An Empirical Analysis of the Impact of Promotional Discounts on Store Performance

The received wisdom, reflected in popular marketing textbooks, is that featuring deeply discounted items will generate additional store traffic for retailers that in turn will lead to increased sales and profits. However, there is surprisingly little systematic evidence about the impact of these deep discounts on aggregate store traffic, sales, and profits. In this paper, we study the effects of promotional discounts and their characteristics on various store performance metrics employing a store level dataset pooled over 55 weeks and 24 stores. Many findings of our study lend credence to the continued popularity of such promotions by retailers. We find that feature promotions build store traffic, especially when the categories being featured are high penetration, high frequency. Also, promotions of branded items are found to be more effective than promotions of unbranded items. Discounting on more items in a category leads to lower store margins suggesting that the cost of discounting a large proportion of items in a category may not be justified by the profits generated by the sale. Using the coefficients from our model estimates, various counterfactuals provide insights into strategic change in level of discounts across categories. We discuss several implications of our findings for retailers.     

旅游业对旅游目的地社会文化影响研究

中国旅游业迅速发展而带来的巨大经济利润的同时,其对社会、文化的负面影响也是不容忽视的。必须立足于中国旅游发展的实际,结合迄今为止中国旅游影响研究的相关论著,从当地居民、目的地文化、宏观环境三个方面对旅游的社会文化影响来进行研究,以便为有关部门和相关人员提供决策依据和行动参考。     

沈阳会展旅游对区域经济影响及发展策略研究

近年来,随着社会和经济的不断发展,会展旅游已经成为中国旅游研究中的热点之一,会展旅游业也以其所蕴涵的巨大经济效益,成为全球性产业。沈阳会展旅游发展推动了区域经济的发展,沈阳会展旅游业的持续、健康、快速地发展需要更清晰的思路。     

企业社会资本对营销渠道策略的影响

社会资本对企业的经营能力和经济效益有直接的提升作用,本文利用社会资本理论与渠道理论,建立了企业社会资本对渠道策略的影响模式,从企业社会资本的结构维度、关系维度和认知维度,研究其对渠道设计、渠道冲突解决和渠道绩效管理的影响,在分析这些影响的基础上提出从网络结构、共同信仰等方面拓展渠道,优化分销网络;利用信任、规范机制、制度与信仰等解决渠道冲突;利用信任、合作、互惠规范、外部相关关联的网络,改善市场绩效的对策。     

我国信息技术投资对企业盈利性的影响

本文通过分析影响利润的主营业务收入与费用支出,研究了我国上市公司IT投资对企业净利润的影响及其滞后效果,发现IT投资对主营业务收入的增长有显著且持续的作用,但IT投资也带来了企业费用的增加;IT对净利润的贡献逐年递增,在投资后第三年呈现显著效果;与此同时,IT投资对这几项经营指标的影响远远大于非IT投资。另外,在行业差异的分析中发现非制造业企业的IT投资绩效明显好于制造业企业,可带来持续显著的主营业务收入与净利润的增长。     

Impact of youth injuries on the uninsured farm family's economic viability

The objective of this study is to estimate the impact of youth injuries on the uninsured farm family's economic viability. Using farm prototypes, we compared farm profits with costs of farm youth injuries. We built profit models for two types of farms, dairy and soybean farms. Then we estimated the cost impact of farm youth injuries of different levels of severity on a farm family with no health insurance. A severe child injury that requires at least 10 days of hospitalisation would cost almost equal to the operating profit of the average dairy farm with no health insurance and would turn the operating profit of the average soybean farm into a severe loss of $99,499. Prevention of child agricultural injuries would significantly improve the financial situation for farm families that lack health insurance.     

Impact of positioning strategies on service firm performance

This research examines the application of positioning strategies of retail service firms in Texas. Four in-depth qualitative case studies and covert observation methods provide candid subterranean insight into retail positioning in a dynamic marketplace. “Branding”, “service”, “value for money” and, to a lesser extent, “reliability” and “attractiveness” positioning strategies emerge as the most dominant positioning strategies, although emphasis placed on each varies from firm to firm. Furthermore, all of the firms achieve acceptable sales and favorable consumer perceptions when employing these positioning strategies. Desired profits, return on investment (ROI), and market share are associated with these positioning strategies although not as “sales” and favorable “consumers' perceptions”. The results further show that the pursuit of multiple positioning strategies relates to multiple performance indicators. The paper concludes by providing normative suggestions and discussing theoretical and managerial implications.     

Impact of youth injuries on the uninsured farm family's economic viability

The objective of this study is to estimate the impact of youth injuries on the uninsured farm family's economic viability. Using farm prototypes, we compared farm profits with costs of farm youth injuries. We built profit models for two types of farms, dairy and soybean farms. Then we estimated the cost impact of farm youth injuries of different levels of severity on a farm family with no health insurance. A severe child injury that requires at least 10 days of hospitalisation would cost almost equal to the operating profit of the average dairy farm with no health insurance and would turn the operating profit of the average soybean farm into a severe loss of $99,499. Prevention of child agricultural injuries would significantly improve the financial situation for farm families that lack health insurance.     

The Impact of Fraudulent False Information on Equity Values

There are two types of stock price manipulation examined in the theoretical literature: (1) insider trading, which involves private information that is true and (2) the public spreading of fraudulent false information. While there is a large empirical literature on insider trading, this is the first empirical article to examine the impact of false, fraudulent public information on stock prices and trading volume. We find that such false information, even after being denied by a credible source such as the SEC, generates both abnormal returns and abnormal trading volume. We also find that the effects of the false information on security returns and volume can be persistent for at least 2 weeks. In addition, we show that perpetrators of false news attacks can make potentially large profits from such market manipulations.     

网络组织的非对称性对利益分配的影响

影响利益分配的因素是很多的。其中研究最多的还是传统经济学中所提到的以资源要素投入比例来分配合作利益。然而，在网络组织环境中，相互之间的依赖性使得网络关系成为一种不可以被忽视的因素。这在非对称的网络组织中体现较为明显。因此，本文从网络组织的非对称性角度来研究利益分配问题。首先对需要分配的利益进行了度量；然后利用合作对策模型对利益进行分配；最后探讨了非对称性是如何影响利益分配的。     

中国制造业企业利润决定机制研究——基于异质性生产率的视角

基于异质性生产率角度提出决定企业利润的数量模型,使用中国制造业企业样本数据研究企业的利润状况,并且提出衡量企业利润状况的两种利润率,即销售利润率与投资利润率,最后实证检验生产率对企业利润的决定作用。研究结论显示:中国制造业企业的投资利润率具有逐渐提高的趋势,而销售利润率却具有逐渐下降的趋势;企业生产率与其利润规模呈显著的正相关关系,并且具有相同生产率的企业选择进入出口市场会获得更高的利润。     

供应商管理库存收益研究综述

供应商管理库存模式成为企业界和学术界关注的焦点,许多研究者进行了并且还在继续进行相关的研究工作。从VMI模式下一般收益、VMI模式下运输和库存整合收益、VMI模式下信息共享收益三方面综述VMI收益,并指出今后的研究方向,对促进企业实施VMI有着重大的指导意义和现实意义。     

Why do countries combine the exemption system for the taxation of foreign profits with domestic double taxation relief?

Many European countries exempt foreign profits from domestic corporate taxation. At the shareholder level, however, all corporate profits are taxed, and double taxation relief is granted only for domestic corporate taxes. This paper attempts to rationalize this tax policy. In the presence of double taxation agreements which exempt foreign profits from domestic corporate taxation, countries may use shareholder taxes to tax these profits. The disadvantage of shareholder taxes is that they create incentives to sell domestic firms to foreigners. But double taxation relief for domestic profits may preserve domestic ownership. Our results imply that national dividend tax policies may be a factor contributing to the empirically observed home bias in investment.     

对关联方交易内部转移定价的探讨

关联方交易内部转移定价目的在于人为地抬高或降低交易价格 ,调节各关联企业的成本和利润 ,达到减轻税负 ,使各关联企业共同获取最大利润的目的。过于偏离市场价格的关联方交易转移定价 ,势必对市场各参与主体的利益产生影响 ,给国家税收造成损失 ,必须加强对关联交易转移定价信息披露的监管 ,防止产生利用关联交易转移定价来转入或转出利润及操纵利润现象的发生     

Three Simple Techniques to Analyze a Complex Economic Phenomenon: The Case of Profits

This paper seeks to characterize the behavior of profits over the business cycle as a model for analyzing any economic series by a practicing business economist. It addresses three fundamental questions about profits that are common and critical to identifying the behavior of any macroeconomic series—mean-reversion, volatility, and trend. First, does profit growth over time exhibit mean-reverting behavior? Second, how volatile are profits, and does this volatility obscure the message of average profit growth? Third, how can we estimate a long-run trend growth component for profits and thereby separate profit cycles from its long-run trend growth component?     

The Impact of Frequent Shopper Programs in Grocery Retailing

Frequent shopper programs are becoming ubiquitous in retailing. Retailers seem unsure however about whether these programs are leading to higher loyalty, or to higher profits. In this paper we analyze data from a U.S. supermarket chain that has used a number of frequent shopper rewards to improve sales and profitability. We find that while these programs are profitable, this is only because substantial incremental sales to casual shoppers (cherry pickers) offset subsidies to already loyal customers. In this way our findings are inconsistent with existing theories about how frequent shopper programs are supposed to work. We construct our own Hotelling-like model that explicitly models cherry picking behavior and show that its predictions match the data quite closely. We further test the predictions of our model by characterizing the impact of such programs on trip frequency and basket size. We then use the model to examine more complex scenarios. For example, our analysis suggests that frequent shopper programs may be unprofitable if they eliminate all cherry picking. This may explain why some retailers seem dissatisfied with their programs. We end by proposing a solution that retains the benefits of the frequent shopper programs and yet continues to let supermarkets benefit from price discrimination.     

Managing Business Ethics and Opportunity Costs

Economic profits differ from accounting profits. Accounting profits are usually defined as revenues minus costs, and those costs as fixed and variable. Economic profits enlist a third cost, opportunity costs. While these costs are difficult to determine with mathematical precision, they are nonetheless significant, especially for decision making in business. They reflect social costs and benefits, tensions between individual and corporate interests, and all internal and external considerations which enter into decision making in business. It is precisely within opportunity cost decision making that Primeaux and Stieber situate business ethics.     

基于营业比重的公路运输业上市公司利润质量分析

利润质量的优劣程度是判断企业价值的关键,利润质量的分析方法也有很多。基于营业比重的角度,分析了2007-2011年间公路运输业上市公司的核心利润率等相关指标,评价了其利润质量并提出了建议。     

Lost Profits from Patent Infringement: The Simulation Approach

A patent owner is entitled to recover any additional profits that would have been earned but for infringement. This paper suggests the use of an adaptation of merger simulation to assess lost profits in patent infringement cases. A model of the industry with infringement is calibrated to observed prices and quantities and estimated demand elasticities. Lost profits are then estimated by calculating a new equilibrium without the infringing product(s).     

上市公司长期资产减值转回的理论与实证研究

本文实证分析了2001-2004年我国上市公司长期资产减值转回行为。将近一半的上市公司发生了长期资产减值转回,它们主要表现在固定资产和长期投资的减值转回上。平均地说,如果不允许长期资产减值损失转回,减值转回公司的净利润将下降40%左右,同时16.89%的公司无法扭亏为盈。整体来说,盈利较低的公司、扭亏公司以及高管层变更的公司有更大的激励利用长期资产减值转回来提高当期会计利润。