Applied Business Research Research Articles

Objective and subjective measurement in applied business settings: Improving research in organizations

The inclusion of rigorous measures and methods by researchers often influence a reviewer’s and editor’s decision about whether an article is accepted. In positivist research, studies that include objective measures (i.e. avoiding respondent bias) are often considered superior. We argue that the methodological quality of a study is not merely achieved by including an objective measure, but instead by understanding the strengths and limitations of the measure (whether objective or subjective) and its appropriateness for addressing the research question. We consider the suitability of using objective and subjective measures in research at both macro and micro levels and emphasize the strengths and weaknesses of both, using criteria of bias, validity, reliability, sensitivity, and feasibility. As an underexamined topic in applied business research, we overview some types of objective measurement that have been adopted in the applied management discipline and consider their utility. JEL Classification: C90, D23

Applied Business Research – Why It Matters

This paper and this special edition focus on issues associated with the importance of applied business research and the problems that need to be addressed in a business world that is struggling to deal with the forces of change. The challenges that leaders and organizations are facing to compete, survive, and flourish in the global marketplace have caused the redefining of the relationship between organizations and their employees. Clearly, the indicators for the modern organization suggest that academic scholars and business practitioners need to reevaluate the assumptions that have historically influenced business decisions. Applied business research will help to address the issues that business leaders must resolve to meet the demands of a constantly evolving business world.

Illuminating a methodological pathway for doctor of business administration researchers: Utilizing case studies and mixed methods for applied research

There has been a significant growth in Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) programs and applied business research in recent times. Whilst a range of approaches and methods can be used in DBA and applied business research, this paper seeks to add depth of understanding to the use of the mixed methods approach within case study research designs. These can be used in a complementary fashion with a mixed methods approach being used to collect data within a case study design. However, the adoption of a mixed method case study research design has failed to keep pace with the growth of DBA research in the UK and commentary as to the value, application, and implications of adopting a case study research design and mixed methods is currently lacking. Therefore, building and presenting a robust justification and rationale as to their adoption in applied business research has been cited as a major challenge for DBA and novice researchers. This paper addresses this lacuna by providing commentary as to the value, key decisions, and implications of adopting a case study research design and mixed methods to conduct applied business research and reviews current application in practice, to support DBA candidates and novice researchers to make informed research decisions.

Impact of Organizational Justice on Job Performance among Teachers of Private Sector Universities, Pakistan: Authentic Leadership and Psychological Capital as Mediators

Impact of Organizational Justice on Job Performance among Teachers of Private Sector Universities, Pakistan: Authentic Leadership and Psychological Capital as Mediators

Mediating Effects of Accounting Conservatism on The Relationship Between Corporate Governance and Cost of Capital

Mediating Effects of Accounting Conservatism on The Relationship Between Corporate Governance and Cost of Capital

Development of Hybrid Food Products Safety Control Circuit for Packaging and Labelling in the Vietnamese Agricultural Sector: A Conceptual Framework and Design

The purpose of this paper is that we provide several embodiments factors for food safety control technology and Green Supply Chain Management (GSCM) platform in this field with examples to show how these embodiment factors contribute to different applied business research aspects. Food safety control technology standard protocol from existing multidisciplinary literature was processed for theorization, which uses grounded theory methodology rather than a description of the data. This research reviews about GSCM and their applications with a platform innovation. Kim’s Hybrid Food and Safety Control Technology have classified the safety management technologies as the regulation of inputs.

Characteristics of Green Hotels’ Potential Customers: A Case of Vietnamese Domestic Tourists

Characteristics of Green Hotels’ Potential Customers: A Case of Vietnamese Domestic Tourists

On the Agile Literature Review Approach for Practising Managers: A Proposal

Literature review skill as covered in the subject of Research Methods is not only useful for doing dissertation projects in academic programme study but also valuable for informing practising managers to cope with actual workplace management issues and concerns. To make literature review easier for practising managers to carry out, the writer proposes the agile literature review approach (ALRA), primarily for applied business research and practices. The main ALRA aim is to promote a complicated understanding of a management topic and its associated management concern by the ALRA user. Although the agile approach is lightweight, its effective application requires endorsement of contemporary systems thinking; this thinking is theoretically profound, thus requiring long‐term engaging intellectual learning to master. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A critical realist method for applied business research

ABSTRACTWhile the business research community has moved from describing critical realism as simply a compromise philosophy between positivists and interpretivists to its acceptance in its own right, it still lacks a choice of methods or processes for the business researcher to utilize. This paper presents a proposed method that can be used by business researchers who follow the critical realist paradigm. It explores the suitability of a critical realist approach to applied business and the importance of combining the ontological and epistemological elements described. The relevance of the search for causal mechanisms is shown and it is argued that this search benefits from the use of retroduction and retrodiction. A ‘causal framework’ is proposed as an optional artefact in the critical realist business researcher’s ‘toolkit’ and a three step process is described, which uses causal frameworks to guide analysis.

NOVEMBER 2013 PLACEMENT ADS

NOVEMBER 2013 PLACEMENT ADS

Gender, Design and Marketing

Gender, Design and Marketing

Uncovering Governance And Mindfulness Patterns For Improved Performance: The Role Of Management Accounting Systems Change

This study extends the model developed in Williams and Seamans [Williams, J. J. and Seaman, A. E. (2010). Corporate Governance and Mindfulness: The Impact of Management Accounting Systems Change, The Journal of Applied Business Research, Vol. 26, No. 5, pp. 1-17] exploratory paper examining the moderating effects of management accounting systems (MAS) change on the corporate governance/mindfulness relationship for a Canadian sample of 124 top-level accounting professionals. Canonical correlation analysis was applied to the linkage of multiple cognitive processes of mindfulness (Weick and Sutcliffe, 2001; 2007) and the governance dimensions of performance and conformance specified by the International Federation of Accountants (2009), underpinned by the moderating effects of five different components of MAS change, which yielded 13 significant relationships. The latter were subsequently analyzed for important gestalts (i.e., patterns) in the overall relationship, and assessed within the context of aligning professional accounting practices involving systems changes to the IFAC (2009) governance framework. These findings appear to have implications for improved governance structures in practice as well as offering a rich foundation for future research.

An Analysis Of The Institutional And Individual Authorship Sources Of Articles In The Journal Of Applied Business Research: 1985-1993

This study traces the development of the Journal of Applied Business Research (JABR) in terms of the institutional and individual sources of published articles. The study is based on an analysis of 478 article published in the JABR from Fall 1985 through Fall 1993. The analysis of the data provides a taxonomy of the subject areas for the articles, summary information on authorship including the impact of collaboration, and an assessment of the institutional affiliations of the contributing authors. The study finds that there has been widespread participation in the development of the JABR based on the breadth of interest from a diverse range of authorship sources such that the journal, to its credit, is not regarded as being dominated by a few prolific scholars. The results also show that the JABR has developed into a respected outlet for refereed business research as evidenced by the substantial number of contributing authors affiliated with high quality institutions.

How To Get Your Manuscript Accepted For Publication: Insights From The Referees

<p>A survey of nineteen referees for the Journal of Applied Business Research (JABR hereafter) revealed four major reasons for accepting finance manuscripts submitted to the JABR: excellent writing and presentation, sound research design, clearly stated contribution, and a viable economic story or motivation. In this paper, I discuss these tips for accepting a manuscript for publication and conclude with a few insights as the finance editor for the JABR. Although the context discussed in this paper focuses on finance manuscripts, the insights shared by the referees are quite applicable to authors in other business disciplines because a well written paper with important research questions that are analyzed using sound econometric analysis or afforded a well-reasoned analysis deserves consideration for publication in any academic journal.</p>

Learning And Leadership In The New Zealand Biotechnology Industry: Innovation And Human Capital In The New Economy

Human capital for the knowledge economy has curiously been a Cinderella topic for applied business research. This paper reports on a survey of New Zealand small and medium enterprises and is part of a wider Government-funded new economy sector analysis. The study, which utilised both a quantitative survey and qualitative theory development, examines the motivation for innovation, perceived skill shortages and managerial priorities for future development. This paper utilises the biotechnology industry to explore the competencies required for increased profitability and growth. It examines the paradox that while the new economy is people reliant and the multi-disciplinary nature of modern management includes knowledge management as a principal managerial competency, these aspects have received too little research attention. It was prompted by industry and academic acknowledgment that the primary inhibitors to progress are not technological but managerial. The findings point towards a new model of technological learning.

"The Impact Of CEO Turnover On Security Analysts' Forecast Accuracy" - A Comment

A recent Journal of Applied Business Research article by Sheikholesami, Wilson and Slevin (1998) examined the accuracy of security analysts' earnings forecasts for CEO change firms relative to a control group.  The authors applied ANOVA on Value Line percentage forecast error measures and found "marginally significant" results indicating "that precision improved more for CEO change firms than for control firms."  Doran (1998) tests for superior methods when scrutinizing forecast error.  He finds percentage forecast error data to be severely non-normal, and demonstrates that nonparametric tests based upon ranks are superior to parametric methods.  If analysts' earnings forecast precision actually improves more for CEO change firms, test results should be stronger using rank values instead of discrete percentage error measures.

Teaching Tools For Data Analysis

Companies rely on business intelligence and business analytics to support organizational decision making. Application software packages enable data analysis to help companies pursue a competitive advantage. Learning to use these tools is not trivial, however, and business schools have added assignments and classes to help their students develop rigorous analytical skills. This paper describes hands-on, data analysis exercises to support strategic decision making used in an Applied Business Research class that is required for MBA students. The assignment involves analyzing large volumes of data using the tools of Excel, SQL, and SPSS. We describe the assignment, data, and exercises that the students perform. They learn the benefit of analyzing a dataset using different tools and methods, and which tools are most appropriate for what type of analysis.

PREDICTION OF CORPORATE FINANCIAL DISTRESS OF PN4 COMPANIES IN MALAYSIA: A LOGISTIC MODEL APPROACH

The Malaysian economy suffered serious consequences from the 1997 Asian financial crisis. As a consequence, many listed companies became financially distressed due to mounting debts, huge accumulated losses, and poor cash flows. Under the provisions of Practice Note 4/2001 (PN4), issued by the Bursa Malaysia on February 15, 2001, 91 public listed companies, after fulfilling the criteria of PN4, were classified as financially distressed companies. Financial distress precedes bankruptcy; however, not all financially distressed companies will end up in bankruptcy. The main purpose of this paper is to use financial variables to predict potential financially distressed firms using the logistic regression model. Then the predictive ability of the prediction model was analyzed and the findings are encouraging and consistent for the sample analyzed and the period of study.

国際ビジネス応用研究会議に出席して

国際ビジネス応用研究会議に出席して

How (Not) to Do Research

A research project which began with specific intentions and ended by doing something entirely different is presented as a case history and evaluative report in Part I of this monograph. The report narrates and comments on the events which led to changes in direction; attempts to identify and explore factors which influenced outcomes, and derived generalisations applicable to other funded research. Part II — a series of guidelines and check‐lists on the conduct of research and the presentation of business reports — is based on Applied Business Research courseware produced by the Faculty of Professional Studies of the International Management Centre from Buckingham.