policy makers with invaluable benchmark to better understand the irregular and highly fluctuating stock market behaviors of the MENA stock markets compared to other developed and emerging stock markets. For domestic and international investors, the formal analysis of MENA stock markets behavior including rational speculative bubbles will help them in their portfolio decisions and hedging purposes. Similarly, the empirical results of bubble tests in the paper will be also helpful to policymakers in MENA countries to take actions to improve the functioning of these dynamic markets.
Managing Chinese consumers' value profiles: a comparison between Shanghai and Hong Kong
Authors: Ramasamy Bala , Au Alan , Yeung Matthew 
Published: August 2010

PurposeThis paper aims to demonstrate the degree of dissimilarities among Chinese individuals' value profiles by using data collected from Shanghai and Hong Kong.Design/methodology/approachThe shortened version of the Rokeach Value Survey for consumer research by Munson and McQuarrie was used. The data collection was done by distributing copies of questionnaires to researchers' contacts who worked at financial intuitions, e.g. banks, brokers and insurance agencies in Shanghai and Hong Kong.FindingsThe current study demonstrates the degree of dissimilarities among Chinese individuals' value profiles by using data collected from Shanghai and Hong Kong.Research limitations/implicationsThe study selects two developed cities of China only and the samples from the two cities are relatively small.Practical implicationsThe results imply that value‐based information should be used together with demographic information for segmenting the market. The study suggests the number of segments for Shanghai and Hong Kong.Originality/valueThis study explains the significance of studying values in the context of market segmentation, particularly among Chinese populations.
Management practices of Chinese managers in Chinese MNCs operating in Bangkok
Authors: Bunchapattanasakda Chanchai , Wong Pisit 
Published: August 2010

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyze Thai and Chinese national characteristics based on Hofstede' s cultural dimensions, Chinese human resource management approaches, and Thai and Chinese social concepts.Design/methodology/approachThe data for the analysis were obtained by surveying MBA students currently working in Chinese multinational companies and studying in public and private universities in Bangkok, using purposive sampling along with snowball sampling method. The design of the questionnaire was based on specific questions modified from Hofstede's cultural dimensions including power distance, socialism, uncertainty avoidance, masculinity, and time horizon.FindingsThere were differences in cultural values between Thai employees and Chinese managers. Moreover, Chinese managers are not adapting themselves to the Thai culture. However, the Thai employees were satisfied working with the Chinese managers.Research limitations/implicationsThe study is a descriptive study and does not provide a reason for explaining the good working relationships between Chinese employers and Thai employees.Practical implicationsThe study reveals the working relationship between Chinese and Thais and suggests that cultural differences exist but good working relationships can still be maintained.Originality/valueInstead of regarding cultural diversity as an evil, this paper shows that some racially and culturally mixed groups can work comfortably together.
Harmony and cooperation: their effects on IJV performance in China
Authors: Chow Raymond P.M. , Yau Oliver H.M. 
Published: August 2010

PurposeThis paper seeks to develop a business model depicting the relationship between harmony, cooperation, and international joint ventures (IJV) performance.Design/methodology/approachThe paper takes the form of a quantitative empirical study with the aim of making a contribution to the knowledge of the effects of harmony and cooperation on IJV performance. An interviewer‐administered questionnaire survey method was used for data collection.FindingsThe business model supports the proposed existence that harmony has both direct and indirect effects on IJV performance. While interorganizational harmony directly affects the performance of the company, it promotes cooperation and in turn enhances performance.Research limitations/implicationsOwing to the exploratory nature of this study, the findings are indicative rather than conclusive. Future studies should be conducted to examine the validity and generalizability of this model in other cultural contexts.Practical implicationsThis study provides empirical support for the importance of harmony and cooperation in conducting business in China, and it has significant implications for international marketers. When formulating new venture strategies in the greater China market, the model developed in this study can help to gauge the degrees of harmony and cooperation held by IJV partners.Originality/valueThis study demonstrates and validates the importance of harmony and cooperation in business ventures in general and in the Chinese business environment in particular. This study also signals that there are important implications for future research in emerging or transitional economies.
Legal commentary
Authors: Gray Joanna 
Published: August 2010

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to report and comment on a High Court ruling where the Court had to decide certain preliminary issues of law arising out of a mis‐selling claim brought against Royal Bank of Scotland Plc (hereafter “the Bank”) by Titan Steel Wheels Ltd (hereafter “Titan”) following losses incurred on two Euro/Sterling derivative products provided to Titan by the bank in June and September 2007.Design/methodology/approachThe paper outlines the facts surrounding the case and comments on the decision.FindingsThe Judge's decision is given on three issues. The first issue – was Titan a “private person”? The second issue – did the Bank act in an advisory role to Titan on the two transactions in issue and hence owe a common law duty of care? The third issue – whether the Bank's terms of business were subject to the Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977?Originality/valueThis case offers interesting insights into the changing nature of the relationship between major corporate users of the derivatives markets with the products traded and business transacted in those markets. It also represents a classic attempt to use the legal system to reallocate losses resulting from the ultimate uncertainty that besets every market place and simply reasserts that ex ante contractual loss allocation agreed between commercial parties will not be lightly set aside.
Authenticity in management metaconversations
Authors: Torp Simon 
Published: August 2010

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to contribute to the development of the theory of authenticity and metaconversations, particularly in relation to managerial metaconversations, and to show an empirical example of what one might term authentic metaconversational management from below.Design/methodology/approachThe theoretical part of the paper consists of an analysis and elaboration of theories of metaconversation and management. The empirical part of the paper builds on a single case study, which was of both the one holistic and embedded holistic type. In connection with the case study structured and unstructured, open and direct techniques of participant observation were applied. Certain parts of the case study were based on action research and consultation methods.FindingsThis conceptual paper presents a definition of authenticity in relation to the theory of metaconversations, and demonstrates with the help of a case study that metaconversations can also be created from below, via a bottom‐up process.Practical implicationsOn the basis of the theory of authenticity and metaconversations, the manager(s) and staff, collectively and individually, can reflect on and discuss whether the metaconversations they create and by which they are encompassed – or to which exposed – are authentic in the sense that everyone is being given a voice.Originality/valueThe paper offers a concept of authenticity, as it relates to management, which challenges the idea of authenticity as being primarily concerned with the manager's relationship with himself or herself, e.g. the degree of consistency between a manager's “walk” and “talk”. Authenticity in relation to the theory of management as a metaconversation deals with the relationship between the manager and the staff, for which reason authenticity in this paper is treated as a social and collective matter, not merely one which is individual and personal.
Authentic dialogue? The role of “friendship” in a social media recruitment campaign
Authors: Henderson Alison , Bowley Rachel 
Published: August 2010

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to contribute to emerging theory about the role of authenticity in social media use through discussion of a not‐for‐profit organisation's experiences of using social networking to communicate with potential stakeholders during a recruitment campaign.Design/methodology/approachThe paper uses critical discourse analysis of semi‐structured interviews with organisational spokespersons to examine the use of social media by this not‐for‐profit organisation.FindingsThe organisation attempted to re‐position its identity to appear “authentic” to potential young stakeholders, and to use social media to build a dialogue that would attract new recruits to the industry. The paper discusses the challenges and opportunities experienced by the not‐for‐profit organisation in this recruitment campaign.Practical implicationsOrganisations contemplating the use of social networking sites to engage new audiences can reflect on the problems encountered in the implementation of this campaign, and plan to avoid similar pitfalls.Originality/valueThe study presents original empirical data in relation to social networking by a not‐for‐profit organisation. It demonstrates the importance of audience perceptions of authenticity and raises important questions about organisational “control”, and the expectations of employees carrying out “authenticity work”.
Key competitiveness indicators for new real estate developers
Authors: Zhang Xiaoling , Shen Liyin , Skitmore Martin , Xia Bo 
Published: August 2010

PurposeThe paper aims to explore the key competitiveness indicators (KCIs) that provide the guidelines for helping new real estate developers (REDs) achieve competitiveness during their inception stage in which the organisations start their business.Design/methodology/approachThe research was conducted using a combination of various methods. A literature review was undertaken to provide a proper theoretical understanding of organisational competitiveness within RED's activities and developed a framework of competitiveness indicators (CIs) for REDs. The Delphi forecasting method is employed to investigate a group of 20 experts' perception on the relative importance between CIs.FindingsThe results show that the KCIs of new REDs are capital operation capability, entrepreneurship, land reserve capability, high sales revenue from the first real estate development project, and innovation capability.Originality/valueThe five KCIs of new REDs are new. In practical terms, the examination of these KCIs would help the business managers of new REDs to effectively plan their business by focusing their efforts on these key indicators. The KCIs can also help REDs provide theoretical constructs of the knowledge base on organisational competitiveness from a dynamic perspective, and assist in providing valuable experiences and in formulating feasible strategies for survival and growth.
Cost‐effective risk assessment of hand‐arm vibration exposure
Authors: Edwards David J. , Holt Gary D. 
Published: August 2010

PurposeAs a tool to help compliance with relevant health and safety legislation, a cost‐effective method of risk assessing construction workers' exposure to hand‐arm vibration (HAV) is presented that allows larger numbers of workers to be evaluated, either as a stratified sample of a population or as a population where numbers are not prohibitive.Design/methodology/approachThe method, developed and tested in the field with a national UK contractor, employs work study to collect exposure level data of workers undertaking real work and analyse these, to inform HAV management and risk control decisions.FindingsThe method benefits from economies of scale to efficiently risk assess large numbers of workers, without the need for specialist equipment or analysis software. It can be applied to sample strata defined by, for example, equipment used, types of work or classifications of worker.Research limitations/implicationsResults add to the growing body of academic knowledge relating to construction worker HAV exposure and its management.Practical implicationsThe method can easily be moulded to suit any type of construction organisation and help control cost associated with HAV legislation compliance.Social implicationsPotential benefits of controlled HAV exposure include reduced incidence of (HAV induced) medical conditions and concomitant personal financial gains to society.Originality/valueThe method and context are novel. The methodology of work study and sampling in a broader sense are well established.
Competitive assets of Malaysian international contractors
Authors: Abdul‐Aziz Abdul‐Rashid , Sing Wong Sing 
Published: August 2010

PurposeThe paper aims to identify firm‐related competitive assets (FRCA) and home country‐related competitive assets of Malaysian international contractors.Design/methodology/approachRather than applying any one of the extant models on the internationalisation of businesses singly, the study combined several relevant models, thereby providing a rich theoretical basis. Data were collected using a postal questionnaire survey and follow‐up face‐to‐face interviews. Past empirical observations of international construction companies were referred to when designing the questionnaire. All of the known Malaysian contractors with international operations were approached.FindingsWhile there was broad concurrence between the sampled Malaysian contractors' FRCA with past studies, the participating firms attributed low competitive value to country‐related competitive assets. Even so, they were not keen to establish their export bases in more supportive countries because of top management's personal affinity to Malaysia as a home country.Research limitations/implicationsThe surveyed population is relatively small with low response rate.Originality/valueThe findings do not support the eclectic paradigm and diamond model on the aspect of home country features as providing competitiveness to international construction firms.
AMLCTF compliance and SMEs in Australia: a case study of the prepaid card industry
Authors: Gurung Juni , Wijaya Marcell , Rao Asha 
Published: August 2010

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the possibility of effectively enforcing the Anti‐money Laundering and Counter Terrorism Financing (AMLCTF) Act compliance on prepaid card small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Currently, certain types of prepaid cards providers are exempt from compliance. This paper looks at this situation bearing in mind the necessity of keeping regulation manageable for SMEs.Design/methodology/approachThe paper adopts the case study approach facilitated by an online search of different prepaid card vendors. Using this as a basis, a feasibility analysis of the AMLCTF Act is conducted for prepaid card SMEs.FindingsIt is found that not all regulation compliance requirements are applicable to SMEs. Regulation enforcement without considering the capabilities of the regulated entities will only increase avoidance. It is also found that the AMLCTF Act does not effectively address the issue of prepaid cards' vulnerability to money laundering and terrorism financing (ML/TF) illustrated by exclusion of prepaid cards that cannot be used to withdraw money from the compliance. Given that there are records of such cards been exploited for illegal trading, Australian Transactions Reports Analysis Centre appears not to be up to date with the ongoing trend in ML/TF around the world.Research limitations/implicationsLimitations of case study research methodology apply. Also, the prepaid card vendor information is based on an online search of their web sites and did not involve in‐person interactions to gather the information.Originality/valueThis is the first paper in anti‐money laundering literature that has considered SMEs and attempted to look into the AMLCTF Act compliance requirements' applicability for them. It is believed that the case study can facilitate further research related to regulation enforcement issues for SMEs.
International anti‐money laundering programs
Authors: Arnone Marco , Borlini Leonardo 
Published: August 2010

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present an empirical assessment and outline issues in criminal regulation relating to international anti‐money laundering (AML) programs.Design/methodology/approachIn the first part, this paper outlines the serious threats posed by transnational laundering operations in the context of economic globalization, and calls for highly co‐ordinated international responses to such a crime. The second part of the paper centres on elements of international criminal regulation of ML.FindingsThe focus is on the phenomenological aspect of ML and highlights that to a large extent it is an economic issue. Economic analysis calls for an accurate legal response, with typical trade‐offs: it should deter criminals from laundering by increasing the costs for such illicit operations, calling for enhanced regulatory and enforcement activities; however, stronger enforcement yields increased costs and reduces privacy. These features have lately inspired the recent paradigm shift from a rule‐based regulatory framework to a risk‐based approach which still represents an extremely delicate regulatory. Both at the international level and within the single domestic legal system, AML law is typically characterised by a multidisciplinary approach combining the repressive profile with preventive mechanisms: an empirical evaluation of the International Monetary Fund‐World Bank AML program is presented, where these two aspects are assessed. The non‐criminal measures recently implemented under the auspices of the main inter‐governmental public organisations with competence in these fields seem to be consistent with the insights of economic analysis. However, some key criminal issues need to be better addressed.Originality/valueThe paper offers insights into international AML programs, focusing on criminal regulation.
The development of a scale to measure consumer doubt toward new products
Authors: Sääksjärvi Maria , Morel Kaj P.N. 
Published: August 2010

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to develop a scale for measuring consumer doubt toward new products.Design/methodology/approachThe scale was developed in several steps. A large pool of items to represent consumer doubt was generated. Experts reviewed the scale items for conciseness and clarity. An exploratory factor analysis to examine the unidimensionality, convergent validity, and discriminant validity of each construct was conducted. The model was then validated using partial least squares modeling. Finally, the scale and its form were validated, and potential response biases assessed. Data from three studies were used.FindingsThe results show that by focusing on reasons for deference, rather than acceptance, the scale yields new insight into innovation success and failure. The CDNP scale is a reliable and valid measurement instrument to assess consumer doubt toward new products.Research limitations/implicationsFor researchers, the results show that only considering positive aspects on innovation adoption can lead to only a partial understanding of how innovation diffuses in the market.Practical implicationsBy overcoming consumer doubt at early stages of innovation launch, companies could overcome problems related to innovation failure.Originality/valueThe literature on innovation adoption has almost exclusively focused on why innovations succeed by examining consumer acceptance of innovations. Yet, a potentially more serious issue that would need to be tackled is why innovations fail. This paper focuses on consumer doubt toward new products, i.e. a lack of conviction that a new product will fulfill its promises. Three studies show that the scale of consumer doubt is valid, and it provides new insights into innovation adoption.