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1 – 10 of over 72000It has been observed in various studies that the “servicization” of the structures of production and employment has taken place in India. However, a problem peculiar to this sector…
Abstract
Purpose
It has been observed in various studies that the “servicization” of the structures of production and employment has taken place in India. However, a problem peculiar to this sector or several types of services is that the output of some components of this sector is difficult to measure as well as to value it in monetary terms. The purpose of this paper is to identify the problems encountered in the measurement of service sector output.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper makes use of secondary sources of data including various reports, books and journals, etc. An attempt has been made in this paper to review those studies which deal with measurement problems in services sector output.
Findings
In the Indian context, it has been found that the data base on the service sector is highly disorganized. It has been recognized in studies that the limitation of the existing system is marred by the absence of a well-organized mechanism for maintaining a regular and proper database for this sector. A large number of the unorganized units are located in the service sector and the composition of units in the domain undergoes changes at a rapid pace because new units or newer service areas come into existence and others disappear with alarming frequency. Therefore, the need for “devising a proper classification of services” by identifying all new services and adopting a suitable methodology so as to maintain international comparability of data has been highlighted in various studies.
Originality/value
Although there are studies which try to point out measurability problems of services in developed European economies, however, studies related to service sector statistics problems in India are far less in number. This paper will therefore mainly focus on the service sector statistics problems in India and point out the way forward.
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Evert Gummesson, Robert F. Lusch and Stephen L. Vargo
The purpose of this paper is to reflect on actions and obstacles in the conceptual transition from mainstream service management (1970‐2000s) to a new approach synthesized in…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to reflect on actions and obstacles in the conceptual transition from mainstream service management (1970‐2000s) to a new approach synthesized in service‐dominant (S‐D) logic (2000s).
Design/methodology/approach
The paper takes the form of a review of approaches to service in the literature, education, and practice in management disciplines and economics.
Findings
S‐D logic has triggered considerable interest in the global academic community. Its ten foundational premises (FPs) hold that service(s) and the roles of suppliers/customers be reconceptualized on a higher level of relevance and generalization. The new logic is not final but – to use its own terminology – is a value proposition that opens up for co‐created theory improvements.
Research limitations/implications
To transition from a goods/services divide to a goods/service union, the platform for future service research requires the superordination of mainstream service management by a new language and lexicon and the generation of new theory; testing of the new theory by comparing its robustness with that of extant theory; conduct of empirical studies through hypotheses‐testing and real world, in‐depth research and the application of complexity theory, network, and systems theory; co‐creation by and between researchers; focus on validity and relevance by using the full range of S‐D logic compatible methods and metrics; and investigation at both micro and macro levels.
Practical implications
Business, marketing, governments, and politicians should focus on service and value and abandon the goods/services and producer/customer divides. Textbooks and educators should transition from outdated concepts and models. Improved education is strongly supported by IBM's service science programme.
Originality/value
The paper suggests that several developments in mainstream service management that once brought attention to service now provide obstacles both in research, education, and practice.
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Bjorn Berggren, Andreas Fili and Mats Wilhelmsson
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the relationship between housing markets and new firm formation in six different industries in all 284 municipalities in Sweden.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the relationship between housing markets and new firm formation in six different industries in all 284 municipalities in Sweden.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors have used data from Statistics Sweden and The Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth to develop a model to analyze the relationship between house prices and industry-specific new firm formation, with the interaction effect of financial infrastructure.
Findings
In the data, stable high house prices have no effect on entrepreneurship. However, a market with rising house prices has a positive effect on new firm formation, in retail, construction, business-to-business services and miscellaneous sectors, but produced no effect in either mining, agriculture and fishing or in manufacturing. The interaction between rising house prices and financial infrastructure does not change the positive effect on retail, business-to-business services and miscellaneous sectors, but within the construction industry, the positive effect on new firm formation disappears. In manufacturing, the authors observe the opposite – a positive effect, instead of no effect previously.
Originality/value
The contribution of this study is to provide evidence of how house prices are associated with entrepreneurship in different industries, as well as analyzing how the interaction between house prices and financial infrastructure is associated with entrepreneurship. By separating observations in time, endogeneity is controlled and a causal relationship where higher house prices is postulated, which leads to an increase in entrepreneurial activity in different industries. By using a spatial Durbin model, the authors control for spatial dependency.
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Francis Green, Harvey Krahn and Johnny Sung
Non‐standard forms of work figure prominently in debates about theflexibility of the labour force. Non‐standard employment, in the form ofpart‐time jobs, own‐account…
Abstract
Non‐standard forms of work figure prominently in debates about the flexibility of the labour force. Non‐standard employment, in the form of part‐time jobs, own‐account self‐employment, temporary working and multiple job holding has been increasing in many industrialized countries. Contrasts its prevalence in 1989 in Canada and the UK, through a systematic secondary analysis of the Canadian General Social Survey and the UK Labour Force Survey. While the overall frequency of non‐standard work is the same in the two countries, notable cross‐national differences are observed when age, gender and industry are introduced, and when the different forms of non‐standard work are examined separately. Among the more noteworthy differences is the higher proportion of employed British women in non‐standard jobs.
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Ali Abedalqader Al‐Thuneibat, Ream Tawfiq Ibrahim Al Issa and Rana Ahmad Ata Baker
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the effect of the length of the audit firm‐client relationship and the size of the audit firm on audit quality in Jordan.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the effect of the length of the audit firm‐client relationship and the size of the audit firm on audit quality in Jordan.
Design/methodology/approach
To test their hypotheses, the authors use the quadratic form approach, similar to Chi and Huang, with some modifications. The population of this study encompasses all firms in which stock is publicly traded on the Amman Stock Exchange throughout the years (2002‐2006).
Findings
Statistical analysis of data shows that, audit firm tenure affects the audit quality adversely (negatively). Audit quality deteriorates, when audit firm tenure is extended as a result of the growth in the magnitude of discretionary accruals. Meanwhile, data analysis did not reveal that the audit firm size has any significant impact on the correlation between audit firm tenure and audit quality.
Practical implications
If auditor independence and audit quality are to be enhanced, the audit firm should be rotated in order to open the door for new auditors to investigate the client with greater scrutiny and due care. Moreover, the activities of big audit firms should be monitored in order to distinguish their role from small firms.
Originality/value
The paper provides evidence from a developing country about audit quality. It is expected to support and sustain improvement of audit quality, and therefore, financial reporting quality. The evidence provided by this paper adds to the literature internationally and this is important because auditing is a socially constructed phenomenon.
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The importance of using the internet to achieve competitive advantage has been well‐documented. An ever‐expanding array of technologies exist that enable firms to accomplish…
Abstract
Purpose
The importance of using the internet to achieve competitive advantage has been well‐documented. An ever‐expanding array of technologies exist that enable firms to accomplish customer service online. Yet for many firms, determining which applications to employ can be perplexing. This study purports to examine the practices of service sector market leaders and measure performance results of adopting selected customer service applications. The aim was to identify inspirational targets and internet applications benchmarks among family owned businesses since for them, the importance of reputation may well hinge on providing outstanding customer service to the local community.
Design/methodology/approach
A six‐page self‐administered survey questionnaire was used to collect data from 374 family firms in West Michigan.
Findings
Findings suggest that while over 75 percent of firms use e‐mail to communicate with current customers and for customer service purposes, what distinguishes best practices is e‐mailing with prospective customers, targeting small or hard‐to‐reach markets, and adopting more sophisticated applications, including online product demonstration, ordering, delivery, and order tracking.
Research limitations/implications
Since, this study focused on family firms in the service sector, future research opportunities could come from examination of the impact of family business‐related characteristics on customer service strategy and practices, and comparison across industry sectors or markets served (B2B versus B2C).
Originality/value
The paper should be useful for academic researchers and business practitioners seeking guidance in terms of which e‐business applications to employ.
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Vedika Saxena and Seshadev Sahoo
This study investigates the factors affecting corporate cash holdings for a sample of 598 Indian Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) for nine years (2011–2020).
Abstract
Purpose
This study investigates the factors affecting corporate cash holdings for a sample of 598 Indian Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) for nine years (2011–2020).
Design/methodology/approach
The system generalized method of moments (GMM) approach is used to examine the determinants of cash holdings in the Indian MSME context.
Findings
The article shows liquidity, cash flow, leverage, firm size, probability of financial distress and cash flow volatility significant in explaining cash holding decisions for MSMEs in India. No evidence of firm age and growth opportunities as determinants of cash holdings in Indian MSMEs has been found. In addition, strong evidence of cash flow volatility, cash flow and liquidity in differentiating the cash holding decisions in the service and manufacturing industry has been documented.
Originality/value
While earlier research has addressed this problem in developed nations, this is the first study that fulfills the need to investigate the variables that influence MSMEs' cash holding decisions in a developing economy like India.
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George Stonehouse and Jonathan Pemberton
Strategic frameworks and tools of analysis have been the subject of much academic debate over the last 20 years. This paper reviews the main approaches to strategic management…
Abstract
Strategic frameworks and tools of analysis have been the subject of much academic debate over the last 20 years. This paper reviews the main approaches to strategic management and, by presenting the results of a survey of 159 small and medium sized enterprises selected from both the service and manufacturing sectors, demonstrates a divide between the theoretical concepts and the practical realities of strategic planning. While there are strong indications of business planning among the organisations surveyed, there is less evidence of strategic thinking except among larger businesses. Even in this latter group there are only a few instances where the recognised tools of strategic management appear to play a role in planning, the exception being internal financial analysis, which is widely undertaken.
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The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between trade, foreign direct investment (FDI) and income inequality for Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), using…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between trade, foreign direct investment (FDI) and income inequality for Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), using annual data from 1990 to 2016. The study attempts to answer a critical question: does openness affect income distribution?
Design/methodology/approach
The analysis of the model involves the examination of likely non-linear effects of both trade and FDI on income distribution. Therefore, system-generalized method of moments (SYS-GMM) estimator was applied to mitigate the problem of non-linearity and possible endogeneity. In the second stage, the model was extended to test the impact of education on income inequality. The hypothesis is that secondary school enrollment speeds up the process of adoption of contemporary technology and decreases inequality.
Findings
Trade and FDI have significant effects on income inequality when interacted with Gini-index; in case of trade, an inverted U-shaped curve holds as purposed by the trade theory. The components-wise effect of trade was held, except imports from advanced countries was found insignificant. Moreover, results were not found significant in case of human development index. Different results were found when trade and FDI interacted with education, which represents an important channel through which inequality is affected.
Research limitations/implications
The study implies that CIS needs to re-design trade and FDI policies by encouraging trade and FDI inflows into industries and sectors aligned with structural adjustments, domestic industries uplift and investment in social infrastructure.
Originality/value
This is the first study that has examined the impact of openness of income distribution in case of CIS.
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