Online Survey Respondents’ Reactions to Required Questions

One of the most common errors committed by “amateur” online survey questionnaire designers is the improper use of “required” questions, where the survey respondent is not allowed to continue in the survey unless the question is answered. The problem with this design feature is that if a valid choice is not offered, the survey respondent must either give an incorrect answer to proceed, or terminate the survey. In order to get an empirical sense of how survey-takers respond to such situations, two studies were conducted, both employing 600+ members of a commercial online panel. Respondents were asked their opinion of a fictitious feature of a well-known law under varying required and unrequired response options. We conclude that there are unexpected threats to data quality when using required questions and such questions should be used with great caution

Culture and purpose of Web 2.0 service adoption: a study in the USA, Korea and Spain

[EN] The purpose of this study is to compare the characteristics of Web 2.0 application adoption among three countries with different cultural backgrounds by collecting data from the USA, Korea, and Spain. The authors conducted multivariate analysis of covariance analysis by using country as an independent variable representing unique cultural background, information technology capability (ITC) as covariate, and two dependent variables for Web 2.0 services, including social networking tool (SNT) and task support tool (TST). The results of this study show that culture and ITC strongly influence the adoption of Web 2.0 services. The Korean group is using Web 2.0 services mainly for social networking, whereas the US group is using them more for conducting their tasks. The Spanish group showed a balanced and high level of usage for both SNT and TST. The results of this study suggest that global firms should consider unique behaviours of Web 2.0 users when they develop strategies leveraging Web 2.0 services.Lim, S.; Palacios Marqués, D. (2011). Culture and purpose of Web 2.0 service adoption: a study in the USA, Korea and Spain. Service Industries Journal. 31(1):123-131. doi:10.1080/02642069.2010.485634S12313131

A Study on Growth Engines of Middle Market Enterprise (MME) of Korea Using Meta-Analysis

The purpose of this study is to comprehensively review previous studies and discover implications for the sustainable growth engines of middle market enterprise (MME) of Korea using meta-analysis. Since Germany’s hidden champion companies are considered as benchmarking targets because their economic environment and size are similar to those of Korean MMEs, a meta-analysis was conducted on the previous studies of them. As a result of integrating the effect sizes of input and output factors according to the process of the Program Logic model from the viewpoint of dynamic capabilities, 198 in Germany and 229 in Korea were derived. It was found that, unlike Korean companies, the number of skilled workers, labor productivity, CEO experience, and Innovation activities within the firm had a significant impact on Germany’s hidden champion companies. In addition, industry and region-oriented innovation networks and family businesses were identified as important variables. Meta-analysis collects a large number of individual studies in order to integrate the results and statistically assess the data. As a result, it will be used as basic data for developing models for academic research in the future. In addition, it will provide implications for sectors in which Korean MMEs should concentrate their efforts in order to create an innovative ecosystem

The Effects of Green SCM Implementation on Business Performance in SMEs: A Longitudinal Study in Electronics Industry

The evolution of green supply chain management (GSCM) in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) remains underexplored in the literature. Specifically, this study assesses the changes in the effects of GSCM implementation on employee job satisfaction, operational and relational efficiency, and business performance of SMEs that serve as suppliers to large buying firms. The present study collected survey data from 193 electronics manufacturers in South Korea twice in a seven-year time gap, evaluated the reliability and the validity of individual measures, and employed structural equation modeling (SEM) to test the model hypotheses. The results commonly found in the two studies with the time gap are (1) the positive effects of GSCM implementation on employee job satisfaction and operational and relational efficiency, (2) the positive effects of both operational and relational efficiency on business performance, and (3) the positive relationship between operational efficiency and relationship efficiency. Moreover, the positive effect of employee job satisfaction on business performance is found only in the latter study (Study II). The results suggest that GSCM implementation is a critical factor for SME suppliers to establish sustainable long-term relationships with buying firms in the electronics industry, and it also helps manufacturers improve employee job satisfaction and operational efficiency over time. The present study is believed to enhance an understanding of key factors in association with GSCM that positively influences the business performance of SME suppliers

Improving human capital through knowledge management practices in knowledge-intensivebusiness services

This article studies how knowledge management (KM) practices improve human capital. We conceptualize KM practices through six dimensions and test the relationship between each dimension and human capital. The empirical study which was carried out in Spanish firms belonging to the biotechnology and telecommunications industries shows that introducing KM practices has a positive impact on the improvement of human capital. In fact, firms that introduce practices related to continuous learning and the development of an innovative culture that encourages R&D projects improve the skills or abilities of their human capital.Palacios Marqués, D.; Gil Pechuán, I.; Lim, S. (2011). Improving human capital through knowledge management practices in knowledge-intensivebusiness services. Service Business. 5(2):99-112. doi:10.1007/s11628-011-0104-zS9911252Alvesson M (2000) Social identity and the problem of loyalty in knowledge-intensive companies. 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Entrepreneurial orientation and the performance of service business

Entrepreneurial orientation, Entrepreneurship, Service business, Performance, Culture, Japanese restaurant,