Showing papers in "Contemporary Management Research in 2014"

Effect of Performance Appraisal System in Organizational Commitment, Job Satisfaction and Productivity

Abstract: INTRODUCTIONIn many organizations performance appraisal systems are used to identify the better performing employees who should get the majority of available merit pay increases, bonuses, and promotions. We can describe Performance appraisal as a structured formal interaction between a subordinate and supervisor, that usually takes the form of a periodic interview (annual or semiannual), in which the work performance of the subordinate is examined and discussed, with a view to identifying weakness and strengths as well as opportunities for improvement and skills development. The process of performance appraisal helps the employee and the management to know the level of employee's performance compared to the standard/predetermined level. Also it helps to identify the poorer performers who may require some form of counseling, or in the extreme cases, demotion dismissal or decreases in pay.Performance Appraisal is essential to understand the employee's performance through HRD. In fact, performance appraisal is the basis for HRD. It was viewed that performance appraisal was useful to decade upon employee promotion/transfer, salary determination and the like. But in the recent development, Performance appraisal indicates that the level of desired performance, level of Mrs.E.Deepa actual performance and the gap between these two. This gap should be bridge through human resources development techniques like training, and executive development, etc.Techniques or Methods of Performance Appraisal SystemTo collect PA data, there are three main methods:* Objective Production* Personnel* Judgmental EvaluationBenefits of Performance Appraisal* Facilitation of communication* Enhancement of employee focus through promoting trust* Goal setting and desired performance reinforcement* Performance improvement* Determination of training needsCONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORKEffect of PAS in Organizational Commitment: Organizational Commitment refers to the amount of involvement an employee has in his/her work. This helps both the employee and the organization to improve their skills which in turn improves the productivity of the organization and the employee. An employee who is involved completely in his/her work is said to have great organizational commitment since it will make them to become loyal to the company and will commit themselves to the organization automatically in all aspects which results in greater improvement in their career as well as the productivity. Thus Organizational Commitment leads to greater productivity.Deborah F. Boice and Brian H. Kleiner (1997) reported that effective performance appraisal systems help to create a motivated and committed workforce, USA. In their analysis, they pointed out that with large spans of control, several supervisors may work with an individual employee. They concluded that developing an effective performance appraisal system requires strong commitment from top management: if the system does not provide the linkage between employee performance and organizational goals, it is bound to be less than completely effective.Aharon Tziner, Kevin R. Murphy (1999) observed the attitudinal influences in performance appraisal. From their analysis they found that raters who were high on instrumental commitment were more likely to give high ratings than raters lower on instrumental commitment. They also suggested that perceptions of performance appraisal systems can affect the quality and usefulness of the ratings obtained. One way of improving ratings may be to increase perceptions that ratings are done honestly, that ratings are used fairly by organizations, and that raters are rewarded for providing useful performance feedback to their subordinates.Aizzat Mohd. Nasurdin, Mohamad Abdullah Hemdi and Lye Phei Guat (2008) examined a model involving Human Resource Management (HRM) practices, perceived organizational support, and organizational commitment. …

Religious Diversity at Work: The Perceptual Effects of Religious Discrimination on Employee Engagement and Commitment

Abstract: As the workforce is becoming more diversified in terms of culture, ethnicity, and religion, many individual values are carried over to the workplace. Now, in the post9/11 world, employees working in religiously diverse organizations might be prone to increased interpersonal conflicts and misunderstandings because of their religious affiliation. Yet, exploring the effects of religious diversity in organizations is still in its embryonic stages. This study investigated the perceptual effects of perceived religious discrimination on employee work-related behaviors, mainly commitment and engagement. The study surveyed 548 employees working in religiously diverse organizations. The findings suggested that when workers perceive religious discrimination in their organization, their commitment and engagement are affected. It is recommended that managers in general and specifically human resource managers devise strategies and develop management interventions to mitigate the negative organizational and personal consequences of religious discrimination in the workplace. Further studies should assess the effects of employees’ perceived religious discrimination on other behavioral outcomes.

Entrepreneurial Intention and Outcome Expectancy: Evidence from South Korea and China

Abstract: Focusing on the East Asian context, this study examines (1) cultural and gender differences in entrepreneurial intention, (2) the mediating effects of culture and gender on the relationships between entrepreneurial intention and expectancies of positive entrepreneurial outcomes, and (3) the results of entrepreneurial intention of females. The findings reveal that while Chinese students have a greater entrepreneurial intention than South Korean students, the relationships between entrepreneurial intention and outcome expectancies are stronger in South Korean than in Chinese students. In terms of gender, males have a greater entrepreneurial intention than females. The relationships between entrepreneurial intention and outcome expectancies are stronger in male than in female students. Social status and selfrealization are the entrepreneurial outcomes that females value most.

Role of Leadership in Leading Successful Change: An Empirical Study

Abstract: (ProQuest: ... denotes formulae omitted.)If you are still doing things now the same way you did them five years ago, you are doing something wrong", by Jack Welch, GE's former CEO.1. INTRODUCTIONIn present times change is an inevitable aspect of life. It is essential for all living beings to change to survive in the ever changing environment. Change represents the struggle between 'what is' and 'what is desired'. In fact, it is a complex process that requires thorough strategic planning in order to achieve the goals of the desired change. As per Fullan (2001), "change is a doubleedged sword. Its relentless pace these days runs us off our feet. Yet when things are unsettled, we can find new ways to move ahead and to create breakthroughs not possible in stagnant societies".In this era of globalization, with fast changing technology, instant communication and changing social, economic, political and legal aspects, the environment has become increasingly complex, unpredictable and dynamic. The organizations are faced with unprecedented competition and also customers have become highly conscious and demanding. The organizational alliances and structures are rapidly shifting and the strongly held values, beliefs and assumptions are being challenged. Organizations have been greatly affected by this volatile environment. Since the rate of change today is greater than any time in history, it has become increasingly important for organizations to manage and handle the change process to remain relevant and be sustainable. Due to the high rate of change the risk of failure is greater than ever before which leads to a high level of turbulence within the organization and this constant change needs immediate attention.Although researchers and practitioners of change management have brought out many new theories, models and approaches, but managers still struggle with the practicalities of leading change. The role of change leaders in managing and leading change cannot be undermined. The fact that effective management of change in organizations depends upon effective leadership styles and behaviors has been accepted by most organizations and is the rationale for this study.2. AIM OF THE STUDYThe study primarily aims to understand the role of leadership in managing change in Indian organizations. The specific objectives of this study are to identify the leadership behaviors that change leaders employ considering the context of change to maximize the probability of success of organizational change initiative. Also, the details of the change context are analyzed to examine the types of change initiatives taking place in different organizations in India. Towards this, a review of literature on the role of leadership in managing change is carried out to understand and analyze the leadership behaviors in a specific change context and also its impact on change success.3. LEADERSHIP AND CHANGE MANAGEMENTWhile a vast array of literature exists on the subject of leadership and much has been written on change management, however, little attempt has been made to integrate the fields of study (Eisenbach, Watson and Pillai, 1999). We can no longer discuss leadership in general terms with no reference to the changing environment. The approach to leadership is situational, as it is the situation which determines who emerges as the leader and what style of leadership one has to adopt. Edvinsson (2002) opined that leading an organization in a volatile and uncertain environment is very different from leading an orderly hierarchical organization in which everyone is aware about their roles and responsibilities which do not change often. Effective leaders need to recognize the fundamental issues surrounding change management in their organizations. The challenge for a leader is to comprehend all the forces that exist in the environment which may affect an organization and to manage those, so as to be able to influence the required transformations. …

Perceptions and Intentions of Customers towards Mobile Banking Adoption

Abstract: INTRODUCTIONInformation Technology (IT) has grown and spread wide so much in the last few decades that there is no area which has not been touched by it. E-commerce, M-commerce, etc. became buzzwords in the business scenario. Mobile Commerce (M-commerce) is defined as the buying and selling of mobile devices using a wireless connection to establish communication between all the necessary parties to complete the transaction (Samudra& Phadtare, 2012). In M-commerce commercial transactions are made using hand held devices that are connected through wireless networks (Kim et al, 2007). It includes entertainment value-added services, information value-added services, mobile banking, mobile payment, mobile purchases, etc.It has some unique features that give it certain advantages over conventional forms of commercial transactions, including e-commerce. These features are ubiquity, convenience, accessibility, personalization and localization. Mobile banking is a part of m-commerce. It is defined as the evolution of e-commerce paradigm from fixed line networks to wireless data networks. Mobile banking has completely revolutionized the field of banking.Since early 1990s, the Indian banking sector started placing more and more importance on technology and innovation. Banks recognized that using new technology, there is tremendous scope for improving their services by providing timely and quality services. Gradually technology has taken over almost all aspects of banking business. The customers could now transact easily with the help of services like Internet and Mobile banking from anywhere in the world. Despite a large number of advantages, mobile banking has not become popular as expected. Internet assumes prime position in electronic banking, and mobile banking is still in infancy.This study aims to investigate the factors that affect adoption of mobile banking. It is intended to test the adoption intention of mobile banking by integrating Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) with perceived benefits; perceived risks- i.e. social risk, performance risk, financial risk, time risk, security risk, privacy risk; and facilitating conditions.REVIEW OF LITERATUREDavis (1989) introduced Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), whichis used for modeling user acceptance of information systems. The aim of TAM is to provide an explanation of the determinants of computer acceptance. The two specific beliefs as per TAM are perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use, which are of importance for computer acceptance behaviors. The influence of perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness on the probability of system use can be studied using TAM. Any individual's behavioral intentions is influenced directly by his attitude and perceived usefulness. TAM has been used widely to find out the probability of adopting an online system and user perceptions of system use.Considerable study has been done in this area around the globe. A study by Brown, Cajee, Davies, and Stroebel (2003) examined the factors that influence the adoption of m-banking in South Africa. The study found that m-banking has not been widely adopted, despite rapid spreading of mobile phones in South Africa and the popularity of services such as SMS. They found that factors likely to influence adoption include relative advantage, the customer need for banking services from a cell phone and lower perceptions of risk. Thus, these areas should be given main focus bythe banks' and service providers' if they intend to promote the use of m-banking. This may be due to the fact that very few had actually used the service, and thus may not be able to unambiguously develop perceptions.Luarn & Lin (2005) did a study on the applicability of the TAM in an m-banking context by adding a trust-based construct (perceived credibility) and two resource-based constructs (perceived self-efficacy andperceived financial cost) to the TAM's existing structure. …

Development Trends and Strategy Planning in Big Data Industry

Abstract: Big data refers to technology for storing, converting, transmitting, and analyzing large quantities of structured or unstructured data, which may be dynamic and diversified d, for the purpose of social or commercial applications. Big data applications need to be able to undertake high-complexity and real-time analysis of vast amounts of data to help users make decision within the shortest possible timeframe. As a result, big data technology and the related industry are becoming ever more important. However, the scope, development trends, and possible strategy of big data industry have not been clearly addressed so far. To fill this gap, this paper presents a comprehensive assessment of the development trends and a systematic planning of business strategy in big data industry. The study utilizes nominal group technique (NGT), in-depth interviews, and focus group discussions among industry professionals. The research framework includes defining industry scope, assessing business environment by SWOT analysis, forecasting production value and growing trend, and outlining strategy for the emerging big data industry. The results provide a practical reference for vendors interested in entering the emerging big data market. Keywords: Big data, Industry Development, Nominal Group Technique, SWOT, Strategy To cite this document: Wei-Hsiu Weng and Woo-Tsong Lin, "Development Trends and Strategy Planning in Big Data Industry", Contemporary Management Research, Vol.10, No.3, pp.203-214, 2014. Permanent link to this document: http://dx.doi.org/10.7903/cmr.12288

Factors Influencing Women Consumers' Buying Behavior towards Online Shopping in India

Abstract: 1. INTRODUCTIONAccording to Internet World Stats in December 2013, India has the second largest number of internet users in Asia after China despite having a low internet penetration rate of just 15.8 percent. Based on the Internet Live Stats, India's count of internet users has been increasing at a rate of 4323% from 2000 to 2014. This large internet user base will have a direct effect on the Indian online shopping business. In fact Google India mentions that around 50 million Indians purchases products online and this number is rising every year. The swift increase of the usage of internet over the past two decades, as a place for buyer-seller dealings is significant of the extent of recognition of online transactions. The growth of e-commerce industry has led to a sizeable increase in the online transactions. According to the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham), the size of the e-commerce industry is likely to grow at an annual rate of 35% to Rs.7,000 crore by 2015. The online industry has seen a jump in the number of transactions with the change in the consumer buying behaviour from a physical store to an online store. This unprecedented increase in the online transactions is due to advances in technology, changing behaviour patterns of the consumers and sometimes situational influences.Shopping online is generally defined as the idea of buying and selling of products over the internet. The sellers' viewpoint is to convince and catch the attention of the prospective consumers' to purchase products, and make sure that he / she is satisfied. The buyers' outlook towards online shopping is the extent to which he / she can access, browse, purchase, transact and repeat the same behaviour. In this digital age consumers are driven by the technology. They are searching for the product on the internet and eventually buying it. Sometimes there are lot of hesitations and doubts while shopping online. Some of the most prominent ones being risk involved in sharing financial and personal information, inability to touch and try the goods before purchasing and concerns related to not getting the right product.Online retailers need to understand the fundamental issues related to online shopping and work on it. This will help the female consumers in their online buying process. The objective of this research is to explore the vital aspects that influence women's online buying decision and to ascertain a relationship through conceptualizing an integrated model. The empirical study has been carried out with the intention of capturing the factors that affect the female consumers' online buying decisions.Our study, therefore, intends to tackle the below research questions:RQ1. What factors affect the female consumers' behavior towards shopping online?RQ2. What distinctive constituents under each factor are unique to online shopping?RQ3. What can be suggested to improve the overall experience of online shopping?2. LITERATURE REVIEW2.1 Overview of India's online retail marketOnline retail market in India has been emerging at an extraordinary rate. With the growing internet diffusion and broadband availability, and increasing usage of Smart phones and tablets, Indian population have started buying products online. According to a report by Gartner more than 30% of the traffic on online shopping portals is coming from smart phones and tablets. E-commerce industry has picked up pace and has been striding leaps and bounds over the past few years. This scenario is estimated to carry on as the market is expected to reach $14.5 billion by 2018. Forrester Research projections for Asia-Pacific also portray the rapid growth of e-commerce market in India.The prediction depicts e-commerce's growth in India, where sales are expected to grow by 57% yearly till 2016. It will reach $8.8 billion by 2016. This demand is backed by increase in consumers' online buying behaviour and growing penetration of technology. …

Personal Care Products: Sales Promotion and Brand Loyalty

Abstract: INTRODUCTIONPromotion has become inevitable part of marketing to survive in today's competitive business environment. Companies are using all possible promotional tools like advertising, sales promotion, personal selling, publicity and public relations to maintain and grow their share in market. Among all such strategies, advertising and sales promotion are the two aggressively used strategies that cater to the same objective albeit by different mechanism.Advertising is a popular promotional tool adopted by companies to increase sales and build a brand by disseminating product information to customers. Advertising intends to cultivate a desire among its target audience for the product for reasons that may be as diverse as fulfilling a basic need (e.g. detergents for washing clothes) to feeding psychological needs like enhancing glamour and esteem (e.g. high-end automobiles). Sales promotion, on the other hand, gives incentives to consumers and traders with a short-term objective to increase sales during the promotional period and long term objective to retain customers who buy the product under the influence of promotional schemes.Sales promotion, as defined by the Institute of Sales Promotion, comprises the range of techniques used to attain sales and marketing objectives in a cost-effective manner by adding value to a product or service either to intermediaries or end-users, normally, but not exclusively, within a defined time period. These techniques are mostly short term, designed to stimulate quicker or greater purchase of products by consumers or trade (Blattberg and Neslin, 2000).Sales promotion can be broadly divided into two types: consumer sales promotions and trade sales promotion. In case of consumer sales promotion, the incentive is given directly to customers to motivate them to purchase the product. It is a pull strategy as it motivates customers to approach selling points to buy the promoted product.On the contrary, trade sales promotion is a push strategy where incentive is given to intermediaries, who operate between producer and end user (e.g. wholesalers, distributors, agents and retailers), to encourage them for putting extra efforts in selling (pushing) the promoted product. The ongoing "mad scramble" for shelf space reinforces critical importance of trade sales promotion based strategies to achieve desired results (Uva 2000).Success of sales promotion strategy is greatly influenced by the nature of incentives. The incentives offered under sales promotion can be broadly divided into two types: Utilitarian and Hedonic. Utilitarian benefits, e.g. price-off and quantity discount, are primarily functional and relatively tangible. They enable consumers to maximize their shopping utility, efficiency and economy. Hedonic benefits, e.g. entertainment, are more experiential and relatively intangible. They provide consumers with intrinsic stimulation, fun and pleasure.Comparing sales promotion and advertising, sales promotion is a better tool in gaining market share in short term. Customers respond more positively to sales promotion than advertising due to direct and tangible benefits that promotions offer to customers. Further, advertising is also slowly losing its effectiveness due to rapidly swelling number of media players and consequent fragmentation of target audience. From companies point of view too, result of sales promotion can be measured more accurately as compared to advertising since the sponsor company wants accountability for the money they are spending for promotion. Thus sales promotion based strategies are increasingly attracting more share of company's promotional budget. This is supported by AC Nielsen's estimate that marketing expenditures split 60:40 in favor of promotions over media (Source: AC Nielsen Home-scan, 2003 - France, Germany, Italy, Spain, UK). In many European countries promotional expenditure are larger than advertising expenditure (D'Astous and Jacob, 2002). …

Learning of immigrant entrepreneurs: local tacit business knowledge

Abstract: The immigrant entrepreneurs’ capabilities to recognize and gain tacit business knowledge are critical for their success in the host country. However, little scholarly attention has been given to the issue of business learning of immigrant entrepreneurs in a host country. Through multiple theoretical lenses, our study fills the gap by examining the extent to which the human and social capital of immigrant entrepreneurs is associated with the local business tacit knowledge learning in terms of learning capacities and facilitation. Based on a sample of immigrant entrepreneurs in Australia, the findings of our study indicate that industry-specific training and cultural similarity of cognitive social capital are related to immigrant entrepreneurs’ tacit marketing knowledge learning. The formal education of context-generic human capital enables them with tacit financial knowledge learning. Moreover, trustworthiness of relational social capital plays a critical role in facilitating their learning in both tacit marketing and financial knowledge. This study contributes to the entrepreneurship literature by addressing issues of immigrant entrepreneurs’ business learning. Keywords: Tacit Marketing and Financial Knowledge, Relational and Cognitive Social Capital, Human Capital, Immigrant Entrepreneurs, Learning Capabilities and Facilitation To cite this document: Karen Y. Wang, Chanida Kitvorametha, and Yue Wang, "Learning of Immigrant Entrepreneurs: Local Tacit Business Knowledge", Contemporary Management Research, Vol.10, No.1, pp.81-104, 2014. Permanent link to this document: http://dx.doi.org/10.7903/cmr.10595

Understanding Young Consumer Perceptions on Credit Card Usage: Implications for Responsible Consumption

Abstract: The usage of credit cards among young consumers is often irresponsible – they tend to overspend and as a result find themselves in a debt situation. While existing research has often attributed overspending to the availability of advance credit, there remains a dark spot in understanding why consumers are overspending, particularly through the use of credit cards. This study aims to understand consumer perceptions on the usage of credit cards and subsequently provide recommendations to promote the responsible use of credit cards. Fifteen qualitative, in-depth interviews with young consumers were employed to understand their perceptions and considerations toward the usage of credit cards. Findings suggest a change in consumer culture from one which focused on saving first, spending later to one which encourages spending now, thinking later. Various rationales have been identified as motivators that encourage credit card usage, including security trends for a cashless society and as a reflection of social desires. Attractive rewards and poor spending restrictions afforded by credit cards were the main influences that caused young consumers to spend more than what they could afford, thus leading to a situation of overspending. Implications and recommendations from the findings are presented. Keywords: Credit Cards, Responsible Consumption, Consumer Behaviour To cite this document: Weng Marc Lim, Woo Kan Ng, Jin How Chin, and Alexander Wei-Xiang Boo, "Understanding Young Consumer Perceptions on Credit Card Usage: Implications for Responsible Consumption", Contemporary Management Research, Vol.10, No.4, pp.287-302, 2014. Permanent link to this document: http://dx.doi.org/10.7903/cmr.11657

What Are The Antecedents to Creating Sustainable Corporate Entrepreneurship in Thailand

Abstract: Corporate entrepreneurship (CE) is broadly seen as an essential tool for competitiveness, particularly in today’s fast-paced and complex global economy. However, there is a lack of research on the CE strategies of Asian companies in response to the Asian financial and the global financial crisis in developing Asian countries. In this study, the model of CE antecedents and effects is examined for 287 Thai managers at various levels within the targeted firms’ operating in a wide variety of industries. Specifically, the impact of internal environment factors on CE and the relationship between CE and diverse firm performance aspects is mediated by process innovation. Results indicate that only three of the five antecedents to CE have primary effects on CE as well as process innovation. CE has a significant indirect effect on company performance through the mediation of process innovation. Process innovation is found to be a predictor of innovation performance and a predictor of marketing performance, which in turn affects financial outcomes. The implications of these results for both CE theory and practice are discussed. As there is a dearth of empirical research in this area, this paper makes a useful contribution by highlighting the CE initiatives of Thai companies to survive any future crises and the stiff competition present in the Asian region. Keywords: Corporate entrepreneurship (CE), process innovation, firm performance, Corporate Entrepreneurship Assessment Instrument, structural equation modeling. To cite this document: Laddawan Lekmat and John Chelliah, "What Are The Antecedents to Creating Sustainable Corporate Entrepreneurship in Thailand?", Contemporary Management Research, Vol.10, No.3, pp.181-202, 2014. Permanent link to this document: http://dx.doi.org/10.7903/cmr.11741

Cultural Adaptability and Organizational Change: A Case Study of a Social Service Organization in Hong Kong

Abstract: This article explores the relationship between adaptive culture and organizational change. We report on a longitudinal case study of a non-governmental organization (NGO) in the social service sector in Hong Kong that underwent a two-year quality improvement program. Using the quantitative and qualitative analysis of the adaptability of the organization’s culture prior to and immediately after the change in the program, we explored the effect of culture on the change process as well as the effect of the change on culture. While survey results did not reveal substantial cultural change, interviews and focus groups analysis showed significant improvements in learning processes at the team level as well as the increased adoption of participatory leadership behavior. Nevertheless, the extent of change, particularly in term of organizational level learning, was minor. Implications for research and practice in organizational change and its relationship with adaptive culture are discussed. Keywords: Adaptability, Organizational Culture, Change To cite this document: Paul Lester Nesbit and Elman Lam, "Cultural Adaptability and Organizational Change: A Case Study of a Social Service Organization in Hong Kong", Contemporary Management Research, Vol.10, No.4, pp.303-324, 2014. Permanent link to this document: http://dx.doi.org/10.7903/cmr.12186

Occupational Stress among Academic Staff in Private University: Empirical Evidence from Covenant University, Nigeria.

Abstract: The study examined occupational stress among Academic Staff in Private University in Nigeria. The objectives of the study were to ascertain whether work overload has impact on the quality of graduates produced by private University, to examine the relationship between university policy and the loyalty of academic staff of a private University, to justify the extent to which resource inadequacy affects the quality of research and publications produced by the academic staff of a private University and to highlight the effect of job dissatisfaction on the academic excellence of academic staff in a private University. The simple random sampling technique was used in this study to determine occupational stress among academic staff in a private University. A sample of 150 academic staff of Covenant University, Ota, was drawn for this study with response rate of 92%. The data were analyzed using simple frequency tables; regression and Pearson's product moment correlation were used for the four hypotheses proposed for this study. The results of the hypotheses showed that a negative relationship exists between university policy and the loyalty of academic staff, that resource inadequacy to a large extent affects the quality of research and publications produced by academic staff of a private University, that job dissatisfaction affects the academic excellence of academic staff in a private University and that there is a negative relationship between workload and quality of graduate produced by a private university. Research indicates that academics are experiencing higher level of strain compared to other occupational group and that occupational stress affects employees in several ways and is a major source of employee's turnover in many institutions. With this study, the general agreement is that occupational stress will have a negative effect on the academic staff of a private University. Therefore, an institution that emphasizes quality, performance and accountability must work towards reducing and managing occupational stress among its staff.

Cooperation between The Consumer and Firms as A Determinant of Marketing Innovation: Empirical Study of Portuguese Firms

Abstract: This article analyzes the impact of cooperation with customers and consumers on Portuguese companies’ ability to engage in marketing innovation. To this end, the theoretical framework underlying the study comprises the characterization of marketing innovation and cooperation, especially from the companies’ standpoint of collaboration with customers and consumers, which will support the formulation of the research hypotheses. The hypotheses are tested using secondary data pertaining to the Community Innovation Survey–CIS 2010; logistic regression models will be applied. According to the results, cooperation with customers and consumers is crucial for marketing innovation to occur in companies as companies that cooperate with others show a greater propensity to innovate in marketing. Keywords: Marketing Innovation, Cooperation, Consumer, CIS 2010 To cite this document: Jacinta Moreira and Maria Jose Aguilar Madeira Silva, "Cooperation between The Consumer and Firms as A Determinant of Marketing Innovation: Empirical Study of Portuguese Firms", Contemporary Management Research, Vol.10, No.3, pp.215-232, 2014. Permanent link to this document: http://dx.doi.org/10.7903/cmr.12370

Linking Abusive Supervision to Employees' OCBs and Turnover Intentions: The role of a Psychological Contract Breach and Perceived Organisational Support

Abstract: This conceptual paper proposes pathways through which abusive supervisor behaviour influences employee outcomes. Specifically, we propose that abusive supervision will directly influence employee citizenship behaviours and turnover intentions. Further, abusive behaviours will indirectly influence employee outcomes through employees’ perceptions of organisational support and psychological contract breach. Based on the literature review, the paper proposes a conceptual framework that is useful in explaining the interplay between abusive supervision, psychological contract breach, perceived organisational support, citizenship behaviours and turnover intentions. Finally, the paper outlines steps to advance organisational theory with regard to the effects of abusive supervision on employee outcomes. Keywords: Abusive supervision, Leadership, Psychological Contract Breach, Perceived Organisational Support, Citizenship Behaviours, Turnover Intentions To cite this document: Ezaz Ahmed and Michael Muchiri, "Linking Abusive Supervision to Employees’ OCBs and Turnover Intentions: The role of a Psychological Contract Breach and Perceived Organisational Support", Contemporary Management Research, Vol.10, No.2, pp.147-164, 2014. Permanent link to this document: http://dx.doi.org/10.7903/cmr.11518

Smart Phone Attribute Choice and Brand Importance for Millennial Customers

Abstract: 1. INTRODUCTIONThe changing business environment keeps the firms under pressure to maintain the sustainability and profitability of the businesses. In order to be sustainable and profitable, the managers need to understand the changing needs and wants of the customers. In other words, the firms with product or product orientation marketing concepts cannot have guaranteed growth, whereas marketing-focused manufacturing could strengthen the bottom-line of the firm. Researchers have propounded six theoretical models of customer choice of these models. Decision field theory explains that the decision maker has a preference state at each moment in time for each option. This preference state changes over time as a result of changes in the attention to different dimensions of these choice options.The customer chooses the right one when it exceeds the threshold (Busemeyer et al 2007). The thresholds on the expected benefits and / or intrinsic and extrinsic features are generally formed through various internal and external sources of information, which may influence the overall behavior of the consumer, in particular the buying decision. Previous research works have reported that the product features / attributes (Heikki Karjaluoto et al., 2005; Chen Ling et al., 2007; Matti Haverila 2011; and Milena Head and Natalia ZiolKowski, 2012) and expected benefits influence the product choice of the consumers, leading to the purchase decisions of mobile/smart phone. The usage of mobile phones for mobility and connectivity has been increasing day by day. Among different generations, the millennial customers are addicted to mobile phones for various purposes like calling, browsing, texting and gaming.Initially, mobile phone technology was used only for communication purposes, later the inclusion of additional features created a greater market and modified the purchase behavior of the customer when the evolution of smart phone made a great impact on customer choice (Slawsby, Leibovitch and Giusto, 2003). It could be understood that it is not only communication for which mobile phones are purchased but also for various features such as media support, Internet connectivity and special applications (Jones, 2002 and Hansen, 2003).Of late, smart phones have attracted the attention of all age groups (from teenager to old age) where the special features both in hardware (appearance and design) and software (applications and technology) influence the customer choice. Smart phones are radical innovative products which differ from normal mobile phones in terms of their additional features which are similar to miniature computers that provide various functionalities like built-in OS, special software applications, multi-pixel camera or video features, music systems, internet connectivity and advancement in design and appearance. The increase in choice and the purchase intentions have enabled manufacturers to innovate new services that have created a competitive environment where multiple companies have introduced new smart phones, thereby gaining customer satisfaction and loyalty.Smart phone manufacturers have invested sizable amount in R&D and have taken risk and effort in creating new smart phones with special and add-on features. According to IDC report, (2011), smart phones sales grew 98% in Asia Pacific, and it is the first time beyond the Europe, Middle East and Africa. The choice of the customer in choosing mobile phones has been varied based on their need and expectation, and on how it matches with the products offered by other firms.High technology products are preferred by certain customers, whereas design and special features are the concern of the other group. Manufacturers must understand the major features that customers expect to be included in a smart phone. Offering such features would enhance both the financial and the non-financial performance of a firm. Thus, it is essential to understand what customers perceive about smart phones - What are the special features of their choice? …

Australian Retail Banking Customers' Perceptions of Time in A Service Recovery Process

Abstract: Results of past studies related to the role of time in service recovery processes have not been conclusive. The present study seeks to address this gap in the literature. In particular, the investigation is aimed at understanding how much time customers expect banks to take in solving their complaints, as well as how much personal time and effort customers are willing to invest during the process of addressing a complaint. To address these objectives, 25 in-depth interviews were conducted with Australian retail banking customers. Results demonstrated that a majority of customers expected banks to resolve their complaints within 24 hours, and that the amount of personal time and effort they were willing to invest in the process of complaining was dependent on the magnitude of the service failure. The investigation also identified four distinct groups of customers in relation to the personal time and effort they were willing to invest in the complaint process: non-complainers, convenience-oriented solution seekers, control seekers and desperate solution seekers. Keywords: Service Recovery, Service Failures, Time Perception, Complaining Behaviour, Retail banking, Qualitative Methods To cite this document: Fredy-Roberto Valenzuela and Ray Cooksey, "Australian Retail Banking Customers’ Perceptions of Time in A Service Recovery Process", Contemporary Management Research, Vol.10, No.2, pp.123-146, 2014. Permanent link to this document: http://dx.doi.org/10.7903/cmr.11641

China's 'Steel Hunger': A Comparative Analysis of SOE and NSOE Internationalization Motivations and Attitudes towards Risk

Abstract: In this paper, we present two exploratory case studies’ detailing the internationalisation of a Chinese mining, state-owned enterprise (SOE) and a non-state-owned enterprise (NSOE). Increasing outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) from China’s extractive industries, particularly its steel sector, is now one of the more dramatic aspects of globalisation in the new millennium. It has led to an increased interest in what motivates these firms and how their internationalisation may be shaped by the risks inherent in their pursuit of international expansion. In the study 13 face-to-face interviews are conducted with both senior and functional level managers across both firm types. This data analysis reveals that institutional factors and significant international experience influences SOEs to be ‘risk tolerating’ while influencing NSOEs to be ‘risk averse’. This paper offers a set of propositions that highlight how motivations and risk attitudes are shaped by firm ownership and institutional factors, which ultimately influence the location choice for each firm. Keywords: State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs), Non-State-Owned Enterprises (NSOEs), Steel, China, Internationalization Motivations, Motivations, Risk To cite this document: Monica Ren and Robert Jack, "China's 'Steel Hunger': A Comparative Analysis of SOE and NSOE Internationalization Motivations and Attitudes towards Risk", Contemporary Management Research, Vol.10, No.4, pp.325-352, 2014. Permanent link to this document: http://dx.doi.org/10.7903/cmr.12484

New Product Development Processes in The Australian FMCG Industry

Abstract: This paper presents a study of new product development (NPD) processes in two large Australian organisations (National Foods and Lion Nathan) involved in the production of fast moving consumer goods. The research utilises the Australian Business Excellence Framework as a research lens for exploring NPD processes with a focus on the role of sales and operations management. A case study approach used data collected from employees in the two organisations who were involved the NPD process. The results showed a number of significant differences between the two organisations in the conduct and the effectiveness of their NPD processes. Although both organisations employed a formal Stage-Gate process, Lion Nathan did this more successfully than National Foods, perhaps because of Lion Nathan’s greater experience with using stage-gate methodology. This study highlights the importance of the role of sales and operation planning, especially in relation to collaborative demand forecasting. The importance of the leadership role was also evident particularly in relation to ensuring measurement, review, and improvement of NPD processes. Keywords: New Product Development, Sales and Operations Planning, Stage-Gate, ERP, FMCG To cite this document: Douglas Davis, John Chelliah, and Sam Minter, "New Product Development Processes in The Australian FMCG Industry", Contemporary Management Research, Vol.10, No.1, pp.3-22, 2014. Permanent link to this document: http://dx.doi.org/10.7903/cmr.11739

Coping as a Moderator of The Relation between Recreation Hassles and Hiker Satisfaction

Abstract: The study attempted to explore the relationships among recreation hassles, coping, and hiker satisfaction and to examine the moderating role of coping in the relationship between hassles and satisfaction. Questionnaire surveys were conducted on trails in Yangmingshan National Park in Taiwan in spring 2011. Overall, 316 questionnaires were completed, of which 301 were valid. The results indicated that recreation hassles correlated positively with all coping strategies. Further analysis indicated that the coping behaviors of rationalization significantly moderated the relationship between recreation hassles and hiker satisfaction. The study suggested that an increase in the perceived hassles decreases the satisfaction of hikers. It also indicated that the engagement of the coping strategy of rationalization was likely to decrease the negative effects of hassles on hiker satisfaction. Although a number of studies have discussed a similar argument, relevant empirical works were insufficient. This study clearly confirmed the moderating effect of emotion-focused coping on the relationship between recreation hassles and hiker satisfaction. The study suggests that the Park Headquarters should give the hikers more information on the difficulties and the use of the trails so that the hikers could choose one in accordance with their abilities as well as the frequency of the use of trails. Keywords: Problem-Focused Coping, Emotion-Focused Coping, Moderating Effects To cite this document: Wei-Li Hung and Li-Wen Hsieh, "Coping as a Moderator of The Relation between Recreation Hassles and Hiker Satisfaction", Contemporary Management Research, Vol.10, No.4, pp.273-286, 2014. Permanent link to this document: http://dx.doi.org/10.7903/cmr.12579

Leisure Activities of Female Foreign Workers in Taiwan: Transnationalism, Feminism and Work Arrangements

Abstract: The number of foreign workers in Taiwan is increasing. As a result, such workers’ leisure activities outside of the workplace have become a strong area for research on work and leisure. In terms of transnationalism, feminism, and work arrangements, this study proposes to examine the leisure activities of female foreign workers. The aim of the study has three aspects: first, to examine to what extent transnationalism and feminism operate to influence the leisure activities of female foreign workers, respectively; second, to explore how work arrangements influence the leisure activities of female foreign workers and their managerial implications; and third, to understand if public and private leisure provisions are enough to meet the demands of female foreign workers. The findings of this research will not only contribute to the formation of the public and private leisure provisions and the management of female foreign workers, but will also fill the gap in research on ‘work and leisure.’ Keywords: Leisure, Foreign Workers, Transnationalism, Feminism, Work Arrangements To cite this document: Chiung-Tzu Lucetta Tsai, "Leisure Activities of Female Foreign Workers in Taiwan: Transnationalism, Feminism and Work Arrangements", Contemporary Management Research, Vol.10, No.2, pp.107-122, 2014. Permanent link to this document: http://dx.doi.org/10.7903/cmr.11666

The Use of Intuition in the Sponsorship Decision-Making Process

Abstract: This study examines the use of intuition in sponsorship decision-making and seeks to identify factors affecting intuition’s use in the process. Findings support the view that intuition plays an important role in sponsorship decision-making. Support is also provided for the expectation that sponsorship decision-making in large organisations with more formalised decision-making processes is less intuitively based. Furthermore, organisations that place high importance on a trusting relationship when entering into a sponsorship arrangement use relatively high levels of intuition. An association was also found between three aspects of risk exposure and the use of intuition in sponsorship decision-making. This study advances our understanding of the nature of the role of intuition in sponsorship decision-making. The importance of intuition in sponsorship decisionmaking has been examined in the investment decision-making literature but not the sponsorship literature, and with recent calls for greater use of formalised analytical procedures in sponsorship decision-making, it appears there is considerable potential for decision-makers in the sponsorship area to draw on points of focus raised in this study.

Determinants of Ipo Grade: Evidence from the Indian Capital Market

Abstract: INTRODUCTIONAmong the emerging market economies, equity market in India has an unique place, as the performance of the equity market is often taken as the proxy for the performance of the overall economy. Also India is among the few emerging countries with well developed financial markets. Initial Public Offering (IPO) by companies and their performance post listing takes considerable media space in this nation.Indian equity market has seen complete transformation from the days of Controller of Capital Issues(CCI) to setting up of the SEBI(Securities Exchange Board of India) in 1988 , to abolition of CCI in the post reform years of early 1990s.In the reforms initiated under SEBI, centralised power to determine pricing of equity issues gave way to information dissemination in the public domain. These led to stricter information disclosure norms, Book Building(BB) of Issues ,IPO Grading, Applications Supported by Blocked Amount (ASBA), SME platform in stock exchanges etc.In the Indian equity market now most of the issues are done through the Book Building measure, according to the website of the BSE(Bombay Stock Exchange), some of the salient features of this approach are as follows:* A 20% price band is offered by the issuer, signifying upper limit and lower limit, within which the prospective investors has to bid; The issue price is determined by the company, post closure of the bidding.* Demand for the securities offered, is updated in the BSE(Bombay Stock Exchange) and the NSE(National Stock Exchange) websites (quantity and price wise) on a real time basis.* 50% of shares offered are reserved for QIBS(Qualified Institutional Bidders) or institutional investors, 35% for small investors or retail investors and the balance for all other investors, including HNIs(High Networth Individuals). According to the latest SEBI guidelines, any investor, who puts less than Rs.200,000 in an IPO is considered as a retail investor.Till 2006, the Indian book building process resembled the book building process as seen in the developed western markets, especially the American market. Post that period, the discretionary allotment as seen in the US market is dispensed with (Neupane et al.,2012).Financial performance of the company preceding the issue(IPO) plays an important role, to signal investors regarding the quality of the issue. The track record and expertise of the promoters and the management team are also important signals from the prospective investors point of view. There are other formal and informal certification processes available to investors, to enable them to take an informed decision.Some of these are reputation of the underwriter of the issue, venture capital firm affiliation, shareholding pattern of decision makers (board of directors), reputation and track record of the lead manager of the issue, promoter group affiliation, analyst recommendation etc.Lack of penetration of Indian Equity Market:Number of investors in the equity market, compared to the total population is minuscule in India(about 1%). There is a significant mistrust among the risk averse investors as far as the equity market is concerned. The reasons for this trust deficit are manifold. Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI), the statutory body that governs the stock exchanges in India, has taken several initiatives to bridge this deficit. Initial Public offer (IPO) grading is one such initiative.SEBI introduced IPO grading on voluntary basis in April,2006. It was optional till 30th.April,2007.However, the experiment was not successful as borne out by the relevant data; although around 40 companies tapped the primary market in that time frame, only 4 companies approached the Credit Rating Agencies(CRAs) for grading. These 4 companies also did not accept the grade assigned to them. This situation aroused because there were no incentives for the companies to opt for the rating/grading. …

Does Style of Thinking Make Differences in Consumer Judgments on Brand Extensions

Abstract: Category similarity and benefit similarity have been identified as two important factors that determine a brand extension’s success. However, which of these two factors has a greater impact on consumers’ evaluations has received little attention. This study posits that the relative advantages are moderated by people’s style of thinking – holistic versus analytic. Specifically, analytic (holistic) thinkers have more favorable evaluations about benefit-similarity (category-similarity) extensions than category-similarity (benefit-similarity) extensions. Results from an experimental design supported this proposed hypotheses. Keywords: Style of Thinking, Culture, Brand Extension, Benefit Similarity, Category Similarity To cite this document: Shin-Shin Chang, "Does Style of Thinking Make Differences in Consumer Judgments on Brand Extensions?", Contemporary Management Research, Vol.10, No.2, pp.165-178, 2014. Permanent link to this document: http://dx.doi.org/10.7903/cmr.12002

Gap in Trade Companies’ Perception of Consumers’ Purchasing Processes

Abstract: Consumer behaviour is an inherent element of marketing science. It provides a significant contribution to the cognition of the mechanisms that govern the units that select and purchase goods and services. At the same time a question arises, the extent to which these behaviours are known to companies and the extent to which this knowledge is used as a foundation for creating marketing and sales strategies become apparent. The purpose of this article is to present selected results of research showing, based on the example of the Polish information technologies market, the gap that exists between the perception of consumer behaviour by conventional and on-line trade companies, and its actual/real course. Keywords: Consumers' Expectations, Consumer Behavior, Company's Knowledge, Retail To cite this document: Marcin Gąsior and Łukasz Skowron, "Gap in Trade Companies’ Perception of Consumers’ Purchasing Processes", Contemporary Management Research, Vol.10, No.4, pp.353-362, 2014. Permanent link to this document: http://dx.doi.org/10.7903/cmr.12323

A New Method to Evaluate Equity-Linked Life Insurance

Abstract: This paper provides a new method to appraise equity-linked life insurance products. Using the mixture mortality model to determine the death and survival probability, we calculate the premium for a death claim and a survival claim for equity-linked life insurance policies. The numerical result shows that the premium is higher than that calculated using the Brennan and Schwartz model. As a mixed survival function can solve the problems of the rigid application in Life Tables, the premium from our method is more accurate for life insurance. Thus, our method can help life insurance companies avoid potential losses from mispriced products. Keywords: Equity-Linked Life Insurance, Mixture Mortality Model, Mortality Rate To cite this document: Ming-Shann Tsai, Shih-Cheng Lee, Jiun-Lin Chen, and Shu-Ling Wu, "A New Method to Evaluate Equity-Linked Life Insurance", Contemporary Management Research, Vol.10, No.1, pp.23-32, 2014. Permanent link to this document: http://dx.doi.org/10.7903/cmr.10397

Two-Level Model of Assessing Customer Satisfaction and Loyalty

Abstract: The researchers characterize the phenomenon of customer satisfaction, paying special attention to modern means of measuring it. Apart from presenting the main advantages and disadvantages of classic path models (ACSI and EPSI), the authors propose their own two-level conceptual model. This model allows researchers to compare the obtained results in the area of measuring customer satisfaction with other market subjects (operating both inside and outside of a given sector). Researchers will also be able to shape the phenomenon of customer satisfaction from an individualized perspective, taking particular economic markets, sectors and subjects in the research methodology into account. Thanks to the proposed model, the management of the analysed subjects offers information about the degree of customer satisfaction on two planes of complexity, enabling strategic benchmarking and facilitating the making managerial decisions, directed towards internal problems of the organization. Keywords: Customer Satisfaction, Customer Loyalty, Path Relation Models To cite this document: Lukasz Skowron and Marcin Gasior, "Two-Level Model of Assessing Customer Satisfaction and Loyalty", Contemporary Management Research, Vol.10, No.3, pp.233-250, 2014. Permanent link to this document: http://dx.doi.org/10.7903/cmr.12366