School of Business

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A consumer perspective of service quality in the airline industry
(2011) Hossain, Muhammad Muazzem; Ouedraogo, Noufou; Rezania, Davar
The airline Service quality has received much attention from both academicians and practitioners. Various studies have used SERVQUAL, AIRQUAL, the Kano Model, etc. for measuring the customer service quality in the airline industry. However, a review of the airline service quality literature shows a lack of research about the use of latent semantic analysis (LSA) in uncovering the underlying factors affecting the quality of service provided by the airline companies. The purpose of this study is to explore the generic service quality characteristics pertaining to the airline industry by mining the comments provided by the passengers of various airline companies across the globe. Passengers are under no pressure to express their concerns, opinions, or suggestions for improvement of service quality. Therefore, we posit that the customers’ comments are reflections of their perception of quality of service that they have already experienced. This study will help the stakeholders better understand the characteristics of service quality in the airline industry. The findings will provide managers in the airline industry with insights for managing and improving the quality of service rendered to their customers. We collected 1,069 customer comments on eleven airline companies and conducted an LSA on them to identify five factors affecting the service quality in the industry. The findings suggest that caring and friendly crews, luggage handling, in-flight meals, in-flight entertainment, and service expectation are the five critical factors of the airline service quality in the eyes of the customers.
A cross-country study of marketing effectiveness in high-credence services
(2016) Angulo-Ruiz, Fernando; Pergelova, Albena; Cheben, Juraj; Angulo-Altamirano, Eladio
This research seeks to examine the influence of traditional advertising, Internet marketing, and relational marketing on choice and willingness to recommend across countries with varying levels of the Inglehart–Baker cultural dimensions. In the general model, including four countries, relational, and Internet marketing have a significant and positive effect on choice. In the country-specific models, relational marketing has significant positive effects in Canada, Slovakia, and Peru; traditional advertising only in Peru; and Internet marketing only in Slovakia. None of those activities has an influence on choice in Hungary. Relational marketing and Internet marketing have indirect effects on willingness to recommend through the mediating influence of choice. The study provides evidence of comparative marketing effectiveness in the context of high-credence service across different countries.
A game-theoretic analysis of Canada’s entry for LNG exports in the Asia-Pacific market
(2023) Ghosh, Subhadip; Islam, Shahidul
The import demand for energy resources, including liquefied natural gas (LNG), has been steadily increasing in the Asia-Pacific region. Australia, the Middle East (Qatar), the Russian Federation, and the U.S. are the major players who compete strategically to capture this ever-growing market for LNG. The objective of this paper is to examine the potential for Canada’s entry into this market as another LNG exporter and what impact that can have on the existing suppliers. Using a game-theoretic LNG export competition model, we explore the conditions under which Canada can make a profitable entry. We also investigate the effect of Canada’s entry on the profitability of the four incumbent exporters. Employing a multi-leader Stackelberg model, we found that Canada’s entry could be a Pareto superior outcome under certain conditions because it benefits all competing firms and consumers. Further, Canada’s entry into the LNG export market always helps the low-cost incumbent firms by increasing their output and profit. However, the high-cost incumbent firms’ output falls, while their profit may increase or decrease depending on the unit cost and market size parameters. With differential export costs between Canada and the U.S., the latter has an incentive to act strategically to affect the entrance of the former.
A juggler's manifesto: elevating creativity to stay productive amid uncertainty
(2023) Enstroem, Rickard; Schmaltz, Rodney
Purpose The Industry 4.0 environment is characterized by fast data, vertically and horizontally interconnected systems, and human–machine interfaces. In the middle stands the manager, whose sustained performance is critical to the organization's success. Business disturbances—such as supply chain disruptions during the pandemic—can quickly test the manager's resiliency. While creativity and flexibility are critical for success in these situations, these skills are often not promoted directly. This paper will discuss strategies for enhancing managers' creativity and resiliency and give suggestions for improving professional development training and post-secondary business education. Design/methodology/approach A synthesis of the literature in business and psychology provides a foundation for creating a conceptual model incorporating strategies to promote managerial creativity and resiliency. While the model focuses on managerial performance under adverse conditions, the tenets of the model also apply during times of relative stability. Findings Findings based on a synthesis of the literature on creativity in business and psychology provide the foundation for a conceptual model to identify potential elements in training and curriculum design to further managers' creativity and resiliency. This model recommends clear, actionable training and program-level curriculum design suggestions for improved managerial performance. Originality/value This paper identifies a conceptual model to enhance managerial creativity leading to increased resiliency through professional development programs and suggestions for educators in post-secondary business education. This model provides tools for managers to deal with adverse and rapidly changing conditions flexibly, promoting employee productivity and satisfaction.
A market segmentation approach for higher education based on rational and emotional factors
(2010) Angulo-Ruiz, Fernando; Pergelova, Albena; Rialp, Josep
Market segmentation is an important topic for higher education administrators and researchers. For segmenting the higher education market, we have to understand what factors are important for high school students in selecting a university. Extant literature has probed the importance of rational factors such as teaching staff, campus facilities, and quality of education. Less attention has been devoted to the relevance of emotional factors such as personal values. The aim of this paper is to suggest a segmentation approach based on integrating rational and emotional factors that prospective students value when selecting a university. We gather information from 21 focus groups and develop a survey applied to a sample of high school students. We find six segments characterized by distinct rational and emotional underlying factors that lead to a particular composition for each segment. The factors discussed in this research can be used as a guide for higher education managers to develop segmentation and communication plans.
A microeconomic approach to foreign policy crisis behaviour
(1997) Siddiqui, Asif
This essay is a extension of Kenneth Walt's Theory of International Politics to the study of foreign policy behaviour.
A model of event-destination image transfer
(2014) Deng, Qian; Li, Mimi
The aim of this study is to provide a theoretical understanding and empirical examination of the psychological responses of tourists attending a mega-event hosted in a tourism destination. A conceptual framework—the event–destination image transfer model—was developed from an extensive literature review and related theoretical discussion. A survey was conducted in Shanghai during the 2010 Shanghai World Expo to test the model. The findings show that the event image directly and positively affected the destination image, providing empirical support for the image transfer theory. Tourists’ psychological responses—their overall attitude and behavioral intentions toward the destination—were positively and significantly affected by the destination image. However, the direct effect of the event image on tourists’ overall attitude toward the destination was statistically non-significant due to the mediation effect of the destination image.
A postpositivist commentary on self-fulfilling theories
(2019) Shadnam, Masoud
Across the vast terrain of social and economic sciences, it is well documented and established that some theories become self-fulfilling in the sense that they shape the social reality they purport to describe ([4], [5]; [9]). In their recent article [8] highlight an important gap in this literature—that is, we do not know much about when and how theories become self-fulfilling. Reflecting on this gap, they propose a process model for self-fulfilling theories and identify six boundary conditions that determine whether a theory becomes self-fulfilling or not.
A preliminary forecast of the production status of China’s Daqing oil field from the perspective of EROI
(2014) Xu, Bo; Feng, Lianyong; Wei, William Xiaojun; Hu, Yan; Wang, Jianliang
Energy return on investment (EROI) and net energy are useful metrics for analyzing energy production physically rather than monetarily. However, these metrics are not widely applied in China. In this study, we forecast the Daqing oilfield’s EROI from 2013 to 2025 using existing data for crude oil and natural gas production and the basic rules of EROI. Unfortunately, our calculations indicate that the oilfield’s EROI will continuously decline from 7.3 to 4.7, and the associated net energy will continuously decline from 1.53 × 1012 MJ to 1.25 × 1012 MJ. If China’s energy intensity does not decline as planned in the next ten years, then the EROI of Daqing will be even lower than our estimates. Additionally, relating the EROI to the monetary return on investment (MROI) in a low production and high intensity scenario, Daqing’s EROI will decline to 2.9 and its MROI will decline to 1.8 by 2025. If the “law of minimum EROI” and the assumed “minimum MROI” are taken into account, then we estimate that both energy pressure and economic pressure will restrict Daqing’s production by 2025.
A psychoanalytical approach to management research: the psychoanalytical problem, its resolution, and derivate research method
(2022) Bocatto, Evandro; Perez-de-Toledo, Eloisa
Karl Popper has locked the reasoning of many researchers on a particular kind of rational thinking, that is, hypotheses stating and testing. For this reason, social sciences started to privilege a specific theory of personality. It is accurate to state that the common-sense knowledge, and resultant human "irrational" action, can be explained and even confronted by testing its assumptions. Nevertheless, Popper's categorization is not the only one possible. It neglects the irrationality of unconscious' intentions, a competing drive that directs human actions. In this paper, we discuss that, in accordance, management research and practice have strict relations with theories of personality that neglect the unconscious. For that reason, it assumes that humans are self-interested organisms like guinea pigs, neglecting this complementary supposition: the unconscious's intentions, structure, and dynamics that also drive human behavior, thinking, feeling, perceiving, and learning. The crucial integration of objective knowledge with the unconscious dynamic supposes the addition of the psychoanalytical problem to Popperian's psychological problem. Thus, the derivate capacity to explain human and social action understood as intention, plan, and act must consider conscious and unconscious intentions. The psychoanalytical approach to management research also provides ingenious methods like the awareness-enhancing interviews we present.
A retrospective and prospective analysis of HRM research in Chinese firms: implications and directions for future study
(2008) Zhu, Cherrie Jiuhua; Thomson, Stanley Bruce; Cieri, Helen De
Based on an extensive review and analysis of 182 articles published in the field of human resource management that focus on China since its economic reform, this article discusses the major reasons for the growth in this area of research. We identify five major categories spanning research and practice, ownership type, and research method. Further, we examine issues and deficiencies in the research literature. Based on our analysis of each research category, we present a substantial series of research questions and implications for future research on HRM in China.
A rosè by any other name
(2022) Podder, Mohua; Gosh, Subhadip
A remarkable finding on analyzing the wine consumption data since the turn of the century has been the spectacular rise of the popularity of the Rosé wine. In the time period 2002-2018, the worldwide wine consumption of Rosé wine has increased by 20%. It accounted for 10.5% of the total still wine consumption in 2019. Indeed, the US has been one of the drivers of this rise in the popularity of the Rosé wine, with an increase of 118% in rose wine volume from 2015 to 2020. This paper tries to examine the consumer preferences behind this astounding rise in Rosé wine, using wine rating data from the Wine Spectator website. Comparing consumer ratings of similarly priced Rosé wines with some popular wines of other varieties, we obtained some exciting insights using several data visualization and regression techniques.
A triangulated appraisal of how hybrid activities develop students’ negotiating self-confidence
(2016) Enstroem, Rickard
Higher Education Institutions (HEI) today are facing a multitude of challenges such as capacity constraints, intensified international competition through MOOCs, and a student cohort that is more mobile than ever before. In response to these challenges, many HEIs have implemented either fully online courses or hybrid courses having both synchronous and asynchronous elements. With this study, we make a first attempt at gauging the respective impact of Online (OL) learning assignments and Face-to-Face (F2F) learning assignments on the development of students’ self perceived negotiating confidence, as acquired in an undergraduate business course. By doing this, we also continue the validation of the Self-Confidence Indicator scale, as presented in Benson and Enström (2013).
A two-staged approach to technology entrepreneurship: differential effects of intellectual property rights
(2020) Pathak, Saurav; Muralidharan, Etayankara
In this article we examine how the strength of the intellectual property rights (IPR) regime drives technology entrepreneurship innovation (TEI). The latter is comprised of novel unfamiliar technological products and new business models, which in turn lead to new product-market combinations. We consider TEI to be a two-stage process that involves access to and use of new technologies and technological resources by entrepreneurs. While stronger IPR may constrain easy availability of new technologies and technological resources for entrepreneurs, using technology itself helps lead to TEI. We suggest that stronger IPR regimes could lead to TEI. The positive effect of TEI is felt through easier accessibility to the latest technologies and technology resources by entrepreneurs. Our model contributes to understanding the effect of strong IPR regimes on different stages of the innovation process.
A unique challenge: teaching finance and budgeting to your non-finance staff, government finance review
(2021) Saccucci, Frank
How many times have you explained the same accounting, finance, budgeting concept, principle, or cycle to a non-finance colleague—only to have them say, “Oh, you finance people have your own language?” You’re left wondering why your non-finance peers don’t understand. A possible answer is the way in which finance is explained or taught, rather than the content itself. Teaching or explaining content is half art and half science—and learning the art of teaching and training can at times take longer than learning the science.
A walk on the wild side: the impact of music on risk-taking likelihood
(2017) Enstroem, Rickard; Schmaltz, Rodney
From a marketing perspective, there has been substantial interest in on the role of risk perception on consumer behavior. Specific ‘problem music’ like rap and heavy metal has long been associated with delinquent behavior, including violence, drug use, and promiscuous sex. Although individuals’ risk preferences have been investigated across a range of decision-making situations, there has been little empirical work demonstrating the direct role music may have on the likelihood of engaging in risky activities. In the exploratory study reported here, we assessed the impact of listening to different styles of music while assessing risk-taking likelihood through a psychometric scale. Risk-taking likelihood was measured across ethical, financial, health and safety, recreational and social domains. Through the means of a canonical correlation analysis, the multivariate relationship between different music styles and individual risk-taking likelihood across the different domains is discussed. Our results indicate that listening to different types of music does influence risk-taking likelihood, though not in areas of health and safety.
Acadly: an online platform for engaged learning
(2020) Kriz, Tiffany
Faculty and students alike can benefit from the use of educational technology yet keeping up with the latest developments can pose a challenge for busy faculty. This article reviews one tool that could be used to facilitate teaching and learning in face-to-face, hybrid, or online courses. Acadly is an online platform and mobile application providing capabilities such as automated attendance, in-page discussion threads, and participation tracking. Acadly functions similar to learning management systems yet differs in ways that some faculty and students may find appealing. The article discusses the strengths and limitations of the tool based on usage in five sections of an undergraduate organizational behavior course. Acadly appears to be useful in helping students organize their work, and in facilitating greater student engagement. A notable limitation is that it currently lacks advanced grading capabilities.
African development and global peace: socially responsible investing – the missing link
(2014) Siddiqui, Asif
Topics to be covered: 1) Millennium Development Goals (MDG’s) for 2015 in Retrospect, 2) Socially Responsibility Investing (SRI) in Africa, 3) Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in Africa, 4) The Road to Peace.
Altering the subaltern: racial formation leading up to post-orientalism
(2012) Siddiqui, Asif
Agenda: 1. Racial Formation Theory – Michael Omi and Howard Winant; 2. Orientalism – Edward Said; 3. The Question of Palestine – Edward Said; 4. Covering Islam – Edward Said; 5. The Clash of Civilizations – Samuel Huntington; 6. The End of History – Francis Fukuyama; 7. Post-Orientalism – Hamid Dabashi;
An analysis of patterns of retail gas price variations in Canada
(2022) Ghosh, Subhadip; Islam, Shahidul
This paper intends to study the patterns in retail gasoline price variations in Canada. In particular, we examine the following questions. First, we determine whether retail gasoline prices are higher on certain days of the week. Specifically, are the retail prices higher during the weekends than the weekdays in Canada? Second, we investigate specific differences in the retail gasoline prices over various days of the week across different Canadian cities and provinces. Finally, we compare the average retail gasoline prices across different provinces in Canada.

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