A Case Study of Supply Chain Management in a Manufacturing Company in China

How to manage inventory is becoming an increasingly crucial issue for most manufacturing companies. R&D, the pseudonymous case study considered here, is a foreign direct investment (FDI) company engaged in producing electronic components. As the prices of raw materials and operation costs increased, R&D was challenged to maintain a smooth relationship among several factors: level of inventory, customer satisfaction and production efficiency. This paper first discusses the key factors that affect R&D’s inventory level. It then combines recent supply chain management theories and quantitative data into a framework for identifying how R&D might determine optimal ordering policies and strategies to reduce overall costs, while at the same time satisfying customers in terms of service.

To Explore the Effectiveness of Digital and Experiential Marketing in Attracting Customer Participation in the Hong Kong Wine and Dine Festival

The purpose of this study is to explore the effectiveness of digital and experiential marketing in attracting customer participation in the Hong Kong Wine and Dine Festival. This study explores the evolution of theories and models of digital and experiential marketing, and how they account for participation in a specific event. Findings show that variables related to media have moderate to strong relationship to customer satisfaction: owned media - HKTB Facebook, paid media - search engine, earned media - word-of-mouth, experiential marketing - escapist, experiential marketing - entertainment. Customer satisfaction also has a moderate relationship to customer loyalty. To boost the number of visitors, it is critical to better utilize the owned media – HKTB Facebook, paid media - search engine, and earned media – word-of-mouth to provide information and get positive feedback from visitors. The experiential marketing seems to be equally important and the marketer/organizer should consider providing escapist and entertainment experiences for visitors. A major limitation is the cross-sectional nature of this study. Future research could adopt a longitudinal approach by exploring issues related to promotional tools and types of experience over say three consecutive years. Another limitation is the sample size and type. Numbers are moderate and the snowball sampling adopted is non-probabilistic, which means that findings are suggestive rather than generalizable to all similar events.

A Case Study of Inventory Management in a Manufacturing Company in China

In this paper, we focus on inventory management in a manufacturing company in China. This study aims to identify the key factors that influence inventory management practices, investigate efficient and effective inventory management approaches, and examine the impact of supplier cooperation on supply chain improvement. A case study approach is used to identify the key factors that influence inventory management in a factory. Efficient and effective inventory management practices are derived from the case study and may provide practical guidance for foreign manufacturers in China. This study provides a valuable tool for identifying the key factors in inventory management which can be applied to similar problems encountered in actual manufactories.

Stock Performance of Socially Responsible Companies

Every year Corporate Responsibility Magazine selects and ranks 100 companies on the basis of their corporate social responsibility. This study investigates the stock performance of socially responsible companies in the U.S. The monthly stock returns for these companies are analyzed and compared with the market performance, with the S&P 500 index designated as a proxy for the market. The empirical evidence suggests that these 100 companies outperform the market in their monthly stock returns. We also narrow down the number of companies selected to the top 75, 50, 25, and 10 firms. As we narrow down the companies selected, the difference between their returns and the market returns also narrows. In other words, a portfolio that includes all top 100 companies provides the best stock performance. We extend the analysis to long-term annual stock performance. We find that these socially responsible companies′ annual returns are higher than the market returns for up to seven years after they are listed. We also conduct the same analysis on the top 75, 50, 25, and 10 firms, respectively. Similarly, the larger the number of these top 100 companies, the greater the tendency to generate higher annual returns. We suspect that because the difference between the socially responsible companies′ average returns and the market returns is not dramatic, with a bigger population and thus a larger sample size, the difference becomes more significant. However, in practice, transaction costs must be considered. This study is limited in that it does not consider transaction costs. Nevertheless, we hope to shed some light on the issue of socially responsible companies′ stock performance to encourage companies to start thinking about the importance of corporate social responsibility.

Diversifying Macau’s Economic Development: The Role of the Logistics Industry

The gaming industry occupies the leading position in Macau’s industrial structure and government revenue. Such a dominant position presents dangers, and so from the economic, political, and strategic points of view it is vital for Macau to diversify its economic development. In this paper, we analyze the development of Macau's logistics industry using a SWOT analysis. Results of the analysis are presented. Conclusions are drawn and recommendations are made for developing the role of Macau’s logistics industry.

A Case Study of True and Fair View Override in Financial Reporting

This paper documents a case study of true and fair view override in financial reporting by a multinational firm subject to International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRSs). The 2009 Interim Report of HSBC Holdings plc states that HSBC departed from the requirements of IAS 32 Financial Instruments: Presentation (IAS 32). Notwithstanding its noncompliance with the IFRSs, HSBC (2009) concluded that “the interim consolidated financial statements prepared on this basis presented fairly, and gave a true and fair view of the Group’s financial position, financial performance and cash flows” (p. 2). The purpose of this paper is to evaluate critically the accounting treatment in light of the relevant requirements of the IFRSs and the implications for professional accounting standards arising from this departure.

A Comparative Study of Initial Public Offerings in Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia

This paper presents the findings of a comparative study on the performance of the initial public offerings (IPOs) of shares listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKX), Singapore Exchange (SGX) and Bursa Malaysia (MYX). One indicator of the success of an IPO is its subscription rate, which can be used as a proxy for the level of investor confidence in the stock being offered. This paper examines the relationship between the performance of an IPO and its subscription rate, and the corporate factors that may affect an investor’s decision to subscribe to an IPO. A previous study conducted in Hong Kong (Ho, 2013) did not find support for the effect of the four corporate factors, namely size, managerial ownership prior to the IPO, industry differences and company age, on the subscription decision. However, managerial ownership prior to the IPO was found to be highly correlated with good performance, which could be attributed to a low agency cost in situations where managerial ownership is substantial. Further evidence from Singapore and Malaysia can help to shed light on the importance of agency cost in the pricing of IPOs.

Value of Professional Property Managers in Residential Project Development

Property management has often been described as an after-sale service because the participation of professional property managers is only required upon completion of the building. Recently, however, property management has become an integral part of project development based on its value. These days, managing recreational facilities such as residents’ clubs, gyms and swimming pools, given the frequent use of electronic installations, no longer falls under basic caretaking services. The early detection of hidden problems such as poor quality concealed cables, conduits and pipes and the improper selection of building materials saves time and money in subsequent maintenance and repair work, simultaneously reducing any inconvenience experienced by end-users due to a breakdown in services or defective rectification. Environmental protection and energy conservation are becoming increasingly important in our daily lives, and thus are unavoidable agendas in the design and construction of buildings, be they domestic, commercial or industrial. The input of professional property managers based on their foresight and past work experience with end-users is crucial to the success of such schemes. This paper reviews the value of professional property managers in residential project development.

SME Customer Service Excellence: A Singaporean Case Study

In Singapore, service sectors are dominated by SMEs. This study set out to investigate customer satisfaction as a critical factor in SME survival and indeed in helping to maintain the overall health of the economy. In this study, data were collected from a Singaporean SME which supplies and installs glass for construction projects. Departments involved were Sales & Marketing, Administration, and Installation. A questionnaire survey was administered to every customer of the company in 2013 in order to evaluate the services provided by the three departments. Customers were categorized into five groups: main contractors, designers/sub-contractors, property managers, home owners and commercial owners. Data were analyzed in terms of thirteen customer service variables identified from the literature. Statistical methods were applied to data analysis and findings were arrived at. Findings were found to be sufficiently significant to permit the formulation of a Total Customer Service Excellence Model for SMEs in Singapore.

Development and Validation of Project Management Constructs of Security Door Access Control Systems: A Pilot Study in Macau

A Security Door Access Control System (SDACS) project involves a number of teams from different organizations with diverse project goals. One of the main challenges of such projects is the lack of a standard approach or common understanding to achieve a common goal among project parties. This research examines various management concerns for SDACS projects, highlights the expected common understanding for project participants, develops the project management constructs, and emphasizes on the resulting value of the project to all participants. A two-stage process of scale development and validation was conducted. First, six generic constructs were identified based on the Security Access Control System Framework. Next, a multi-item scale for each construct was developed with reference to the Result-Oriented Management Framework. Expert judges were invited to conduct manual sorting of the items iteratively until reliability and validity was reached. In the next stage, further refinement and validation were carried out with a synthesized survey instrument and a series of statistical testing followed. The finalized SDACS project management constructs and the related findings help reinforce the importance of a standardized management practice for SDACS projects. The value of this research not only benefits SDACS project managers but everyone who works on the project.