The simultaneous berth and quay crane allocation problem

This paper addresses efficient berth and crane allocation scheduling at a multi-user container terminal. First, we introduce a formulation for the simultaneous berth and crane allocation problem. Next, by employing genetic algorithm we develop a heuristic to find an approximate solution for the problem. The fitness value of a chromosome is obtained by crane transfer scheduling across berths, which is determined by a maximum flow problem-based algorithm based on a berth allocation problem solution defined by the chromosome. The results of numerical experiments show that the proposed heuristic is applicable to solve this difficult but essential terminal operation problem.     

Trust disposition,trust antecedents,trust, and behavioral intention

Trust is important for fostering successful relationships, reducing uncertainty and risk, and increasing willingness to purchase. This study tests the replications in the mobile banking (m-banking) industry and the influence of trust on purchase intention via investigating the relationships between disposition to trust, and trust antecedents to trust in forming trust in m-banking services, which in turn leads to behavioral intention to adopt those services. In spite of numerous studies being focused on the critical role of trust in recent decades, the topic of multidimensional trust antecedents in m-banking, as well as the effects of disposition to trust on m-banking adoption intention has been relatively neglected. Based on the data collected in Taiwan, the results reveal significant positive relationships between disposition to trust, trust antecedents, and trust. Meanwhile, the relationship between trust and behavioral intention are positively significant. Contributions and managerial implications are discussed.     

Credit constraints and growth gains from governance

This paper contributes to the governance literature by analyzing the specific mechanisms through which governance affects economic growth: The credit channel. Specifically, it investigates the growth impact of governance on industries with different levels of dependence on external finance. Better governance mitigates credit market imperfections by increasing transparency and accountability and reducing government-policy distortions, promoting productive investment and entrepreneurship development, with a disproportionate impact on sectors that depend on external finance. This paper indeed finds that countries with well-functioning governments are better at providing growth and investment environments for the expansion of industries that rely heavily on external finance and the formation of new establishments in these industries, when controlling for financial development. These results are robust to possible reverse causality, different specifications, subsamples and outliers.     

Exploring the cargo and eco‐efficiencies of international container shipping companies: A network‐based ranking approach

This study aims to evaluate the cargo and eco‐efficiencies of international container shipping companies (CSCs) for the period 2013–2017 for benchmarking purposes. An integration of two‐stage network directional distance function and network‐based approach in data envelopment analysis is utilized to distinguish the efficient operators. Results show that most CSCs are highly ranked in the cargo efficiency stage but lowly ranked in the eco‐efficiency stage and vice versa. This study emphasizes the strengths and weaknesses of each factor of every CSC. Results can help the inefficient CSCs find the areas for improvement by learning from their peers.     

Impacts of Monetary, Fiscal and Exchange Rate Policies on Output in China: A Var Approach

Applying the VAR model and using the interest rate as a monetary policy variable, we find that in the long run, output in China responds negatively to a shock to the interest rate, the real exchange rate, government debt, or the inflation rate, and it reacts positively to a shock to government deficits or lagged own output. When real M2 is chosen as a monetary policy variable, long-term output in China responds positively to a shock to real M2 or lagged own output, and it reacts negatively to a shock to the real exchange rate, government debt, or government deficits. Its response to a shock to the inflation rate is negative when government debt is used and is positive when government deficits are considered. In the short run, fiscal policy is more important than monetary policy in three out of four cases. In the long run, monetary policy is more influential than fiscal policy in three out of four cases. Therefore, the government may consider conducting monetary and fiscal policies differently in the short run and long run. The government needs to be cautious in pursuing deficit spending as its long-term impacts depend on the monetary variable employed. The policy of maintaining a relatively stable exchange rate is appropriate as the depreciation of the Yuan may hurt the economy in the short run.JEL Classifications: E5, F4, H6     

城市文艺复兴:新竹旧城的城市竞争策略

新竹是台湾最早开发的城市之一,拥有一百七十多年建城历史,具有独特的都市纹理.市中心拥有两大核心:其一是以清朝时期的城隍庙为中心,环绕着东门、西门、南门、北六四条街道;其二是以日据时期的东门圆环为中心,放射出九条老街,俗称‘九龙抢珠',此两大核心围塑出新竹旧城的繁荣地带,为新竹市民与游客最重要的活动空间.自1980年新竹科学园区设立后,高科技产业词发展,迄今十万名高科技从业人员与高消费族群,造成东南亚最大的购物中心、各大百货公司以及连锁卖场的兴起,使得新竹旧城所围塑的传统购物空间,以及传统产业与历史建筑,面临逐渐没落的危机.研究在整合传统街区的商业及历史资源,进行街道、建物、店面、商家及游客的调查与问卷,提出重建城市资源,包括密集的公共运输系统、传统建筑及人文景观、历史老店的专业服务品质、传统美食、公共空间、人情味、及文化气息与历史古迹等,具体拟定"新竹旧城City Mall"的城市竞争策略,并发展都市更新与都市景观的规划及设计构想,包括地区环境改造、城市中心管理(Town Center Management)、交通需求管理(Transport Demand Management)、以及观光旅运管理(Tourism Transport Management)等,以达成新竹城市文艺复兴的目标.     

高管性别与财务决策 ——国外理论与实证述评

财务决策是企业生存和发展的关键.然而,理论界关于财务决策的研究大多是基于理性人假说,而忽略了高管性别、性格以及教育背景等个人特质对于企业财务决策的影响.近年来,高管性别与财务决策的关系受到了国外学者的广泛关注,本文通过对国外有关高管性别与财务决策文章的梳理,总结了高管性别主要通过筹资决策、投资决策、股利分配等影响公司财务决策.基于国内现有文献对高管性别与财务决策关系研究较少的现状,本文有助于为学者在今后研究中国上市公司高管性别与公司财务决策关系提供理论依据和借鉴方法.     

How to Encourage Customers to Use Legal Software

This study attempts to identify customer retention strategies for legal software and discusses their effectiveness for three consumer groups (stayers, dissatisfied switchers, and satisfied switchers). Although previous studies propose several antipirating strategies, they do not discuss how to enhance customer intentions to use legal software, which is crucial for software companies. The authors provide four generic retention strategies developed from both antipiracy and customer loyalty literature. The results indicate lower-pricing, legal, communication, and product strategies all enhance customer purchase intentions toward legal software. The lower-pricing strategy is more useful for stayers and dissatisfied switchers, and the communication strategy is most useful for dissatisfied switchers. Both the legal and product strategies have similar impacts on purchase intentions across the three segments. From a firm perspective, a product strategy is most worthwhile and useful across all segments.     

A multilevel analysis of the service marketing triangle in theme parks

ABSTRACT

This study explores multilevel relationships between employees and visitors within 25 theme parks in Taiwan. The adapted constructs with corresponding items of interactive, internal, and external marketing were developed based on the service marketing triangle theory and previous literature. The results show that interactive marketing influences visitor satisfaction and behavioral intentions; internal marketing influences interactive marketing, and moderates the effect of interactive marketing on satisfaction; external marketing influences satisfaction; and satisfaction affects behavioral intentions. This study demonstrates that examining the influence of cross-level service marketing on internal and external customer satisfaction is crucial to the operational success of theme parks.     

Understanding the influences of story elements in service businesses

With the advances of the roles of business stories in marketing, two issues remain unclear: How do consumers evaluate story elements on services? Do usefulness and affect mediate the relationships between business story elements and brand attitude in services? Therefore, to answer these questions, this study conducted between-subjects experiments to investigate the roles of business story elements, usefulness, and affect in financial and restaurants services. The results indicate that the elements of authenticity, reversal, and humor are generally useful in engaging consumers’ usefulness and affect; besides, conciseness is useful in engaging consumers’ usefulness but is not for affect and brand attitude; finally, usefulness and affect are mediators of the relationship between business story elements and brand attitude. These findings provide a framework to design business story and investigate the mediation of usefulness and affect on the relationship between business story elements and brand attitude for services and practitioners.