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This study aims to examine the problems encountered during the establishment of the Central Police Academy (CPA) under the Nationalist regime from 1936 to 1949. While the authoritarian party-state unified the police academies by forceful means, this catalyzed the cleavage between the schools of police studies and resulted in power struggles over police education, intellectual thought, collectivity and even the national reform of police administration. More than narrating the progress of power consolidation, this study attempts to identify the problems underlying the factional strife and to reveal the interwoven pattern of these power struggles, exploring the confusion regarding what the police is, a question that troubled Chinese policemen from the mainland to Taiwan.

This paper explains the emergence of the factional strife from the beginning of the preliminary growth of the Police Academies in Nanking and Chekiang. It widely makes use of the official archives from Japan Center for Asian Historical Records and Historica Academia to show the dynamic situation in police education and administration. Rather, the official publications of the Police Academies and their affiliated associations reveal the hidden political agenda behind a unified framework as the party-state claimed. Moreover, official gazettes, memorials and newspapers are also used to strengthen the core argument of this study.

This paper examines the impact of the factional strife between the police leaders Dai Li and Li Shizhen on the CPA from 1936 to 1949. It illustrates that the establishment of the CPA ostensibly unified the nationwide police force but triggered power struggles over the control of the police administration. More importantly, it also shows how the factions strove for larger shares of power under the supreme doctrines that Chiang Kai-shek and the party-state imposed.

The failure of police education to become powerful was a special case among other more typical institutions. The governors coercively merged the police academies and created robust conditions for growth under the shelter of state authority. The police force did not follow the same path of national monopoly as what recent studies found but drifted apart with its vested interests and incompatible beliefs. Hence, the greater the demand for centralized control by the state, the greater the tension of the factional strife.

This paper aims to collect and compile the historical data of Guanfu Salt Farm, officially built by the Song Dynasty (960–1279) within modern Hong Kong territories, to reconstruct its history for the reflection of Hong Kong society of the time.

This paper is largely based on identification and analysis of historical documents, including keyword search on electronic databases and verification with the original sources, with reference to archaeological findings when necessary.

This paper reconstructs the history of Guanfu Salt Farm based on documentary sources with reference to archaeological findings. English translation of Chinese sources is also provided when necessary.

There has been an absence of systematic compilation of historical data of Hong Kong during the Song Dynasty, which are limited in quantity and scattered across different sources. This paper seeks to fill the vacuum of knowledge about pre-colonial Hong Kong, with a more comprehensive reconstruction of the history of Guanfu Salt Farm.

This study aims to expand the current knowledge of the Six Sigma approach in a period of time when there is little direct evidence of the need to improve the credit card account opening process. This is an important but neglected area of focus in the Six Sigma literature. This study explores the extent to which process improvement practices are extended to the credit card department.

A case study methodology is adopted in this study to facilitate an exploration of the implemented Six Sigma approach in the credit card department of a leading commercial bank. The process improvement tool used is the define, measure, analyze, improve and control (DMAIC) cycle.

The study’s results confirm that the Six Sigma approach improves the quality of the credit card account opening process. So, the Six Sigma approach can account for a reduced number of keying-in errors, resulting in better data accuracy and improved customer satisfaction.

The authors, in an attempt to render the study results more feasible for data collection, have chosen to focus on the process of the new accounts unit of the credit card department. Therefore, the authors have not taken into account the other units (e.g. transaction processing) of the same department.

The results of this study will be useful in persuading bank management to evaluate and implement the Six Sigma approach. Hence, this research will assist bank managers with replies to questions, such as: “What impact will Six Sigma have on process-centric improvement, such as the new accounts opening process of a credit card department?”

Within the literature on the Six Sigma practice, there is little research that focuses on the implementation of this particular toolset especially for credit card departments. This indicates a gap in the field. A new contribution to bridging that gap comes from the analysis of the results for the Six Sigma concept, which addresses the new accounts opening process.

China represents around 20% of the world's population, and her economy is still performing well under economic crisis. Historical events have shaped different parts of China with different economic developments and cultural encounters. The most prominent difference is between Hong Kong and the Mainland. This chapter would like to examine the development and issues of fashion retailing in China. For better understanding, this chapter starts with a brief discussion on apparel industry development and fashion culture in Hong Kong and the Mainland, follows by historical development and then presents systems of fashion retailing in both Hong Kong and the Mainland. Desktop research and exploratory research techniques were employed. Stores of international fashion luxury brands in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing were visited. Comparison of branding issues, particularly for luxury market in Hong Kong and the Mainland are discussed, so are future directions of fashion retailing in these places.

Gives a bibliographical review of the finite element methods (FEMs) applied for the linear and nonlinear, static and dynamic analyses of basic structural elements from the theoretical as well as practical points of view. The range of applications of FEMs in this area is wide and cannot be presented in a single paper; therefore aims to give the reader an encyclopaedic view on the subject. The bibliography at the end of the paper contains 2,025 references to papers, conference proceedings and theses/dissertations dealing with the analysis of beams, columns, rods, bars, cables, discs, blades, shafts, membranes, plates and shells that were published in 1992‐1995.

This study aims to examine how perceptions of corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities (i.e. environment, society and stakeholders) enhance perceived value, social media engagement to win customer loyalty in the hotel industry. In addition, it investigates the mediating effects of customer perceived value and social media engagement between CSR activities and customer loyalty.

A self-administered survey was conducted on customers in Malaysia. Based on the data collected from 389 customers, the analysis used the structural equation modelling (SEM) approach. The validity and reliability of the measurements were confirmed before the hypotheses of the study have been tested.

The results revealed that CSR related to the environment has significant direct and indirect impacts on customer loyalty. In addition, the effect of perceived value and social media engagement on customer loyalty has been supported. The results also demonstrated the mediating role of perceived value and social media engagement between CSR activities and customer loyalty.

This study advances the understanding of the impact of CSR activities, perceived value and social media engagement on customer loyalty in the hotel industry. Hoteliers can gain benefits by understanding how specific CSR activities can enhance customer perceived value and social media engagement value, thus leads to customer loyalty.

This study investigates the association between CSR activities, perceived value, social media engagement and customer loyalty, which has been lacking a full investigation in the hospitality literature.

El objetivo de este estudio es examinar cómo las percepciones de las distintas actividades de Responsabilidad Social Corporativa (RSC) (i.e., medio ambiente, sociedad y skateholders) mejoran el valor percibido por los clientes, su compromiso en medios sociales y su lealtad en la industria hotelera. También se investigan los efectos mediadores del valor percibido por el cliente y su compromiso en medios sociales sobre las relaciones entre las actividades de RSC y la lealtad.

Se realizó una encuesta autoadministrada a los clientes en Malasia. Tomando como referencia los datos recogidos de 389 clientes, se utilizó la metodología SEM. La validez y fiabilidad de las escalas de medida fueron confirmadas antes de contrastar las hipótesis del estudio.

Los resultados revelaron que sólo la RSC relacionada con el medio ambiente tiene un impacto, tanto directo como indirecto, sobre la lealtad de los clientes. Además, se han confirmado los efectos del valor percibido y el compromiso en medios sociales sobre la lealtad de los clientes. Los resultados también demostraron el papel mediador del valor percibido y el compromiso en medios sociales sobre la relación entre las actividades de RSC y la lealtad de los clientes.

Este estudio permite comprender mejor el impacto de las actividades de RSC, el valor percibido y el compromiso en medios sociales en la lealtad de los clientes en la industria hotelera. Los hoteleros pueden obtener beneficios al comprender cómo las actividades específicas de RSC pueden mejorar el valor percibido por los clientes y su compromiso en medios sociales y, por lo tanto, aumentar la lealtad de los clientes.

Este trabajo analiza la asociación entre las actividades de RSC, el valor percibido, el compromiso en medios sociales y la lealtad de los clientes, lo cual ha sido escasamente estudiado en la literatura sobre hospitalidad.

RSC, Medios sociales, Valor percibido, Compromiso, Lealtad de clientes, Industria hotelera

Trabajo de investigación

The purpose of this paper is to get information on the background, demographic data and the lifestyle of adults with intellectual disability in Hong Kong shelter workshop; to get information on physical activity behaviour and psychosocial behaviour of adults with intellectual disability in Hong Kong sheltered workshop; to assess the concurrent validity and reliability of the baseline interview questionnaire (BIQ-C); and a trial run to test the feasibility on running a larger scale of study in future.

Psychosocial behaviour was assessed by BIQ-C (Heller et al., 2006) with sub-scale self-efficacy, outcome expectation, barrier to exercise; and physical activity assessment by pedometers. The participants completed the BIQ-C with an interviewer on fifth day morning before started work. Both step counts were collected and activity data were recorded in a log book separately during working hours and non-working hours on each four consecutive weekdays.

The percentage of obesity was serious among adults with intellectual disability in HK, especially on women; and adults with intellectual disability had more walking step counts in non-working time compared with that at working time, which was considered “low active” (5,000-7,499 step per day) in physical activity level. Besides, both male and female participants had high outcome expectation, barrier to exercise and low self-efficacy. Results showed that BIQ-C was valid and reliable as an outcome measure to be used for intellectual disability.

The sample represented adults with mild to moderate intellectual disability which were based on a centre supervisor ' s confirmation, and then subjects were randomly selected to participate. The results were based on mild to moderate grade participants wearing pedometer for four consecutive days, for those who were unable to wear the pedometer by themselves were excluded from this study (severe intellectual disability). Moreover, the results only reflect the number of steps during weekdays, there was no data on weekends.

Assessment tools are valid and reliable among adults with intellectual disability in Hong Kong. Study showed that running a larger scale of intervention is possible and feasible in sheltered workshop.

There is relatively little information on the physical activity patterns and psychosocial behaviour of workers with intellectual disability in Hong Kong, intervention may help understanding and promote health in this population.

The purpose of this paper is to develop and test a comprehensive hierarchical model of the interrelationships among five higher order marketing constructs (service quality, customer satisfaction, perceived value, restaurant image and behavioural intentions) for moderate upscale restaurants in Malaysia. A third order conceptualisation of service quality is also included in the empirical analysis.

The data were analysed using exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis and structural equations.

Service quality, customer satisfaction and restaurant image all have a strong, positive impact on the behavioural intentions of moderate upscale restaurant patrons. Service quality, perceived value and restaurant image are also important determinants of customer satisfaction. Behavioural intentions to re-patronise a restaurant and recommend it to friends are influenced more strongly by restaurant image than by customer satisfaction. Three primary dimensions and ten pertaining sub-dimensions are modelled in the third order conceptualisation of service quality. The primary and sub-dimensions also vary in importance amongst the customers in the sampling frame.

This is the first empirical research that develops and tests a comprehensive hierarchical model for moderate upscale restaurants to provide a complete and integrative analysis of a service setting. The interrelationships among service quality, customer satisfaction, perceived value restaurant image and behavioural intentions are assessed. A third order conceptualisations of service quality is also included in the modelling framework.

The study aims to assess how corporate branding affects firm performance in the context of the Oman hotel industry, listed on the Muscat Stock Exchange (MSX).

This study approach was made by way of a mixed method. First, it examines qualitative and exploratory information collected from companies’ internet sites, audited annual reports (the financial year 2019) published in MSX, web searches and websites of companies and travel agencies from all the eight listed hotel companies in the MSX to examine the impact of corporate branding on firm performance proxied by return of assets (ROA) and return of equity (ROE) and secondly, it assesses the measurement and structural models by applying partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM).

The findings recommend that well-thought-out web marketing on corporate branding by hotel companies leads to firm performance. The findings indicate that corporate branding on travel agency websites and a company’s own website can help businesses become more profitable. In addition, there is a synergistic connection on corporate branding of the hotel industry, including the presentation of a novel hotel narrative, the conception of a cornerstone loyalty program, the demonstration of excellence in hospitality and service, information on timely amenities like Covid-19 safety measures and the use of technology and experiential elements through platforms like the company website or the website of the travel agent all essential to achieve firm financial performance. As per the importance–performance matrix map, websites of travel agents (agoda.com, booking.com and hotels.com) had the importance (agoda.com 0.616, booking.com 0.959 and hotels.com 1.036) to impact companies’ corporate branding and firm performance, whereas Google search shows a value of −1.954, which has no impact on companies’ corporate branding.

The study considered only one hotel/tourism industry to know the effect of corporate branding on firm performance. Further studies may be chosen on other industries needed to allow for generalization.

This study aims to provide insights into how the hotel industry can make use of corporate branding through the company website, Google sites and websites of companies’ travel agency by providing timely updated promotion, facilities, quality services and hygiene matters to enhance firm performance.

This study provides empirical evidence to find various factors of corporate branding of the hotel industry’s firm performance. In addition, the study offers valuable insight into the nonmonetary measures of achievements.