H-Index as benchmarks for academic appointments

Since being promoted to a full Professor, I have frequently been invited to serve on academic appointment and promotion panels across various universities. In nearly all instances, the primary focus remains on research output and publication records, underscoring the continued relevance of the "publish or perish" paradigm in academia.

An essential aspect of evaluating applicants' research capabilities is the use of reliable metrics. The Google Scholar H-index serves as a valuable indicator, which I often complement with the ExCITATION journal ranking (a Google Scholar™ extension). This tool provides an overview of publications categorized by Scopus quartiles (Q1, Q2, and Q3), offering further insight into the quality and impact of an applicant's research.

As highlighted by Shah and Jawaid (2023), appropriate benchmarks for academic appointments can be set using the H-index: a range of 3 to 5 for assistant professors, 8 to 12 for associate professors, and 15 to 20 as a robust standard for full professor appointments. I have adopted these criteria as a guideline in my evaluations, alongside a thorough examination of the candidate’s curriculum vitae to ensure a comprehensive assessment.

When I posted this on Facebook, some thought that these H index benchmarks were too low. Some suggested that I should look at the Scopus H -Index instead. 

What are your thoughts on this?

Paper on digital government service quality published in the Journal of Service Theory and Practice

Our paper, "Occupational stress as a mediator between organisational intelligence traits and digital government service quality: a triangulation design approach," has been published in the Journal of Service Theory and Practice. 

This paper integrates the Organisational Model of Stress with Public Service-Dominant Logic to highlight stressors in traditional work setups and expand the view of job performance from individual to organizational levels, reflecting modern public service delivery. Through mediation analysis, Importance-Performance Map Analysis (IPMA), and open-ended feedback, it prioritizes "Employee-oriented traits," "Psychological Well-being," "Alignment and Congruence," "Leadership," and "Appetite for Change and Knowledge Deployment" to sustain digital government service quality. Recognizing the importance of managing occupational stress for maintaining service quality, the paper also proposes a stress intervention program at the individual and organisational levels to manage the psychological well-being of service providers.

This is the third paper from my PhD student's research. Dr. Subashini Ramakrishnan is one of my most hardest working students. The other co-authors of this paper are co-supervisors Myint Moe Chit and Kenny Wong Meng Seng.

Moderated a Seminar on Funding Strategies for SMEs at Monash University Malayais

 A Seminar on Funding Strategies: Unlocking Capital for SME Growth was successfully organised by the School of Business, Monash University Malaysia in collaboration with the Digital Economy Committee of KLSCCCI and Credit Bureau Malaysia on 21st August 2024 (Wednesday), 2.00 p.m. to 5.00 p.m. at the Monash University Malaysia campus in Sunway. 

The event started with a welcome address by Professor Dilip S. Mutum on behalf of Dr. Mohan Avvari, Professor and Deputy Head (Engagement & Impact), at the School of Business at Monash University Malaysia.

The opening speech was delivered by Mr. Lim Kok Hing, Deputy Chairman of KLSCCCI Digital Economy Committee.

The event featured four presenters who provided valuable insights and inspiring thoughts regarding funding strategies and capital access for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) growth. They included Mr Darrel Ang, who is the Co-Founder of CapBay, Mr Leong Weng Choong, the CEO of Credit Bureau Malaysia, Mr Goh Boon Peng, who is both the Founder and CEO of Mystartr, and Dato’ Calvin Chan, the founder and Managing Director of Oriental Coffee. 

Following this, Prof. Dilip moderated a forum with the speakers, followed by a Q & A session. 

We had about 90 participants, including business people, academics, and students. Thanks to all the participants. 

We also appreciate Ts. Quincy Tan outstanding job as the event's MC. 

Thanks to our Dean Nafis Alam for taking time out from his busy schedule to attend the event, Associate Professor Karren Khaw, Head of the Department of Finance at the School of Business, and the Engagement and Impact team:   Marveen Paransothy, Arvindh Naidu & Sofea. Last but not least, Thanks to Hoev Quan Chin from CBM, the man behind the scenes who made the event happen and also one of our Alumni. 

Marketing and FT 50 Journals list

Another prestigious list of business journals is the FT 50 Journals list. This is a list 50 journals compiled by the Financial Times and included in the Global MBA, EMBA and Online MBA rankings.

Only 6 marketing journals are included in the list. 

1. Journal of Consumer Psychology
2. Journal of Consumer Research
3. Journal of Marketing
4. Journal of Marketing Research
5. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science
6. Marketing Science

Of course, other journals in the list accept marketing papers. Out of the 50 journals, the following 18 journals accept marketing-related papers as well.

1. Academy of Management Journal
2. Academy of Management Review
3. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice
4. Harvard Business Review (available in our Business Source Complete database)
5. Human Resource Management
6. Journal of Applied Psychology
7. Journal of Business Ethics
8. Journal of Business Venturing
9. Journal of International Business Studies
10. Journal of Management
11. Journal of Management Information Systems
12. Journal of Management Studies
13. Management Science
14. MIS Quarterly
15. Production and Operations Management
16. Sloan Management Review
17. Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal
18. Strategic Management Journal.

Latest edited book published - Marketing Case Studies in Emerging Markets

I am really happy to announce the publication of our latest edited book titled "Marketing Case Studies in Emerging Markets: Contemporary Multi-industry Issues and Best-practices". The book is published by Springer and co-edited with Soo Yeong Ewe, Ezlika M. Ghazali and Racheal Louis Vincent.

The book has 18 cases from different countries and industries. 

Here are the main highlights of the book:

• Discusses real-world examples of companies that have faced unique issues in emerging markets.
• Helps in analyzing the strategies and tactics used by companies in these markets.
• Offers a multi-industry perspective on best-practices helpful for strategy formation.

You can access the book via this link: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-51689-4

Ran a session as part of the UNGCMYB x Monash CSMP for Sawarak Energy

I was recently in Kuching, Sarawak as part of the Certified Sustainability Manager Programme (CSMP) for executives of Sarawak Energy, which the School of Business, Monash University Malaysia ran with UN Global Compact Network Malaysia and Brunei (UNGCNMB). 

It was held on Mon 26 Feb 2024 8:30am – 5pm at the Riverside Majestic Hotel Astana Wing Kuching (Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman, 93756 Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia)

My session was on 'Sustainability performance target setting'. The session was really interactive and I learnt a lot as well. Thanks to  Pam Lee Wen Ai, who covered some parts of the workshop. 

Also a big thanks to Professor  Dr. Avvari V. Mohan Deputy Head (Engagement & Impact) at the School of Business, Monash University Malaysia for including me in this programme. 

It was nice to visit Kuching, Sarawak again - my 3rd visit. 

Events in January 2024

The first event of this year was an online seminar for staff and PG students at Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Jammu (SKUAST-Jammu) on the topic: 'Surfing the social wave: Social media marketing strategies for entrepreneurs'. On 18th January 2024.

Thanks to Prof. Jyoti Kachroo, Dr. Anil Bhat and my old friend Prof. Lalit Gupta for inviting me.

The next event was an online workshop on Questionnaire development for online quantitative surveys during the International Conference INCONSYM, 2024. On 30th January 2024.

Received some very interesting questions. Thanks to Symbiosis for inviting me.

Our latest book published - Consumers, Society and Marketing: A Sustainability Perspective

I am delighted to announce the publication of our latest book, 'Consumers, Society and Marketing: A Sustainability Perspective'. 

The book is co-authored with Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ezlika Ghazali and published by Springer. It is part of their CSR, Sustainability, Ethics & Governance (CSEG) series.

The book offers valuable insights into the evolving world of sustainable marketing. Provides insights into the various factors that shape consumer behaviour and the impact of marketing on society. It discusses the evolution of marketing and offers critical insights from a contemporary perspective.

Here is the link to the book: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-39359-4

New paper looking at digital government service quality published

Our paper titled "The mediating role of occupational stress: a missing link between organisational intelligence traits and digital government service quality" has been published in the International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management. 

With my PhD student Dr. Subashini Ramakrishnan and my colleagues at Nottingham Malaysia - Dr. Kenny Wong Meng Seng and Dr. Myint Moe Chit.

This paper incorporates the organisational model of stress with public service-dominant logic. The research examines how digital service quality is influenced by today's high-performing public organisation stressors (organisational intelligence traits) and non-technical elements (occupational stress). More importantly, digital government service quality was examined from a less emphasised perspective, namely the supply side or service providers’ standpoint in sustaining the digital government service performance.

This is the summary of this paper:

The study innovatively explores the mediating role of occupational stress between organizational intelligence traits and digital government service quality in Malaysia, emphasizing the significance of specific employee-oriented traits.

Key points:

📊 Respondent Profile: 200 respondents comprised 50.8% males and 49.2% females across various work experience categories.

📈 Hypothesis Testing: The indirect effect of Organizational Intelligence (OI) Traits on Digital Government Service Quality was found significant at different levels via Occupational Stress.

🧠 Focus on Employees: Employee-oriented OI Traits like “Alignment and Congruence” and “Heart” showed significant indirect effects on service quality.

⚖️ Inconsistent Traits: Some OI traits, such as “Shared Fate” and “Performance Pressure,” had an insignificant effect on occupational stress.

📡 Digital Service Quality: The study extends understanding of digital #servicequality beyond technological aspects, emphasizing occupational stress.

🇲🇾 Malaysian Context: The paper stresses the importance of employee-oriented OI traits in the Malaysian public sector, especially for digital service quality.

🆕 Originality and Value: Innovative approach by blending the organizational model of stress with public #servicedominantlogic, focusing on modern public organization stressors.

🧘 Intervention Strategies: Proposes comprehensive strategies at organisation and individual levels to sustain digital service quality without neglecting psychological wellbeing.

Article on AI Voice Assistants just published

 Our paper titled "Expectations and beyond: The nexus of AI instrumentality and brand credibility in voice assistant retention using extended expectation-confirmation model" has just been published in the Journal of Consumer Behaviour (ABDC A/ SCOPUS/ WOS/ AJG 2). 

My co-authors are Ezlika Ghazali and Na Kai Lun (Universiti Malaya).

Abstract: 

AI-based voice assistants (AIVA) are capable of interpreting human speech and responding with useful information, aiding with tasks, and controlling other devices. The usage of these AIVAs has grown significantly worldwide. Despite this growth, studies on user behavior related to continued usage intention of AIVAs and effects on the long-term commercial sustainability of brands, remain low. What is less understood is the potential of AI instrumentality attributes and brand credibility components in provoking shifts in post-use behavior of AIVAs. This study proposes a model which expands on the Expectation-Confirmation Model for user continuance behavior of AIVAs, by integrating user's technology related traits, AI instrumentality attributes and brand credibility. To verify the research hypotheses, the study employed partial least square—structural equation modelling, based on 281 validated responses of a survey. This study highlights the significance of Optimism, Innovativeness, and Discomfort for post-adoption confirmation. Higher post-adoption confirmation is strongly associated with perceived intelligence, anthropomorphism, information quality, and system quality. Anthropomorphism and information quality are key factors for brand expertise, while anthropomorphism and system quality are significant for brand trustworthiness. The study confirms that brand expertise and trustworthiness lead to post-use satisfaction and use continuance intention. Understanding the antecedents of satisfaction and continuance intention extends the existing literature on AIVAs and provides valuable insights for academics and practitioners alike. Some implications for researchers and managers are discussed.

Here are the key findings:

🧠 Users' Tendencies and Expectations: Users with higher optimism, innovativeness, and lower discomfort have confirmed expectations after using AIVAs, enhancing perceptions of AI-based factors.

📊 Demographics and Perception: Younger, tech-savvy users tend to be less skeptical, not significantly correlating insecurity with confirmation (79.4% being 34 or younger).

👥 Anthropomorphism's Role: Perceived human-like qualities in AIVAs foster connection and familiarity, driving brand trustworthiness and expertise.

ℹ️ Information Quality and Brand Expertise: Accurate and complete information shapes brand expertise but not trustworthiness.

🎛️ System Quality's Impact: A user-friendly system enhances trust in AIVAs, but may not contribute to brand expertise perceptions.

🧩 Intelligence Not a Major Driver: Intelligence is valuable but not a primary factor in brand credibility; focus on anthropomorphism, system quality, and information quality is more critical.

🎗️ Theoretical and Managerial Implications: Insights into factors that influence the adoption and usage of AIVAs, with strategies for product developers and marketers to enhance user confirmation, satisfaction, and continued use.

The paper is open source.