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1 – 10 of 99Qingjuan Wang, Ning Sun, Alice H.Y. Hon and Zheng Zhu
The purpose of this study is to explore the moderating effect of Confucian values and the mediating effect of relationship quality on the relationship between organizational…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to explore the moderating effect of Confucian values and the mediating effect of relationship quality on the relationship between organizational justice and employee service orientation in the tourism and hospitality industry.
Design/methodology/approach
Structural equation modeling was applied to a sample of 421 responses in a questionnaire survey from employees of tourism and hospitality firms in mainland China.
Findings
Employee relationship quality fully mediated the relationship between organizational justice and service orientation. Confucian values negatively moderated the direct effect of organizational justice on employee relationship quality and the indirect effect of organizational justice on service orientation.
Practical implications
This study offers insights for hospitality managers how to improve employee service orientation and establish Confucian values in the practice of organizational justice. Tourism and hospitality organizations should equally treat all employees as internal customers and use distinct strategies to manage employees with high and low Confucian values in employee selection and management of training and development.
Originality/value
This study highlights the contributions of organizational justice and relationship quality to employee service orientation. It also demonstrates that Confucian values explain why many Chinese employees are less sensitive to low fairness: these values negatively moderate the organizational justice–relationship quality–service orientation relations. By linking organizational justice to relationship quality and employee service orientation, the findings enrich our understanding of the applications of internal marketing and social exchange theories under Confucian values.
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Kun You, Zubir Azhar and Qingyu Wang
This paper aims to explore how a shared service centre (SSC) is mobilised in a power-dominant context of a Chinese state-owned enterprise (SOE). Specifically, it examines the…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explore how a shared service centre (SSC) is mobilised in a power-dominant context of a Chinese state-owned enterprise (SOE). Specifically, it examines the mobilisation of SSC within this multi-divisional SOE, the role and dynamics of actors involved and the influence of changes in the integrated information system (IIS) during the mobilisation process.
Design/methodology/approach
The study follows a qualitative case study methodology. The authors draw on actor-network theory to examine the network and translation processes constructed in mobilising SSC in the chosen SOE. The data sources of this study were collected through semi-structured interviews, observations and documentary reviews.
Findings
The mobilisation of SSC is not a linear process but rather a “spiral” interplay through continuous interactions and compromises between human and non-human actors. Power gave the core actor as an orchestrator legitimacy and formality to reduce resistance and obstruction in translation for the mobilisation of SSC. The changes in IIS appear to facilitate the interaction between the heterogeneous actors.
Practical implications
This case study contributes towards understanding the mobilisation of SSC in a power-dominant context by highlighting the impact of changes in IIS and the details of the mobilisation of SSC in terms of the role played by both the individual actors and the technology.
Originality/value
This study provides a broader understanding of the interactions of the heterogeneous actors for mobilising SSC in a power-dominant context. More importantly, the study inspires future research into examining how SSC practices unfold and how the changes in IIS influence the mobilisation of SSC.
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Ni Xiong and Longzheng Du
This study examines whether Confucian culture can promote enterprise total factor productivity (TFP), and it also studies how transmission mechanism works on enterprise TFP.
Abstract
Purpose
This study examines whether Confucian culture can promote enterprise total factor productivity (TFP), and it also studies how transmission mechanism works on enterprise TFP.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on the data of A-share listed companies on Shanghai and Shenzhen stock markets from 2008 to 2019, this study measures the influence of Confucian culture on enterprise TFP by the number of Confucian academies and Confucian temples within three radius ranges of a company's registered address.
Findings
The empirical results show that Confucian culture has a positive effect on the enterprise TFP. The transmission mechanism test shows that Confucian culture can promote the TFP of Chinese enterprises through reducing agency cost, improving agency efficiency and enhancing innovation.
Practical implications
The findings in this study provide implications for policymakers, scholars and enterprises. The results show that Confucian culture can enhance the TFP of Chinese enterprises. Especially in emerging markets including China, the Confucian culture, as an informal institution, can effectively complement formal institutions, promoting enterprise TFP.
Originality/value
This study expands the literature on Confucian culture in two aspects: the influence of Confucian culture on TFP and its transmission mechanism. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first study to identify a link between Confucian culture and enterprise TFP.
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Yingying Liao, Ebrahim Soltani, Fangrong Li and Chih-Wen Ting
Prior research examining cultural effects on customer service expectations has primarily used more generic Western cultural theory on an aggregate scale or with only a single…
Abstract
Purpose
Prior research examining cultural effects on customer service expectations has primarily used more generic Western cultural theory on an aggregate scale or with only a single variable to draw conclusions on a customer’s underlying reasoning for buying a service. This study aims to focus on culturally distinct clusters within non-Western nations, specifically exploring within-cluster differences in service expectations within the Confucian Asia cluster.
Design/methodology/approach
This study developed a measurement model of Chinese cultural values and service expectations, consisting of a three and five-factor structure, respectively. Data from a sample of 351 diners were analysed using SmartPLS software. The data was compared with similar studies within the Confucian Asia cluster to understand the culture effect on service expectations and within-cluster variations.
Findings
The findings underscore the varying importance of cultural values in shaping customer service expectations, emphasizing their relative, rather than equal, significance. The study provides insights into potential within-group differences in customer service expectations within the same cultural cluster – without losing sight of the fundamental cultural heterogeneity of the Confucian culture.
Practical implications
Managers should leverage the distinct cultural values of their operating country to gain insights into diverse customer groups, predict their behaviours and meet their needs and expectations.
Originality/value
This study offers valuable insights to both service management scholars and practitioners by focusing on culturally distinct clusters of non-Western nations and exploring their effects on variation in service expectations within these clusters.
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This paper aims to offer insight into how strategies within the accounting profession, which has been becoming more global, might be changed by the recent outbreak of the Second…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to offer insight into how strategies within the accounting profession, which has been becoming more global, might be changed by the recent outbreak of the Second Cold War between the West and the Rest of the World.
Design/methodology/approach
We explore the strategies of those who called themselves “Confucian accountants” in China, a country which has recently discouraged its state-owned enterprises from using the services of the Big 4. We do this by employing qualitative research methods, including reflexive photo interviews, in which Big-4 accountants, recognised as the most Westernised accounting actors in China, and Confucian accountants are asked to take and explain photographs representing their professional lives. Bourdieu’s notions of “economy of practices” and “vision-of-division strategy” are drawn upon to understand who the Confucian accountants are and what they do strategically in their pursuit of a higher revenue stream and improved social standing in the Chinese social space.
Findings
The homegrown Confucian accountants share cultural-cognitive characteristics with neighbouring social actors, such as their clients and government officials, who have been inculcated with Confucianism and the state’s cultural confidence policy in pursuit of a “socialist market economy with Chinese characteristics”. Those accountants try to enhance their social standing and revenue stream by strategically demonstrating their difference from Big-4 accountants. For this purpose, they wear Confucian clothes, have Confucian props in their office, employ Confucian phrases in their everyday conversations, use Confucian business cards and construct and maintain guanxi with government officials and clients.
Originality/value
This paper is the first attempt to explore Confucian accountants’ strategies for increasing their revenue and social standing at the start of the Second Cold War.
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The purpose of this paper is to examine the alternative accounts produced by Green Earth Volunteers (GEV), a Chinese environmental non-governmental organisation, over a 10-year…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the alternative accounts produced by Green Earth Volunteers (GEV), a Chinese environmental non-governmental organisation, over a 10-year period in the context of their campaign to create visibilities about hydroelectric dam projects along the Chang Jiang.
Design/methodology/approach
Drawing on conceptions of the human–nature relationship, including those evident in ancient Chinese philosophy and mythology, and the Chinese way of viewing and resolving conflict, this paper offers an interpretive analysis of the alternative accounts of GEV in terms of their form and content.
Findings
In terms of their content, the alternative accounts reflect elements of interrelated thinking, being underpinned by a recognition of the relationship between humans and nature, which is evident in Confucianism, Taoism and ancient Chinese mythology. The strategies adopted by GEV are a non-confrontational but feasible way to promote their ecological beliefs in the Chinese context.
Practical implications
The study suggests that social and environmental accounting (SEA) in developing countries is steeped in local cultural and philosophical traditions that need to be considered and incorporated into the design of alternative accounts.
Originality/value
The study contributes to the very limited literature that offers qualitative analyses of SEA in developing countries.
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Zhui Liu, Xiaoxuan Sun and Yishuai Yin
This study aims to examine the impact of directors’ green experience on the disclosure of environmental information by firms. Furthermore, it investigates the mediating role of…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine the impact of directors’ green experience on the disclosure of environmental information by firms. Furthermore, it investigates the mediating role of firm green culture and the moderating effect of Confucianism in this mediation process.
Design/methodology/approach
The selected sample for this study comprises the A-share listed firms from 2010 to 2020. The data on “directors’ green experiences,” “Confucianism” and “green culture” were manually collected and organized, while other data were obtained from China Stock Market & Accounting Research Database. After eliminating corporations with ST, *ST and missing data, a total of 29,419 samples were obtained. The hypotheses were tested using a multiple linear regression model, and statistical analysis was performed using Stata 16.0.
Findings
The findings of this study reveal that directors’ green experience positively influences firm environmental information disclosure, and firm green culture mediates this relationship. Moreover, Confucianism moderates the impact of directors’ green experience on firm environmental information disclosure, as well as the mediating role of green culture in the relationship between directors’ green experience and firm environmental information disclosure.
Originality/value
The disclosure of environmental information plays a significant role in promoting a firm’s environmental performance as well as its competitive advantage. While previous studies examine various factors leading to firms’ environmental information disclosure, the influence of managerial characteristics on firm environmental information disclosure has not received adequate research attention. The present study investigates the effect of directors’ green experience on environmental information disclosure, contributing to the existing literature on firms’ environmental information disclosure and managerial features. Meanwhile, it enriches the literature on firm governance and imprinting theory.
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Sanaa Mostafa Mohammed and Reda Ebrahim El-Ashram
The current paper is aimed to explore the relationship between virtuous leadership (VL) dimensions and the dimensions of innovation management (IM) among employees in…
Abstract
Purpose
The current paper is aimed to explore the relationship between virtuous leadership (VL) dimensions and the dimensions of innovation management (IM) among employees in pharmaceutical companies of the public business sector – Egypt.
Design/methodology/approach
The current paper relied on the descriptive and analytical method and the survey paper in dealing with the paper variables. Participants for this paper consisted of (312) employees who completed a questionnaire that assessed VL and IM.
Findings
The results revealed that there is a positive, statistically significant relationship between VL and IM, Specifically, there is a positive effect of courage, justice and prudence on strategic innovation, a positive effect of courage, humanity and asceticism on technical innovation, and there is a positive effect of prudence, humanity and courage on management innovation.
Practical implications
The paper concluded that VL acts as an important tool that facilitates IM and promotes high levels of innovation for employees.
Originality/value
The current paper contributed to understanding the conditions in which employees of pharmaceutical companies have VL and provided additional guidance for effective practices of quality IM in pharmaceutical companies of the public business sector. In this study, a model was built to analyze the mechanism underlying the relationship between virtuous leadership and innovation management in pharmaceutical companies.
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Richard M. Kerslake and Chandrasekhar Krishnamurti
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the extent to which interdisciplinary (HASS, i.e. non-STEM) factors—in particular, accounting, stakeholder management and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the extent to which interdisciplinary (HASS, i.e. non-STEM) factors—in particular, accounting, stakeholder management and accountability—enable, influence and motivate large human exploration ventures, principally in maritime and space fields, utilizing Columbus’s and Chinese explorations of the 1400s as the primary setting.
Design/methodology/approach
The study analyzes archival data from narrative and interpretational history, including both academic and non-academic sources, that relate to two global historical events, the Columbus and Ming Chinese exploration eras (c. 1400–1500), as a parallel to the modern “Space Race”. Existing studies on pertinent HASS (Humanities and Social Sciences) and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) enablers, influencers and motivators are utilized in the analysis. The authors draw upon the concepts of stakeholder theory and the construct of accountability in their analysis.
Findings
Findings suggest that non-STEM considerations—politics, finance, accountability, culture, theology and others—played crucial roles in enabling Western Europe (Columbus) to reach the Americas before China or other global powers, demonstrating the pivotal importance of HASS factors in human advancements and exploration.
Research limitations/implications
In seeking to answer those questions, this study identifies only those factors (HASS or STEM) that may support the success or failure in execution of the exploration and development of a region such as the New World or Space. Moreover, the study has the following limitation. Relative successes, failures, drivers and enablers of exploratory ventures are drawn almost exclusively from the documented historical records of the nations, entities and individuals (China and Europe) who conducted those ventures. A paucity of objective sources in some fields, and the need to set appropriate boundaries for the study, also necessitate such limitation.
Practical implications
It is observable that many of those HASS factors also appear to have been influencers in modern era Space projects. For Apollo and Soyuz, success factors such as the relative economics of USA and USSR, their political ideologies, accountabilities and organizational priorities have clear echoes. What the successful voyages of Columbus and Apollo also have in common is an appetite to take risks for an uncertain return, whether as sponsor or voyager; an understanding of financial management and benefits measurement, and a leadership (Isabella I, John F. Kennedy) possessing a vision, ideology and governmental apparatus to further the venture’s goals.
Originality/value
Whilst various historical studies have examined influences behind the oceangoing explorations of the 1400s and the colonization of the “New World”, this article takes an original approach of analyzing those motivations and other factors collectively, in interdisciplinary terms (HASS and STEM). This approach also has the potential to provide a novel method of examining accountability and performance in modern exploratory ventures, such as crewed space missions.
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Chao Ren, Hui Situ and Gillian Maree Vesty
This paper examines the ways in which Chinese university middle managers evaluate subordinate performance in response to the Chinese Double First-Class University Plan, a national…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper examines the ways in which Chinese university middle managers evaluate subordinate performance in response to the Chinese Double First-Class University Plan, a national project that ranks the performance of universities. In exploring compromise arrangements, the hybridised valuing activity of middle managers is found to be shaped by emergent and extant macro-foundations.
Design/methodology/approach
The qualitative data from 49 semi-structured interviews at five Chinese public universities were conducted. Drawing on macro-foundational studies and the sociology of worth (SW) theory, the analysis helps to identify socially shared patterns of actions and outcomes.
Findings
The findings elucidate the interplay between diverse economic, social, political and institutional values and the compromise-making by middle managers. The authors find that contextual factors restrict Chinese academic middle managers' autonomy, preventing workable compromise. Through the selective adoption of international and local management practices, compromise has evolved into a private differential treaty at the operational level.
Originality/value
A nuanced explanation reveals how the macro-foundations of Chinese society influence middle managers who engage with accounting when facilitating compromise. This study helps outsiders better understand the complex convergence and divergence of performance evaluative practices in Chinese universities against the backdrop of global market-based forces and the moral dimensions of organisational life. The findings have wider implications for the Chinese government in navigating institutional steps and developing supportive policies to enable middle managers to advance productive but also sustainable compromise.
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