Showing papers by "City University of Hong Kong published in 1999"

Culture specific and cross-culturally generalizable implicit leadership theories: Are attributes of charismatic/transformational leadership universally endorsed?

Abstract: This study focuses on culturally endorsed implicit theories of leadership (CLTs). Although cross-cultural research emphasizes that different cultural groups likely have different conceptions of what leadership should entail, a controversial position is argued here: namely that attributes associated with charismatic/transformational leadership will be universally endorsed as contributing to outstanding leadership. This hypothesis was tested in 62 cultures as part of the Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness (GLOBE) Research Program. Universally endorsed leader attributes, as well as attributes that are universally seen as impediments to outstanding leadership and culturally contingent attributes are presented here. The results support the hypothesis that specific aspects of charismatic/transformational leadership are strongly and universally endorsed across cultures.

Progressive switching median filter for the removal of impulse noise from highly corrupted images

Abstract: A new median-based filter, progressive switching median (PSM) filter, is proposed to restore images corrupted by salt-pepper impulse noise. The algorithm is developed by the following two main points: 1) switching scheme-an impulse detection algorithm is used before filtering, thus only a proportion of all the pixels will be filtered; and 2) progressive methods-both the impulse detection and the noise filtering procedures are progressively applied through several iterations. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm is better than traditional median-based filters and is particularly effective for the cases where the images are very highly corrupted.

Associations between corporate characteristics and disclosure levels in annual reports: a meta-analysis

Abstract: Accounting researchers have investigated associations between corporate characteristics and disclosures in corporate annual reports since 1961. Findings have consistently shown corporate size and listing status to be significantly associated with disclosure levels, while mixed results have been reported for leverage, profitability, and audit firm size. The purpose of the present paper is to integrate prior disclosure studies and to identify the underlying factors that moderate the apparent variation in results. A meta-analysis of 29 studies confirms significant and positive relationships between disclosure levels and corporate size, listing status and leverage. No significant association is found between corporate profitability or size of audit firm, with aggregate disclosure levels. This study also found that in addition to sampling error, the results are moderated by differences in disclosure index construction, differences in definition of the explanatory variables, and differences in research settings.

The balanced scorecard: a foundation for the strategic management of information systems

Abstract: The balanced scorecard (BSC) has emerged as a decision support tool at the strategic management level. Many business leaders now evaluate corporate performance by supplementing financial accounting data with goal-related measures from the following perspectives: customer, internal business process, and learning and growth. It is argued that the BSC concept can be adapted to assist those managing business functions, organizational units and individual projects. This article develops a balanced scorecard for information systems (IS) that measures and evaluates IS activities from the following perspectives: business value, user orientation, internal process, and future readiness. Case study evidence suggests that a balanced IS scorecard can be the foundation for a strategic IS management system provided that certain development guidelines are followed, appropriate metrics are identified, and key implementation obstacles are overcome.

Academic Attribution: Citation and the Construction of Disciplinary Knowledge.

Abstract: In this paper I explore the ways in which academic citation practices contribute to the construction of disciplinary knowledge. Based on the analysis of a computer corpus of 80 research articles and interviews with experienced writers, the study investigates the contextual variability of citations in eight disciplines and suggests how textual conventions point to distinctions in the ways knowledge is typically negotiated and confirmed within different academic communities. Clear disciplinary differences are identified in both the extent to which writers refer to the work of others and in how they depict the reported information. Writers in the humanities and social sciences employed substantially more citations than scientists and engineers, and were more likely to use integral structures, to employ discourse reporting verbs, and to represent cited authors as adopting a stance to their material. It is argued that these differences in citation practices are related to the fact that academics actively participate in knowledge construction as members of professional groups and that their discoursal decisions are influenced by, and deeply embedded in, the epistemological and social conventions of their disciplines.

Organizational improvisation: what, when, how, and why

Abstract: In this article, the authors review the growing body of literature on organizational improvisation in order to present an encompassing and systematic perspective on this concept. An integrative definition of its construct is presented together with a new way of measuring this phenomenon in organizational settings. The article further explores this construct by presenting its triggers, necessary conditions, influencing factors and major outcomes. The issues of improvisation’s growing legitimization in the organizational arena for practitioners and researchers alike are addressed in order to argue for the need for and interest in a fuller development research on this concept.

Characteristics and use of okara, the soybean residue from soy milk production-a review

Abstract: Large quantities of okara produced annually pose a significant disposal problem. It contains mostly crude fiber composed of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin, about 25% protein, 10-15% oil, but little starch or simple carbohydrates. It is a suitable dietary additive in biscuits and snacks because it reduces calorie intake and increases dietary fiber. The high-quality protein fraction has good water holding and emulsifying qualities and contains a peptide with anti-hypertension effects. The pectic polysaccharides fraction is suitable for thickening acid milk products. Okara fermented with Actinomucor elegans (meitauza), Aspergillus oryzae (koji), Neurospora intermedia (ontjom), and Rhizopus oligosporus (tempe), on consumption, reduces cholesterol level and contains substances that counteract dietary free radicals. Unique and useful products produced by Bacillus subtilis and Penicillium simplicissimum on okara include surfactin and iturin A (fungicidal), okaramines A, B, D-F (D is insecticidal), an oleanane triterpene, and two dihydroquinolinones (one toxic for Artemia salina). Okara has been used as silkworm food and in the production of ceramics.

The Impact of Order and Mode of Market Entry on Profitability and Market Share

Abstract: Market share performance and profitability of overseas business activities has long been an important issue in international business. In this study, we explore the impact of order and mode of market entry into an overseas market. We find that early entrants have significantly higher market shares and profitability than late followers. We also find that equity joint ventures have a higher profitability than either wholly owned operations or contractual joint ventures. A significant interaction exists between order and mode of market entry. As expected, firm efficiency and size affect the performance of firms. These results are based on the business activities of a sample of 14,466 foreign firms in China in 1995.

Doing-English-Lessons in the Reproduction or Transformation of Social Worlds?.

Abstract: This article tells a story of four classrooms situated in different socioeconomic backgrounds. Drawing on the theoretical notions of cultural capital, habitus, symbolic violence, and creative, discursive agency as analytic tools, the story focuses on the classroom dilemmas in which students and teachers found themselves as well as the creative, discursive strategies they used to cope with these dilemmas. The implications of their strategies are discussed with reference to whether the students and teachers were doing-English-lessons in the reproduction or in the transformation of the students' social worlds.

Real-time frequency and harmonic evaluation using artificial neural networks

Abstract: With increasing harmonic pollution in the power system, real-time monitoring and analysis of harmonic variations have become important. Because of limitations associated with conventional algorithms, particularly under supply-frequency drift and transient situations, a new approach based on nonlinear least-squares parameter estimation has been proposed as an alternative solution for high-accuracy evaluation. However, the computational demand of the algorithm is very high and it is more appropriate to use Hopfield type feedback neural networks for real-time harmonic evaluation. The proposed neural network implementation determines simultaneously the supply-frequency variation, the fundamental-amplitude/phase variation as well as the harmonics-amplitude/phase variation. The distinctive feature is that the supply-frequency variation is handled separately from the amplitude/phase variations, thus ensuring high computational speed and high convergence rate. Examples by computer simulation are used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the implementation. A set of data taken on site was used as a real application of the system.

Is Accounting Information Value Relevant in the Emerging Chinese Stock Market

Abstract: This study provides an empirical examination of whether domestic investors in the Chinese stock market perceive accounting information based on Chinese GAAP to be useful in stock valuation. The study is motivated by the market-based value relevance literature in the U.S. and by the recent development of accounting and stock markets in China. Using a sample of all listed firms in the Shanghai and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges from 1991 to 1997 with available data, we obtain evidence of value relevance of accounting information in China based on a return and a price model. Specifically, we address three research questions in this study. First, we document that accounting information is value relevant in the Chinese market according to either the pooled cross-section and time-series regressions or the year-by-year regressions. Secondly, we further examine whether value relevance changes in a predictable manner with respect to four factors including positive vs. negative earnings, firm size, earnings persistence, and percentage of public holding. Finally, this study finds that the Chinese stock market perceives accounting information to be more value relevant for firms issuing both A- and B-shares than for firms issuing only A-share. Collectively, in this study, we report fairly convincing evidence that accounting information is value relevant to investors in the Chinese market despite the young age of the market and the perception of inadequate accounting and financial reporting in China. The implications of our results are discussed in the paper.

Pragmatics and sla

Abstract: Pragmatics has two roles in SLA: It acts as a constraint on linguistic forms and their acquisition, and it represents a type of communicative knowledge and object of L2 learning in its own right. The first role of pragmatics is evident in functionalist (Tomlin 1990) and interactionist (Long 1996) views of SLA. The second role puts pragmatics on a par with morphosyntax, lexis, and phonology in that inquiry focuses on learners' knowledge, use, and acquisition of L2 pragmatics. It is the latter sense of “pragmatics and SLA” that is the focus of this paper. In analogy with other areas of specialization within SLA—interlanguage syntax, interlanguage lexis, and so forth—the study of nonnative speakers' use and acquisition of L2 pragmatic knowledge is referred to as interlanguage pragmatics.

Language Learning Strategies and Language Proficiency: Investigating the Relationship in Hong Kong

Abstract: This article reports on a survey of the language learning strategies used by a group of Hong Kong learners. The aims of the study were to investigate levels of strategy use among the group, and to examine levels of association between strategy use and language proficiency. The SILL questionnaire (Strategies Inventory of Language Learning) by Oxford (1990, pp. 293-300) was used. SILL consists of six categories of strategies: memory, cognitive, compensation, metacognitive, affective, and social. The results showed that compensation and metacognitive strategies were the most used, while affective and memory strategies were the least used. Previous examinations of the nature of the relationship between strategy use and proficiency, and ways of measuring this are discussed. In this study, it was found that there was significant variation in proficiency in relation to eleven out of a possible fifty strategies. Of these, nine were in the cognitive category, one in the compensation category, and one in the social...

CVD diamond films: nucleation and growth

Abstract: In the last decade, we have seen rapid developments in metastable diamond synthesis by means of low-pressure chemical vapor deposition. Concurrently, a fast growing interest in diamond technology has emerged. This review discusses the various low-pressure growth methods of diamond films. Particular attention is paid to recent advances in the understanding of the mechanism of diamond nucleation and metastable growth. These advances are discussed in connection with the advances in diamond heteroepitaxy, which raises hopes that single crystalline diamond films are not far beyond reach. Modern surface science techniques applied to diamond study have played an essential role in these achievements and their contributions are discussed.

A neural-based crowd estimation by hybrid global learning algorithm

Abstract: A neural-based crowd estimation system for surveillance in complex scenes at underground station platform is presented. Estimation is carried out by extracting a set of significant features from sequences of images. Those feature indexes are modeled by a neural network to estimate the crowd density. The learning phase is based on our proposed hybrid of the least-squares and global search algorithms which are capable of providing the global search characteristic and fast convergence speed. Promising experimental results are obtained in terms of accuracy and real-time response capability to alert operators automatically.

L1-stability estimates for n x n conservation laws

Abstract: . Let $u_t+f(u)_x=0$ be a strictly hyperbolic $n\times n$ system of conservation laws, each characteristic field being linearly degenerate or genuinely nonlinear. In this paper we explicitly define a functional $\Phi=\Phi(u,v)$ , equivalent to the $\L^1$ distance, which is “almost decreasing” i.e., $$ \Phi\big( u(t),~v(t)\big)-\Phi\big( u(s),~v(s)\big)\leq \O(\ve)\cdot (t-s)\quad\hbox{for all}~~t>s\geq 0,$$ for every pair of e-approximate solutions u, v with small total variation, generated by a wave front tracking algorithm. The small parameter e here controls the errors in the wave speeds, the maximum size of rarefaction fronts and the total strength of all non-physical waves in u and in v. From the above estimate, it follows that front-tracking approximations converge to a unique limit solution, depending Lipschitz continuously on the initial data, in the ${\vec L}^1$ norm. This provides a new proof of the existence of the standard Riemann semigroup generated by a n×n system of conservation laws.

Algorithmic Aspects of the Core of Combinatorial Optimization Games

Abstract: We discuss an integer programming formulation for a class of cooperative games. We focus on algorithmic aspects of the core, one of the most important solution concepts in cooperative game theory. Central to our study is a simple but very useful observation that the core for this class is nonempty if and only if an associated linear program has an integer optimal solution. Based on this, we study the computational complexity and algorithms to answer important questions about the cores of various games on graphs, such as maximum flow, connectivity, maximum matching, minimum vertex cover, minimum edge cover, maximum independent set, and minimum coloring.

Prediction of Machine Deterioration Using Vibration Based Fault Trends and Recurrent Neural Networks

Abstract: High market competition for sales requires companies to reduce the cost of production if they are to maintain their market shares. Since the cost of maintenance contributes a substantial portion of the production cost, companies must budget maintenance effectively. Machine deterioration prognosis can decrease the cost of maintenance by minimizing the loss of production due to machine breakdown and avoiding the overstocking of spare parts. A new prognostic method is described in this paper which has been developed to forecast the rate of machine deterioration using recurrent neural networks. From tests applying the method to the prediction of nonlinear sunspot activities and vibration based fault trends of several industrial machines, the results have shown that the method is promising. It not only evaluates the seriousness of damage caused by faults, but also forecasts the remaining life span of defective components.

Finding similar regions in many strings

Abstract: Algorithms for finding similar, or highly conserved, regions in a group of sequences are at the core of many molecular biology problems. We solve three main open questions in this area. Assume that we are given n DNA sequences 81,. , an. The Consensus Patterns problem, which has been widely studied in bioinformatics research [26, 16, 12, 25, 4, 6, 15, 22, 24, 271, in its simplest form, asks for a region of length L in each ai, and a median string s of length L so that the total Hamming distance from B to these regions is minimized. We show the problem is NPhard and give a polynomial time approximation scheme (PTAS) for it. We also give a PTAS for the problem under the original measure of [26, 16, 12, 251. As an interesting application of OUT analysis, we further obtain a PTAS for a restricted (but still NP-hard) version of the important star alignment problem allowing at most constant number of gaps, each of arbitrary length, in each sequence. The Closest String problem [Z, 3, 7, 9, 181 asks for the smallest d and a string d which is within Hamming distance d to each a;. The problem is NP-hard [7, 181. [3] gives a polynomial time algorithm for constant d. For super-logarithmic d, [Z, 91 give efficient approximation algorithms using linear program relaxation techniques. The best polynomial time approximation has ratio $ for all d, given by [18] ([9] also independently claimed the $ ratio but only for super-logarithmic d). We settle the problem with a PTAS. We then give the fist nontrivial better-than-2 approximation with ratio 2 & for the more eluive Closest Substring problem [IS]: find a string d of length L such that, for each i, s is within Hamming distance d from home substring, of length L, of si.