Showing papers in "International Journal of Business Innovation and Research in 2015"

Human resource management and firm performance

Abstract: This paper aims to explore the links between systems of human resource management practices and the firm performance in India. Content analysis of the annual reports was done to identify the human resources attributes disclosed by a sample of 165 large sized firms in India. The financial performance measures were collected from the Prowess database. Regression analysis was used to examine the effect of the human resource management system on the financial performance of the firm. Reverse causal effect of financial performance on the human resource management system was also examined using regression analysis. The study found that the human resource management practices have statistically significant impact on the measures of firm financial performance. The reverse causal relation showed that the financial measure market capitalisation has a significant and positive influence on the human resource management practices.

The development of process innovation and organisational performance in Malaysian healthcare industry

Abstract: Recently, healthcare industry aims to fulfil expectations from customers by providing excellent services to their customer. Organisations should use the improvement method such as innovation in order to meet this requirement. Previous studies concerning innovation in healthcare industry is relatively extensive and varied but it is hard to find the investigation of relationship between process innovation and organisational performance. In relation to that, the purpose of this study is to review structural analysis of process innovation and organisational performance in Malaysian healthcare industries. A conceptual model using structural equation modelling (SEM) has been proposed and will be used to test the relationship between process innovation and organisational performance. Research hypothesis are developed based on the previous study that have been reviewed and also based on proposed research model.

Antecedents of innovation and contextual relationship

Abstract: The objective of this study is to determine antecedents of the innovation process in Indian conditions. In this research, researchers have used interpretive structural modelling (ISM) to develop inter-relationship among antecedents of innovation, which will provide direction to researchers for further research. It will further help managers in formulating innovation strategies. The research was conducted based on expert’s opinion about antecedents of innovation. It is observed, ‘scarce resources’ and ‘innovation culture’ are two important antecedents which have affected all the antecedents of innovation in India. In order to increase innovation performance in India, ‘innovation culture’ and ‘scarce resources’ should be resolved. There have been a number of researches about innovation barriers in general. This paper must be taken as a theoretical model development and can be empirically tested in Indian conditions.

Managerial cognition and dominant logic in innovation management: empirical study in media industry

Abstract: Increasing number of innovation and organisational researchers have suggested more emphasis on socio-psychological aspects of innovation and management processes such as managerial attitudes and beliefs, sense-making capabilities, and individual and shared representations affecting organisational management processes. Researchers have become increasingly interested in cognitive drivers of innovation management. It has argued that innovation is a socio-cognitive process involving social as well as cognitive aspects, including an interactive motivated social context (e.g., firm) and representations of knowledge of external reality (i.e., shared cognitions). Shared cognitive maps of the management store the dominant logic of the firm that channels attention to organisational activities, e.g., innovation activities, and shape the strategy of the firm. The main argument of the study is that the dominant logic and innovation activities do not have a direct independent impact on business performance, but their interaction has. The problem is approached by taking the relationship between the firm's dominant logic and innovation activities and further effects on innovation outcomes under scrutiny among the media industry firms.

Exploring relationship marketing dimensions and their effect on customer loyalty - a study of Indian mobile telecom market

Abstract: This paper aims to examine the impact of relationship marketing dimensions (namely trust, long term relationship, technology orientation, service quality, satisfaction, loyalty programme and brand image) on customer loyalty in the mobile telecom market in India. To test the proposed model in the context of mobile telecom services, the authors use data collected from a pilot survey of 120 sales professionals who are using mobile services for business usage to pre-test the conceptual model. The data were factor-analysed, reliability was tested to determine the key dimensions of relationship marketing and for performing the subsequent multivariate analyses. Interest in the subjects of relationship marketing and customer loyalty has been growing among marketing researchers and practitioners. This study reinforces and refines the body of knowledge relating to relationship marketing tactics in the mobile telecom industry in India that can be used in the management for a better relationship with customers, and enhances users' mobile service usage.

Improving business innovation and research through the application of neuromarketing with ethics: a framework

Abstract: Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho, Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho, Bauru, Av. Eng. Luiz Edmundo C. Coube 14-01, CEP 17017-324, SP, Brasil

Attributes influencing information search for college choice: an exploratory study

Abstract: A thorough understanding of the college attributes influencing decision-making process is important from the marketing perspective. The current study aims to explore factors influencing students’ search behaviour and choice in college choice decision, establishing the importance of college attributes in decision making. The study was conducted by surveying students aspiring admission to engineering colleges in Tamil Nadu, India, yielding a total sample of 1,174. Factor analysis was done to rank factors influencing choice based on their level of importance. Results showed that students in Tamil Nadu consider institutional merits, faculty features, social factors, campus and cost, academic reputation, and college equity as criteria in selecting higher learning technical institution. This study will help colleges to improve their recruitment strategies and students to improve the way they search for information for educational decision making.

Effectiveness of electronic service dimensions on consumers' electronic buying behaviour and exploration of different groups

Abstract: With the rapid growth of the internet and the high market potential of electronic commerce in India, more and more companies engage their businesses online. The prosperity of e-market denotes that consumers have more and better service quality when they buy than before. But in this competitive electronic era, to understand the unknown mindset of consumer is a very hard and challenging task for electronic service providers. This study specifically focuses on exploring the difference of electronic service quality dimensions across age and gender groups (n = 412) and also analysed its effectiveness. ANOVA and multivariate regression techniques are used for compliance on the objective of study. Unique findings indicate that gender and age play an important role in determining their attitude towards electronic buying. To understand the values of existing and potential customers, this research contributes to marketing research literature by testing the effect of the e-services quality on consumer electronic buying behaviour. Business innovation and timely research on consumers’ behaviour is required while targeting people to serve through electronic and to develop further marketing mix strategies to converts potential customers into active ones. With theoretical contributions, it recommends ways for electronic service provider to enhance their performance.

Internationalisation strategy implemented through Faculty Exchange: Strategic Entrepreneurship in a “new” United Kingdom University

Abstract: The promotion of international staff mobility is a founding principle of the Bologna Process; creation of a converged system of European higher education (HE). Many UK universities are developing internationalisation strategies including staff exchange. Meanwhile, failure to execute strategy is acknowledged as a problem in organisational performance. Using a first-, second and third-person insider action research approach, six chronological cycles of AR were enacted over 28 months to implement a staff exchange between universities in Europe. Concepts from literature in three domains - entrepreneurship in HE, globalisation of HE and execution through strategic entrepreneurship - are combined with the research analysis to propose that 'strategic entrepreneurs' can execute the riskier elements of an internationalisation strategy, such as staff exchange. This work broadens AR from education into strategic management. It goes beyond the well-intentioned yet vague statements involving the 'encouragement' of mobility to propose a method of execution through strategic entrepreneurship.

A two-stage examination of business innovation decision-making: evidence from Ireland

Abstract: This paper explores business-level innovation decision-making by comparing the power of one-stage and two-stage models. A one-stage model represents the business making a one-off choice between four discrete innovation decisions. The two-stage model represents the business making an initial decision on whether or not to innovate, facilitating analysis of business innovation as simultaneous and sequential processes. This allows identification of the model which best explains innovation decision-making. Using original business-level survey data of over 400 SMEs in Ireland, results suggest that a two-stage model of the innovation decision has a statistically significant advantage in predicting innovation output, indicating the use of a two-stage model provides a better understanding of the impact of different knowledge sources on different types of innovation.

Measuring the effectiveness of HRIS practice in business organisations: a study in the context of a developing country

Abstract: The study measures the effectiveness of HRIS practice in business organisations operating in Jordan as a case from developing countries. It also aims to test whether the scope of human resource information systems (HRIS) affects HRIS effectiveness and whether the latter differs across different types of business, size of business, and business experiences. Primary data were collected from 236 respondents and 31 measures of HRIS effectiveness were employed. A questionnaire was constructed based on previous studies. Three factors for measuring HRIS effectiveness were identified, namely: 1) transformational/strategic; 2) operational/administrative 3) relational. The conducted analysis indicates that there is a moderate and a positive impact on HRIS effectiveness either taken together or separately attributed to the scope of HRIS applications being used. The results indicate that some types of business sectors (i.e., banking) apply HRIS applications more than others especially for strategic purposes. These results also indicate that the size of organisations does not play an important role on the impact of the HRIS on HR functions. Finally, the results reveal that business organisations which have a higher experience felt that the use of HRIS improve and enhance HR functions (i.e., operational, relational, and strategic effectiveness) more than others with lower business experience.

Structural equation modelling of child's role in family buying

Abstract: Consumer behaviour is getting increasingly complex. Corporates are managing their relationships with their customers to generate benefits for both customer and company. This paper focuses on decision making in a family and analysing how children impact their parents' consumer decisions. This study also proposes an effective framework to carry out a structural analysis on the family buying process and understand the child's influence in the family purchase for various products. A structure equation model was employed to incorporate child's consumer socialisation agents, child's use of pester power through various influence strategies, the three stage family buying process and finally the child's influence in the buying of three selected product categories. The paper ends with a conclusion and implication for marketers.

Social software characteristics and the impacts on students’ knowledge sharing behaviour

Abstract: The development of Web 2.0 technologies has led to the growth of social software tools. These tools have brought a tremendous change in the way students of this generation interact and share information and knowledge. The objective of this paper is to examine the relationships between the prominent social software characteristics (i.e., informal setting, communication, network and community, and user generated content) and the students’ knowledge sharing behaviour in Malaysian university context. A total of 322 students from five universities participated in the survey study. Through the analysis, the findings revealed that the four characteristics positively influenced knowledge sharing behaviour of the students. Moreover, the combination of these characteristics can be a good predictor of the students’ knowledge sharing behaviour through social software tools.

The replication process of a global localisation strategy: a case study of Korean firms

Abstract: Providing differentiated products and services in emerging markets to counter stagnation in developed markets and foster growth in emerging markets, including BRICs, has recently become a source of competitive advantage Therefore, it is important to examine the success factors of a localisation strategy This paper presents a research framework that describes the nature of localisation strategies and their replication processes Using this research framework, we present case studies on two LG Electronics divisions, LG India and LG Poland, describing the story of LG executives who implemented the empowerment management style in India and Poland The lessons of the localisation successes in these two countries provided an excellent learning effect in Korea Moreover, the middle manager who learned the principles of localisation from a senior executive in India moved to Poland, where he successfully applied the same principles of localisation The lessons of this case study are summarised and its managerial implications are discussed in this paper

An empirical approach to customer perception of mobile banking in Indian scenario

Abstract: Service sector in India is characterised by its evanescence and divergence and accounts for catering to the needs of 1.22 billion Indians. Intense competition and mobility of technologies have pushed banking sector to explore and adopt innovative practices like use of mobile phones for customer retention and business growth. In the present study different factors impacting customer's perception towards mobile banking are evaluated with the help of a survey across India. This empirical study proves that there is a substantial difference in the use of mobile phone among users belonging to varied demographic profiles and occupational backgrounds. The findings have highlighted the issue of security, convenience and awareness as primary area of concern. To keep the mobile banking in high growth trajectory, banks need to focus on these intangible concerns and also must capture the untapped customer segment.

Cognition as a driver and barrier of strategic renewal: case of the Finnish Broadcasting Company

Abstract: This study explores a renewal capability of an incumbent organisation meeting remarkable organisational changes. The study focuses on analysing what kind of shared mindsets arise during the organisational renewal. The dominant logic research tradition will be used as a theoretical foundation for the study. The empirical part analyses also the impact of demographic characteristics, such as work experience and organisational level, on change attitudes and future expectations in terms of old and new dominant logic. According to the results, the change creates a dispersed situation in the organisational cognition and different shared mental mindsets arise as to the old and new dominant logic. Furthermore, the mindsets develop path-dependently and differ between the demographic subgroups. Empirical data were collected by means of a quantitative survey, which was carried out for all the employees of the Finnish Broadcasting Company.

Open network innovation in the age of complexity: case for small and medium enterprises

Abstract: Increasingly, organisations around the world are experiencing the complexity of customer and market requirements in a turbulent global business environment. Rapidly changing global economic landscapes with dynamic interactions between advanced and emerging economies have called for innovative capabilities and practices of manufacturing and service organisations for their sustainable competitive advantage. The aim of this article is to define the key dimensions of network innovation in terms of drivers of open network innovation, open network strategy, open network practices, and open network outcomes in the contests of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). A key research question is, "How do complexity product and services requirements in global markets influence the patterns and practices of open network innovation?" This article provides summaries of current best practices of network innovation and discusses emerging research issues.

Identifying important features in the scope of an open innovation project via a web portal

Abstract: The evolution of information technology was important for establishing the use of the open innovation model as an alternative for companies further increasing their competitiveness. This paper contributes to the theme by detailing the features to be considered in an open innovation project using the internet and evaluates the approach of these portals in Brazil vis-a-vis such features. The procedures used were a literature review to identify these features and a documentary analysis to evaluate three open innovation portals. The research identified seven important features for open innovation projects that use the internet. The analysis of the portals confirmed the importance of these features and revealed that information on them is scattered throughout the portals. Moreover, it was found that the approach to be used vis-a-vis each feature varies in accordance with the objective of the portal.

GDP, FDI, and exports in East and Central African countries: a causality analysis

Abstract: This study examines Granger causality among gross domestic product (GDP), foreign direct investment (FDI), and exports in seven East and Central African countries using time series and panel data from 1989 to 2011. We employ a vector error correction model to examine the interrelationship among the variables for Tanzania, while we employ a vector autoregressive model for the other countries. The findings suggest unidirectional causality from exports to GDP in Burundi, Tanzania and Uganda. The results also indicate causality from FDI to GDP in Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda, while GDP appears to Granger-cause FDI in Rwanda and Tanzania. Furthermore, FDI Granger-causes exports in Uganda, while exports Granger-cause FDI in Rwanda. The results also show that GDP Granger-causes exports in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Bidirectional causality is only observed between FDI and GDP in Rwanda and Tanzania. The results from the panel data analysis indicate that there is bidirectional causality between FDI and exports and unidirectional causality from exports and FDI to GDP.

Employing multi-criteria decision making in examining CSR initiatives

Abstract: The study provides a framework of the CSR initiatives through a survey of 50 companies in automobile, cement, chemical, pharmaceutical and textile industries in the Indian manufacturing sector The stakeholders are identified as customers, employees, environment and community Structural equation model (SEM) is used to test the hypothesised model and compare the overall CSR activities The findings of second order SEM reveal the emergence of environment CSR as corporate focus A variety of fit indices confirmed the overall model fit and all the paths in the model were statistically significant In addition, the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) which is a multi-criteria decision making technique is used to rank each decision alternative of the proposed evaluation model The results of AHP indicate that the Indian automobile industry leads in CSR initiatives The scores of the constructs in the model could be used by the companies to ascertain the CSR initiatives taken by them and the relative importance given to various stakeholders in arriving at the overall CSR From such an understanding, industries could adjust the CSR activities and be more socially responsible

Classification and ranking rural areas in Greece based on technical, economic and social indicators of the agricultural holdings

Abstract: This paper aims to classify and rank rural areas in Greece using a set of technical, economic and social indicators. For this purpose, we developed appropriate indicators and criteria applied hierarchical cluster analysis and the multicriteria method PROMETHEE II. In order to collect the appropriate data, a household survey carried out in the context of the research project CAP-IRE (assessing the multiple impacts of the Common Agricultural Policy on Rural Economies) which is a European FP7 funded project. A sample of 300 farm households located in the 16 prefectures of Macedonia and Thrace at Northern Greece was used to classify and rank these areas.

Restructuring the agricultural supply chain

Abstract: Agriculture is not very profitable for the farmers with increased costs of production. Conventional agricultural practices depend on expensive modern equipment and machineries and costlier inputs such as fertilisers, chemicals, pesticides, fuel and hybrid seeds. The agricultural supply chain is relooked at and its architecture is restructured by changing the flow. After restructuring, the agricultural supply chain starts from the farmer who can self sustain by adapting to alternative or low input sustainable farming methods such as zero budget natural farming, bio-dynamic farming, natural farming, effective micro-organisms which are discussed briefly. Various hypotheses are proposed related to problems of increased physical capital investments by farmers in the agricultural supply chain, how alternative sustainable farming methods can possibly be used to reduce the physical capital investments and the barriers for farmers in adopting the alternative sustainable farming methods.

An analysis of consumer preferences and segmentation for mobile phone service providers in India: a multivariate approach

Abstract: Consumer preferences and information on product choice behaviour can be of significant value in development processes of services. Mobile phone service providers (MSPs) always look for gaining valuable insight into consumer preferences which help them in designing their service packages accordingly. This paper analyses the applicability of conjoint analysis, a classical technique to identify consumer preferences in multi-attribute decision making, to the design of mobile phone service packages and determination of the relative importance of attributes in consumer choice processes. Further, with the introduction of mobile number portability (MNP), there is an urgency to build user profiles and develop a market plan to retain and target new customers. Thus, the study also identifies segments based on their preference pattern and choices through hierarchical cluster analysis which extracts salient and homogeneous consumer segments from the conjoint analysis output.

Sustainable planning of agricultural production

Abstract: This paper presents a model for sustainable planning and optimisation of agricultural production. The model is a mathematical programming model, based on multicriteria techniques, and can be used as a tool for the analysis and simulation of production plans, as well as for the study of impacts of the various policies in agriculture. The model can achieve the optimum production plan of an agricultural region combining in one utility function different conflicting criteria as the maximisation of gross margin and the minimisation of fertilisers used, under a set of constraints for land, labour, available capital, common agricultural policy, etc. The proposed model was applied to the four prefectures of the region of Thessaly, in central Greece. The data needed resulted from the research project entitled ‘Sustainable management of soil-water sources of Thessaly aiming at the optimum agricultural production (SMaRT)’ funded by EEA grants. In all prefectures, the optimum production plan presents greater gross return, less fertilisers used, and less irrigated water used than the existent production plan.

Talent quotient for Indian management teachers

Abstract: The objective of the paper is to develop and validate a measurement scale for defining talent for management teachers in India in terms of a quotient. Structured questionnaire was prepared for the teachers teaching in Indian management colleges/management department/business schools having more than ten years of existence. A pretesting is carried out with 15 experts of the high academic experience to identify parameters to be used in a pool of questions and then confirmatory factor analysis technique has been adopted to draw scale composite reliability and average variance extracted and later discriminate validity is checked thorough factor inter-correlation matrix. A six-attribute scale is developed and validated which will be utilised in determining teacher's talent quotient in Indian business schools.

Foreign direct investments affecting accounting quality in transitional economies of Europe

Abstract: This paper examines the effect of foreign direct investments (FDIs) on financial reporting quality in transitional economies. When moving from a planned economy towards a market-based economy, firms need to be able to attract more non-governmental financing. While still the quality of institutional structures is low, non-governmental financing comes in the form of FDI. Therefore, in a changed environment firms need to produce higher quality financial reporting to acquire capital. Accounting quality is measured as conditional conservatism, i.e., asymmetric recognition of gains and losses. In our study data from 12 transitional economies in Central and Eastern Europe is analysed. The results indicate that investment freedom, and freedom from corruption increase earnings quality. Moreover, the results show that high level of FDIs is associated with high conditional conservatism indicating that FDIs increase the incentives for high quality financial reporting, especially when the free flow of foreign capital is limited.

Customer input management in service processes: needs and tools

Abstract: With the increasing interest on customer inputs and their meaning in services, it is necessary to explore customer input management in service processes. This research focuses on the needs and tools of customer input management in service processes through a case study conducted in a healthcare service organisation. The findings emphasise the fact that there are multiple situations in services where customer input management is justified, but the use and selection of management tools does not always meet the requirements of the service process and management needs. The results of this study provide a rich contribution towards the customer input features that need management in service processes, and presents management tools for different management situations. Practical suggestions are offered to service managers to make their service processes more effective with customer input management.

Developing a fuzzy enhanced Russell measure for media selection

Abstract: Nowadays, companies spend a lot of money on advertising, but in many situations much of their expenditures are wasted. One of the important factors that can prevent this wasting is selecting the right media. This paper proposes a fuzzy enhanced Russell measure data envelopment analysis (FERM-DEA) model for selecting media in the presence of fuzzy data and enables the decision maker to evaluate full efficiency and compare them with each other. A numerical example validates the proposed model.

Optimum acceptability of recruitment systems: a new multi-criteria approach on human resources

Abstract: Companies today do not have one specific, reliable method for optimally selecting a candidate for a job post. This paper proposes an aggregate acceptability index in order to help companies to establish a 'ranking' of potential candidates in the recruitment processes conducted by the human resources departments. The main advantages of the proposed aggregation index are the following: 1) it takes into account several selection criteria; 2) the procedure for calculating the index is simple; 3) the potential candidates can be ranked differently depending on the aggregation structure of the criteria involved. Our theory is applied in a recruitment process based on 15 interviews with potential candidates for a post of responsibility in a finance company. The proposed method is used to hierarchically sort the candidates under consideration according to the company's requirements. This methodology can be applied to the recruitment processes of any company that, based on its requirements, wants to determine the best candidate or candidates for a particular job.

Diversification strategies in the global pulp and paper industry – empirical analysis from years 1996 and 2006

Abstract: Strategic change through diversification is seen to offer potential sources for competitive advantage. On the other hand, there are also many advantages associated to focusing on core capabilities instead of diversification. This article studies how pulp and paper industry (PPI) companies have managed to adjust their diversification strategies in reaction to the changes that have reshaped their operational environment. We will differentiate between related and unrelated diversification, and analyse, how the potential strategic reorientation has affected the profitability of the companies. The sample includes 108 PPI companies and the years to be studied are 1996 and 2006. The results indicate that the PPI companies really have reduced the degree of unrelated and related diversification. Although the strategic change is clear, the profitability effects of diversification were not so explicit.