The Business Review

Using Six Sigma Methods to Evaluate the Reliability of a Teaching Assessment Rubric

Dr. John E. Knight, University of Tennessee at Martin

Sandra Allen, Columbia College Chicago

Dr. Daniel L. Tracy, University of South Dakota

ABSTRACT

Six sigma methodology has been developed and utilized in a wide variety of business applications with the intent of improving the overall quality of some facet of business operations. It also has been used to improve educational quality in academia. In this paper, the authors demonstrate the use of the six sigma method to establish the reliability of a teaching and assessment rubric. The paper presents a straightforward, illustrated approach to data collection and analysis with emphasis on the measurement and reduction of intra-rater and inter-rater variance. Six sigma methodology has been developed and utilized in a wide variety of business applications with the intent of improving the overall quality of some facet of business operations. Six sigma focuses on a series of sequential steps to define and solve a problem utilizing data collection and analysis. One of the important steps in the development of a quality system is the identification and use of an acceptably precise measurement system so that the data are repeatable from replication to replication. Six sigma methodology also has been applied to a variety of academic situations with the intent of improving educational quality (Raifsnider & Kurt, 2004). This paper will illustrate how these procedures can be utilized to test the reliability of teaching rubrics in the process of improving the assessment of student work. Rubrics have been extensively utilized in colleges as a way to define important dimensions of learning and to establish a grading scale to assess student performance relative to the learning dimensions. Methods to assess the reliability of grading rubrics have been examined using sophisticated mathematical and statistical procedures that are often difficult to apply. Six sigma procedures offer a simpler method with comparable results for testing both intra-rater and inter-rater reliability and for assessing grading instrument appropriateness. These procedures are widely available on the internet and are easy to use. This paper demonstrates how the six sigma method can help establish the reliability of a teaching and assessment rubric.

Restoring the Eco-System of the Indian River Lagoon

Sheila F. Emanuel, Davis College of Business, Jacksonville University, FL

Dr. Gordon W. Arbogast, Associate Dean, Davis College of Business, Jacksonville University, FL

Colonel Paul Grosskruger, Davis College of Business, Jacksonville University, FL

ABSTRACT

By 2050, the population in South Florida is projected to grow to over 11.6 million. These increases in population will not be able to be achieved without careful management of regional water resources.The Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) was designed to meet this challenge head-on. Besides managing water resources, the U.S.Army Corps of Engineers (COE) is working with a variety of federal, non-federal, state agencies, municipalities, and a variety of interested groups to restore and preserve the ecosystems throughout the state of Florida. This paper is an effort to ensure that the methods involved apply modern management science techniques so that the alternatives developed support the Central and South Florida (C&SF) project. In so doing the COE can be assured that it is meeting the objectives of the CERP and C&SF projects in the most cost effective and efficient manner. The Jacksonville District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE) is located in downtown Jacksonville. Comprised of close to 1000 employees, it is the second largest civil works district in the nation. Along with maintaining an extremely complex system of flood control works, the district’s projects are often designed for multi-purpose uses such as storage of water for municipal and industrial use, navigation, irrigation, development of hydroelectric power, conservation of fish and wildlife, and recreation. The district provides planning, engineering, and management assistance to other federal agencies, such as coral reef restoration for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), design and construction of sewage treatment facilities for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), dredging support to the Navy and Coast Guard, and restoration of El Morro in the Caribbean for the National Park Service. The district also activates to assist the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) with disasters in Florida, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The Jacksonville District also exercises regulatory authority, primarily in the area of dredge and fill activities, including dock construction, residential fills, sanitary landfills in wetlands and major port expansion. The district constructs shore protection projects and has active programs on Florida’s east and west coasts and in Puerto Rico for the cleanup of formerly used defense sites.

A Correlational Study of Culture and Leadership Expectations in a Mexican Manufacturing Plant

Dr. Sergio Matviuk, Regent University, Virginia Beach, VA

ABSTRACT

Existing cross-cultural leadership and management literature indicates that national culture has an impact on key management and leadership concepts and practices. However, the challenge is to determine how the relationship between these two variables occurs. This article reports the finding of an empirical study on the correlation of culture dimensions with leadership behavior expectations. The focus of the study was to explore how such correlation takes place and was conducted in a manufacturing plant in Mexico. Hofstede (1980) cultural dimensions theoretical framework and concepts of leadership prototypes (Lord et al., 1982; Lord et al., 1984) and behavior expectations (Berger et al., 1985,) were used as theoretical basis. The Values Survey Module (Hofstede, 1980) and the Leadership Practices Inventory (Kouzes and Posner, 1997) were the instruments used to collect data. Canonical Correlation Analysis (CCA) was used to explore the correlational canons of the two variables of the study. Findings suggested that participants with low power distance, high individualism, and high uncertainty avoidance are also more likely to have low expectations regarding their leaders’ performance in all five leadership behaviors assessed in this study. This study’s results provide insights on how culture and leadership behaviors interact and contribute to the development of a general theory about the impact of national culture on leadership behaviors expectations. Many prominent cross-cultural management and leadership researches such as Hofstede, (1980, 1984, 2001), House, Hanges, Javidan, Dorfman & Gupta (2004), House, Hanges, Ruíz-Quintanilla, Dorfman, Javidan, Dickson et al. (1999), House, Wright, & Aditya, (1997) and Javidan & House (2001) have indicated that culture has an impact on leadership concepts, behaviors and styles. Laurent (1986) even quantified the phenomenon and said that culture has three times more influence on key managerial assumptions and values than any other distinguishing characteristic, such as gender, level of education, or occupation.

Regression Analysis on the Per Capita Calorific Value for Different Countries

Praveen Kumar Parthasarathy, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ

ABSTRACT

This paper delves into the various factors contributing towards the per capita calorific value for various countries. In order to predict a linear model, regression analysis technique was chosen. A total of 10 factors were considered. In particular, the per capita calorific value was determined for the African continent by considering Africa as an indicator variable in the regression analysis. The data set was taken from the World Resources Institute website and MINITAB commercial software was used for the analysis. Data cleaning was initially done to remove the missing values for some countries. Eigen value and VIF analysis were then done to determine the multicollinearity between the variables. Based on the value of the conditional number, some variables were removed from the model. Best Subset regression and stepwise regression were then performed and the best model for the per capita calorific supply was determined. Model adequacy check and validation were then performed on the reduced model. The analysis revealed some obvious results such as dependency on meat consumption and cereal yield although factors like trade heavily influenced the result. Interaction terms were considered with the "Africa" indicator variable but did not significantly contribute to the reduced model. The reason why this particular data set was chosen is as follows: Per capita caloric value is a very important criterion in determining the development potential of a country. Most of the countries of the world have an agrarian economy where majority of the population are employed in agriculture. For example, 60% of the Indian population works in her fields contributing a sizeable proportion to the GDP. It cannot be said explicitly that industrialized countries have better per capita calorific value. A look at the data set shows us that some not so developed countries like Iran have a high per capita calorific value.

Can Firms Improve their Bottom-line Performance from Providing Information

Systems Support for Strategic Decision Making?

Dr. Michael J. Zhang, Sacred Heart University, Fairfield, Connecticut

ABSTRACT

While information systems (IS) have long been designed and used to support strategic decision making by top managers, there has been scant empirical research assessing the bottom-line performance impact of such IS support. Drawing from the recent resource-based approach to studying the strategic impact of IS, this paper argues that firms may achieve profitability gains from providing IS support for strategic decision making if the IS support was complemented by firm-specific organizational culture and structure. This argument received some initial support from a field study. Information systems (IS) have long been designed and used to support top managers and their work. Yet, we currently have limited knowledge about whether firms may enjoy economic benefits from providing IS support for strategic decision making by top executives, given the scant research attention to the bottom-line impact of such IS support. A better understanding of whether IS support for strategic decision making may contribute to the firm’s competitive performance is critical to the research and practice of IS development and deployment for top executives for several reasons. First, in view of the strong influence of top managers and their decision making on firm performance (Eisenhardt and Martin, 2000; Adner and Helfat, 2003), assessing the bottom-line impact of IS support for strategic decision making would be of considerable interest to firms and their top managers. Second, several studies have found that top executives in many companies do not adopt IS in their decision making (Young and Watson, 1995; Fitzgerald, 1998; Ikart, 2005). While user behavior issues, systems characteristics and other factors may have caused low system usage among top executives, the lack of empirical evidence for the performance influence of IS support for strategic decision making could be a key contributing factor (Orlikowski, 2000; Pijpers et al., 2001).

Is Free Trade Good for Working Americans?: Lessons from North America Free Trade Agreement

Dr. Ki Hee Kim, William Paterson University of New Jersey, Wayne, NJ

ABSTRACT

Free trade is a hot-button issue. Everywhere. And it always has been. Free markets don’t exist (White, 2008). Is free trade good or bad for America? Yet both the question and the answer have become muddied in recent years by a growing suspicion on the part of ordinary Americans that trade, coupled with technology, is allowing business to send more and more jobs overseas to places like Bangalore and Shanghai (Benjamin, 2009).The regional agreement among the government of Canada, the US, and Mexico that went into force on January 1, 1994, was intended to implement a free trade area among the three countries and to set up infrastructure to manage it. The goals of NAFTA were manifold to eliminate barriers to trade and assist the cross-border movement of goods and services, to create an environment of fair completion, to increase investment opportunities, to offer protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights, to develop and enforce successful procedures for implementing and enforcing the agreement, and to develop a framework for further agreement (Global Finance, 2008). Fifteen years after its inception, the debate still continues; some argue that NAFTA has fashioned a dynamic partnership between diverse nations, created growth, and fostered jobs and investment opportunities for all; while others argue that NAFTA has increased income disparity, worsened environmental policy, exploited labor, and relaxed policy for foreign ownership over Mexican resources, land, banks, business and otherwise. Why such divergent views? (Public Citizen). I will examine both sides of the debate to ensure NAFTA was a good deal for working Americans. Remarkably, many of NAFTA’s most passionate boosters in Congress and among economist never read the agreement.

Globalization - Trends and Perspectives of a New Age

L. Garrett Tabor, Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX

Dr. Balasundram Maniam, Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX

ABSTRACT

Times are changing and the world known now will never be the same as the day before. Step into a broader light and the vision portrays a common unified marketplace held with the regulatory supervisions and constraints of a governing authority fueled behind capitalism. Due to globalization’s abrupt emergence, this study was conducted to express the possibilities and ideas associated with globalization, as well as some of its concerns. Globalization can be primarily held responsible for changes in business structure, cultural mingling, and transformations in institutional frameworks. It is also responsible for leading innovations in technology and developing practices in today’s business world. Indeed, globalization has become the product of our time. Since the 1960s, nations began to get more involved in foreign affairs which loosened border constraints. The collapse of boundaries allows for favorable trade, economic advantages and the movement of a diverse worldwide culture. The intensive transmission of resources in both capital and labor invented a new era for the rise of adventure-capitalism and economic opportunity. In the mid-1990s and throughout the twenty-first century the rapid growth in business operations stretched across the globe, accelerating the growth of more diverse cultures and societies. Today, globalization is no longer an idea but an imperative strategy institutions and firms must incorporate into their frameworks for long-term growth and prosperity. The purpose of this report sets out to identify past and present trends commonly seen in the process of globalization and review differing perspectives connected with such a diverse, unified network aimed at global economic expansion and reform.

Performance of Foreign Firms After Their US Listing Upgrades

Dr. Kam C. Chan, Pace University, Pleasantville, NY

Dr. Hannah Wong, William Paterson University, Wayne, NJ

Dr. Annie Wong, Western Connecticut State University, Danbury, CT

ABSTRACT

This study examines the stock and earnings performance of foreign firms after they have upgraded their American Depositary Receipt listings from the US non-exchange markets to major US stock exchanges. Using a sample of American Depositary Receipts upgraded to major US stock exchanges in 1994-2002, we find that there is significant negative stock performance based on a four-factor pricing model. We also find poor earnings performance after their exchange upgrades. The poor stock and earnings performance occur mainly in the second year after the listing upgrade. Foreign firms often list their shares in the US markets in the form of American Depositary Receipts (ADRs). ADRs can be listed on major stock exchanges, namely, the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), the American Stock Exchange (ASE), and the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation System (NASDAQ). They can also be traded in the Pink Sheets, Portal, or the Bulletin Board. Foreign firms listed on major US exchanges are subjected to stricter Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and stock exchange regulations than their counterparts traded in the non-exchange markets. ADR listings provide quite a few benefits for both US investors and foreign firms. For example, ADRs offer a convenience way for US investors to invest in foreign firms on US exchanges with share prices quoted in US dollars. US investors also receive their dividends in US currency. Cross-listing in the US is often considered as a way for foreign firms to reduce the barrier of investment in segmented international markets. An US listing also allows foreign firms to increase investor interests and to raise capital in the deep and highly liquid US markets (Karolyi 2006).

Layoffs and Liability in a Lagging Economy

Joey Robertson, Sam Houston State University, TX

Dr. Laura L. Sullivan, Sam Houston State University, TX

ABSTRACT

When it comes to owning or running a business, one of the most unpleasant tasks a manager will face is that of having to terminate an employee. When circumstances add to this already horrifying proposition the existence of a lagging economy, one where that employee may struggle to find other employment, it becomes a very daunting task. It is in these trying times that owners and managers may be tempted to cut corners in the termination process in order to protect that employee from unnecessary stress. Unfortunately it is in these times of a struggling economy that sticking to a company’s established layoff or termination procedures is most critical. The concept of involuntary terminations is rarely a significant part of a business school’s curriculum, yet this area is a potential minefield of liability. This paper takes a look at involuntary termination due to a lagging economy and how managers might try to limit their legal liability in this normally stressful circumstance made worse by the panic associated with a fear of not being able to find other employment. “Find a good job and work your way up the ladder”. These are words that many of us may have heard as our parents tried to instill in us the work ethics and values which would make us successful. It is clear in these trying economic times working hard is not enough, and being a dedicated employee is not enough. By now most of the marginal, poorly motivated employees were terminated long ago. The sharp economic downturn has affected every corner of our society and many hard working, dedicated employees are on the streets. Many people have exhausted their unemployment benefits and have either taken part-time jobs or given up on finding regular employment all together leaving the true unemployment rate at 16.8% in August 2009 (1).

How Cloud Computing Enhances Competitive Advantages: A Research Model for Small Businesses

Dr. Dothang Truong, Fayetteville State University, Fayetteville, NC

ABSTRACT

Cloud computing is perceived as the next step in the evolution of information technology resource distributed systems with the capability to enable businesses and users to access applications from anywhere in the world on demand. Although the term “cloud computing” becomes famous, the research of cloud computing is inadequate and limited to technical aspects only. It is still not clear to businesses how cloud computing can help them improve their competitive advantages. The purpose of this research is to develop a research model of cloud computing from managerial perspective and focus on small businesses. We use the resourced based view theory to propose a research model which explores the influence of cloud computing related resources on a small business’ competitive advantages. Cloud computing is an emerging computing paradigm which promised to provide opportunities for delivering a variety of computer applications in a way that has not been experienced before (Sultan, 2009). With cloud computing, businesses and users can have access to applications all over the world through any web browser. We can imagine a cloud computing system as a virtualized computer system that contains all software and applications needed for businesses. Cloud computing provides businesses with a fundamentally different model of operation in which the service providers are responsible for hard parts in using software: installation, upgrade, maintenance, backups, failover functions, and security. As a result, the users of cloud computing services will see the increased reliability and cost decline due to economies of scale (Educause, 2009). They don’t need to invest in their own servers or employ staff to take care of them. Instead, they just need to pay for the services on demand. These advantages are important for businesses, but they become more crucial for small businesses who have limited resources. Using cloud computing services will save them a lot of time and money and makes their operations more effective (Quittner, 2009).

Generational Differences and Challenges to Future Health Care Coverage Options

Dr. Debra Hunter, Troy University-Atlanta

ABSTRACT

Organizations are spending enormous resources to attract and retain employees. However, with the rising cost of healthcare, companies are now looking for ways to minimize their healthcare cost. Unless change occurs quickly, organizations under financial distress will be forced to minimize their health care liabilities. Offering less attractive benefit programs to individuals may backfire on efforts to recruit and retain the most attractive employees. As mentioned earlier, employers will limit the amount of health service options available or pass these obligations to government programs. If an organization is comprised of individuals that are strongly opposed to participation in universal healthcare plans, efforts to reduce health care liability which forces employees to participate in such plans will have a negative impact on the organization affecting job satisfaction, morale and retention efforts. With the recent discussions on universal healthcare coverage plans for all, this paper seeks to address which generational groups would most likely be support health care reform. Based on the generational composition of the organization, an understanding of preferences along generational lines might have significant implications for organizations attempting to minimize their heath care liabilities. Perhaps one of the most prosperous nations in the world, the United States government does not provide basic health care to all its citizens (Wealthiest Nations, 2002). Opinion polls indicate that health-care concerns are leading among other issues such as terrorism, illegal immigration, or the rising cost of petrol. Some Americans feel that universal health care is not a role that the government should be involved in.

Financial Flexibility, Financial System, and Organizational Change

Dr. Chaiporn Vithessonthi, Mahasarakham University, Thailand

ABSTRACT

This article investigates whether financial systems affect a firm’s capital structure choice. I predict that firms operating in a country with a bank-based financial system tend to have a high ratio of bank loans to total debt than firms operating in a country with a market-based financial system. I contribute to the finance and management literature by analyzing the conditional effect of financial systems on corporate capital structure and organizational change. More specifically, I predict that financial flexibility is positively associated with organizational change and that financial system structure moderates the effect of financial flexibility on organizational change. Furthermore, I argue that firms operating in a country with a bank-based financial system tend to undertake strategic/organizational change that can be considered as a first-order organizational change, while firms operating in a country with a market-based financial system tend to undertake strategic/organizational change that can be considered as a second-order organizational change. The issue of whether a firm should use higher financial leverage has drawn the attention of many scholars (e.g., Brennan and Schwartz, 1978; Desai et al., 2004; Jensen, 1986; Jensen and Meckling, 1976). Much of the prior research on the corporate capital structure has provided different views on the use of debt in a firm’s capital structure.

Managing Change at Ultrasound Coronary Systems

Dr. Michael Albert, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA

ABSTRACT

This case describes an organizational change program implemented at a medical instruments company that develops, manufactures, and markets medical instruments to aid in the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disease. The case summarizes problems the company experienced with new product development projects and describes actions taken by the human resources manager to initiate a change process in this area. Comprehensive data from actual group interviews with four product development project teams is included in Appendix A. Teaching Notes appear in Appendix B. Mary Young, Human Resources (HR) Manager at Ultrasound Coronary Systems (UCS) for the past two years, had just returned to her office after completing the final group interview with a new product development team comprised of engineers, and research and development personnel. In addition to heading the HR function, Mary Young had skills in the planning and implementation of organization change programs. It had been three weeks since she met with the CEO, Rich Ferrel, requesting his approval and support for this project. During that meeting, Mary Young had recommended that the company analyze factors related to successful vs. unsuccessful new product development projects. Since the company had been experiencing a variety of problems in this area, the CEO approved Mary’s proposal. Now that Mary Young had completed group interviews with four product development teams, she needed to analyze the data, write a brief executive summary, and then meet with Rich Ferrel next week to discuss the data and recommend a process to improve new product development projects.

Correlates of Organizational Commitment and Knowledge Sharing via Emotional Intelligence: An Empirical Investigation

Dr. Silva Karkoulian, Lebanese American University, Beirut, Lebanon

Nour Al Harake, Lebanese American University, Beirut, Lebanon

Dr. Leila Canaan Messarra, Lebanese American University, Beirut, Lebanon

ABSTRACT

This study investigated the relationship between organizational commitment and knowledge sharing via emotional intelligence. Participants were 120 individuals working in medium size enterprises in Lebanon. The overall results supported the idea that commitment (affective and normative) to the organization has a positive effect on knowledge sharing. However, emotional intelligence mediated the relationship between them such that the relationship between normative commitment and knowledge sharing remained positive, but affective commitment was not a function of knowledge sharing anymore. In today’s “knowledge-intensive economy”, the available knowledge in an organization is an important asset. Thus, knowledge sharing between departments and individuals is a critical process (Osterloh and Frey, 2000; O’Dell and Grayson, 1998), and the organization can only start to efficiently manage this resource when group and individual knowledge is transformed into organizational knowledge. Knowledge sharing is perceived as crucial for the success of an organization (Chow et al., 2000; Davenport and Prusak, 1998; Nevis et al., 1995; Drucker, 1993;). It is then imperative that we understand the various factors that influence knowledge sharing behaviors (Mooradian et al, 2006). However, in order to share knowledge, it is important to change employees’ behaviors and attitudes so that they will willingly share their knowledge (Moffet et al., 2003; Lee & Choi, 2003; Jones et al., 2006).

The Role of Gender Differences on Students' Entrepreneurial Attitudes:

A Cross-Country Comparative Study of Croatia and Poland

Dr. Marina Dabic, University of Zagreb, Croatia

Maja Basic, University of Zagreb, Croatia

Ivan Novak, University of Zagreb, Croatia

ABSTRACT

The importance of tailoring the educational content from a demand side perspective is increasingly being examined by researchers willing to raise the entrepreneurial activity with the purpose of advancing national development and growth. The use of self-assessment to determine students’ entrepreneurship attitudes represents well accepted practice in field of entrepreneurship research. In order to address this void, this article examines the social dimension of entrepreneurship within the informal institutional setting. This paper aims at finding a causal relationship between gender and entrepreneurial attitudes of university students and making a cross-county comparison among three countries at differing stages of development: Croatia as the EU candidate country, Poland as a new member of the EU and France as an older member of the EU. A theoretical foundation was found in the Ajzen’s Theory of planned behavior with a survey conducted and statistically analyzed on 1024 students in 2009. 694 students from University of Zagreb, Croatia (330 males and 364 females) and 330 students from Poznan University of Economics, Poland (102 males and 228 females) participated in the study. The role of educational and public policy necessary to facilitate entrepreneurial motivation as a key driver of a new venture creation is given a detrimental role.

Green Growth and Labor Market in Korea

Namchul Lee, Ph.D., Fellow, Korea Research Institute for Vocational Education & Training

ABSTRACT

The green growth of key industries in the Korea economy is important aspect of the technological shift. The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), which is taking the lead in the green economy initiative of the United Nations, has selected the Korea as the first case study in a series of policy analyses. The primary focus of this paper analyzes the changes in structure of labor force participation, employment, unemployment, earnings and projection (2009-2018) of new growth engine industry such as green technology industry, high-tech fusion industry, high-valuable service industry .in Korea. The green economy is considered being able to both creating green jobs, ensuring real, sustainable economic growth, and preventing environmental pollution, global warming, resource depletion, and environmental degradation in Korean workers. Korea has been experiencing remarkable economic growth since the 1960s. (1) This has resulted in its real GDP per capita increasing rapidly enabling the once developing country to join the ranks of advanced nations from 1960 to 2009. (2) The majority of this growth can be attributed to knowledge accumulation, rather than to the accumulation of traditional factors of production of physical capital and labor. Korea had achieved this knowledge-based growth by investing heavily in education and training, boosting innovation through intensive research and development.

Simulation Games and Their Use in Education at Economics Institutions in the Republic of Croatia

Jovana Zoroja, University of Zagreb, Croatia

ABSTRACT

Education is a changing process. The new student generations differ from their older counterparts as they have grown up playing video games. Lecturers are adopting methods to students' requests in order to improve their communication and cooperation. Apart from this, course programs are changing and new methods are implemented. Educational simulation games improve studying, make students' active participants in the lecture and represent a teaching method that suits students' habits and their requests. The thesis tackles the concept of simulation games and their role in education. In order to estimate the ratio in simulation games usage, a survey was made in economics educational institutions in Croatia. The following goals have been achieved: (1) the respondents stated reasons on applying simulation games (2) the respondents stated reasons on why they don't use simulation games (3) the respondents defined courses where students would benefit from applying simulation games. Changes occur much faster and more intensively today thanks to information technology and the information flow. The computer science era makes technology an inevitable factor in the everyday life, both in private and business matters of a person. Education therefore demands changing and adaptation. New generations of students grew up with computer games and are much more interested in practicalities then reading or absorbing theoretical facts.

The Income Tax Process for U.S.A. Teachers Working Overseas

Dr. Inam Hussain, University of Texas Arlington, Arlington Texas

ABSTRACT

Many teachers are working aboard in the new universities in Eastern Europe and the Middle East. USA tax laws and IRS code require that all US citizens and Alien Residents pay Income Tax on any worldwide income. Non US residents are required to pay income tax on their income they earned in the USA. About 44 percent of the taxes collected by IRS can be attributed to the individual income tax. Taxation regulations when teaching abroad are reviewed in this study. USA tax laws and the IRS code require that all US citizens and Alien residents pay Income Tax on their world wide income. This income tax is important revenue for the US government. Of taxes collected by the IRS about 44 percent can be attributed to the individual income tax. Taxation when teaching abroad is reviewed in this study, specifically the exclusion of earned income. Also studied are the Earned Income Exclusion and strategies to avoid the State Income Tax. Teaching aboard offer unique opportunities for in-depth cross-cultural experience. You are exposed to new cultures and languages. Personal development is achieved with this exposure. One can expand knowledge of a foreign language by being exposed to native speakers. A foreign language as spoken can be quite different than what is learned in a classroom. This exposure prepares you for a future in a global society, which is daily becoming more global. Even accounting and auditing standards are becoming global today. US teachers often work teaching English as a Second Language, teaching Business Administration and Physical Sciences, all taught in English.

The Impact of Leadership Styles on Export Behavior of the Firm; An Empirical Investigation

Dr. Edward Vitale, Lebanese American University, Beirut, Lebanon

Dr. Silva Karkoulian, Lebanese American University, Beirut, Lebanon

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this research was to empirically test the relationship between the leadership styles (transactional and transformational) and the export behavior of the firm, number of years exporting, and the volume of exports. The result of the study showed that transformational leadership was positively and significantly related to export behavior, number of years, and export sales volume. The question of why firms export and others don’t, and the variables that affect export behavior have preoccupied researchers for a number of years. An abundant literature exists on export behavior of the firm in mature economies, such as the US, Canada and the UK. However, a literature search reveals that very little work done on export behavior in developing economies and especially in the Arab world. This study attempts to investigate export behavior of firms in the Arab countries more specifically in Lebanon. The choice of Lebanon for fielding this research are many; among these; is the presence of two American Universities, the population being bilingual or trilingual (English, French and Arabic), high literacy rate, and the fact that Lebanon has had continuous contact with the West through immigration.

The Value of Information Sharing in a Build-to-Order Supply Chain

Dr. Gisele Mendy Bilek, UPPA University, IAE Pau, France

ABSTRACT

In an environment of mass customization where demand information can be placed in advance, the question of the information’s best use arises in the Build-to-Order Supply Chain (BTO-SC). The primary focus of a BTO-SC is meeting individual customer requirements through product flexibility requiring the ability to leverage information technology through an integrated network of suppliers, as well as analyzing optimization models in scheduling production. As a result, this study focuses on analyzing the value of sharing information in a BTO-SC and the efficiency of scheduling coordination mechanisms between buyers and suppliers. New scheduling coordination rules allowing synchronous production in an unreliable environment approach have been benchmarked in the automotive industry as an appropriate method to increase the performance of a BTO-SC. The utilization of the concept of Order Penetration Point (OPP) makes it easier to analyse the interdependence of buyer-supplier processes. Over the past twenty years, the evolution of the economic environment of companies has led to an increasing tension on flows, in particular for companies specializing in mass customization. Mass customization implies the creation of a large volume of a variety of products which requires specific mechanisms for managing the supply chain's complexity (Coronado et al. 2004). Previous studies have investigated supply chain conditions and structures that can adequately support mass customization (Feitzinger and Lee 1997).

The Relation Between Motivational and Behavioral Cultural Intelligence and the Three

Dimensions of Cross-Cultural Adjustment Among Arabs Working in the USA

Dr. Grace K. Dagher, Lebanese American University, Beirut, Lebanon

ABSTRACT

This study investigates the relation between two facets of cultural intelligence and the three dimensions of cross cultural adjustment. Participants were Arabs working in the United States of America for a period of six months to five years. Using factor analysis and correlation analysis, the results of this study provides empirical support for Cultural intelligence scale and provides a support to the majority of the hypothesized relations. Moreover the results of this study provide insights for managers and future research. For a number of years the number of businesses going internationally has increased. With the increase of international businesses, an increase of cross-cultural interaction at the different levels and aspects of our life around the world took place. Today’s society is more culturally diverse than ever (Ang, Van Dyne, & Koh, 2006), and as a consequence individuals at the beginning of the twenty-first century are faced with more challenges arising from cross-cultural encounters than they have ever been (Ying & Han, 2006). Issues related to cultural diversity are especially important for today’s workforce as it is more culturally diverse than it has ever been. The failure to interact successfully with others from different cultures is one of the main difficulties, challenges, and expenses facing organizations and individuals around the world (Ang et al., 2006; Shaffer, Harrison, Gregersen, Stewart, & Ferzandi, 2006).

The Impact of Product Designations on Consumer Decisions: The Case of Croatian Olive Oil

Jerko Markovina, University of Zagreb, Croatia

Dr. Vincenzina Caputo, University of Naples Parthenope, Italy

ABSTRACT

There is an increasing awareness among consumers about the origin and health safety of the food they consume. This study uses choice experiment methodology to determine the importance of product designations (country of origin, method of production and health claims) on consumer buying decisions. The experiment offers several product alternatives including domestic and foreign products, those produced organically and conventionally as well as products with or without health claims provided on them. Multinomial logit and random parameter logit models are used to determine the relative importance of olive oil attributes. The results show strong consumer preference for domestic product and organic method of production. Besides that, it is found that health claims are a relatively unimportant attribute. These results are consistent with previous studies which showed that consumers considered origin the most important attribute of the product. In conclusion, the managerial implications and future directions of research are discussed. In the markets increasingly saturated with different food products, modern consumers are finding it more difficult to make informed choices. As Gil et al. (2000) state in their paper “…food consumption in most developed countries has attained a saturation point in quantity terms, and consumer food choices are broader than in the past. In this saturated market environment, distribution channels, marketing activities, diversification strategies, and food quality are increasingly important.

Development of Web Corporate Communications Function by Official Web Sites and

Value Added Ranking: Case of Croatia

Ivana Bilic, University of Split, Croatia

ABSTRACT

The complex and dynamic modern business environment driven by empowerment of individual stakeholders and supported by technology has launched a new era of disclosure of a business. The advent of the Internet has changed the way how companies do their business and how they communicate with all interested stakeholders. Driven and empowered by new communication technology development stakeholders have raised their expectations and now require more information about companies, products and services. The development of the web, especially of WEB 2.0 with its two-way, mostly read-write web and ability of stakeholders to communicate with one another, social networking etc. make companies more vulnerable than ever before. Upgrading of Corporate Communication function to strategic level can be correlated with companies’ high performances. In response to the dynamic and stakeholder oriented environment, companies with strategic positioning of corporate communications function try to assure a two-way dialog with its stakeholders through the official web site. The aim of this paper is to provide evidence of transparency of selected companies’ corporate communications function disclosure on their official web sites. The development of corporate communication function is observed through the components such as: basic web disclosure, online selling and presenting companies’ product/service, media relations, investor relations, employee relations, CSR, disclosure of corporate strategy, corporate communication executives’ direct contact and evidence of electronic media communication.

Effects of Religious Diversity on the Employees’ Perception and Reaction

Dr. Leila Canaan Messarra, Lebanese American University, Beirut, Lebanon

Dr. Abdul-Nasser El-Kassar, Lebanese American University, Beirut, Lebanon

ABSTRACT

With increased globalization and emigration, religious diversity is becoming an essential part of workforce diversity. Drawing from the Lebanese experience, the aim of this paper is to highlight some concerns that might affect religiously diverse organizations around the world. Surveys were administered to 349 employees working in medium size religiously diverse organizations to determine their perceptions of religious discrimination in their organizations. Descriptive statistics, hypothesis testing, chi square and regression analysis found a positive relation between education and the perception of religious discrimination in the workplace. In addition, positive measures taken by the companies when dealing with religious diversity issues positively influences employees’ perception and reaction The world today has been transformed into one global village. In fact, people easily emigrate from one country to another, integrate into new societies, and start new lives. They attend schools, universities, then incorporate into the work force of the new culture. Countries like the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, and others have become a harbor for many diverse cultures, backgrounds, ethnicities and religions. Thus, one of the challenges currently facing organizations is workforce diversity. According to Robbins & Judge, 2007, (p.17) workforce diversity means that “organizations are becoming more heterogeneous in terms of gender, age, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation and inclusion of other diverse groups”). While many have learned to recognize and respond to these differences, such as in the areas of ethnic diversity, gender diversity, racial diversity etc., the attention nowadays is slowly turning towards managing religious diversity.

Network Neutrality and the Meta-Frontier Analysis on the Efficiency of Internet Application Service Providers

Dr. Junseok Hwang, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea

Dr. Daeho Lee, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea

ABSTRACT

The principles of openness and nondiscrimination played a fundamental role in the development of the Internet in its initial stages. Since this early dynamic was established, however, the role of Internet service providers (ISPs) has expanded with the development of various applications. Different characteristics of each application require different amounts and stabilities of bandwidth. As applications evolve and require wider and more stable bandwidth, ISPs try to maximize their profit by controlling application service providers, which has caused a network neutrality debate. This article categorizes application services into four groups by bandwidth-usage attributes and latency sensitivity. By estimating the efficiency of these four groups, efficiency differences between the four groups are estimated so that the discrimination of ISPs can be seen when network neutrality is not kept. Meta-frontier analysis is used to compare efficiencies of companies with different production functions. Finally, a Tobit regression model is used to determine which variables explain the difference of efficiencies between the four groups. With the development of broadband Internet, many applications requiring broad bandwidth and high quality of service (QoS) have been developing actively. As applications require wider and more stable bandwidths, ISPs try to control their Internet services to maximize their profit, which has caused network neutrality (NN) debates.

Network Management for Clusters of Excellence: A Balanced-Scorecard Approach as a Performance Measurement Tool

Florian Welter, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany

Rene Vossen, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany

Dr. Anja Richert, Adj. Professor Ingrid Isenhardt, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany

ABSTRACT

Supplementary Cluster Activities constitute an important organisational part within the structure of the German Cluster of Excellence “Tailor-Made Fuels from Biomass” at RWTH Aachen University, because they focus on the entire clusters efficient networking process and successful strategic cluster development. As research teams from different scientific fields collaborate, the strategic management of interdisciplinary processes becomes necessary to enhance scientific cooperation. Therefore, amongst other measures of cluster development, a Balanced-Scorecard-Approach is implemented to measure the performance of the entire Cluster of Excellence. With the annual implementation of the Balanced-Scorecard-Approach, crucial key performance indicators have been collected, compared and analysed for the strategic management of the Cluster of Excellence, to facilitate innovation activities through adequate measures. Since 2006, huge financial investments in science have been made, due to the efforts of the German Federal Government, to promote excellent university institutions in Germany. The initiation and development of Clusters of Excellence were conducted in this context. Clusters of Excellence are scientific networks with heterogeneous partners of scientific institutions which follow a common vision. During the first five years of the funding period, each Cluster of Excellence was financed with approximately 40 million Euros.

Merger Efficiency Analysis of Horizontal and Vertical Integration in Korea’s Cable TV Industry

Dr. Junseok Hwang, Seoul National University, Korea

Ahreum Hong, Seoul National University, Korea

Daeho Lee, Seoul National University, Korea

ABSTRACT

With digital technology development and the diffusion of digital TV, media and telecommunication convergence has been centering on the digitalization of cable TV. The past 15 years have seen remarkable growth of the cable TV industry through technology innovation and investment in digital facilities. The expansion of MSOs has resulted in economies of scale, and the industry dominates other services such as broadband Internet and Internet telephony. The motivation for vertical integration is profitability and cost advantage, with the marketing efficiency of the system operator (SO) and the stable program distribution of the program provider (PP), as well as the easy distribution of program fee. This study investigates cable TV SOs’ productivity on the basis of metafrontier production function analysis, which shows the technical efficiency and the technical gap ratio of groups using different technologies. This analysis can compare the ratio of the technology gap between the potential cable TV industry and three different technology-based groups: vertically integrated SOs, horizontally integrated SOs and isolated cable TV SOs. The analysis is based on cable TV SOs’ panel data and uses the time-varying stochastic production function. The past 15 years have seen remarkable growth of the cable TV industry, with the establishment of multichannel video programming distributors (MVPDs). With subscribers numbering up to 14 million, the industry has a stable position in the broadcasting sector. This study investigates the efficacy of business consolidation and the limitations of regulation of the cable TV industry. An ongoing debate on the positive and negative effects of business consolidation in the cable TV industry is under way. Lee (2005) mentions the gains from horizontal integration: cost reduction, internally, and increasing competitive power, externally, along with improving economic efficiency.

Women Leadership in the Arab World: The Case of Queen Rania Al-Abdullah

Sara Itani, Lebanese American University, Beirut, Lebanon

Dr. Said Ladki, Lebanese American University, Beirut, Lebanon

ABSTRACT

This paper explores the phenomenon of leadership with the intent to improve the practice, to understand, and to influence people while focusing on gender issues. Queen Rania Al Abdullah, the Queen of Jordan, presents a substantial representation of effective women in power, an inspiration to all women, and most importantly a Female Leader in the Arab World. The paper analyzes the Queen’s practices to reveal how concepts and ideas of leadership can be shaped and applied in societal reality. The absence of leadership is often seen as an absence of organization. Leadership’s concepts, practices and variant forms of direction and control are so powerfully ingrained into popular thoughts. Such thoughts shape today’s dynamics, frame of work, and decision making. Communities are paralyzed by situations in which people appeal for direction. Not being led causes people to feel immobilized and disorganized. Successful acts of leadership are often seen as the synchrony between the initiation of action and the appeal for direction (Pierce and Newstrom, 2007). It is assumed that the actions of leaders along with the openness and responsiveness of followers results in successful leadership. This paper explores the phenomenon of leadership with the intent to improve the practice, to understand, and to influence people while focusing on gender issues. “Leadership and related phenomena such as power, authority, and influence has been the subject of much theorizing and research” (Suyemoto, 2008).

The Relationship Between Working Capital Management and Profitability for

South African Listed Industrial Firms

Dr. Pierre Erasmus, University of Stellenbosch, Stellenbosch, South Africa

ABSTRACT

Efficient working capital management should contribute to the creation of shareholder value. This paper investigates the relationship between working capital management and firm profitability for a sample containing both listed and delisted South African industrial firms. The results obtained from the full sample indicate statistically significant negative relationships between a firm’s profitability (as quantified by the return on assets in the narrower sense) and its net trade cycle (NTC), debt ratio and liquidity ratio. Similar results are observed if the listed firms are investigated separately. In the case of firms that delisted during the period under review, however, the liquidity and debt ratios appear to play a more important role than the NTC. Based on the results of this study, it would appear that management could attempt to improve firm profitability by decreasing the overall investment in net working capital. In the fields of financial economics and corporate finance it is generally accepted that the primary financial objective of a firm should be to focus on the maximisation of shareholder value. In order to achieve this objective, the management of a firm needs to ensure that the firm’s capital is invested in value creating, profitable projects that will generate positive net present values. Extensive empirical research has been conducted to investigate the effect of the investment and financing decisions on firm value. More recently, the focus has also increasingly been placed on the effect that working capital decisions exert on firm value (Deloof, 2003. 575; Lazaridis and Tryfonidis, 2006: 35; Nazir and Afza, 2008: 293; Raheman and Nasr, 2007: 279)

The Effect of the Changing Economical Environment on the Capital Structure of South

African Listed Industrial Firms

Nadia Mans, University of Stellenbosch, Stellenbosch, South Africa

ABSTRACT

The determinants of capital structure form an important part of the finance profession. Contemporary capital structure theory began in 1958 when Modigliani and Miller indicated that in a perfect capital market, the value of a firm is not influenced by its capital structure. However, when considering, inter alia, the effect of taxes, bankruptcy costs and asymmetric information, the value of a firm could be affected by its leverage. Firms' financing decisions may also be influenced by both firm-specific and economical factors within the country where they are operating. Therefore, a firm's managers should consider the growth rate, interest rate, repo rate, inflation rate, exchange rate and the tax rate when conducting finance decisions, since these factors could possibly influence the cost and availability of capital. In addition, these economical factors often have a significant influence on each other. Prior capital structure research mainly focused on developed countries. However, South Africa provides the ideal environment to consider the effect of economic changes on capital structure within a developing country, due to South Africa's profound economic changes during 1994 and the years to follow. The effect of economic changes on capital structure was examined by using a TSCSREG (time-series cross-section regression) procedure. The regression model is based on a model developed by Fan, Titman and Twite (2008). One-period lags were built into the model to make provision for the effect of economic changes that often only occur after some time.

The Effect of Firm Characteristics and Economic Factors on Capital Structures: A South African Study

Annalien de Vries, Stellenbosch University, South Africa

ABSTRACT

The irrelevance capital structure theory by Modigliani and Miller (1958) was the beginning of a debate around the subject of optimal capital structure. Numerous theoretical and empirical studies have followed their paper to provided statistical evidence that financing decisions do have an impact on the value of a firm. Over the years, many such studies have been conducted all over the world. Limited research, however, have been conducted to determine the effect that various firm characteristics and economic factors might have on the capital structure of firms in South Africa. And more specifically, the majority of South African studies were conducted prior to the demission of apartheid in 1994. This research, therefore, focus on the post-apartheid period from 1995 to 2008. The main focus of this study is also to distinguish between listed and delisted firms for the selected period. Descriptive and inferential statistics were conducted to achieve the objectives of this study. The results report that listed firms and delisted firms, respectively, are affected by different factors, indicating that differences do exist between these two sub-sets of firms. Capital structures are one of the most debated topics in financial literature. The focal point of this debate revolves around the existence of an optimal capital structure. Ever since Modigliani and Miller’s seminal paper in 1958, numerous theoretical and empirical studies have been conducted in an attempt to prove that an optimal capital structure does exist and that it does have an impact on firm value. Much of the further research focused on the relaxation of some of the restrictive assumptions made by them.

Brand Loyalty: Emotional Devotion or Rational Behavior – A Study on Mobile Telephones from Eskisehir, Turkey

Dr. N. Figen Ersoy, Anadolu University, Eskisehir, Turkey

Dr. Nuri Calık, Anadolu University, Eskisehir, Turkey

ABSTRACT

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to determine the factors that lead to brand loyalty. These factors have not yet been clearly defined because so many situational and transient agents play roles in its development. We ask questions about who, when, why, for how long, for what types of products, and under what conditions brand loyalty occurs in order to suggest some identifiable determinants. We use the mobile telephone (cell phone) as a test product for the development of brand loyalty. a. Data collection: 1200 persons over 18 years of age who were selected on a stratified sample basis took the survey, and 1059 responses are eligible to be analyzed. The questionnaire consisted of 50 questions: five on the demographic factors of age, gender, occupation, educational level and personal monthly income; seven on name of the brand used, term of cell phone usage, term of same brand usage, price paid for the cell phone, amount of time used daily, main purpose of cell phone use, and what guided the decision to buy; and 38 questions regarding the user’s practice and the evaluation of cell phones, using a five-point Likert-type scale.

The Analysis of Household Savings in Republic of Croatia Using Cointegration Approach

Dr. Ksenija Dumicic, University of Zagreb, Croatia

Irena Cibaric, University of Zagreb, Croatia

ABSTRACT

The analysis of household savings determinants in the Republic of Croatia is conducted in this paper using vector autoregression methodology, namely cointegration approach and error correction model. The characteristics of private savings in the Republic of Croatia are described. Then, the determinants of private savings for the empirical analysis are selected. The expected effects of individual determinants of savings regarding economic theory and empirical research are stated. Cointegrating relation, i.e. long run relationship is found among selected variables. The analysis of variance decomposition and impulse response function of error correction model is done. The article concludes by the comparison of theoretical and empirical findings in relevant literature to findings obtained for Croatia. The effects of most variables are in accordance with economic theory and/or relevant empirical research. However, compliance of some variables with the economic theory is proved to be questionable. This research concerns consumer savings’ determinants in the Republic of Croatia. Private savings, by definition, is equal to disposable income of consumers reduced by their spending.

Shopping Center Visits – A Fad or a Real Change in Consumer Shopping Habits? A Study from Eskisehir, Turkey

Dr. Nuri Calık, Anadolu University, Eskisehir, Turkey

Dr. N. Figen Ersoy, Anadolu University, Eskisehir, Turkey

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this paper is to identify the major attributes that might affect the purchasing behavior of consumers, many of whom are encountering a shopping center for the first time in their lives. These centers have only recently been established in Eskisehir. Prior studies suggest that while tangible factors (i.e. price, quality, assortment, availability, discounts, parking facilities etc.) play an important role in shopping center visits, certain psychological motives (satisfaction, self-image, emotions, exploration expectations, security, etc.) should also be considered to explain the major causes of these visits. A survey was conducted on 1600 persons, all over 18 years of age. They were selected on a stratified sample basis and 1579 responses were eligible to be analyzed. A 50-item questionnaire represented demographic factors such as age, gender, occupation, educational level and personal monthly income. Three were asked as introductory questions relating to the expenditure made, average number of visits, the purpose of visits and the name of the most frequently visited mall. The rest of the 42 questions used a five-point Likert scale regarding the appraisal of the shopping center features. Answers ranged from “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree.” The three shopping centers were also compared.

Active Rules in Multiagent Systems – Can Reactive Agents Deal with Physical Conflicts?

Dr. Kornelije Rabuzin, University of Zagreb, Croatia

Dr. Mirko Malekovic, University of Zagreb, Croatia

Dr. Mirko Cubrilo, University of Zagreb, Croatia

ABSTRACT

Active databases are capable to react to certain events by performing some actions. Reactivity is, on the other hand, very important property immanent to agents. This paper explores the connection between the two mentioned fields and demonstrates how active rules can be used to implement reactive agents in multiagent systems. Further on, this paper shows how one such agent can be used in order to solve physical conflicts that may arise in multiagent systems when allocating scarce resources. Multiagent systems were used during the years in many different fields for solving many complex tasks (buying or selling goods, searching, active caching, etc.); it is a well known fact that intelligent agents can solve certain tasks that may seem quite complex. But some problems represent challenges even for agents (one such problem will be described later on). Agents possess certain properties, can communicate among themselves and can exhibit complex behavior, although obeying just a simple set of rules. One can say that autonomous behavior was recognized as a promising paradigm. Among many different types of agents, reactive agents were recognized as well. Due to communication and interactions, conflict situations occur in multiagent systems. Many proposed solutions can be found and several conflict resolution strategies are presented in the paper.

The Effects of TQM on Corporate Performance

Dr. Fatma Pakdil, Baskent University, Ankara, Turkey

ABSTRACT

TQM is a management philosophy aimed at assisting an organization in producing quality and efficient goods and services. It seeks to improve product quality and increase customer satisfaction through the restructuring traditional management practices (GAO, 1991). Achieving high level of quality has become an increasingly important element in competitive success and previous literature perceived TQM as a potential source of competitive advantage (Powell, 1995; Douglas and Judge, 2001). In this manner, this study aims to examine the impact of TQM on corporate performance based on five dimensions with an empirical study performed among TQM practitioners in Europe. Results indicate that there are statistically significant differences on some corporate performance indicators after quality award winner companies began to apply TQM. EFQM Winners show differences specifically between the times applied TQM and non-applied TQM on process performance, employee-related performance, customer-related performance, and sales per employee indicator in financial performance. Similarly, TUSIAD-KalDer Winners indicate a difference on process performance, employee satisfaction, and market share indicator in financial performance. It is clear that corporations exist for a purpose; to produce high quality, low cost products and services. “Improving the quality of an organization’s products and services is fundamental to business success” (Adam et al., 1997) and “quality is the most profitable way to run a business” (Reichheld and Sasser, 1990).

The Role of the Value-Added Tax System in Creating a New Income Source for

Government (Kerman Province Case Study)

Mohsen Zayanderoodi, Ph.D., Islamic Azad University-Kerman Branch, Kerman, I.R of Iran

ABSTRACT

This article compared income obtained from value-added tax law and revenue accumulation law in Kerman. In this research, 195 companies are chosen randomly as a sample and payable tax is calculated according to both laws in 2008. The result of these accounting and of the hypothesis test shows that the added value tax law leads to increase in tax revenue. Resource allocation, fairer income distribution, economic expansion, employment development, economic constancy and maintaining price levels are considered the government’s main economic responsibilities. Governments therefore have to undertake high expenditure find various income sources in order to fund them. An efficient tax system can make this possible. Reforming the tax structure in Third World countries is therefore important..Comparisons of Iran’s tax system with that of other countries shows a gap between its existing situation of tax system and the desired. A value-added tax has attracted the attention of tax policy makers because of avoids double taxation in production and sales, covers the activities of all economic agencies, creates a tax basis, and finally for decreasing the tax evasion as an internal controller practically.

Macro & Micro Aspects of the Standard of Living and Quality of Life in a Small Transition Economy: The Case of Croatia

Dajana Cvrlje, University of Zagreb, Croatia

Tomislav Coric, University of Zagreb, Croatia

ABSTRACT

Increasing role of quality of life and standard of living took place in countries all over the world, especially nowadays, when numerous effects of the global crisis are felt all over the world. Emerging crisis caused many problems; thereby, in the current situation it is interesting to examine the level of the quality of life and standard of living. The purpose of this paper is to define standard of living and quality of life using objective and subjective indicators. Moreover, special emphasis is on the evaluation of quality of life and living standard in Croatia. After short overview of general development of concepts of standard of living and quality of life, situation in Croatia is analyzed in more details by using different indicators; GDP per capita, shopping basket, GFK basket, households’ expenditures, poverty rate, income inequality, HDI, life satisfaction and happiness, deprivation and optimism about the future. The measures show an increase in the standard of living and quality of life in Croatia, but more importantly, they also show the trend of constant increase in the living costs and the rate of poverty. The level of HDI suggests high level of human development and the results of the level of satisfaction imply that people in Croatia are moderately satisfied with their lives and enjoy a rather high level of happiness. Concerning optimism about the future, Croatian people are mostly optimistic. Standard of living and quality of life have been omnipresent issues in transition countries for many years, especially nowadays, when numerous effects of the global crisis are felt all over the world.

Optimal Hospital Location With Fuzzy AHP

Dr. Ozlem Aydin, Baskent University, Ankara, Turkey

Dr. Guvenc Arslan, Baskent University, Ankara, Turkey

ABSTRACT

The first step in planning to open a new hospital is to select the right location. Because this selection requires optimizing a number of criteria, multi-criteria decision making is an appropriate tool for this process. Hence, quantitative data obtained from either survey or expert opinions are needed. In this study, evaluations of four experts have been taken into consideration for determining the location of a new hospital to be located in Ankara, the capital city of Turkey. Since the evaluations are not always quantitative and include subjective opinions fuzzy logic is adapted to known multi-criteria decision methods. In this respect, expert opinions are expressed as fuzzy numbers and the “Fuzzy AHP” approach is used. Determining the optimal location for a new hospital in Ankara is aimed by using this method. One of the most important aspects in the health sector is the patients interaction with basic biological and physical requirements such as a hygienic environment, clean water and nutrition. While most of these requirements are not under the control of either the patient or the health institution, some of them may actually be controlled by the health sector. In recent years the number of health institutions is increasing rapidly. Hence, it is becoming more and more important, to consider aspects such as the size of the institution and the room (bed) as well as the personnel capacity, in the initial stages of constructing a new hospital. Health institutions, which have been constructed without planning in the past, show that such institutions frequently did not fulfill their objectives. From the experiences in the past, managers in the health sector realized that they need to consider analytical planning in constructing a new hospital as well as in the services they are planning to provide.

Micro Finance in India

Dr. Lamaan Sami, Aligarh M. University, Aligarh-UP, India

ABSTRACT

Since independence (1947) the Government of India has taken up various activities/programmes and financial services schemes under its Five Year Plans for adequate and timely institutional credit to the rural sector. The rural credit delivery system requires huge volume of low cost deposits that has to be lent at subsidized rates to meet development targets. In order to reduce increasing rural poverty, there is need for providing micro-credit facility to the village entrepreneurs in remote rural areas. Financial inclusion is increasingly being recognized as an important aspect of socio-economic equality where disadvantaged individuals and communities are connected with mainstream financial services, particularly affordable and readily available credit. Accordingly, social policy initiatives have emerged, that have traveled under various names: social investment, micro-finance, community finance and community development finance. These initiatives are seen as the basis of a ‘new economic’ that will create self-sustaining local economies. The government is also promoting community development finance as an aspect of community regeneration with the aim of providing credit to poor communities to stimulate local enterprise and thereby reduce dependency on state support. The planners and the policy makers have been eagerly searching for a suitable alternatives to reach the ‘unreached’ rural masses. The participatory approach to rural development has emerged as a vital issue in the developmental policies and programmes for rural masses. Micro-finance, through SHGs, is considered as one of the most significant tools to reach this goal. (1)