Managing knowledge work in Asia Pacific contexts: case studies of Hong Kong SMEs

This study explores how knowledge creation and sharing practices are fostered in a sample of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Hong Kong. Our analysis indicates that three types of managerial interventions – initiating intervention, reinforcing intervention and aligning intervention – are particularly useful to promote knowledge management activities among employees. Such findings provide insights into researchers and managers on the important role of managerial interventions in knowledge management (KM) as well as the idiosyncrasies of KM in SMEs in Chinese societies.     

Insights into domestic horse tourism: the case study of Lake Macquarie,NSW, Australia

This explorative study examined the extent and potential of horse tourism in Australia, specifically in Lake Macquarie, New South Wales. The study was based on in-depth interviews with 10 stakeholders. These stakeholders ranged from tour operators to tourists, and their experience with horse tourism was then discussed against literature. The stakeholders' main concerns and challenges indicate a gap between the demand and supply side especially for domestic tourists travelling with their own horse(s), indicating an opportunity for developing and engaging existing systems and businesses in Australia into an agenda for a horse tourism strategy.     

基于SWMM的沿海城市排水管网计算研究

排水管网是重要的市政基础设施,对城市防洪排涝起着重要作用。针对某城市沿海地区,采用公式法进行管段水力参数计算。为了分析管网实际排水能力,采用暴雨管理模型(SWMM)建立数学模型,完成了概化管网,划分汇水区,确定参数;利用芝加哥降雨合成线,进行了不同雨情条件下降雨模拟。研究结果对排水管网优化设计等方面具有指导意义。     

Improving demand forecasting in the air cargo handling industry: a case study

Air transportation plays a crucial role in the agile and dynamic environment of contemporary supply chains. This industry is characterised by high air cargo demand uncertainty, making forecasting extremely challenging. An in-depth case study has been undertaken in order to explore and untangle the factors influencing demand forecasting and consequently to improve the operational performance of an air cargo handling company. It has been identified that in practice, the demand forecasting process does not provide the necessary level of accuracy, to effectively cope with the high demand uncertainty. This has a negative impact on a whole range of air cargo operations, but especially on the management of the workforce, which is the most expensive resource in the air cargo handling industry. Besides forecast inaccuracy, a range of additional hidden factors that affect operations management have been identified. A number of recommendations have been made to improve demand forecasting and workforce management.     

物流企业精细化管理的应用

选择物流企业的精细化管理问题进行深入地探讨和研究,以精细化管理理论为基础,采用精细化管理解决了中铁联合物流在管理中所存在的问题,详细介绍了物流企业精细化实施过程,展示了精细化管理成果,为物流企业的精细化实施提供了借鉴。     

The Effects of Cross‐Functional Integration on Profitability,Process Efficiency,and Asset Productivity

We employ information processing theory (IPT) to posit beneficial impacts of internal integration on firm profitability and its underlying components of process efficiency and asset productivity. We further hypothesize that these effects are greater for firms that operate wider spans of supply chain processes. These expectations are tested with the combination of two different data sources: primary data collected to gauge levels of internal integration, and secondary data collected from financial reports including profitability performance and related financial ratios. The results provide evidence that internal integration mainly affects profits by driving process efficiencies. These efficiencies appear to be especially significant in sales, general, and administrative related costs for firms that have broad process spans. In contrast, the data analysis offers no evidence of a relationship between internal integration and asset productivity. Based on these findings, we point out important implications for the applicability of IPT in explaining the effects of internal integration, and identify a call for action for practitioners. Overall, our study enhances both the rigor and relevance of internal integration research by grounding it in IPT, by utilizing objectively reported financial data, by identifying specific cost benefits, and by studying the impact of process span as an important contingency.     

The influence of guanxi on physical distribution service quality availability in e-commerce sourcing fashion garments from China

The purpose was to investigate the influence of guanxi (personal relationships) on availability within physical distribution service quality (PDSQ) for sourcing high street fashion garments from China via e-commerce. The research reviewed articles on guanxi and although it is still widely considered important its contribution and nature appears to be changing as Chinese business practises and sourcing policy have matured over time. Qualitative research was used in two Chinese based case study companies with detailed access through semi structured face-to-face and telephone interviews. The findings suggest that personal relationships through guanxi can facilitate e-commerce availability of fashion product, particularly where there is limited lead time in the sourcing activity, although its form and application in each case study company and their respective supply network was not as widespread as had been previously reported. The form of guanxi was observed as personal relationships but some aspects of co-operative relationships were also found. Since the paper is based on a phenomenological ontology the findings are largely exploratory. Future research should focus on understanding physical distribution service quality and personal relationships in other sectors. Guanxi by definition is an unstructured array of socially-based relationships without a simplistic rationale or logic. By understanding how guanxi is applied in a supply chain management context will aid those practitioners involved in an e-commerce Chinese business practise.     

中国循环农业发展评估——政策回顾与对辽中县的调研案例

循环农业涉及农业废弃物的循环性利用和资源保护等方面,在中国获得了越来越多的关注。当前对循环农业的政府干预手段较多,但目的和手段都不尽相同。因此,有必要对这些政策系统化,并进行深入了解,提出具体建议,以促进循环农业发展。研究总结中国有关循环农业发展的现行政策,揭示影响其发展的关键因素,选择辽宁省沈阳市辽中县为案例,通过比较分析循环农业和非循环农业的农业管理方式差异,揭示农民培训的重要性。研究结果表明,循环农业生产者使用农家肥的比例(38%)明显高于非循环农业生产者(6%),使用化肥的比例(90%)低于非循环农业生产者(98%)。每种作物的U-STAT和模式都显示循环农业生产者比非循环农业生产者使用更少的农家肥和化肥。循环农业生产者玉米的产量明显高于非循环农业生产者。许多循环农业生产者使用化肥,其数量与非循环农业生产者使用的并没有很大的区别。因此,为了推动循环农业发展,传授循环农业技术,开展具体技术培训和信息服务比简单的宣传更为重要。     

Do aggressive orders affect liquidity? An evidence from an emerging market

This paper investigates how aggressive orders affect spreads and trading activity measures on the stock market. Based on a sample of stocks listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange this study finds that spreads and trading activity measures increase significantly when aggressive orders are executed, but quickly revert to initial levels. The reaction to these orders on the bid and ask side of the market is similar. The effect of aggressive orders differ depending on the size of the firms. Trading activity measures such as volumes or number of transactions increase stronger for bigger than for smaller stocks, while spreads increase more for smaller firms than for bigger ones. These findings enrich the understanding of liquidity dynamics especially on the emerging markets where liquidity is an important price formation factor.     

Servant leadership,CSR perceptions,moral meaningfulness and organizational identification- evidence from the Middle East

This article explores a novel process linking servant leadership (SL) to organizational identification (OI). In doing so, the study examines SL as an antecedent of internal corporate social responsibility (CSR) perceptions of employees and assesses moral meaningfulness as a moderator in the relationship between SL and OI through internal CSR perceptions. Utilizing a comparative institutional theoretical lens, it also explores how the SL-OI relationship varies across the UAE, Lebanon, and Tunisia. Two-wave and three-wave survey data are collected from employees working for international SMEs in the three countries. Findings show that the link between SL and OI can be explained by the proposed moderated mediation model and that the SL-OI relationship varies across the nations. Implications of these findings are discussed.