The mediating effect of internal service quality on employee turnover – empirical evidence from Taiwanese nurses

Informed by social exchange theory (SET) this study examines the role of trust in strategic alliances. Interviews were conducted with 17 participants who were strategic alliance managers in their organization. The study finds that trust is important to strategic alliance managers, and without it alliance managers would find it difficult to keep their alliance going. Trust is built over time, and based on the past experiences that the alliance manager has with their partner. The study found that prior networks, timely and appropriate communication and information exchange, fairness preservation and inter-firm adaptation were important in developing trust in the strategic alliance.

Air Asia: what has made it Asia's largest budget airline?

The success of Asia’s largest budget airline, Air Asia is analysed in this paper with a view to gain an insight into the factors that have contributed towards it. Air Asia’s management has concentrated on costs efficiencies, attention to controllable variables that reduce total risk and replication of the multi-hub model that generates operational efficiencies along with the creation of a regional identity that has gone a long way in making this airline what it is.

Managing ICT costs in e-commerce organizations with the time-driven activity-based costing model: a note

As online business activities continue to grow, it is important for organizations to understand the implications of being an e-commerce organization and the appropriateness of applying existing business techniques to e-commerce organizations. This paper examines issues in managing information and communication technologies (ICT) costs in e-commerce organizations and the potentials of the Time-Driven Activity-Based Costing (TDABC) model as a solution to these issues. The reliance on ICT in value creation, the unique natures of ICT costs and the need to maintain updated costing models present new challenges to e-commerce organizations in management of ICT costs. The TDABC model, as a variant of the Activity-Based Costing (ABC) model, inherits the strengths of activity-based paradigm and has unique features that can provide additional benefits to e-commerce organizations.

A decade of change in Australia’s DBA landscape

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the dynamics of the Doctorate of Business Administration (DBA) in Australia through the lens of a changing higher education landscape. The paper reflects on issues raised in a previous analysis of DBA programmes undertaken a decade ago, and highlights persistent challenges and emerging opportunities for professional Doctorate programmes in the Australian context.Design/methodology/approach – Interviews were undertaken with higher degree research directors, deans of graduate schools, and DBA programme directors from all 18 Australian institutions offering the DBA in 2013. Quantitative data on enrolments, accreditation requirements, course structures; and demographics are contextualised within a qualitative view of programme purposes, student and institutional motivations, rationales and concerns. Particular focus is given to perceptions of the difference between traditional research doctorates (PhDs) and professional doctorates, especially the DBA.Findings – In the decade from 2003 to 2013 DBA enrolments are down but enquiries are up, indicating unmet demand. There is a shift in the players, with some smaller, regional universities dramatically increasing their enrolments, and larger, traditional institutions exiting the space altogether. Significant changes in accreditation criteria have generated a perceptual shift: where DBAs previously suffered from “academic snobbery” regarding their legitimacy, this perception is being challenged by standards which require DBA equivalence with a PhD. This shift in standards has also created some confusion amongst supervisors and candidates.Originality/value – There is limited research into the DBA award or its candidates, and academic literature is generally silent on DBA supervision. This piece of research, one of very few that specifically examine the DBA, reflects on the past decade, analyses the present context and identifies emerging issues for the delivery of DBA programmes in Australia.

Board structure and firm performance : evidence from an emerging economy

We investigate the relationship between corporate board structure and firm performance of Bangladeshi companies. Using a sample of 654 firm- year observations for the period 2005-2009, the results show some support for aspects of agency theory as a greater proportion of independent directors on boards is related to better firm performance. Supporting resource dependence theory our result also suggest that larger boards provide valuable business experience, expertise, skill and social and professional networks which might add substantial business resources to the firms and thus positively impact on performance. We also find that female and foreign directors in Bangladesh provide more monitoring which leads to better firm performance. Our study contributes to extant research on board structure–performance relationship by providing evidence from an emerging economy context which is characterised by ownership concentration, family dominance and poor regulatory oversight.

Perceptions of fairness in the psychological contracts of allied health professionals

Purpose-The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationships between components of the psychological contract, organisational justice, and negative affectivity (NA), with key employee outcomes (i.e. organisational commitment, job satisfaction, depression, and psychological distress) among allied health professionals. Design/methodology/approach-In total, 134 (response rate of 46 per cent) Australian allied health professional completed a questionnaire. Findings-Multiple regressions revealed that higher NA was associated with lower organisational commitment, lower job satisfaction, and higher levels of depression. The psychological contract variable, breach, was associated with depression. Informational justice was associated with organisational commitment. Distributive justice was associated with job satisfaction. Research limitations/implications-This research is limited by its cross-sectional design and that the data were self-reported. The results obtained suggest the potential utility of collecting longitudinal data to replicate and extend the results. Practical implications-While NA may be beyond management control, it may be ameliorated by attention to improving communication of management decisions and by sensitivity to the elements implicit in psychological contracts. The negative consequences of contract breach may be offset by informational and distributive justice. Originality/value-This study is one of the first to examine multiple measures of the psychological contract in addition to organisational justice and NA. Further, this study adds to the literature for allied health professionals, where little is known about factors contributing to their turnover.

Interview with Wan Juli

Wan Juli is an Indonesian who studied at The University of Queensland in 2003-2004. He studied on an Australian Development Scholarship (ADS) and completed a Masters in Business Administration (MBA). The interview was conducted in English by Dr. Jemma Purdey of Deakin University on 30 May 2014. This set comprises: an interview recording, a timed summary, and a photograph.

Interview with Paulus Pwaka Laveil

Paulus Pwaka Laveil is a Papua New Guinean who studied at The University of New England in 1991, and in 1996-1997. He studied on an Australian Development Scholarship (ADS) and during his two periods of study in Australia, he completed a Post Graduate Diploma, then a Masters degree, both in Business Administration. The interview was conducted in English on 2 October 2014 by Dr. Musawe Sinebare and Mr. James Gande, both of Pacific Adventist University. This set comprises: an interview recording, a photo, and a timed summary.

Interview with Andu Nawio Jimba Rawali

Andu Nawio Jimba Rawali is a Papua New Guinean who studied at the University of Southern Queensland in 2008-2009. She studied on an Australian Development Scholarship (ADS) and completed a Masters in Business Administration. The interview was conducted on 28 September by Dr. Musawe Sinebare and Mr. Gande James, both of Pacific Adventist University. This set comprises: an interview recording, a timed summary and a photograph.

Interview with Nurianna Thoha

Nurianna Thoha is an Indonesian who studied at Curtin University in 2002-2006. Having previously studied in the US, she came to Australia on an Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) Scholarship and completed a Masters of Business Administration. The interview was conducted in English on 25 April 2014 by Dr. Jemma Purdey of Deakin University. This set comprises: an interview recording, a photograph and a timed summary.

Interview with Amin Wibowo

Amin Wibowo is an Indonesian who studied in Australia on two occasions; at Monash University in 1997-1998 and at Curtin University in 2003-2008. On both occasions she studied on Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) scholarships and she completed her Masters in Business Administration during her time at Monash University, before completing her PhD in the same field while at Curtin University. The interview was conducted in English and Indonesian on 27 May 2014 by Dr. Ahmad Suaedy of the Abdurrahman Wahid Centre for Inter-faith Dialogue and Peace at Universitas Indonesia, and Dr. Jemma Purdey of Deakin University. This set comprises: an interview recording, and a transcript of the interview which contains both English and Indonesian translations.

Interview with Lazuardi

Lazuardi is an Indonesian who studied at the University of Queensland in 2007-2009. He studied on an Australian Partnership Scholarship (APS) and completed a Masters in Business Administration. The interview was conducted in English on 19 September 2014 by Dr. Ahmad Suaedy of the Abdurrahman Wahid Centre for Inter-faith Dialogue and Peace at Universitas Indonesia. This set comprises: an interview recording, a photograph and a transcript.

Framing the socialisation process of the DBA candidate: what can universities offer and what should candidates bring?

In Australia, the Doctorate of Business Administration (DBA) remains a popular program but considerable anguish persists within the university sector over just what it is offering students. In this article, we use the process of postgraduate socialisation to understand how candidates, supervisors and administrators navigate pathways to successful completion and offering of a DBA program. We identify four modes of knowledge applicable to the DBA and suggest that universities and candidates may draw on one another’s cultural capital to determine which mode(s) can be offered. We also illustrate how candidates exercise agency through their cultural and social capital as they move through the program. We present a conceptual framework to help guide future research, and resource allocation on the DBA.