Editorial

Citation

Moutinho, L. and Huarng, K.-H. (2008), "Editorial", Journal of Modelling in Management, Vol. 3 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/jm2.2008.29703baa.001

Editorial

Article Type: Editorial From: Journal of Modelling in Management, Volume 3, Issue 2

Welcome! - Now that we have reached the third volume of JM2, we have decided to establish a new publishing category - Research notes - in order, not only to differentiate these pieces of academic work from competitive papers, but also to allow researchers to disseminate some relevant and challenging research ideas, conceptualizations, methodologies and models. This editorial decision is also related to the robustness and pattern of the JM2 academic reviewing process. This issue contains a plethora of prime research topics ranging from efficiency measures for the knowledge economies (K-E), mutual fund performance, cooperative research and development to the capture of heterogeneity in partial least squares (PLS) path modeling and the measurement and management of academic franchisee satisfaction.

Tan, Hooy, Islam, and Manzoni propose relative efficiency measures for the K-E of 12 selected countries in the Asia Pacific region. Their performances are evaluated using data envelopment analysis (DEA). The DEA scores indicate that four of the emerging countries (India, Indonesia, Thailand and China) are relatively inefficient in K-E development comparatively to the other eight countries. The main reason is due to the outflow of their human capital resource to the developed countries. This seriously undermines the level of their K-E development compared to their counterparts. In terms of knowledge output, knowledge dissemination becomes the weakest point for all low-scoring countries except China. Both India and China however, encounter serious obstacles in knowledge innovation and external connection.

It is a complicated process to make investment decisions. To coordinate quantitative and qualitative criteria, Wu, Chang and Wu adopt the modified Delphi method and the analytical hierarchy process to design an assessment method for evaluating mutual fund performance. The most important criterion has been identified. Based on the assessment, investment targets are also presented.

The purpose of this paper by Marko Sarstedt to critically review the latest approaches for capturing heterogeneity in PLS path modelling, classify these into a methodological taxonomy. Different approaches to treat heterogeneity in PLS path models are introduced and critically evaluated. The review reveals that Finite Mixture-PLS can be regarded as the most comprehensive and commonly used procedure for capturing heterogeneity within a PLS path modelling framework. Whereas modelling heterogeneity in covariance structure analysis has been studied for several years, research interest has only recently been devoted to the question of clustering in PLS path modelling.

Research notes

Other than using exploratory factor analysis to group benefits from strategic alliances as in previous studies, Bai and O’Brien provide another explanation for the strategic motives that lead firms to undertake cooperative research and development. The motives arise from four relevant theories: transaction cost theory, strategic management theory, organizational learning theory, and risk theory. Accordingly, the motives identified are for the first time categorized into four factors: cost sharing, market power, skill sharing, and risk sharing. A survey of managers working in the Chinese aluminum industry supports this grouping of strategic motives in terms of these four theories as valid and reliable.

Franchisee satisfaction is crucial to franchise management. Firdaus, Rashidee, Nagarajah, and Voon intend to explore different approaches of franchisee satisfaction within an academic setting, develop and validate a new measuring instrument, examine the key factors and the intention to remain in the network, and eventually manage the franchise network for long-term continuity. The findings suggest five dimensions of franchisee satisfaction, including social interaction, service support, financing, assurance and competence. They also propose a new 23-item measuring instrument, which is specifically tailored for academic franchising. Such a measuring scale could be used to improve their performance in the light of increased competition with the development of global academic franchising.

Hope you accept well the new JM2 addition of including Research notes and that you have benefited from reading this array of modeling approaches. See you next issue!

Luiz Moutinho, Kun-Huang Huarng