Declining Concentration in UK Manufacturing? A problem of measurement

It has become conventional wisdom that market concentration in the UK has fallen over recent history. However, the typical assumption has been that all imports are competitive so that any increase in import penetration implies a decline in market concentration. In a world of transnationally organized production and trade this would seem an inappropriate working assumption. Our analysis of the UK market for cars, vans, trucks and buses, where the necessary detailed firm data is available, supports this contention: an accurate assessment of who controls imports is crucial in the measurement of market concentration.     

On the efficiency of the UK rubber market

This paper seeks to establish whether the efficient markets theory can be applied to the London Rubber Market by analysing the price changes observed in that market for daily cash and future price series during the periods January 1975 to June 1983, and January 1980 to May 1983 respectively. The analysis features an examination of the return distributions and parametric, non-parametric, and economic tests based on auto-correlation coefficients, runs, and filter tests. The results support the hypothesis of weak-form efficiency.     

Halal Purchase Intention Among the Singaporean Muslim Minority

Muslim consumers’ awareness toward halal foods and products has been increasing. The halal concept becomes consumers’ vital concern as it covers wide areas of consumption, though one might perceive it as only a food-related issue. Given this background, this article aims to investigate the factors that influence consumers’ intention to purchase halal-certified foods and products. By using Ajzen’s theory of planned behavior (TPB) as a theoretical framework, this research employed a quantitative survey with a sample of 332 Muslim consumers living in Singapore to examine Singaporean Muslim preferences in purchasing halal foods and products. Data gathered from the survey were then explored and analyzed. Multiple regression analysis results indicate that all TPB variables have a positive and significant influence on the intention to purchase halal-certified products among the Muslim minority in Singapore.     

The Chinese outward foreign direct investment motives in ASEAN countries through export performance: The role of competitive intensity among Chinese smartphone manufacturers

This study aims to examine the impact of outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) objectives on the achievement of export performance under competitive intensity. We apply the diverse theoretical perspectives of the eclectic paradigm and institutional theory. Primary data were collected from 162 Chinese manufacturer–exporter companies. Specifically, this research shows that Chinese OFDI motives increase its export performance in ASEAN markets. Furthermore, we discover that competitive intensity moderates the relationship between strategic assets-seeking foreign direct investment (FDI) motive and export performance, but not the relationship between market-seeking FDI motive and export performance. Hence, this study presents a holistic assessment of Chinese smartphone manufacturers' export performance by accounting for the overlooked effect of firms seeking FDI motive through the moderating of competitive intensity.     

Risk management and dynamic network performance: an illustration using a dual banking system

This study applies dynamic network data envelopment analysis to compare a dual banking system, namely conventional and Islamic banks, with emphasis on risk measures. Non-oriented, variable return-to-scale dynamic network slacks-based measure is used to model the banking performance for the period 2008–2012. Under the consideration of risk measures, the findings highlight that Islamic banks excel in managerial efficiency while conventional banks surpass in profitability efficiency. Furthermore, the regression results find that the number of directors on the risk management committee has a positive impact on banking performance. Meanwhile, the high number of independent directors improves the profitability efficiency but worsens the managerial efficiency.     

Does social influence turn pessimistic consumers green?

The current research investigates the role of social influence on pessimistic consumers' approach toward organic food consumption using the self-focused regulations theoretical framework. It also examines the mediating and moderating role of environmental concern and social influence on the proposed relationships, respectively. An e-survey was conducted on 300 Indian consumers. The findings reveal that pessimistic consumers do not typically consume organic food. However, they have a strong concern for the environment, which, in turn, is likely to change them into optimistic consumers who begin to consume organic foods. Further, social influence significantly motivates pessimistic consumers to adopt organic foods and reduces the concern-behavior gap. The study provides significant implications for organic food marketers and retailers.     

Measuring technical efficiency of banks vis-à-vis demonetization: an empirical analysis of Indian banking sector using CAMELS framework

Quality & Quantity - The present paper examines the banking industry’s technical efficiency for the pre-and post-demonetization period, using the case of India. A two-stage analysis has...     

What affects the extent of business process management implementation? An empirical study of Malaysia’s manufacturing organizations

This study seeks to examine the factors that affect the extent of Business Process Management (BPM) among manufacturing firms in Malaysia. The factors comprised of internal and external drivers. Data was gathered from a survey of 200 manufacturing companies of which 59 respondents participated in this study. Our statistical results indicate that business environment is the key driver that affects the extent of BPM implementation, followed by organization strategy. The findings provide insight to managers that business environment, organization strategy and BPM programs are closely linked. To promote the adoption of BPM in Malaysia, these critical drivers should be emphasized.     

The stability of money demand in China: Evidence from the ARDL model

This study examines the demand for broad money (M2) in China using the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) cointegration framework. The results based on the bounds testing procedure confirm that a stable, long-run relationship exists between M2 and its determinants: real income, inflation, foreign interest rates and stock prices. Importantly, our results reveal that stock prices have a significant wealth effect on long- and short-run broad money demand; its omission can lead to serious misspecifications in the money demand function (MDF). This finding is consistent with the notion that asset inflation (deflation) has systematic influence on the pattern of monetary aggregates.