• Journal of The Korea Institute of Healthcare Architecture
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.15-22
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• 2005

Healthcare design has been considered as one of the most complex design types. In this study, healthcare design complexity is analysed by the following categories: (1) function; (2) medical technology; (3) scientific knowledge; (4) aesthetics; and (5) interest group complexity. The central questions here are: (1) What is the impact of specialized knowledge on the professional practice; and (2) What are the relationships between design complexity and specialized knowledge. To answer these questions, this study utilizes two approaches, including mail-out questionnaires survey and in-person and focus group interviews. This study found that healthcare design architects emphasize the technical component of specialized healthcare design knowledge. Thus they perceive that architectural research, as a tool to increase specialized healthcare design knowledge, is beneficial to solve the technical components including medical technology and functional problems. In the professional practice, however, architectural research is hardly conducted due mainly to the lack of money and time for it. Different perceptions regarding healthcare design complexity and architectural research among the firms exist, depending on the firm size. These results imply that the knowledge management strategy of large firms can be more efficient to the organizational growth than the small firms.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.33-45
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• 2019

This study analyzed the association between IFRS adjustments, measured with the IFRS reconciliations, and the subsequent meeting of target earnings. IFRS adjustments include the amounts to be adjusted intentionally, as well as the differences in accounting standards. This study estimated intentional IFRS adjustments and analyzed their association with meeting target earnings. As the results of our analysis, meeting target earnings was associated positively with intentional IFRS adjustments for the total assets, was negatively associated with them for current assets, and was positively associated with them for non-current assets. Since understatement of current assets can be realized into earnings in a short period of time, it seems that current assets were underestimated intentionally in order to meet target earnings subsequently. In contrast, it is considered that non-current assets were overestimated to make them more likely to meet target earnings either by increasing the firm size or by improving financial solvency. The results of this study imply that IFRS adjustments are useful to manage earnings for meeting target earnings. Since accounting standards may be established and revised constantly, which adjustments for them may occur, the results on IFRS adjustments are expected to have implications for investors, policy-makers, and standards establishment entities.

• Journal of Labour Economics
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.31-62
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• 2018

Using matching and difference-in-differences estimation method, this study estimates causal effects of health shocks on employment and income of full-time workers aged 40-55. Acute hospital admissions lower significantly the employment probability and earnings. The changes in employment and earnings persist up to three years after the health shock. The economic impacts of health shocks vary by socioeconomic status and job characteristics among individuals. Irregular workers are more likely to leave their jobs after health shocks than regular workers. Among irregular workers, the probability of leaving labor market after health shock decreases with the size of the firm.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.8 no.11
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• pp.133-143
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• 2021

This study investigates the relationship between social capital and enterprise performance with knowledge sharing as the mediator. By employing the data of 677 respondents collected from delivering questionnaires to small and medium-size firms in Vietnam in 2020, this study suggests a two-step approach that combines exploration factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and path analysis (SEM). The empirical findings significantly support our proposed model by demonstrating that knowledge sharing mediates the connection between all three elements of social capital and enterprise performance. At the same time, the results emphasize the importance of knowledge sharing as a major benefit of social capital and a substantial driving element of both operational and financial performance. The results show that all three social capital qualities (structural, relational, and cognitive) significantly impact both tacit and explicit knowledge sharing, while knowledge is one of the main routes connecting social capital to enterprise performance. Hence, our research model may be used in future studies to evaluate social capital, knowledge sharing, and firm performance as a new theoretical model. Our results offer a plausible explanation for how social capital improves knowledge sharing and enterprise performance.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.8 no.5
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• pp.627-637
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• 2021

This research extends the literature on the effect of board characteristics and ownership structure on audit fees; these factors affect the firm's agency costs and how the auditor assesses various risks, hence the audit efforts and fees. The paper introduces political connections as a determinant of audit fees for the first time in Jordan, where the political connection is prevalent and affects decision making on the Jordanian boards. The sample consists of 109 manufacturing and service firms listed on the Amman Stock Exchange (ASE) over the years 2012-2019. Data is obtained from the ASE and the company's annual reports. Board characteristics are measured by board size, independence, leadership duality, meetings frequency, political connections, and audit committee. Ownership structure was measured by concentration, foreign ownership, and Institutional ownership. The study hypotheses were tested by using Generalized Least Squares regression. The Findings showed that larger boards, politically connected firms, and firms with leadership duality are more likely to pay higher fees. Besides, Firms with greater foreign ownership pay less fees, whereas the rest of the variables are insignificant. Results suggest that political connections play a major role in determining audit fees; this provides a recommendation to policymakers in Jordan to reconsider regulations regarding political connections.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.439-444
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• 2019

It is generally known that high strength soil is indicative of well-graded particle size distribution. However, there are some special cases of firm ground despite poor grade distribution, especially a specific gap-graded soil. Based on these discoveries, this study investigated the development of an additive of gap-graded soils designed to increase soil strength. This theoretical concept was used to calculate the mixed ratio required for optimal soil strength of the ground sample. The gap-graded aggregate was added according to Plato's polyhedral theory and subsequently calculated ratio and soil strength characteristics were then compared to characteristics of the original soil sample through various test results. In addition, the underground stress transfer rate was measured according to the test conditions. The test results showed that the ground settlement and stress limit thickness were reduced with the incorporation of gap-graded soil. Further field tests would confirm the reproducibility and reliability of the technology by using gap-graded soil to reinforce soft ground of a new construction site. Gap-graded soil has the potential to reduce the construction cost and time of construction compared to other reinforcing methods.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.893-902
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• 2021

The paper examines the impact of corporate governance (CG), on dividend policy (DP) of enterprises in Vietnam. The paper studies the impact of CG on DP of businesses listed on Vietnam's stock exchange in the period 2008-2018 with 2,937 observations. The data of these companies is collected from the financial statements of businesses and Vietstock data sets, as well as aggregated from the data published on some reputable securities websites. The study used GLS regression method for data collected at listed companies in Vietnam in the period of 2008-2018. The research results have found that CG, the chairman of the board of directors (BOD), and the managing director have a negative effect on the DP. Specifically, companies with strong BODs tend to pay low dividends. At the same time, research shows that factors such as profitability, financial leverage, firm size, and investment opportunities affect DP. This result underscores the importance of corporate governance (both internal and external) to the income distribution decision and provides policy implications for investors and company executives. The study finds solid evidence that alternative theory explains better the relationship between corporate governance and dividend policy. Accordingly, companies with weak corporate governance will pay more dividends.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.45-52
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• 2021

The capital structure is one of the hot financial topics among researchers and scholars. Its importance comes from the fact that capital structure is closely related to companies' ability to meet different stakeholders' needs. A suitable capital structure will boost the business and create a competitive advantage in the context of fierce competition. Many companies choose an optimal debt level based on the trade-off between interest and debt costs. This study aimed to test the existence of trade-off theory in capital structure, the case of Vietnam's real estate companies, which are growing very fast recently. Instead of considering constant optimal leverage to test the trade-off model, we take advantage of the dynamic capital structure determined by growth opportunities, profitability, tax incentives, tangibility, liquidity, and firm size. The dynamic panel data regression was estimated by the system Generalized Method of Moment (Sys-GMM). The empirical evidence showed that real estate companies listed in the Vietnamese stock market might change their leverage toward a target capital structure determined by influential factors in a long-term perspective. In particular, the debt-to-asset ratio will change by approximately 14 percent, positively, in response to the difference between the current debt-to-asset ratio and the dynamic target debt-to-asset ratio.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.469-477
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• 2021

In this paper, the relationship between the profitability level of an enterprise and the credit policy adopted by an enterprise was measured. A sample of industrial firms listed on the stock exchanges of Iraq, Jordan, and Kuwait was analyzed. Five industrial firms were randomly selected from each exchange with a condition of having at least 5 year-activity. The total sample size was 15 industrial firms. The study financial data was imported from the sample firms' websites. The financial data was for the financial year 2017. The Regression Analysis was adopted to measure the impact of trade credit on the profitability of an enterprise using the SPSS software. It was found that the receivable accounts have a proportional relationship with the turnover property rights rate. Similarly, the statistical results showed that the turnover property rights rate increased with an increase in the turnover receivable accounts rate and the percentage of investment in receivable accounts. The influence of trade credit on the enterprise profitability percentage in the Iraq stock exchange, Amman stock exchange, and Boursa Kuwait were 0.938, 0.200, and 0.089, respectively. The results showed that the three secondary assumptions were incorrect, while the zeroth assumption, i.e., trade credit has no influence on profitability, was correct.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.27-44
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• 2020

Purpose - This study examines the factors that influence the performance of contract farming by agricultural cooperatives from the agency theory and resource-based view of the firm. Design/methodology/approach - This study collected 1,090 data related to a sample of contract information between agricultural cooperatives and producers from national agricultural cooperatives federation. In order to examine the performance of contract farming, we use the multiple regression analysis. Findings - Incentives may reduce agency problems by increasing producers' motivation and discouraging their opportunistic behavior. Total asset size and education expenses function like resources that lessen the risks coming from environment uncertainty, and also facilitate the contract farming between producers and agricultural cooperatives. Research implications or Originality - By analyzing the factors that influence on the performance of contract farming between producers and agricultural cooperatives, we propose that incentives, and resources may improve the performance of contract farming between agricultural cooperatives and producers. Overall, the contract farming can co-create the economic efficiency and effectiveness while minimizing risks and uncertainty.