A brief review connecting aspects of game theory, game refinement theory, and brain imaging of players while gaming was undertaken to highlight arcs of discovery underway. We will show that fNIRS is a heretofore underused brain measurement technology; that game theory concepts have suffered from a dearth of experimental evidence, but also that f NIRS has already been used to produce significant results in experiments involving players during gaming. This research shows that since all three are true, experimentation using fNIRS presents as a promising avenue for improving and expanding on standard and emerging concepts in game theory and recreational game studies. We develop this idea and call it BAMING--brain activity measurement in gaming, and propose the next in a series of fNIRS BAMING experiments. Key Words: Game Refinement Theory, Game Theory, General Gaming, fNIRS, Superior Frontal Gyrus.
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Organizational Strategy toward Core Competency Workforce in Hospitality Industry CHENG-HUA, TSAI Pages: 469-483
This study shows different organizational strategies have different influences on human capital input and value-creation output, and especially, when the firm’s environmental adjustment is high, organizations tend to allocate more external employees. This demonstrates that allocating more external employees to reduce budgets will result in higher employee turnover, greater recruiting and training costs, and potentially poorer service. Instead of merely cutting costs, this study suggests that hospitality firms might consider ways to re-engineer their companies, particularly their HR practices, towards a higher level of quality. Human capital is a unique asset within an organization because the arrangements of employees are different from each other. Consequently, to balance this contradiction, effectively allocating different types of employment modes is the most important way to maintain the competitive edge within an organization. Key Words: Organization Strategy, Human Capital, Core Competence, Mode Fit, Employment Modes.
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The Synergistic Impact of Customer Orientation and Supplementary Services on Competitive Advantage and Organizational Performance (Pilot Survey) SAEED M.Z A. TARABIEH, ZAINAL ARIFFIN AHMAD and RUSINAH SIRON Pages: 484-498
The study was allocated for a pilot survey since there is a lack of information about the Jordanian banking sector in regards to the variables of the study. A pilot survey was conducted to detect weaknesses in survey instrument design and determine the factors that contribute for the measurement of different variables. Variables to be examined in this study are customer orientation, information, financial consultation, banking procedures, customer service, security and trust, exceptions, bank statements and notices, banking transactions, competitive advantage and organizational performance. Different analyses were executed to determine the fitness of different items for the variables. Respondents of 50 branch managers were approached from the sixteen Jordanian banks and 5-point Likert scale was used to measure the variables. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 22 was used for data analysis. The results of the study show that the questionnaire developed is suitable to be used for the study of customer orientation and supplementary services factors. The instrument is also suitable to be used in the context of banking industry in Jordan. Key Words: Customer Orientation, Supplementary Services, Competitive Advantage, Organizational Performance, Jordanian Banking Industry.
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The Effect of Top Management Support on Innovation: the Mediating Role of Synergy Between Organizational Structure and Information Technology ESHAQ M. AL SHAAR, SHADI AHMED KHATTAB, RAED NASER ALKAIED and ABDELKAREEM Q. MANNA Pages: 499-513
The study aimed to identify the direct and indirect effect of top management support on innovation through the synergy between organizational structure and information technology. Data were collected from 210 industrial companies. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to test the hypotheses of the study. In addition, Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA analysis) was used to test the validity and reliability of the study instrument. The study concluded that the support of top management affect innovation (product innovation and process innovation). Furthermore, the results showed that top management support affects the synergy between organizational structure and information technology. It was also found that the synergy between organizational structure and information technology affect innovation (product innovation and process innovation). Finally, the study revealed that the synergy between organizational structure and information technology does not mediate the effect of top management support in innovation (product innovation, process innovation). Key Words: Leadership, Process Innovation, Product Innovation, Organizational Structure, Information Technology, Synergy, Structural Analysis.
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To What Extent the Prevent Smoking Policy Commitment (An Empirical Study on the Jordanian Health Sector Employees) SALAH M. DIAB and MAMDOUH TAIH AL- ZIADAT Pages: 514-526
The purpose of this study was to determine if there's a Jordanian Health Sector Employees Commitment with the Prevent Smoking Policy, in order to achieve this goal, a questionnaire was designed. It consists (20) clauses reflect all the variables, the study sample (300) employees in the Jordanian Health sectors. Grynbach constancy coefficients reached 85%, Percentages, Means, standard deviation, were used to test the study hypothesis. The study found that, all employees has apperception about prevent smoking policy, the highest job perception nurses, and doctors. Male, and married, has a perception more than female, there's a positively perception relations related to age, the highest experience has more perception, the qualification has a perception positively relations. Generally all employees have no commitments with prevent smoking policy, but Administrative, and paramedical indicated that there are commitments, Doctors, Nurses, and technicals and services indicated no commitments. Female, highest age, highest experience, post graduated, and married has a commitments about prevent smoking policy. On the light of the study results the researchers recommends; More attention to applied prevent smoking policy with equity and more powerful, Motivate the non smoker's employees, and Making an effective controlling role for the Higher Health Council in Jordan ,and others recommendations. Key Words: Jordanian Health sector, Prevent Smoking, health Policy, Commitment.
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Financial Development and Optimal Exchange Rate Regime Choice in Developing Countries IMEN KHOUJA Pages: 527-549
After more than 40 years of the current monetary system, the issue of the optimal choice of the exchange rate regime remains unresolved. Indeed, we experienced a diversity of regimes and an instability of the choices made with many countries switching from one regime to another. The paper investigates empirically the possible link between financial development and the choice of optimal exchange rate regime. To measure financial development, we introduce a composite index via the aggregation of five indices representing the key characteristics of the financial system in 51 developing countries over the period 1996-2007. The aim is to better consider the multidimensional dynamics of financial sector development. We use a multinomial logit model with panel data of the same countries and period. We consider two classifications of exchange rate regimes: “de jure” and “de facto”. The results suggest that financially developed countries are more likely to adopt the floating regime. It appears also that the choice of a floating regime is, notably, enhanced by financial openness and financial markets development. Key Words: Exchange Rate Regimes, Developing/Emerging Countries, Financial Development Index Construction, Multinomial Panel Logit Model.
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Investigating Relationship between Human Resource Empowerment and Innovative Performance in Vocational Training of Guilan Province HADIYE GOLROKH SEYQALAN and MOUSA REZVANI CHAMANZAMIN Pages: 550-560
At the present time, because of competition between organizations, empowerment of employees is considered as primary needs of any organization. Employees who have high ability of job performance will find their actual position in the organization and are looking for opportunities. One of the effects of empowerment is innovative performance. This study sought to examine the relationship between human resource empowerment and innovative performance in vocational training of Guilan. Also the effects of three variables of leadership style, culture and creativity on empowering employees are examined. The present study as its purpose, targets applied type and the statistical population of research are employees of vocational trainings of Guilan province that using non-random analytical sampling method, number of 110 employees were selected as the statistical population. Total number of 110 questionnaires was distributed among the population. 10 questionnaires were returned that adjustment of the numbers with Morgan table confirms sample size to be appropriate. Necessary data were collected through questionnaire. To analyze the data, Pearson correlation coefficient and to test normality, Kolmogorov-Simirnov test was used. Also Friedman test for ranking influence of variables of culture, creativity and leadership style were used. Key Words: Empowerment, Innovative Performance, Innovation, Guilan Vocational.
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Antecedents of Education Brand: Analysis of Student Preferences MUHAMMAD AHMAD, WAQAS MANZOOR DAR Pages: 561-571
The impending focus of the study is to provide information about the impact of brand in services preferences in general and higher education in particular. As in the case of services branding is considered competitive edge of an organization. The study focused towards the factors that constitute the brand and the consumer’s preferences. In this particular case the main objective was to see the impact of brand on the student preferences while selecting an institution for higher education. The study is quantitative in nature. A self administrated instrument was used to collect the data. The study was conducted in Pakistani context. The respondents were the students of Public, private and semi-government institutions. It is an example developing country where it is important to see the impact of brand in the consumer’s purchase intentions. The results provide strong support to theoretical model; regarding the impact of education brand on the student preferences. The study is equally important for the all type of institutions (Public, private and semigovernment) to attract the compatible number of students and also to attract the foreign students as well. The model is also helpful for building the brands in other services. The distinctive contribution of the study is to provide a base to identify the factor that constitute the brand in services sector and empirical validation of the services branding literature regarding the positive impact of brand on the consumer’s purchase intentions in Pakistani context (an emerging market). Key Words: Education Brand, Services Marketing, Student Preferences, Pakistan, Higher Education Institutions, Education.
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A Unified Probabilistic Approach of Tunisian Stock Market Cycle: Nonlinearity, Turning Points and Duration- Dependence AZZA BEJAOUI, ADEL KARAA and EMNA MAHAT Pages: 572-589
In this paper, we have two goals. First, we try to identify the stock market states and outline their statistical properties by using Multi-states Duration-Dependence Markov-switching models. Results show that the three-state model outperforms other models. An application to Tunisian stock market reveals that there exists three different states and each state represents different features of Tunisian stock market. Second, we construct a turning index based on the smoothed probabilities in order to identify the different Tunisian market cycle phases. The relevance of our index was documented from the synchronization between the values of the turning index and the values of TUNINDEX index return. It is well-adapted in order to account for extreme events. Key Words: Duration-Dependence; Risk-Return Trade-off; Tunisian Stock Market; Markov-Switching Model; Turning index.
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Investigating Effective Factors on Irans Saffron Exportation SEYED FATHOLLAH AMIRI AGHDAIE and JAHANGIR ROSHAN Pages: 590-600
Saffron is known as a unique product to any Iranian, and it is used in foodstuffs, drugs and industry. Iran produces 80 percent of the world saffron; and therefor it is the greatest producer and exporter of this product. According to the advantage of Iran saffron over others, it can import a high amount of foreign currency to our country; however, unfortunately despite having an appropriate situation in saffron production, we still haven’t been able to be a prominent producer of this product and we do not play a significant role in determining its price, due to different barriers in production, advertising, packaging, and export of it. Therefore, in this paper, we firstly discuss its benefits and its trade. The next step in this sequence would be mentioning the trade barriers and offering relevant suggestions for them. In terms of objective, the current paper is an applied one. And in order to test the hypotheses, we used a surveydescriptive method for data gathering. After questionnaire designing and testing validity and reliability of it, findings of the research was analyzed by the SPSS software. The population includes 80 persons, among saffron producers and exporters. The results showed that the followings are effective in increasing the export of saffron: advertising, suitable packaging, customization, caring about needs, wants and tastes (preferences) of global markets, appropriate price determining strategies, general and specialized training, notifying and informing the benefits and properties of saffron, and acquainting exporters with foreign markets. Key Words: Saffron, Competitiveness, Export.