2009

The Office as Workplace Fief
Gabriel D. Donleavy, Faculty of Business and Informatics, Central Queensland University, Australia
Issue 37 (Vol. 19, No. 1), June 2009, pp. 3-12.
‘The Office’ is a very successful British television series and the office is the weekday, daylight home of many people. Yet it has hardly been researched at all in its own right as a workspace or domain. This paper argues its significance, posits its feudal character as the heir of the medieval fief (not the Boisot-Child fief); and suggests research questions for the near future.

Externalities of Capital Flows and Justifications for Capital Controls
Xinhua Gu, Faculty of Business Administration, University of Macau, Taipa, Macau, China
Li Sheng, Institute for Tourism Studies, Colina de Mong Há, Macau,China
Issue 37 (Vol. 19, No. 1), June 2009, pp. 13-26.
This paper discusses some significant facts about negative externalities generated by free capital flows, and analyzes certain justifications for the use of capital controls as an efficiency- enhancing tool to limit the external costs. This intervention tool, imperfect though it is, can limit the deviation of private equilibrium from social optimization by improving the composition of capital flows and alleviating their distorted incentive for externality creation. To avoid financial turbulence or economic crises, we urge emerging-market economies such as China to stay away from the damaging influences of free-market ideology and seriously reconsider the merits of capital controls.

Building SME Competitive Capabilities in the Global Business Environment
Guru Datt Sardana, India
Issue 37 (Vol. 19, No. 1), June 2009, pp. 27-46.
Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) constitute an important segment of the economy. Smallness of size is a handicap. Yet the sector has its strengths in areas of flexibility, delivery, and establishing an easy relationship with customers. Global business environment has created both challenges and opportunities for an SME. Through a careful application of Strategies as presented by Darwin while explaining the origin, struggle and survival of species, use of Information and Communication Technology, Technology Management, Agility and Responsiveness (SITAR), an SME can build competitive capabilities to sustain its operations on long term basis. The present paper provides a case study of how an SME in India could revive its fortunes by adopting this framework.

Marketing Concept Adoption and Implementation in Least Developed Countries: An Asian Perspective .47-69
Wail Alhakimi, Management Department, Faculty of Management and Human Resources Development, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Malaysia
Rohaizat Baharun, Management Department, Faculty of Management and Human Resources Development, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Malaysia
Issue 37 (Vol. 19, No. 1), June 2009, pp. 47-69.
Literature review had shown a separate focus on measuring marketing concept adoption and implementation. Furthermore, there have been insufficient discussions on issues concerning the successful implementation of the marketing concept. In addition, there is a lack of studies targeted least developed countries. Therefore, the overall aim of this paper is to build on the limited empirical evidence on the nature of marketing concept adoption and implementation, using Yemen as case study. Several SBUs were surveyed within different consumer goods companies. Through descriptive analyses, the results had shown the degree and difficulties associated with adoption and implementation of the marketing concept within least developed countries.