NBS Research Blog

Our NBS Research Blog spotlights the academic research efforts and findings of our faculty and PhD students. The NBS Research Blog aims to promote the school’s research papers and publications through the creation of engaging blog articles and videos.

Articles

Electric utility poles in a field during sunset with August 2024 text on bottom left

JOHN QI DONG (ITOM)

Business Value of Information Technology Capabilities in the Electric Utility Industry

There are two key characteristics of the regulatory environment specific to each firm depending on its market scope across states in the country: deregulation and regulatory uncertainty. Both factors influence the market value a firm can gain by investing in different IT capabilities.

A child placing his hand on a plate full of vegetables with July 2024 text on bottom left

ELAINE CHAN (MKT)

How Parents’ Beliefs About Food Could Be Fuelling Childhood Obesity

When parents believe in the Unhealthy = Tasty Intuition (UTI), they often view healthy food as less appealing and use extrinsic rewards to encourage healthy eating. However, this strategy often backfires as it may unintentionally promote unhealthy eating habits and increase children's weight.

Shadow of two people shaking hands in the background with the words Artificial Intelligence on the image with June 2024 text on bottom left

KUMARAN RAJARAM (LMO)

Navigating Promises and Challenges of Generative Artificial Intelligence in SMEs

From automating content creation to improving customer service and operations, GenAI is revolutionising the way SMEs operate. Despite its promises, GenAI presents various challenges arising from the algorithms behind it or how SMEs adopt such technology.

Market manipulation illustrated with a hand in the background and stock charts in the foreground with May 2024 text on bottom left

SIMBA, XIN CHANG (BF)

P-hacking in Empirical Accounting Research

The pressure to publish significant findings has led to a troubling trend in the academic world: the manipulation of data to achieve lower p-values and meet journal expectations. This publication bias not only distorts the scientific record but also undermines the integrity of research.

Businessman holding the word _Banking_ with network connection icons on a virtual dark screen background with April 2024 text on bottom left

SIDDHARTH NATARAJAN (SIE)

FinTech and banks as complements in microentrepreneurship

As traditional banks are often inaccessible and expensive, FinTech helps lower transaction costs and offers the poor easier access to formal financial services. The study explores how FinTech can encourage savings for small businesses, especially when it is complemented by banks.

Aerial view of Singapore business district

Centre for Sustainable Finance Innovation (CSFI)

Singapore's Chance to Spearhead Decarbonising the Region

Southeast Asia, including Singapore, is particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Rising sea levels and disruptions to food and water resources threaten the region's economies and communities. It’s now urgent for tougher-to-decarbonise industries to find new ways to accelerate projects that reduce carbon emissions.

Centre for Sustainable Finance Innovation (CSFI)

Breaking Down Bottlenecks to Achieve Decarbonisation

In the face of the urgent climate crisis, certain industries in Southeast Asia emerge as significant contributors to global greenhouse gas emissions. At a time when speed to curb emissions is critical and at the top of corporate agendas, NTU is leading an initiative to identify and remove bottlenecks that impede progress toward a low-carbon economy in ASEAN.

Business transformation concept in a digital age with March 2023 on bottom left of image

KUMARAN RAJARAM (LMO)

Leading and Transforming Organizations – Navigating the Future

Strategic positioning is crucial for driving the development and transformation of an enterprise. By adopting strategic positioning, businesses can devise effective strategies to stay ahead in their industry by enhancing their value proposition, leveraging competitive advantages, adapting to market trends, exiting non-viable ventures, and entering profitable new markets.

Employee getting promotion shaking hands with boss and receiving praises from colleagues in the background with February 2024 text on bottom left

YIN HUAXIANG (ACC)

Improving Managerial Effectiveness in Employee Management: Emotional Intelligence or Tournament Incentives

Managers customise their control decisions for different subordinates based on supervisors' emotional understanding and managerial compensation structure. Supervisors with high emotional understanding use subordinate-type information to prevent negative emotions while managing trustworthy subordinates.

Executive director talks to a Board of Directors and Business Associates in a conference room January 2024 in text

Angie Low (BF)

Executive Confidence and Myopic Marketing Management

Myopic marketing management occurs when overconfident CEOs cut current marketing spending to boost short-term earnings, causing the firm's value to decline over time. However, overconfident CEOs believe they can generate high firm earnings in the future to offset the long-term losses caused by their myopic actions.

Althaf Marsoof and Harry Tan (BL)

Content-filtering AI Systems

The accuracy and reliability of moderating content can be severely compromised when content-filtering AI systems are not trained using diverse and well-annotated data. To protect human rights and the well-being of users, there is a need to adopt a robust and enforceable regulatory regime that is grounded on ethical principles ensuring transparency, fairness and human-centricity.

A group of people declined something showing red card on the foreground with the text November 2023

Lai Si Tsui-Auch (SIE)

Double Trouble: Containing Public Disapproval Arising from Stigmatised Labels

Stigma arises from two main factors: political connections to the home country's government and entering key industries in foreign nations. Firms experience varying levels of criticism based on how these factors interact, leading each firm to develop a unique response strategy.

Woman whispering to a fellow female colleague with the text October 2023 on bottom left of image

Byoung-Hyoun Hwang (BF)

Listening in on investors’ thoughts and conversations

Investors’ desire to manage how others perceive them can influence the information they choose to share with others and even take priority over the usefulness and accuracy of the information.

Employees discussing at workplace, with the text September 2023 on bottom left of image

Shota Kawasaki and Xi Zou (LMO)

Diversity Training Across Cultures

Diversity training was found more effective in countries characterised by high self-enhancement, where individuals value the pursuit of personal interests and dominance over others, as well as in countries with high indulgence, where people freely satisfy their individual needs and desires.

Futuristic cityscape of Hong Kong with the text August 2023 on bottom left of image

Sam Park and Zhao Meng (SIE)

Multinational Corporation (MNC) Coevolution in China

Coevolution allows MNCs to react to consumer crises and actively influence the environment by improving stakeholders’ ethical behaviour. However, the tension between expansion and stakeholder attention hinders MNCs from coevolving with the environment.

Robotic hand pointing to a judge hammer with the text July 2023 on bottom left

Hannah Yee-Fen Lim (BL)

Developing regulatory compliance for artificial intelligence

Regulators are challenged with encouraging innovation while still protecting people and society from harm. While some work has focused on developing ethics principles, it is time to move onto creating solid legal frameworks and regulations.

People wearing face masks at a train station with the text June 2023 on image

Cindy, Xin Deng; Peng Zhuozhen and Simba, Xin Chang (BF)

Fintech and Economic Resilience during COVID-19

The increase in demand for Fintech was expected since the use of contactless payment methods helped curb the spread of COVID-19. Fintech can enable and accelerate economic growth, contributing to economic stability and resilience.

A man wearing a face mask using a hand sanitiser with the text May 2023 on the image

Simba, Xin Chang (BF)

Factors of COVID-19 Morbidity and Mortality

A study on 21 predetermined country-level factors that explain marked variations in weekly COVID-19 deaths and cases across 91 countries. The determinants are categorised into demographic-geographic, political-legal, socio-economic, and healthcare factors.

Warehouse management software on tablet with April 2023 label on image

Tang Qinshen (ITOM)

Target-Oriented vs Risk-Neutral Firms

A risk-neutral supplier can sometimes reap profits if the retailer is target-oriented, while a target-oriented supplier always performs better with a target-oriented retailer than a risk-neutral retailer.

ESG text with sustainable-related icons and March 2023 subtitle

Kevin Koh and Tong Yen Hee (ACC)

Sustainability Disclosure Practices

Firms with poor sustainability performance will likely reveal lower quantity and quality of sustainability information. While, firms with better sustainability performance emphasise forward-looking information associated with the long-term nature of sustainability issues.

Entrance of a cinema with the text March 2023

Eunsoo Kim (MKT)

Topic Consistency in Movie Reviews

The relationship between topic consistency and box office revenue is significant and positive. This association is more prominent with movies with mediocre review ratings than movies with extremely good or bad ratings.

February 2023 in text over the image of hands carrying a plant rooted in soil

Kelvin Law and Alper Darendeli (ACC)

Green New Hiring

Firms that increase their green hiring have increased levels of future profitability and generate more high-quality green patents. As more employees are equipped with green skills, this also enhances a firm’s reputation and competitiveness.

Hong Ru (BF)

Carbon Trading vs Carbon Tax

Emissions trading systems reduce overall emissions by cutting fossil fuel usage while boosting the usage of renewable energy. Whereas carbon taxes has a less effective impact on emissions reduction and fails to boost the usage of renewable energy.

Reports

Building with glass windows surrounded by trees

MATTHEW DEARTH (BF & CSFI) and KAREN TAUBENBERGER (MBA)

NTU Decarbonisation Forum | Buildings

In ASEAN, the buildings sector contributes 23% of regional emissions, underscoring the urgent need for action locally and globally. With the rapid growth in buildings, energy consumption, and rising living standards, emissions from the built environment in the region are anticipated to increase significantly.

MATTHEW DEARTH (BF & CSFI) and KAREN TAUBENBERGER (MBA)

NTU Decarbonisation Forum | The Textiles Industry

The textile industry accounts for as much as 8% of global GHG emissions and exceeds the carbon footprint of international flights and maritime shipping combined. ASEAN is one of the largest textile and apparel producers globally; regional action is critical to global emission reduction.

Attentive multiethnic businesswomen listening to boss while working on a project together

Angie Low (BF & CSFI)

Singapore Board Diversity Review 2024

Board diversity progressed strongly across SGX-listed companies, statutory boards and charities in 2023—the proportion of women directors rising to the highest on record.

Businessmen holding glass jar with coins and a plant.

Hong Ru, Simba, Xin Chang and Qian Shuoge (BF)

Carbon Tax Increase: Impact on SMEs

The increase in carbon taxes will result in higher energy costs for businesses, thus impacting their bottom line. Carbon pricing can also lead to higher electricity prices, which will affect low-income households.

A traveller with a luggage looking an airplane taking off

Cindy, Xin Deng and Simba, Xin Chang (BF & CSFI)

A Survey on Trends and Digital Adoption in China’s Outbound Tourism 2023

As many Chinese start to resume overseas travels following a nearly three-year COVID-19 disruption, the study on Chinese outbound tourism is of great interest to many. The findings highlight digital technologies' significant role in Chinese tourists’ travel experiences.

Althaf Marsoof (BL)

The Disposal of COVID-19 Dead Bodies: Impact of Sri Lanka’s Response on Fundamental Rights

The Sri Lankan Government’s cremation-only policy during the COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted the fundamental rights and religious beliefs of the Muslim community, which considers the burial of the deceased an integral part of their religious beliefs.

toy boxes in small shopping cart on laptop, e-commerce concept

Ronak Gopaldas (NTU-SBF CAS)

The growing pains of e-commerce business in Africa

An underdeveloped logistics infrastructure in Africa (road, rail, port), unreliable postal service, and the high cost of transport and duties are all challenges to e-commerce profitability in Africa.

A coal fired power station in Licolnshire in the United Kingdom

Rafiq Raji (NTU-SBF CAS)

Three proposals that should have been adopted at COP27

The three proposals that should have been adopted at COP27 should have included giving more room to Africa to exploit natural gas as transition fuel; develop carbon markets; and swap African external debt stock for climate finance.

Cindy, Xin Deng; Peng Zhuozhen and Simba, Xin Chang (BF)

Economic Resilience During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Role and Significance of FinTech

Using GDP growth and the unemployment rate as measures for economic resilience, countries and regions with more advanced fintech development faced a faster rebound in GDP growth rate and recorded stronger employment recovery during the pandemic.

Videos

Shota Kawasaki and Xi Zou (LMO)

Diversity Training Across Cultures

Eunsoo Kim talking about content overlap

Eunsoo Kim (MKT)

Topic Consistency in Movie Reviews

Hong Ru (BF)

Carbon Trading vs Carbon Tax

Magazine

NBS Research Magazine | Issue 2

This issue highlights our cross-disciplinary research, with an emphasis on emerging technologies, ethics and social responsibility, and emerging markets.

Read here

NBS Research Magazine | Issue 1

The thought leadership pieces in this issue spotlight our timely research on sustainability, emerging technologies, emerging markets and COVID-19 resilience.

Read here