The Operation Situation and Strategies for Chinese Inner-investment Tourist Hotels

The paper indicates the predicament of Chinese inner-investment tourist hotels, and analyzes some main reasons： change of international tourism consuming behavior, intervention of international hotel groups, uncontrolled investment and improper management of domestic tourist hotels, and low efficiency of the utilization of capitals. The paper also puts forward the strategies that inner-investment tourist hotels should develop collectively by making scientific strategies, standardizing the market behaviors of enterprises, innovating on the ownership of capitals, implementing the strategy of equalization between capital operation and product operation.     

Analyzing of Investment Strategies of Local Companies in Azerbaijan： Problems and Solutions

For businesses to be viable nowadays they must be able to invest successfully. Globalization insists that businesses track new innovations and remain open to the idea of change. In addition, businesses need to stay informed of new technological trends, retain the shareholders they already have, and be ready to invest in innovative technologies when they are introduced. Through these strategies, businesses can be competitive in the marketplace. Short- and long-term planning is necessary to identify the direction of both investments and new projects and project ideas. Two major obstacles to implementing these pre-planned strategies are insufficient in-house resources and lack of access to loans. Companies need to be realistic about what they are capable of and make sure that all new ventures tie into the existing capabilities instead of risking starting a product or service unrelated to the existing business. Projects that are undertaken must be thoroughly researched as alternative options in case the need arises to change direction. Companies should be prepared with a plan and be prepared to move to a secondary plan if the first plan meets with obstacles. In this way, companies can be well informed, prepared, and still versatile enough to meet the needs of the globalized competitive market. A proposed article describes details of the theoretical part of the business investment strategy. The themes of the research are mainly about identification of economical perspectives of the investment, type of investment, identification of investment strategy overview, and its components as well as forming of investment strategy stages. Afterwards, in proposed investigation taken place analyzing of investment risks that might be faced by companies focusing on business investment and their investment capacity based on exist strategy. Research methodology included survey, interview, and critical literature. At the end of research work, it provided expected results of the development of the investment strategy of local companies situated in Azerbaijan.     

Experience of design management in Taiwan

Design management is one kind of strategic not only as the behavior of enterprise but also as the strategy of government. An area, and even a country needs to establish its own brand value and establish the whole excellent image of all products and all enterprises in this economic region to enhance the competitive ability in this region. In this aspect, the successful experience of design management in Chinese Taiwan area should be the model. The design strategy in Taiwan is a sort of long-range program made by region government. It promoted production style from OEM （Original Equipment Manufacture） to ODM （Original Design Manufacture） and from ODM to OBM （Original Brand Manufacture）. The whole process includes three five-year plans for improving product quality, design and brand. It proposed ＂the innovation value＂ which was the explicit region image and promoted fruitful design-popularizing and design-communion.     

Target costing as a strategic cost management tool for success of balanced scorecard system

The precondition of gaining and sustaining competitive advantage for companies that operate today＇s competitive markets is the effective cost management. Since price is determined by the market, the ways of increasing profits are productivity and cost reduction. Balanced scorecard system is accepted by academicians and practitioners as an effective strategic management tool for applying the strategy successfully. In the financial perspective of the balanced scorecard system, cost reduction is a strategic objective. It is necessary that company＇s cost reduction strategy should not only be a reaction to the market, but also a continual strategy. The approach which aims to the reduction of costs that reveal along product life cycle and preset this aim at the design stage is target costing （TC）. TC can be used as an effective tool in BSC＇s financial perspective for the objective of cost reduction. In this study, the authors aim to display how to integrate the TC to BSC.     

Strategic Drift and Strategic Crisis Management of Organization

The research reports how the choice of the organization behavior--strategic drift can lead to strategic crisis as a form of manifestation of a deepening organizational crisis. The research questions whose solution is sought are connected with the relation of strategic drift--strategic crisis--strategic crisis management, in terms of whether the errors in the process of strategic management lead to organizational crises. The results of the historical analysis of the theoretical research and practice in this field show the interdependence among these processes and the reasons for strategic crisis in support of the concept of strategic crisis management and its implementation in business. The study outlines the evolution of the theory of strategic drift, as well as opinions of various scientists on the types of crises, which are perceived as a uniform classification and universal interpretation of the term ＂strategic crisis＂. The organization＇s ＂strategic drift＂ leads to serious organizational crisis which first form that strategic crisis. Practice shows that the management of market leaders often leads to complacency, choosing strategy stability. Soon, as a result of aggressive strategies or implemented innovations of their competitors, they lose their competitive position.     

Creativity and Innovation as Strategic Resources in International Business Markets

This study focuses on Medium-Sized Multinationals （MSMs） that belong to the sectors of mechanics and electronics, and that operate in dynamic international business markets. This work aims to investigate how international marketing strategies are based and maybe in some cases actually heavily dependent on the capacity to form and enhance skills in design, engineering, and production activities, and on the propensity to invest more resources in research and development （R＆D） activities as well as in activities that are more strictly speaking production based （manufacturing）. Undoubtedly, in a global and dynamic business, creative knowledge is one of the key resources that firms must possess in order to take up international strategies successfully. Creativity and innovation are strategic resources for all firms, including those of a medium size and even more for those that belong to the so-called ＂traditional sectors＂. This study also has the objective of examining the influence of the structure and composition of a technological MSMs international alliance portfolio in order to understand which forms of international collaboration are more opportunities for firms that aspire to increasing their know-how and taking up new and more sophisticated forms of exploratory innovation. The present work highlights the results of an empirical research that were carried out during the years 2000-2009. The research involved more than 80 firms of the mechanical and electronics department in the Marche region in Italy.     

The Cause of Turnovers of Top Management -An Empirical Research on the Special Treatment Companies in China

The turnover of top management is important for both foreign stock market and corporate management. China has developed its own stock market for more than ten years. During this period, a lot of listed companies＇ top managers were on the move. Based on 97 Chinese ST companies of 2004, this paper invesdgates the main factors, which causes the top management turnovers in the ST companies. The results of regression analysis show that the turnover of top management in Chinese ST companies is highly positively related to the change of large shareholder and are negatively related to the rate of net profit to total assets. We also find that net cash flow that is provided from operations per share, the proportion of state-owned shares and the type of audit views have no influence on the top management turnovers in such ST companies in China.     

Impact of a Senior High School Tuition Relief Program on Poor Junior High School Students in Rural China

A significant gap remains between rural and urban students in the rate of admission to senior high school. One reason for this gap might be the high levels of tuition and fees for senior high school By reducing students＇ expectations of attending high school, high levels of tuition and fees could be reducing student aeademic performance in junior high schools. In this paper we evaluate the impacts of a senior high tuition relief program on the test scores of poor rural seventh grade students in China. We surveyed three counties in Shaanxi Province and exploited the fact that, while the counties are adjacent to one another and share similar characteristics, only one of the three implemented a tuition relief program. Using several alternative estimation strategies, including difference-in-differences, propensity score matching and difference-in-differences matching, we find that the tuition program has a statistically significant and positive impact on the mathematics scores of seventh grade students. More importantly, this program is shown to have a statistically significant and positive effect on the poorest students in the treatment group compared to their wealthier peers.     

The Study of Cross-cultural Management of International Hotel Groups in China

According to the theories of cultural difference and service marketing, this paper analyzes the cross-cultural management dilemmas of international hotel groups in China in two aspects--cultural character and service character. And then, proceeding from game theory, the paper analyzes and reaches a conclusion that carrying on cooperation and communication among various cultures is the key for international hotel groups in China to deal with the cross-cultural management dilemmas. On the basis of international hotel groups within China＇s own multifaceted culture character and practical consideration of hotel services, the paper discusses some reference manners for cross-cultural cooperation and communication, and strategies for international hotel groups in China. This is only supplied as a reference with international hotel groups making their own decisions.     

The Strategic Partnership Cutting the Costs or not

There are numerous articles which have been written about strategic partnership and how they can be beneficial for both buyer and supplier. The aim of this article is to find out the ways of how the strategic partnership cuts the costs by using semi-structured interviews. Semi-structured interviews were found to be the most appropriate method of data collection because they enabled the researcher to gather valid and reliable data. Ten companies have been interviewed in different industries in Saudi Arabia （four in computer industries, three in bank industries, and three in food industries）. The article gives a valuable resource and rich information for those interested to know more about the Saudi market or those wishing to invest in it. All interviews were conducted with purchasing managers by using semi-structured interviews. The study found that the strategic partnership does cut the costs. Cutting the costs comes from sharing skills and information, reducing the investment risk, and decreasing the operation costs.     

Understanding Failure in International Retailing： An Institutional Framework for Future Investigation

The move from domestic market to one that includes major retailers. Whiles prior research acknowledged differences international firms is not proving an easy task for between country environments and stressed the importance of addressing these differences in order to avoid the dangers and failures inherent in internationalisation, there is still lack of suitable framework that captures the effects of the institutional environment on failure in international retailing. The purpose of this paper is to introduce institutional theory as a complementary framework to explain failure in international retailing and suggest propositions for further research. The paper seeks to answer the research question： What are the factors in the institutional environment of a host country that affect failure in international retailing？ Consequently, the objective of this paper is threefold： （1） to introduce institutional theory as alternative theoretical framework to conceptualise failure in international retailing; （2） to identify institutional factors that exert pressures on the operational activities of international retailers in foreign markets and which leads to failure; （3） to provide some research propositions for further investigation. This paper offers several contributions. First, we extend current theories in international business, particularly, the literature on retail internationalisation and institutional theory by exploring pressures and difficulties that international retailers face in a new host institutional environment. Second, we identify a set of institutional factors that exert pressures on international retailers in foreign markets that lead to failure. Finally, with the institutional approach, this study fills the gap in earlier works by developing a complementary framework along with 11 propositions for future research. One major limitation of this paper is that it is conceptual; hence, further empirical analysis is needed to test the suggested propositions.     

New Conglomerates and the Ecosystem Advantage

It is the purpose of this paper to explore the emergence of a new form of web-based company and how the new organisational form is able to access multiple-markets and industries by exploiting the benefits of a platform ecosystem business model. Internet-based companies such as Amazon, Google, Facebook, and Apple were referred to as the ＂Gang of Four＂ in May, 2011, by Eric Schmidt, Executive Chairman of Google. These 21st century companies are leading an internet-based consumer revolution which is having a disruptive impact on a broad range of industries and markets. Using their platform-based ecosystems, the internet-based corporations are able to leverage these core competencies and enter industries that appear unrelated to their core businesses. This has given rise to a new form of conglomerate business model that contrasts with the Western industrial conglomerates of the 1960s and early 1970s. Most of these corporations were broken-up in the early 1980s and the remaining core businesses resorted to focused strategies. The paper also analyses why the new internet-based firms do not follow the positioning school of strategy and seek monopolistic rents--profits arising from market power--by locating in attractive industries. Instead, these firms leverage core competencies and achieve Ricardian economic rents--profits arising from superior resources--through strategies of stretch and leverage. By adopting a core competency tree configuration, a core competency platform is leveraged which allows the internet-based firms to enter multiple markets using asset-light business models. This new form of competitive advantage is based on having a superior ecosystem that uses data as the key resource instead of capital; capital being the main resource underpinns the success of the traditional Western conglomerates of the 1960s and early 1970s.     

Marketing and Territorial Factors： An Integrated Study of the Accommodation Choice in the Island of La Palma

The literature has highlighted the relevance of segmenting the tourism market as a start point for developing the right tourism policy recommendations. The present study examines the rural tourism market on the island of La Palma （Canary Islands） and its relationship with territorial factors. Specifically, it attempts to establish the role played in tourists＇ accommodation location choice by territorial and related factors （for instance, the area of the island, proximity to the beach, hours of sunshine, etc.） compared to other factors. A sample of 316 tourists who holidayed in rural tourism accommodation in La Palma during the period from July to September in 2007 was selected for this purpose. The methodology consisted of a preliminary analysis of the associations between the variables and their modalities, followed by a multiple correspondence analysis （MCA）. The results of the study allow to conclude that the weight of territorial variables in the choice of destination and accommodation location can vary substantially depending on the market segment considered.     

The Relevance of Place-Brand Management in Place-Marketing Strategy

Observers perceive each place through a particular image, not necessarily positive, definable in a distinctive positioning through place-marketing strategies; the relations between the actors of the territory system play an important role, and the place-brand becomes ＂the connector＂ of the relational network in place-marketing management. The aims of this article are to analyze the relations between place identity, place-brand, and place-marketing strategy; to look at case studies of bottom-up strategy as a medium for the long-term empowerment of the place-brand strategy; and to examine the relevance of place-brand positioning and interaction between governance and stakeholders in place-marketing strategy development.     

New Concept of Unified Regional Development

In the request of ＂Five Unifications＂ put forward on the Third Session of the sixteen＇s CCP Congress, the Unified Regional Development occupies a very important position. The new concept of this new strategy has exceeded all regional development strategies in the past. The macro-nature of implementation scale and gradual characteristic of implementation steps show that the Unified Regional Development is a long-term strategy, which is given consideration to both equity and efficiency and fully reflects the art of regional management.     

Capital structure： The Italian market perspective

This article first investigates the determinants of＂capital structure＂ and the extent to which financial structure policy contributes to the creation of shareholder value in Italian companies through a survey of 76 CFOs of Italian listed non-financial companies, and revealed that the key driver is the quest for financial flexibility, necessary to combine effectively capital structure policy with the other two levers of value creation, investment policy and payout policy. These three value creation drivers are autonomous, but this empirical study reveals a clear hierarchy that links liability policy （capital structure and payout） to asset policy （investments） leading companies to make sub-optimal financial structure decisions that may not minimize the weighted average cost of capital, though ensuring the financial flexibility necessary to activate their principal lever of value creation, investment policy, effectively and without excessive constraints. A major finding in a subsequent benchmarking exercise is that Italian ＂family capitalism＂ affects corporate governance and therefore capital structure decisions. This finding may not be restricted to the Italian market, but could apply to all countries in which ownership structures are centered on very few shareholders with weak financial market control and where banks often play a crucial role in the governance of companies.     

China＇s Energy Reduction Policy System： Outcomes and Responses of Local Governments

The paper examines the outcomes of and responses to the policy system （the ＂obligatory indicator system＂） used by the Chinese central government to induce provincial governments to meet energy-saving targets during the llth Five Year Plan. The institutional mechanisms underlying the policy system that promotes implementation of energy saving are identified. An analytical framework is developed to identify the strategic responses of provincial governments and the factors shaping their responses. Comprehensive sets of provincial data on economic and energy performance are collected and analyzed. The findings indicate that the central government ＇s credible commitment to implement the policy system drove the initially disparate attitudes of provinces to a converged outcome. However, the outcome is significantly constrained by provinces ＇ initial energy intensity. In particular, provincial governments have applied strategies of ceremonial implementation, efficiency-oriented efforts and effectiveness-focused efforts to attain specific targets. This paper discusses the implications in comparison with the modified obligatory indicator system in the 12th Five Year Plan and offers policy suggestions accordingly.     

Programme Management： the Strategy-oriented Project Management

The more prevalent project management becomes, the more companies will be managed by project. There is a new problem that how to manage the more projects and how to achieve co-ordination of strategy and project management. This paper argues that programme management provides a bridge between company＇s strategy and project management. Thereof, the definition of programme and Project management is put forward. At the same time, the paper analyses four primary categories. Based on the comparing programme management with project management, the paper illustrates characteristics of programme management and the relation between programme management and organizational strategy.     

A Study on Current and Future Guanxi Networks of China

Despite the abundant opportunities are presented by Chinese market, many foreign practitioners have commented that operating in China is more complex and time consuming than necessary, and of the 53 companies interviewed by Hong Kong＇s Bank of East Asia, 42% were reported not to be profitable （Economist Intelligence Union （EIU）, 1995）. Given the fact that China＇s potential as a market is unparalleled, while many foreign business practitioners have commented that operating in China is difficult to be profitable, and it is more complex and time consuming than it is necessary （Ewing, Garuana ＆ Wong, 1999）, a large number of researches on doing business hi China recogniZe the concept of Guanxi, a business relationship network, as the key for conducting successful business in China This study co llectsboth primary data and secondary data to explore the issues of Guanxi. The review on the secondary data helps to build the analysis techniques and study instruments. A survey questionnaire is developed after the study on the secondary data, and the primary data is collected from the surveys, which are faxed to sample groups in both Taiwan and Mainland China. The study on the Mainland China senior managers is to find the current Guanxi concept of China, while the Taiwan senior manager group and the Mainland China college student group are chosen to explore the future Guanxi changes. By using statistical techniques of the mean and standard deviation calculations, the t-test for two samples with equal variances, and the correlation test, the findings of this study help to answer the critical questions concerning the study objectives. The practical interpretation and implications of this study of Guanxi are gained from the summary of the statistical results. A conclusion and recommendations of this study on the Guanxi concepts are presented to business practitioners both inside and outside of China.