Business and Economics

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A New Framework for Online Business Teaching
(Scientific Research, 2018-07) Nistor, Cristina; Nyer, Prashanth
Recently, business education has experienced an expansion of online education programs. In this paper, we propose a framework to improve the effectiveness of student learning in an online lecture format. In particular, we focus on business courses, which tend to be hard to replicate online as they rely on team work and applied logical thinking in addition to the learning of facts and theory. We identify two main areas that are vital to online business education: competition and community building among students. We argue these are an additional task for the instructor to deliberately perform in an online setting, compared to what often occurs organically in a traditional in-class setting.
A Generalized Bilateral Trading Model
(Scientific Research, 2018-07) Tao, Rongchuan
In the bilateral trading model developed by Myerson [1], an ex post efficient mechanism that satisfies incentive compatibility and individual rationality has been proved to be not existed. This paper is aimed at the discussion of modified bilateral trading model where the buyer and seller’s valuations for the object are assumed to be not independent. Under such assumption, we concern about the existence of an ex post efficient mechanism satisfying individual compatible and individual rational conditions. We will give a necessary condition of such mechanism, not precisely though, to identify the existence. At the end of this paper, we provide some empirical evidences about the non-independent assumption and suggest some directions for further research, both empirical and theoretical.
Teaching Model Reform of Performance Management Course Based on the Theory of Constructivism
(Scientific Research, 2018-07) Cheng, Long
As the core course of human resource management major, performance management course is highly practical. Based on the theory of constructivism, combining with the practical requirements of enterprise performance management and constructing simulation situation of enterprise performance management, which can make the students understand theory with practice, get better understanding of professional knowledge and master the relevant skills. From the essence of organizational performance simulation method, the performance of communication as an example, the article introduces the operational ideas about constructivism concept in the teaching of performance management, and summarizes the teaching mode experience in organizational context simulation during the performance management teaching process.
Predicting the Entrepreneurial Intentions of University Students: Applying the Theory of Planned Behaviour in Zambia, Africa
(Scientific Research, 2017-10) Mwiya, Bruce; Wang, Yong; Shikaputo, Chanda; Kaulungombe, Bernadette; Kayekesi, Maidah
The current paper contributes to the entrepreneurial intention (EI) literature by applying the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) in a developing African country with unique socio-economic and cultural context. Thus it examines the influence of social norms, personal attitudes and perceived behavioural control on business start-up intentions. Based on a quantitative approach, primary survey data were collected from 306 final year undergraduate students at a public university. The data were analyzed using correlation and hierarchical regression techniques. Controlling for age, gender and field of study, the findings indicate that each of the attitudinal antecedents is significantly positively related to EI, with an overall R2 = 0.543. For scholars, enterprise support practitioners and policy makers, the study shows that the TPB can be used to understand how to promote business start-up in developing countries with socio-economic and cultural contexts which are mostly different from developed countries where the subject is heavily researched. Specifically, mechanisms to develop entrepreneurial capabilities among citizens, improve societal norms and individual attitudes toward entrepreneurship would significantly promote entrepreneurship. The study also makes a valuable contribution to the under-researched context of Zambia and African entrepreneurship.
Review of Human Resource Management Function of Front Line Manager
(Scientific Research, 2017-10) Liu, Yingying
Front Line Managers (FLMs) are the managers of staff at the grass-roots level at the forefront of performing management activities, who play an important role in the achievement of enterprise’s whole objective and the implementation of enterprise plan to the individual staff and first-line staff. With the development of management practice, FLMs are beginning to shoulder part of the human resources management responsibilities. The paper summarizes the research status of human resource management function of FLMs from the perspective of human resources management, and outlooks the future research direction.
Small Scale Contractors in Africa’s Emerging Markets: The Case of South Africa
(Scientific Research, 2016-10) Hove, George
In South Africa, the development of Small scale emerging contractors (SSECs) has become vital to bring about economic prosperity and the government has prioritised the advancement of SSECs as the vehicle towards achieving economic growth, development and job creation for previously disadvantaged people. This paper reviewed related construction studies on small scale contractors and highlighted unique roles and challenges as they relate to emerging construction businesses. The paper established that the main challenges affecting SSECs included finance, skills shortage, enabling environment and competition. Based on data analysis, it is imperative for the South African government to develop a clear and more comprehensive small business contracting policies that would enhance growth and profitability of Small scale emerging contractors.
The Negative Effect of Brand Attachment: How Attachment Styles Help Explain Anti-Brand Behavior
(Scientific Research, 2017-01) Yuan, Yuan; Lei, Ming
Enterprises tend to attach importance to consumer brand relationship in the marketing context, especially the establishment and culture of attachment relationship, and they try to maintain brand loyalty through consumers’ high self-connection. But they ignore the possibility that brand attachment leads to anti-brand behavior; however, previous study was less involved in the negative effects of brand attachment and negative brand behavior. So on the basis of relevant research literature review, we firstly illustrate two kinds of incentive of anti-brand behavior: 1) the loss of functional benefit; 2) the violation of self-concept, and then discussed the theoretical framework that brand attachment leads to anti-brand behavior from the perspective of consumers’ individual characteristics. The purpose of this paper is to explore the strong brand attachment relationship between consumers and brand when and why it will be transformed into a strong negative brand behavior, and thus provide a new perspective on the study of brand attachment.
The Crude Oil Price Influence on the Brazilian Industrial Production
(Scientific Research, 2017-04) de Salles, Andre Assis; Almeida, Pedro Henrique Acioli
The oil price is a relevant variable for economic policy makers in countries where this commodity is the main energy source as well as in other countries where crude oil is not the only energy source. The sudden variations in the crude oil price cause direct influence in the national economies bringing changes in foreign trade, investments and productive activities. Therefore, the crude oil market is very important for the economic development. Furthermore, crude oil is directly or indirectly present in all productive activities. This way the crude oil market is related to the industrial production indicators. Many researches aim at establishing the stochastic process that can represent the movements of macroeconomic indicators through the oil price returns or variations that have been done in recent years. The purpose of this work is to study the relationship between crude oil prices and selected industrial production indicators of the Brazilian economy. To do that this work carried out cointegration and causality tests, from VAR estimations, and impulse response analysis. The data used in this study is monthly macroeconomic indicators, mentioned above, and the Brent crude oil type price negotiated in the London Market. All data used is in US$. The period of the sample used is from January 2002 to October 2015.
Measurement of Fiscal Absorbing Capacity in Megacities and Analysis on Their Influence Factors—Empirical Research Based on Factor Analysis Combined with Panel Data
(Scientific Research, 2017-04) Chen, Ruoxi
Fiscal absorbing capacity is an essential part of national capacity, whose shortcoming would drive local governments to raise capital through nonstandardized channels. Thus causing a negative effect on national governance. The paper would define fiscal absorbing capacity in three aspects, including fiscal absorbing scale, fiscal absorbing autonomy and fiscal absorbing efficiency, and would make measurement and empirical analysis on the fiscal absorbing capacity in seven megacities from 2008 to 2014 by adopting fixed effect model combined with factor analysis, the result of which shows that reverse change trend exists in municipalities and prefecture-level cities of megacities with over ten million population, and that fiscal expenditure decentralization, economic factor and demographic factor all have significant effect on fiscal absorbing capacity. Therefore, powers of finance and duties reasonably divided among megacities should be put forward to promote the optimization and upgrading of industrial structure; and the financial guarantee of municipal governments in megacities should be strengthened through reforms of transfer payment system and household registration.
The Features and Evolution of Cluster Supply Chain Network
(Scientific Research, 2016-10) He, Binghua
Cluster supply chain (CSC) is a special kind of enterprise network with double feature of cluster and supply chain and is an important channel for enterprises close to the knowledge, resources, markets, and technologies. Cluster supply chain has special network structure and network relational which are different from general cluster and supply chain. In a particular industry cluster region, all kinds of enterprises and non-enterprise organizations around the core enterprises are connected to form local integration of supply chain through “trust and commitment” informal or formal contract. According to structural dimension and relational dimension of social network analysis theory, cluster supply chain network can be divided into four basic tie types: sparse-weak tie, intensive-weak tie, sparse-strong tie and intensive-strong tie. The study shows that intensive-strong tie network maybe appears negative effect of network innovation locked when developing to late, and eventually leads to cluster supply chain network disintegration and reconstruction.
Megaprojects, Complexity, and Investment Decisions
(Scientific Research, 2016-04) Omoregie, Uyiosa
The need for basic infrastructure for economic development in developing countries has made megaprojects popular, in such parts of the world. Megaprojects can be very important to a host country: the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Project has contributed about four percent of Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product. However, due to the complexity involved with megaprojects, project failure rate is high around the world, especially so for upstream oil and gas projects. This paper recommends a systems approach to megaprojects analysis, for a better understanding of these projects: from the pre-final investment decision (FID) stage through project execution. This author believes that a system approach to megaprojects analysis should provide better decision quality for decision makers.
Functional Boundaries as a Tacit Knowledge Sharing Factor and Its Effect on Public Sector Performance in Kenya
(Scientific Research, 2016-04) Wamitu, Susan Njeri
Knowledge is a crucial component in the growth of any organization and it forms a significant fraction of all the resources required for organizational growth. Out of the renowned factors of production namely land, labor, capital, entrepreneur and management, three out of the five factors (60%) are human factors (resource) which are actually the main drivers of knowledge management and tacit knowledge sharing. The world revolution has seen economies come from reliance on land ownership (the agricultural age), where the backbone of the economy is purely agriculture, through to the industrial age (reliance on industrialization) and now is the knowledge focus (reliance on knowledge gathering, acquisition and storage as a competitive advantage) which is the third wave of human socio-economic development. In a knowledge society, the basic economic resource is no longer capital, or natural resources or even labour, but knowledge. Knowledge is now recognized as a resource that is at par with other economic resources. It is noted that in the knowledge age, 2% of the working population will work on the land (agriculture), 10% will work in the industry (industrialization) and the rest will be in knowledge (tacit). In the Kenyan civil service, there seems to be ignorance in the amount of knowledge that flows through the Kenyan civil service every day. Chief among the reasons for this scenario is strong hierarchical (functional boundaries or strict demarcations), and bureaucracies that impede generation, distribution and sharing of knowledge and information. The performance of the Kenya public sector had failed to meet the stipulated targets as was indicated by the performance of the economic, social and other sectors in the year 2012 and 2013. In addition, empirical evidence reveals that there is a lacuna in the studies associated with tacit knowledge sharing and performance of the public sector in Kenya. The study therefore focuses on the influence of functional boundaries as a factor of tacit knowledge sharing and how they affect public sector performance in Kenya.
Social Responsibility Practices in the Marketing of Loans by Microfinance Companies in Ghana, the Views of the Customer
(Scientific Research, 2015-10) Brew, Yaw; Chai, Junwu; Addae-Boateng, Samuel; Sarpong, Solomon
Microfinance companies provide loans and other facilities like savings, insurance, and transfer services to poor low-income household and microenterprises. It is expected that by the nature of their customers and services, microfinance companies will be strictly socially responsible in dealing with customers to protect and preserve their rights, but this is not always the case. This research observes the views and concerns of customers about the social responsibility practices of microfinance companies in Ghana, especially, the customer’s right to be informed, to be safe, to choose, and to be heard. The sample is drawn from two major cities, the Accra Metropolis and Kumasi Metropolis of Ghana, and the respondents constitute past and present customers of microfinance companies providing services under the Tier-2 category of microfinance institutions in Ghana. The analysis of the data shows that respondents perceive microfinance companies having transacted with not doing much to ensure that the customer’s rights are protected. Based on the analysis and results of the survey, recommendations are made to managers of microfinance companies and the Ghana Association of Microfinance companies.
The Emotion of Awe and Perception of Destination to Influence Tourists’ Satisfaction
(Scientific Research, 2015-10) Lu, Dong; Tian, Ye
This study aimed to explain tourist satisfaction by using an integrated model that incorporated cognitive and affective perspectives. Questionnaires data were collected from 385 participants in Tibet and the conceptual model was verified by using Structural Equation Modeling. The results showed that, from the cognitive viewpoint, the perception of the natural environment was the key factor to influence tourists’ satisfaction; from the affective viewpoint, both the perception of the natural environment and the perception of the religious atmosphere were the factors to influence tourists’ satisfaction. The perceived value of the destination (cognitive factor) and experience of the emotion of awe (affective factor) also influenced tourists’ satisfaction. Additionally, the findings of this study showed that the emotion of awe was the mediator between the perceived value of the destination and the tourists’ satisfaction. In a summary, this study presented a theoretical framework that was based on the dual perspectives of cognition and affection to expand the existing research and provided a comprehensive and reasonable interpretation of tourists’ satisfaction.
Efficacy of Facebook Fans: Can They Influence Perception of the Brand?
(Scientific Research, 2014-10) Behan, Mike
Using a qualitative single case study methodology, this research studied the effect that a Facebook page has on friends of the brand. The problem under investigation is the lack of understanding effects social media sites like Facebook has on the perception of the brand by the user. The data collected suggests that the use of Facebook by a SME does help maintain and in some cases increase the perception of the brand in the positive. The analysis of the data additionally shows this effect on brand perception is based on the drivers of a) connectivity, b) change of perception, c) internal value, d) goodwill, and e) the decision process. Interview participants indicate the importance Facebook has as a marketing communication tool. The findings from the research suggest that Facebook use by SMEs is an important component of an integrated approach to marketing communications when considering the perception of the brand. This research also raises important questions as to what significance Facebook use by SMEs has over other traditional marketing communication methods when creating, communicating, and delivering a message of value.
Management in Action: Managing the HIV/AIDS Curriculum in Kenya
(Scientific Research, 2014-07) Nyarondia, Samson; Ongong’a, Jared Opiyo; Omolo, Kepha
Curriculum management can only be effective when the curriculum content and expected learning outcomes are clearly stated for the actual implementers. The implementers on their side especially the teachers and the school administration must ensure that the stated contents, instructional methodologies and the time lines are followed appropriately. This paper examines the extent at which the HIV/AIDS curriculum is being implemented at the Secondary School level in Kenya. The key objectives were to identify the policy dimensions of HIV/AIDS education curriculum and to determine the level of implementation of HIV/AIDS education curriculum in public secondary schools. Structured questionnaire, observation and in-depth interviews were used for data collection from selected school students and the curriculum implementers. The study concluded that HIV/AIDS aspects are taught in public secondary schools through infusion and integration into carrier subjects, though not allocated any specific time in the curriculum. The level at which these aspects are taught is very low, and when taught lecture method, which is a rather passive way of teaching, is the predominant method employed by the teachers. It is recommended that the teachers should be more creative and devise other forums that would ensure that these aspects are amply taught. Also the teachers should collect and avail more learning materials to their learners, including use of the internet to supplement what is provided in the text books.
Producers’ Preference for Price Instability?
(Scientific Research, 2018-06) Schmitz, Andrew
The debate over whether producers prefer price instability to price stability continues, especially where policies are often endorsed that aim at generating stability. Such policies include the holding of agriculture commodity stocks by government to bring about price stability. But why would producers support such a policy given that producers prefer price instability, or do they? Oi argues that producers prefer price instability, which is opposite to the conclusion reached by Massell. In this paper, we take up the issue as to producers’ preference for price instability using the classic welfare economic framework used by Massell and Just et al. We develop a producer price expectation model that brings about price stability, which is possible without storage. We use this as the basis upon which to compare price stability to price instability. Our conclusion is that producers prefer price instability regardless of whether it is due to demand or supply shocks.
Regression Analyses of Income Inequality Indices
(Scientific Research, 2018-06) Fellman, Johan
Scientists have analysed different methods for numerical estimation of Gini coefficients. Using Lorenz curves, various numerical integration attempts have been made to identify accurate estimates. Central alternative methods have been the trapezium, Simpson and Lagrange rules. They are all special cases of the Newton-Cotes methods. In this study, we approximate the Lorenz curve by polynomial regression models and integrate optimal regression models for numerical estimation of the Gini coefficient. The attempts are checked on theoretical Lorenz curves and on empirical Lorenz curves with known Gini indices. In all cases the proposed methods seem to be a good alternative to earlier methods presented in the literature.
Explaining Systemic Risk in Money Market Funds
(Scientific Research, 2018-06) Avkiran, Necmi K.
For the first time, this study evaluates the contributions to systemic risk in the context of U.S. institutional prime money market funds (MMFs) from different sources using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The primary motivation behind this study is to trace systemic risk to its underlying sources and measure which types of relationships provide significant explanation using PLS-SEM. I illustrate the application of PLS-SEM and interpretation of results in a step-by-step manner to empower those new to PLS-SEM, and undertake robustness testing. Findings indicate that through crisis years, macroprudential indicators contribute to potential systemic risk more than prudential indicators. This suggests that macroprudential indicators that can be traced to individual MMFs market positions are more important in understanding systemic risk during crises, and further underlines the interconnectedness of markets. PLS-SEM can be used to test the explanatory power of new indicators as they emerge in an exploratory environment.
Determinants of Vertical Integration: Investment Efficiency, Product Differentiation and Firm Size
(Scientific Research, 2018-04) Yamawake, Toshiyuki; Yamoto, Shigetsune; Goi, Hoe Chin; Lee, Dong-Joon
This study examines the determinants of Merger and Acquisition (M & A) when manufacturing firms integrate with retailing firms. We examine a manufacturing duopoly in which each upstream firm sells the output to its exclusive retailing firm. In sequence of the timing of game, the strategic variables are set as Research and Development (R & D) investment, wholesale price by manufacturing firms and sales volume by retailing firms. The study concludes that degree of investment efficiency, product differentiation, and market size play important roles in vertical integration. Our conclusion shows that if product differentiation becomes greater, the vertical integration increases. Secondly, if the market size becomes larger, the vertical integration increases. Thirdly, the vertical integration increases when investment efficiency becomes higher. Our theoretical findings are also supported by the empirical results with the listed Japanese company data from 1996 to 2016.

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