Purpose-This study aims to test the impacts of risk-taking behaviour, competition and cost efficiency on bank profitability in China.Design/methodology/approach-We use a two-step Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) system estimator to examine the impacts of risk, competition and cost efficiency on profitability of a sample of Chinese commercial banks over the period 2003-2013. Findings-We find that credit risk, liquidity risk, capital risk, security risk and insolvency risk significantly influence the profitability of Chinese commercial banks. To be more specific, credit risk is significantly and negatively related to bank profitability; liquidity risk is significantly and positively related to Return on Assets (ROA) and Net Interest Margin (NIM) but negatively related to Return on Equity (ROE); capital risk has a significant and negative impact on ROA and Net Interest Margin (NIM) but positive impact on ROE; there is a significant and negative impact of security risk on bank profitability (ROA and NIM). It is found that Chinese commercial banks with higher levels of insolvency risk have higher profitability (ROA and ROE). Finally, higher competition leads to lower profitability in the Chinese banking industry and Chinese commercial banks with higher levels of cost efficiency have lower ROA. In other words, Structure-Conduct-Performance paradigm rather than Efficient-structure paradigm holds in the Chinese banking industry.Originality/value-This is the first paper to investigate the impact of different types of risk, including credit risk, liquidity risk, capital risk, security risk and insolvency risk, on bank profitability. This is the first study which uses more accurate measurements of efficiency and competition compared to previous Chinese banking profitability literature and which tests their impact on bank profitability. Our findings not only provide a general picture on the risk, efficiency and competition conditions in the Chinese banking industry, but also give valuable information to the Chinese government and to the banking regulatory authorities to make relevant policies.

This paper examines the vulnerability of international projects to political risks. A brief review of the literature on general risks -natural, financial, cultural and political -is undertaken and then a more detailed review of the literature on political risk is presented. It was found that relatively few studies of political risk, particularly in the context of international projects, have been carried out. More particularly the focus has been almost exclusively on developed, rather than developing, countries.Questionnaires were distributed therefore to the entire target population of Jordanian international projects. The findings suggest that the political risk associated with international projects poses a threat to the majority of respondents and that the vulnerability to political risk is related to a firm's degree of internationalisation. International projects are more concerned about host-society and interstate related risks than host-government related risks.

Summary• The paper aims to explore the awareness and use of strategic planning tools and techniques by Jordanian publicly quoted companies in the financial, service and industrial sectors. A cross sectional survey was employed rather than in depth, case study type analysis. Single respondents, rather than multiple respondents, participated in the study for each company. This is the first study of the use of strategic planning tools and techniques in Jordan and one of the first in the Middle East as a whole.• The main findings of this research are that the most used techniques by Jordanian companies are financial analysis (for own business), PEST or STEP analysis, Porter's five-forces analysis and analysis of key (critical) success factors; that the managers of these companies have an awareness of most of the techniques surveyed; and that the use of strategy tools and techniques relates more to the size of company and less to the age and nature of business. Strategic Planning Tools and Techniques in Jordan: Awareness and Use IntroductionThe process of strategic planning has been investigated in some detail during the last thirty years. However, although strategy scholars advocate the use of strategic planning tools as an important element of the strategic planning process, there has been limited research to date on strategic planning tool usage. Most of the empirical studies reporting tool usage have included tools as part of a wider study of strategic planning processes (Elbanna, 2007; Koufopoulos et al

PurposeThis paper aims to understand the use of strategic planning tools and techniques and the nature of its relationship with managers' views of the strategic planning process by hotels in Jordan. Design/methodology/approachA review of the literature relating to both strategic planning and strategic planning tools and techniques in both developed and emerging markets is provided. The empirical research was conducted via a questionnaire survey of Jordanian hotels in two cities; namely, Petra and Aqaba. FindingsThe main findings of this research are that the Jordanian hotels engage in the strategic planning process by using a number of techniques. The use of strategic planning tools and techniques relate more to the size of hotel and less to age and ownership type. There is a positive relationship between the use of strategic planning techniques and size of hotel. The managers of these hotels have generally positive attitudes towards the strategic planning process. The managers who believe in the benefits of strategic planning engage more in the practice of it. Research Limitations/ implicationsThe nature of this research is descriptive and the method used is a cross-sectional survey. Therefore, future research could be conducted on a small number of these hotels by using a more in-depth approach. Secondly, the sample was restricted to hotels in two cities in Jordan. Further research should include other regions in Jordan and should analyse the ownership types of hotels (such as independent vs. chain) and its star rating. Originality/valueThis paper provides empirical evidence about the use of the strategic planning tools and techniques by hotels in an emerging market context.

The purpose of this research was to explore and predict the relationship between the competitive priorities (quality, cost, flexibility and delivery) and the competitive advantage of firms in the Jordanian Industrial Sector. A population of 88 Jordanian manufacturing firms, registered on the Amman Stock Exchange, was targeted using a cross-sectional survey employing a questionnaire method of data collection. The results of the data analysis indicate a significant relationship between competitive priorities and competitive advantage. The research suggests that recognising and nurturing this relationship provides the master key for a firm to survive in a turbulent environment. Therefore, operational and marketing strategies should place emphasis on competitive priorities such as quality, cost, flexibility and delivery to achieve, develop and maintain competitive advantage. This study is one of the first to examine the relationship between the competitive priorities of Jordanian manufacturing firms and their competitive advantage.

Despite the increased number of studies of the internationalization of emerging-market multinationals (EMNCs), Latin American and Asian firms have dominated the focus of such studies, while the study of the internationalization process of sub-Saharan African firms in the international business literature is quite limited. Therefore, this article examines the motivations and location patterns of the internationalization process of four Nigerian firms through a multiple case study approach. The findings show that the internationalization of the Nigerian firms is a recent phenomenon, but the foreign investment pattern reflects a pan-African investment strategy. However, the findings also reveal that the firm-specific advantages that had been accumulated in the domestic market, coupled with home-country factors and regional-/hostmarket factors, were key determinants of the motivations and location patterns in the internationalization process of Nigerian firms.

Dissertations are a common feature of final year undergraduate study, but there has been little research into their impact on student performance and satisfaction (Hammick, Marilyn. and Sandra. Acker 1998;Webster, Frank. et al. 2000;Pathirage, Chaminda. et al. 2004), and even less into the perceptions and attitudes of their academic are that the dissertation still has currency today, but needs to be evaluated to ensure that it is meeting the needs of different stakeholders. Further, that despite the existing academic rigour of the dissertation, the lecturers believed that it also gave students the ability to reach a level whereby they become autonomous learners.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to show how relatively little is known about the consumer perceptions of own brands in the newly emerging markets of central and eastern Europe. The paper attempts to fill a gap in knowledge by investigating various aspects of consumer perceptions of Tesco own brands in the Czech Republic.Design/methodology/approachThe key data for this research were collected by structured questionnaires from Tesco supermarket customers in the Czech Republic and the UK. Non‐probability quota sampling was used and the sample was stratified according to gender, age and income.FindingsThe results of the research indicate that the general view of Tesco own brands is slightly less positive among Czech than among British customers. However, significant differences emerge when these are examined in terms of income. Increases in income lead to a decrease in the favourability with which own brands are viewed in the Czech Republic – the opposite to the position in the UK. The age of consumers was also found to be significant, although there is no linear trend. No strong correlation was found to exist between gender and any of the characteristics under investigation.Research limitations/implicationsThe sample was limited in size (n=100 in each country). In‐depth interviewing would be necessary to assess consumer attitudes further.Practical implicationsThe results of the research may help Tesco in relation to its general expansion in central and eastern Europe and its brand building in particular.Originality/valueThe originality of the paper relates to its study of consumer behaviour in one of the emerging markets of central and eastern Europe.