Business Perceptions Research Articles

Sudden stop: When did firms anticipate the potential consequences of COVID-19?

Abstract COVID-19 hit firms by surprise. In a high frequency, representative panel of German firms, the business outlook declined and business uncertainty increased only at the time when the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic led to domestic policy changes: The announcement of nation-wide school closures on March 13 was followed by the largest change in business perceptions by far. In contrast, the data provides no evidence for the relevance of other potential sources of information on business perceptions: Firms did not learn from foreign policy measures, even if they relied on inputs from China or Italy. The local, county-level spread of COVID-19 cases affected expectations and uncertainty, albeit to a much lesser extent than the domestic policy changes.

The Self-Rated Writing Skills of Business Majors: Graduating Perceptions and Collegiate Improvement

We analyze the self-rated writing skills of graduating business majors and perceptions on how much these skills changed during college. Subjective skill measures may be good proxies of objective skills, and affect outcomes such as career goals, job applications, and graduate school enrollment. The sample includes 436,370 students from 619 different institutions. On average and all else equal, business majors are estimated to be 17.6% less likely to report high writing skills at graduation when compared with other students and 11.5% less likely to report high gains in these skills during college. Average differences across disciplines are often large.

Entrepreneur’s perceived risk and risk-taking behavior in the small-sized creative businesses of tourism sector during COVID-19 pandemic

The small-sized creative business in the tourism sector has been suffering risks of bankruptcy since the outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Drawing on the basic theory of reasoned action, this study aims to investigate entrepreneur risk perceptions affect their risk-taking behavior. This study only focuses on the determinants of risk-taking, with regards to the perspective from an entrepreneurial lens in perceiving business, product, and profit risk during the COVID-19 pandemic. A quantitative approach using a structured questionnaire survey was utilized to attain the study objective. The dataset consists of 177 valid responses by the owner of the small-sized creative business of Indonesia’s tourism sector (mainly in handicraft and fashion categories). Correlation analysis and partial least square (PLS) modeling were employed to examine the causal relationship between constructs. Our empirical findings revealed that while entrepreneurs' perceived risk on business and product aspects was the most significant aspect that could affect their risk-taking behavior, entrepreneurs' perceived risk on profit aspects have an insignificant influence on their risk-taking behavior. It implies that the higher the level of business and product insecurity perceptions (as long as it can generate profitability and ensure business sustainability), the higher the level of risk-taking of entrepreneurs.

European Expert Buyers’ Perceptions of New Zealand Agri-food Products and Businesses: An Explanation of the Theory of Buyer-Seller Relationships and Country of Origin Theory

With agrifood export earnings so pivotal to New Zealand (NZ)’s economy, understanding how expert buyers perceive the country’s agrifood products and businesses is imperative. This holds particularly true for the European Union (EU), being one of NZ’s main trading partners. This research draws on the key theories centering on buyer-seller relationships and Country of Origin (CoO) theory, investigating specifically the perceptions of NZ agrifood products and businesses held by European expert buyers who have different levels of knowledge and experience. A quantitative survey was conducted which investigated these perceptions held by the European expert buyers accessed in-person at a trade show in 2015 in Germany. Bipolar adjective scales were used to test product and business attributes. One-way ANOVA’s were adopted to test for perceptual differences between European buyers with high/medium/low experience with New Zealand’s agrifood products and/or businesses. Overall, New Zealand agrifood products and businesses were viewed positively from the perspective of European expert buyers, with the degree of positivity increasing as the level of experience increased. This study also highlighted the need for future research on how CoO affects buyer-seller relationships, especially via the concept of the “halo effect”.

Situational Criminogenic: The Financial Crime’s Collaborative Factors in Indonesia

Financial crimes in Indonesia from 2014-2018 were classified as quite dynamic with a total of 241,367 cases. In 2018 the legal unit area of Polda Metro Jaya had the highest number of cases of 5,526 cases of financial crimes. This study seeks to examine the determinant aspects of financial crime in Indonesia. I used the illustration of the case of First Travel and the Koperasi Simpan Pinjam (KSP) Pandawa that occurred in Indonesia with a total loss of up to IDR 1 trillion. Discussions in this paper begin from the point of view of white collar crime that elaborated with criminaloid and organizational criminogenic aspects. This study uses a grounded theory method through in-depth interviews of actors. The result is that on the criminaloid aspect, the perpetrators have a tendency to easily confess, have certain social and cultural status, has moral sensitivity and intelligence, and has skills, but hesitates in acting. Meanwhile, in the organizational criminogenic aspect, it was found that the perpetrators were in an environment with profit-oriented ambitions, had certain business perceptions, had a loyal attitude towards their group and their human resources tended to be homogeneous. The results of this study found that a supportive situation is needed in financial crime based on the illustrations of the cases used. Situational criminogenic aspects in research in the form of business that utilize religious sentiments, use a cooperative system and manage funds with a Ponzi scheme. This research will enrich criminology studies, especially in the field of white collar crime. Other than that, hopefully can be useful in the formulation of policies for stakeholders.

Local Business Perception vs. Mobility Behavior of Shoppers: A Survey from Berlin

Business voices often oppose a redistribution of urban traffic space in favor of active transport modes. We surveyed 145 traders about their perceptions of their customers’ mobility behavior and interviewed 2,019 shoppers on two shopping streets in Berlin, Germany. Our results indicate that traders overestimate car use and underestimate active transport. Further, potential customers more often live close to their shopping destinations than retailers perceive. Our findings can help explain the opposition of local business to sustainable transport infrastructure and offer a knowledge basis for better informed decision-making regarding urban land use in cities.

Assessing Business-IT Alignment Maturity at a Colombian University

Over the last decades, the role of the IT department within an organization has gradually gained importance. Technology has permeated all areas within organizations and nowadays is the cornerstone of almost all business processes. Thus, business-IT alignment (BITA) is considered an essential success factor for almost any organization. Consequently, the evaluation and improvement of this alignment have been a growing concern among researchers and organizations. This study assessed the BITA maturity in a Colombian university, applying Luftman’s SAM (Strategic Alignment Maturity) model. The conducted assessment collected, analyzed, and contrasted perceptions of business and IT personnel. Similarly, we investigated the personnel’s perceptions at the strategic, functional, and operational levels regarding the SAM factors. Furthermore, we compared our results with other BITA assessments in educational institutions, Latin American organizations, and worldwide results. Finally, we drew some conclusions that can be useful for practitioners who seek to apply Luftman’s assessment.

Risk perception and risk reduction efforts of red chili business in Langkat Regency North Sumatera Province

The process of supplying red chili is not fully controlled by the farmers. The main factor that causes it is that the red chili farmers are small-scale farmers whose production decision-making process is thought not handled by a good forecast of production and prices. This is due to the influence of different perceptions of farmers in deciding which farming strategy to use. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out research on the relationship of risk perceptions to risk management strategies for red chili farming in Langkat Regency, North Sumatra Province. The data used are primary data sourced from questionnaires and interviews with 112 red chili farmers in Langkat Regency. The analysis method used is the Pearson Correlation to see the relationship between farm risk management strategies and perception. The results showed that the correlation of the risk perception variable and risk management strategy had a strong, significant and unidirectional effect on the red chili farming.

Survey of industrial perceptions for the use of nanomaterials for in-home drinking water purification devices

As businesses, specifically technology developers and industrial suppliers, strive to meet growing demand for higher quality drinking water, the use of engineered nanomaterials in commercial point-of-use (POU) in-home water purification devices are becoming an increasingly important option. Anecdotally, some businesses appear wary of developing and marketing nanomaterial-enabled devices because of concerns that they will face onerous regulation and consumer pushback. However, little of substance is known about business perceptions of and attitudes toward the use of engineered nanomaterials in POU water purification devices, or how these compare with consumer perceptions. To address this knowledge-gap, we administered a 14-question survey among 65 participants from US-based industrial companies focused on drinking water purification. Our results indicate that the dominant concerns for businesses are costs and public perceptions associated with nanomaterial-enabled POU devices for drinking water purification. Cost-specific barriers include competition from more conventional technologies, and tensions between operational versus capital costs. 57% of respondents were concerned or very concerned that public perceptions will influence the long-term viability of nanomaterial-enabled POU devices for drinking water purification. 49% of respondents stated that government regulation of nanomaterials would be the preferred approach to ensure public safety, followed by the certification of POU devices (28%). When asked about specific nanomaterials and their potential use in POU devices for drinking water purification, respondents ranked carbon nanotubes as the nanomaterial with highest concern for environmental health and safety, followed by silver, titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, and copper. Respondents ranked nanoclays as the nanomaterial with highest likelihood for public acceptance, followed by silica, cerium oxide, titanium dioxide, and aluminum oxide.

Community perceptions of the chili business BULo (entity business entity) Makassar city

The BULo program is an optimization program for utilizing the alley area through the formation of poktanrong. This research was conducted to see the public’s view of the chilli business through the BULo Program. This study aims to determine public perceptions of the BULo Program chili business. The study was conducted in the Biring Romang Village, Manggala District, Makassar City. The number of respondents is 80 people. This research uses quantitative descriptive analysis and scoring techniques. The results of this study indicate that people’s perceptions of the BULo Program are judged based on the characteristics of innovation, which are relative profit indicators. compatibility indicators are categorized accordingly, Observability indicators categorized can be observed. While complexity indicators are categorized as very complicated and triability categorized cannot be tried.

TRAINING IN DIGITAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP AS A BASIS FOR FORMING THE INTELLECTUAL CAPITAL OF NATION

Nowadays, digital technologies have a significant impact on how business perceptions change and how new businesses are created. The new technological paradigm harnesses the potential of collaboration and intellectual capital to develop and implement more robust and sustainable entrepreneurial initiatives. However, while a research in digital entrepreneurship is relevant and timely, there is a limited amount of studies on the real impact of digital technology and intellectual capital on entrepreneurship education, although inquiries into digital entrepreneurship theory and practice have drawn more attention in the recent years. Moreover, at the current level of globalization, society, as practice shows (the situation with COVID-19), is not protected from global shocks in the form of chain crises and pandemics. Therefore, digital entrepreneurship is also able to help solve the economic problems caused by the above phenomena. The purpose of the article is to analyse and clarify various aspects of training students of economic specialties in digital entrepreneurship; formulate the tasks that arise while using digital technologies in the economy, and determine the ways to solve them in the education system. Among many forms of digital entrepreneurship training, online courses are one of the strongest trends and they do affect the content and flow of teaching and learning. This article also focuses on better understanding the skills, opportunities, and risks involved in using the online courses as a new way of training entrepreneurship in higher education system. The authors empirically study the problems and drivers for developing such courses as a new pedagogical concept. The results show that such a course is flexible in time and space and can therefore contribute to the accessibility of entrepreneurship education.

The Perceptions of Residents and Businesses towards the Sustainable Development of Tourism

Among the economic benefits of tourism development, the negative environmental and socio-cultural impacts caused during tourism activities should be taken into account and carefully managed. In achieving sustainability in the development of tourism, residents, and businesses - tourism service providers should have the right to identify and express concerns and determine the pace and degree of development. The purpose of this study was to identify and analyze the importance of negative and positive economic, socio-cultural and environmental impacts of tourism, based on the perceptions of residents and businesses on the scale of importance, which is a possible action to boost tourism development sustainably. This quantitative study, based on a random sample, was conducted in Kosovo’s territory, using a questionnaire addressed to 338 residents and 221 businesses. The questionnaire results were analysed using the RII test - Relative importance index and the Mann-Whitney test. This study intended to bridge the gap by measuring residents and businesses’ perceptions on sustainable tourism development and their suggestions to promote it.

Meningkatkan penerapan SAK EMKM dengan persepsi usaha dan kesiapan pelaku UMKM

UMKM (Micro Small Medium Enterprises) plays an important role in developed countries, particularly in Indonesia, which works absorbing many workers to reduce the number of unemployment. This research aims to examine the effect on the application of accounting recording systems, accounting comprehensions, business perceptions, and UMKM preparedness in implementing SAK EMKM. The objects of the research are UMKM in Yogyakarta. The respondents were 120 UMKM owners. This study is using multiple regression analysis to examine the hypothesis. The research method uses purposive sampling under the criteria in UU No. 20 Tahun 2008 tentang Kriteria UMKM. The result indicates that the hypothesis of the accounting recording system and comprehensions does not affect the implementation of SAK EMKM. Meanwhile, the hypothesis of business perceptions and UMKM preparedness has significant positive effect on the implementation of SAK EMKM.

Persepsi dan Pemahaman Pelaku Usaha Terhadap Berlakunya Standar Akuntansi Keuangan Entitas Mikro Kecil Menengah di Kota Bandung

The purpose of this study was to determine the perception and understanding of MSME centers business on the application of SAK EMKM starting Januari 1, 2018 at the MSME Business Center in Bandung. In this study the data used are primary data, that is data obtained directly from the object under study. Data obtained through questionnaires to several MSME business center operastors int the city of Bandung. Sampling was carried out using the Sloving formula, resulting in 336 MSME respondents. The regression model used in this study to use Multiple Regression Analysis. The results of this study by t test (partial) showed that the perception of MSME actors did not effect the implementation of SAK EMKM and the understanding of MSME actors influenced the implementation of SAK EMKM. While the F test (simultaneous) showed that the perception and understanding of MSME actors influence the implementation of SAK EMKM.

Perceptions of trust, power and tax compliance motivations among large businesses and their tax auditors

This study investigates psychological determinants of tax compliance, particularly the predictions of the Slippery Slope Framework (SSF; Kirchler et al., 2008), among large businesses and their tax auditors. The SSF predicts that trust in tax authorities determines voluntary tax compliance and that the perceived power of tax authorities to detect and penalize tax evasion determines enforced tax compliance. While the predictions of the SSF have consistently been found in studies focusing on individual taxpayers, few studies have tested the SSF in the context of large businesses or focused on tax auditors and their perceptions of businesses’ tax compliance. Nevertheless, trust-based approaches to tax collection have gained popularity, with cooperative tax auditing programs directly targeting large businesses. Using questionnaire data from 366 representatives of large businesses operating in Austria and 208 Austrian tax auditors, I conduct structural equation models testing the applicability of the SSF among these groups. In the group of businesses, the predictions of the SSF appear to hold. However, significant associations between trust and voluntary compliance and power and enforced compliance are mainly driven by the female subsample. Among tax auditors, there is no significant association between trust and voluntary compliance when power is introduced as a control variable. Overall, results suggest limited applicability of the SSF in a large business context and a stark mismatch between businesses’ and tax auditors’ perceptions on tax compliance. More research is needed to investigate the difference in results between female and male business representatives and non-economic determinants of tax compliance in a large business context.

Exploring opportunities and challenges to the adoption of blockchain technology in the fresh produce value chain

This study investigates the attitudes and perceptions of businesses and consumers towards the application of Blockchain technology (BCT) to fresh produce supply chains. Semi-structured interviews and focus groups (FG) were performed with fresh produce company managers and consumers, respectively. The fresh produce sector, in this context, concerns the fresh and chill chain, value-added vegetables, fruits and salads and the ingredients of these used in further food value-added processes and products. A total of five themes were identified as factors influencing BCT adoption: the novelty of the technology, supply chain characteristics, open data issues, cost-benefit analysis, and role of public stakeholders. From these, twelve sub-themes were developed and discussed. Findings provide a framework with opportunities and challenges that the fresh produce system must face in adopting decentralised systems for managing supply chain data like BCT.

Considering business perception in assessing e-service quality in the Jordanian government

Considering the speedy developments of e-services usages, countries are thriving to present better e-government services; particularly, regarding the business sector. Therefore, the matter of evaluating e-government service quality from the business perspective has become an important issue to study. This paper discussed how the business sector perceive the e-services provided by Jordanian government, which is basically derived based on the lack of literature and models addressing such issue. In this regard, this study aims to fill this existed gap. To tackle this problem, a conceptual framework of SERVQUAL questionnaire was developed and proposed. Then, the proposed model was verified and validated. The results of this paper concluded that business perceives different gaps between the actual and anticipated e-services in which the actual recorded less than the anticipated. Additionally, the gaps revealed in the developed SERVQUAL model, which included five dimensions showed, that only one element was found to be statistically insignificant and that is the Security and Privacy. Finally, the proposed model was revised and modified.

КОНЦЕПТУАЛЬНЫЙ ПОДХОД К ОЦЕНКЕ УРОВНЯ ИННОВАЦИОННОГО РАЗВИТИЯ МАЛОГО АГРОБИЗНЕСА НА РЕГИОНАЛЬНОМ УРОВНЕ

Stimulating the innovation activity of small agribusiness entities requires substantiation of methodological tools for the development of regional programs for the innovative development of agriculture. The analysis showed that the municipal districts of the Saratov region are seriously different in terms of the level of innovative opportunities, therefore, it is necessary to develop a differentiated territorial development model that would take into account the degree of preparedness of the municipal districts for the perception of innovative business. The article substantiates a conceptual approach to the rating model of innovative development, built on the ordering of small agribusiness objects in different municipal districts on the basis of relative indicators, each of which is calculated according to official regional statistics. The algorithm for the implementation of this model has been substantiated, groups of indicators (indices) that determine the innovative development of small agribusiness have been identified. On the basis of the calculations, the author’s typology of municipal districts is proposed in terms of the level of innovative development of small agribusiness. The paper concludes that for the formation of an innovative economy in the agricultural sector, specific programs are needed, in which measures should be developed to obtain new knowledge based on applied research and development and its transfer through a system of consulting support. However, there is practically no planning of work at the regional level to disseminate innovations on a scientific basis with the implementation of the necessary consulting and training techniques. This leads to the fact that individual business entities independently decide which innovations to use, depending on the available resource and human potential. The article substantiates a set of solutions to stimulate innovative activity in agriculture. In the conclusion, the scientific and practical significance of the study is determined, consisting in the development of a methodological approach that makes it possible to determine the level of innovative development of specific territorial units and to propose directions for improving the use of available resources in order to increase their efficiency.

Hizmet Hatası Telafi Stratejileri, Hizmet Kalitesi Algısı ve Kurumsal İmaj Algısı Arasındaki İlişki: Konaklama İşletmeleri Örneği1 (Relation Between Service Failure Recovery Strategies, Perceived Service Quality and Perception of Corporate Image: Accommodation Establishments Example)

Purpose – Businesses need to be able to meet changing customer demands in order to be able to sustain their assets in the face of intense competition. To this end, businesses need to make a difference by paying greater attention to issues such as service quality and corporate image that are important to customers, as well as to compensate for service failures, which have become important in recent years. In the literature, it is emphasized that compensation strategies applied by businesses after customer complaints affect customer service quality and corporate image perceptions. In this study, it is aimed to determine the effect of each service failure compensation strategy applied in the tourism sector on customer perceptions of service quality and corporate image perceptions. Design/methodology/approach – The research was designed as a quantitative research, and the questionnaire method was chosen to learn the opinions of the participants on the subject. Percentage, frequency, reliability, factor analysis and structural equation modeling were used in the analysis of the data obtained. Findings – According to the results of the study, it was determined that the apology strategy affected customers' perceptions of service quality and institutional image perceptions positively. Also service quality perceptions have positively affects on corporate image perception. Discussion – It is known that tourists report their experiences to the business about service failure in accommodation businesses through complaints. In addition that service failure negatively affects the service quality and corporate image perceptions of businesses. Therefore, it is considered important to take into account tourist complaints and to compensate for service failure. When the findings are evaluated, it is seen that the apology strategy, especially one of the service failure compensation strategies, is important. It is important for accommodation businesses to effectively manage the complaint process and use all compensation strategies, especially the apology strategy, in order to compensate for service failure which negatively affects their quality and image perceptions.

Employers' Expectations and Perceptions of Business and Economics College Graduate's Competencies in Ethiopia

Employers' Expectations and Perceptions of Business and Economics College Graduate's Competencies in Ethiopia