Hedonic study on mobile telephony market in France: pricing–quality strategies

This paper provides a hedonic price analysis of mobile telephony services for the French market. We adopt the hedonic price theory to examine the relationship between changes in price levels and the evolution of the market for mobile telecommunications industry in France from June 1996 to December 2002. The results support the hypothesis that there was price competition between service providers in the earlier period. There were also large differences in prices set by individual service providers which, however, did not persist over time. Next, using estimates from hedonic-price equation for each operator separately, we found that the three-mobile providers seemed to adopt similar pricing strategies over the period 1996–2002. Quality indexes are also calculated. The results of a comparative analysis indicate that in the period 2000–2002 neither the quality nor the price indexes show significant changes for the three mobile providers. These results are of some consequence, especially after the French competition authority decision in December 2005 which stated the existence of collusion on the mobile market during the same period (2000–2002). Surprisingly, our primer results supporting the assumption of potential collusive conduct in France are not re-affirmed when comparing the French and German markets.     

For Love or Money? Fairtrade Business Models in the UK Supermarket Sector

This article analyzes the distribution of benefits from Fair Trade between producing and consuming countries. Fair Trade and conventional coffee production and trade were examined in Nicaragua in 2005–2006 and 2008. Consumption of the respective coffees was assessed in Finland in 2006–2009. The results indicate that consumers paid considerably more for Fair Trade-certified coffee than for the other alternatives available. Although Fair Trade provided price premiums to producer organizations, a larger share of the retail prices remained in the consuming country relative to conventional coffee trade. Paradoxically, along with the certified farmers and cooperatives, Fair Trade empowers roasters and retailers.     

Mobile phone: marketplace icon

The mobile phone is an essential component of early twenty-first century societies, markets, and economies. The mobile handset in particular has become the synechdocal symbol of major socio-economic transformations the world over. Through an abbreviated history of mobile handsets, touching on each of the first three generations of mobile phones, this Marketplace Icon installment traces the evolution of the look, feel, and function of mobiles from the earliest analog “bricks” to the latest digital smartphones. Based on this history, the frictions of technologies, bodies, individuals, and institutions emerge as key forces in the construction of mobiles and mobility. In light of these, the possibility of an end to the iconic mobile phone era is augured and some contours for a new era of mobility are suggested, one in which handsets are less prominent and consumer embodiment is taken more seriously as the true heart of mobility, mobile technologies, and mobile markets.     

中国上市公司现金流管理研究——兼对中美市场现金流管理行为比较研究

This paper examines cash flow management in the Chinese market and compares it to that in the U.S. market. It adopts Burgstahler and Dichev (1997) and Degeorge et al.’s (1999) method and the best-fitted distribution model to analyze the financial data of Chinese listed firms during 1998–2005 and the forecasted cash flow per share (CPS) data for Chinese firms in the I/B/E/S database during 1993–2005. Results reveal that cash flows reports are not as reliable as people think, and managers manipulate cash flows just as they manipulate earnings. Further analyses show that zero point, last year’s cash flow and analyst cash flow forecast are the three thresholds that influence managers’ decision when they report cash flow performance. Over 16% of the firms with small positive cash flows manipulate their cash flow. Moreover, 16.64% of the firms with small changes in cash flow and 9.81% of the firms with small surprises manipulate cash flows to reach the targets. A comparative analysis shows that cash flow management behaviors around zero and zero changes are more prevalent in the Chinese market than in the U.S. market. Cash flow management around analyst cash flow forecasts, however, is no more prevalent than that in the U.S. market. Translated and revised from Zhongguo Kuaiji Pinglun 中国会计评论 (China Accounting Review), 2007, 5(3): 381–400     

The influence of demand factors on dynamic competitive pricing strategy: An empirical study

This empirical paper investigates the relationship between the dynamic strategic interactions among competitors in a component market and demand factors in the market for the end product. The structure of competition in the US microprocessor (MPU) industry is analyzed using data on prices and sales in both the MPU market as well as the market for personal computers. The pattern of dynamic strategic interaction between competing firms in this market on a key decision variable, price is studied. Non-nested model comparison tests based on equilibrium solutions derived for specific differential games are applied to identify the mode of competitive strategy between pairs of competing brands. The empirical fit to the longitudinal and cross-sectional data, of alternative models of competition, independent (Bertrand?CNash), Stackelberg leader?Cfollower, and Collusion, is used to determine which dynamic model best describes actual competitive behavior over the life of each MPU. Demand for the product market which is downstream from microprocessors, that for personal computers, is estimated using a generalized diffusion model with price effects. Data from the markets for desktop and laptop computers are analyzed at the level of computer vendor and internal microprocessor. Patterns are uncovered, linking downstream demand parameters with upstream competitive strategy. There is evidence to suggest that when there are strong diffusion effects driving sales of both the competing computer brands, there is a higher likelihood of Bertrand?CNash competition among MPU firms. However, when there are higher cross-price effects (substitutability) among personal computer brands there is a greater chance of Stackelberg leader?Cfollower price competition. When self-price effects are relatively high, the likelihood of Bertrand?CNash competition among MPU firms increases. Furthermore, when the potential demand for the computer product category is high, there is a higher likelihood of Bertrand?CNash pricing in the MPU market.     

Search,purchase, and satisfaction in a multiple-channel environment: How have mobile devices changed consumer behaviors?

The rapid adoption of smartphones and increasing reliance on the mobile Internet is influencing consumers’ shopping behavior with traditional Internet devices (e.g., desktop and laptop computers) and in stores. This research examines the effects of consumer perceptions of channels (i.e., mobile devices, computers, and offline stores) on their choices of search channels, purchase channel, and satisfaction level with the purchase channel. Using survey data from a sample of U.S. consumers, we find supplemental effects of mobile devices on computers do not alter the traditional substitution relationship between computers and stores during the search. The cross-channel effects indicate that perceived purchase benefits and costs of stores affect the purchase channel selection of mobile devices and computers, respectively. Satisfaction levels were highest when purchases were made on mobile devices. The insights from this study can help managers increase the effectiveness of advertising in different media and target distinct segments of consumers who rely on multiple channels for search and purchase.     

Electronic Computers – The Challenge to Management

The potentialities of computers have not been fully exploited in the U.S. because management has underestimated the task of putting them to proper use. Management has believed that computers themselves are automation. But automation places a premium on good management. Without careful management planning, business resources are wasted in terms of managerial and technical time and abilities. Since computers are capable of handling many tasks simultaneously, it is only by casting aside the departmental concept and substituting the integrated systems approach that the true value of these machines begins to be appreciated. Automatic data processing provides for the tighter control that is important in competitive markets. The key to the whole problem of putting automation to work is education of personnel. Knowledge of equipment and techniques is not enough. Automation, by permitting handling of many jobs simultaneously, is in direct conflict with the concept of division of labor. The businessman, faced with wholesale reorganization of work, must train more basically and broadly. Current training for this field is largely dependent upon specialized courses offered by the manufactures of computers. The responsibility for training these people is largely that of private business, and it is a larger task than most managers realize. If a businessman is to feel confident that his company’s data processing is not just a gamble, he must accept this new challenge to management. Reprint of a paper from elektronische datenverarbeitung 1(1)1959:20–23. This article is also available in German in print and via http://www.wirtschaftsinformatik.de: Diebold J (2008) Elektronische Computer – Eine Herausforderung für die Unternehmensleitung. WIRTSCHAFTSINFORMATIK. doi: .

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需求价格弹性理论的一个应用——大学生手机消费的实证分析

本文基于弹性理论与回归分析等方法,分别从几个方面对当今大学生的手机消费现象作了较为深入的研究。文中通过对江苏省高校在校学生的手机消费情况进行实证分析,得出了一系列具有参考价值的数据,并以此对国内的手机行业和手机市场提出了一些合理的建议和策略。     

Assessing the Effects of Certification Networks on Sustainable Production and Consumption: The Cases of FLO and FSC

Private governance approaches to foster sustainability have gained importance in recent years. The article focuses on such approaches that involve actors from different parts of the value chain, as well as consumers, labour unions, and NGOs. As these approaches rely on the certification mechanism to document the adherence to environmental and social standards, we refer to them as “certification networks.” The main objective of these networks is to realize more sustainable production and consumption patterns from within existing market structures. Concerning their impact on sustainability, however, existing research revealed mixed results. This raises the question, how to systematically assess the success of certification networks. Referring to debates on private governance, this paper proposes to consider structural–material (e.g., altered market and incentive structures) and regulative–normative effects (e.g., altered institutions). Taking this broader perspective, two cases are analysed: The Fairtrade Labelling Organization and the Forest Stewardship Council.     

The Effect of Business Regulations on Nascent and Young Business Entrepreneurship

We examine the relationship, across 39 countries, between regulation and entrepreneurship using a new two-equation model. We find the minimum capital requirement required to start a business lowers entrepreneurship rates across countries, as do labour market regulations. However the administrative considerations of starting a business – such as the time, the cost, or the number of procedures required – are unrelated to the formation rate of either nascent or young businesses. Given the explicit link made by Djankov et al. [Djankov et al. 2002, ‹The Regulation of Entry’, Quarterly Journal of Economics 117(1), 1–37] between the speed and ease with which businesses may be established in a country and its economic performance – and the enthusiasm with which this link has been grasped by European Union policy makers – our findings imply this link needs reconsidering. Prepared for: Small Business Economics (2007), Special issue GEM conference 2005     

Mobile marketing: A literature review on its value for consumers and retailers

The article describes the existing knowledge of how mobile marketing can increase the value for consumers and retailers. Mobile device shopping, and consumers' use of mobile devices while shopping is shown to be both an extension of consumers' shopping behaviours developed on Internet-connected desktop and laptop computers (PC), and potentially new behaviours based on a mobile devices' uniquely integrated features such as camera, scanners and GPS. The article focuses on how mobile marketing creates value for consumers and retailers, enabling more precise research and development of managerial concepts and tools while providing both managers and academics with increased understanding of mobile marketing and its value outcomes for retailers.     

Choice in Interactive Environments

In the early 21st century, firms are thinking seriously and practically about an interactive marketing paradigm—one that integrates mass scale with individual responsiveness. The focus of this paper is on how this interactive environment is changing the customer decision-making process. With the increased amount of information available, the existence of sophisticated decision aids such as intelligent agents, and more latitude in how to interact beyond the basic desktop and laptop computers (e.g., personal digital assistants, cellular phones, tablet computers), customers have more choices than ever about how, when, and how much to interact with companies and each other. In this paper, we attempt to cover a few of the major areas of research on how customers make decisions in these environments.     

Dissemination of Consumer Law and Policy in South Africa

This article considers to what extent some important areas of South African consumer law have been influenced by the laws of international bodies, other countries or regional bodies or, in turn, influenced other laws in Southern Africa and beyond. It focuses on rules on product safety, product liability, remedies for defective quality of goods, some basic rules on unfair commercial practices and various aspects of consumer law relating to the use of mobile phones by South African consumers. The main piece of legislation considered is the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008 (“CPA”), which came into force in 2011. The article considers whether aspects of this legislation were influenced by the EC Product Safety Directive, EC Product Liability Directive, EC Consumer Sales Directive, EC Unfair Commercial Practices Directive and EC Directive on Misleading and Comparative Marketing. It shows how the relevant provisions of the CPA influenced the laws of some African countries. The article also considers various issues faced by consumers in the mobile phone sector, including defective handsets, defective services, the high cost of mobile calls and data, the lapsing of “unused” data after short periods, data “disappearing” faster than expected, unfair contract terms, unsolicited marketing and the complexity of mobile phone contracts, which leads consumers to overestimate or underestimate their future usage, therefore paying too much because they are on an ill-suited plan. Conclusion of agreements via mobile phones, marketing of additional services like ringtones and apps and unsolicited marketing via mobile phones are also considered. Some complaints regarding the use of mobile phones should be better provided for in legislation, and enforcement of consumer rights in this sector could be improved.     

A polymorphism associated with entrepreneurship: evidence from dopamine receptor candidate genes

The tendency to be an entrepreneur may be influenced by genetic variation. Sensation seeking is more common among entrepreneurs than among the general population. Twin studies show that the tendency to be an entrepreneur is heritable and that common genes influence both sensation seeking and entrepreneurial tendency (Nicolaou et al. Manag Sci 54:167–179, 2008a; Strateg Entrep J 2:7–21, 2008b). Since dopamine receptor genes have been associated with novelty seeking/sensation seeking (Benjamin et al. Nat Genet 12:81–84, 1996; Ebstein et al. Nat Genet 12:78–80, 1996; Noblett and Coccaro Curr Psychiatry Rep 7:73–80, 2005), and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has been reported to occur at greater rates among entrepreneurs, we examined the association between five dopamine receptor genes and four ADHD-associated genes, with the tendency to be an entrepreneur in a sample of 1,335 individuals from the UK. We found a single nucleotide polymorphism (rs1486011) of the DRD3 gene on chromosome 3 to be significantly associated with the tendency to be an entrepreneur. This result is the first evidence of the association of a specific gene with entrepreneurship. Further studies are needed to replicate this association.     

Andersen and the Market for Lemons in Audit Reports

Previous accounting ethics research berates auditors for ethical lapses that contribute to the failure of Andersen (e.g., Duska, R.: 2005, Journal of Business Ethics 57, 17–29; Staubus, G.: 2005, Journal of Business Ethics 57, 5–15; however, some of the blame must also fall on regulatory and professional bodies that exist to mitigate auditors’ ethical lapses. In this paper, we consider the ethical and economic context that existed and facilitated Andersen’s failure. Our analysis is grounded in Akerlof’s (1970, Quarterly Journal of Economics August, 488–500) Theory of the Market for Lemons and we characterize the market for audit reports as a market for lemons. Consistent with Akerlof’s model, we consider the appropriateness of the countervailing mechanisms that existed at the time of Andersen’s demise that appeared to have effectively failed in counteracting Andersen’s ethical shortcomings. Finally, we assess the appropriateness of the remedies proposed by the Sarbanes–Oxley Act of 2002 (SOA) to ensure that similar ethical lapses will not occur in the future. Our analysis indicates that the SOA regulatory reforms should counteract some of the necessary conditions of the Lemons Model, and thereby mitigate the likelihood of audit failures. However, we contend that the effectiveness of the SOA critically depends upon the focus and attention of the␣Public Companies Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) towards assessing the ethical climates of public accounting firms. Assessments by the PCAOB of public accounting firm’s ethical climate are needed to sufficiently ensure that public accounting firms effectively promote and maintain audit quality in situations where unconscious bias or economic incentives may erode the public accounting firm’s independence.     

Factors affecting users’ continuance intention of mobile social network service

This study investigates the factors that influence users’ intention to continue using social network service applications (apps) on mobile devices. We drew on the uses and gratifications (U&G) paradigm and innovation diffusion theory; these were augmented with the factors that characterize mobile social network service (MSNS) usage. The proposed framework explained the relationships between these factors and the intention to continue using MSNS apps. A web-based survey was used to collect data for analysis. The results indicated that critical mass, mobility, compatibility, purposive value, and entertainment value were important drivers of users’ intention to continue using MSNS apps. The findings contribute to existing U&G paradigm, innovation diffusion theory, and MSNS usage literature. The paper closes with a discussion of useful insights relevant to researchers and practitioners in terms of developing and implementing MSNS apps that have high retention rates.     

Mobile Money and Financial Inclusion in Sub-Saharan Africa: the Moderating Role of Social Networks

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this article is to test the moderating effect of social networks in the relationship between mobile money usage and financial inclusion in rural Uganda. The results revealed that there is a significant and positive moderating effect of social networks in the relationship between mobile money usage and financial inclusion in rural Uganda. Besides, mobile money usage and social networks have direct and significant effects on financial inclusion in rural Uganda. Thus, the findings suggest that existence of social networks of strong and weak ties among mobile money users promote financial inclusion in rural Uganda. Previous studies have concentrated only on investigating the impact of mobile money in promoting financial inclusion in developing economies, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa. However, this particular study introduces the moderating effect of social networks in the relationship between mobile money usage and financial inclusion in rural Uganda, which seems to be sparse and lacking in literature.     

Evaluating wireless carrier consolidation using semiparametric demand estimation

The US mobile phone service industry has dramatically consolidated over the last two decades. One justification for consolidation is that merged firms can provide consumers with larger coverage areas at lower costs. We estimate the willingness to pay for national coverage to evaluate this justification for past consolidation. As market level quantity data are not publicly available, we devise an econometric procedure that allows us to estimate the willingness to pay using market share ranks collected from the popular online retailer Amazon. Our semiparametric maximum score estimator controls for consumers’ heterogeneous preferences for carriers, handsets and minutes of calling time. We find that national coverage is strongly valued by consumers, providing an efficiency justification for across-market mergers. The methods we propose can estimate demand for other products using data from online retailers where product ranks, but not quantities, are observed.

Exploring usage continuance of e-negotiation systems: expectation and disconfirmation approach

Online negotiation is becoming increasingly popular and important due to the rapid growth of global e-business, with the factors determining the continuance of e-negotiation systems (ENSs) usage––rather than the mere acceptance of their use––receiving more attention. This study used the expectation-disconfirmation theory to investigate the factors influencing the intention of ENS usage continuance. Using two Web-based ENSs, data were collected from 170 negotiators who participated in an e-negotiation experiment lasting 17 days. A structural-equation modeling technique was adopted to examine the research model and hypotheses. The obtained research results provide novel insights into ENS usage continuance for ENS researchers, developers, and managers. They indicate that positive disconfirmation (i.e., where the actual experience or perceived performance is better than the expectation) plays a crucial role in shaping the intentions of users to continue using an ENS. Therefore, researchers should consider postusage factors when attempting to elucidate the decision-making processes that underlie the continued use of an ENS. Similarly, the development of a successful ENS requires its developers to consider the expectations of users when designing the system specification. To ensure ENS usage continuance, IS managers should continuously monitor the users’ expectation-disconfirmation status to ensure their satisfaction with the ENS.     

论中国招商引资过程中政府决策的合理性

Based on consumer and manufacturer behaviors, this research describes local governments’ unique role in the process of “attracting foreign direct investment (FDI)”. Drawing from a sample of 28 provinces plus four cities throughout China from 1998 to 2004, we construct an econometric model in this paper to analyze the common factors that influenced the result of “attracting FDI”. The main finding of this paper is that in the process of “attracting FDI”, local governments play a decisive role, which puts consumer surplus, producer surplus and the other social welfare into a basket to construct its plan for “attracting FDI”. The common factors which influence the result of “attracting FDI” are local costs, the number of foreign-invested company, the market share of local companies, and the market share of foreign-invested companies. Translate from Caimao Jingji 财贸经济 (Finance & Trade Economics), 2005, (12): 70–75