Divisional Performance Measurement with Divisions as Lessees of Head Office Assets

The paper examines some of the methods suggested in the literature for the evaluation of divisional performance, and proposes an alternative approach to the problem whereby divisions are treated as lessees of fixed assets owned by head office. It is suggested that this method is compatible with the NPV decision rule, yet does not require the company to adopt asset valuation practices which depart from those normally used for financial reporting; furthermore, the method actively considers both the ‘abandonment’ decision and whether or not ‘life expired’ assets should be disposed of. It is also claimed that the method is less open to manipulation than some other proposed performance measures.     

The forest transition: Towards a more comprehensive theoretical framework

Building on the contributions of Mather and others, this paper offers an approach for developing a more comprehensive theory of the forest transition. We argue that long-run changes in forest cover in a country or region cannot be separated from the overall pattern of land use changes. Moreover, this pattern is determined by relative land values; forest cover changes over time as the value of one land use relative to the value of its competing use changes over time. However, the actual values that are used to allocate land may be far from optimal; that is, the presence of market, policy and institutional failures can distort economic and political incentives that can lead to bias in favour of one type of land use over the other, and may ultimately explain why a forest transition may be delayed unnecessarily in some countries and regions.     

Public service and private gain

The Department of Education &; Science recently published details of the type of financial delegation schemes which schools will have to submit by September 1989. Together with other elements in the Education Reform Act, it is clear that delegation will give considerable scope to headteachers with the requisite abilities and attitudes to develop as general managers, and so create distinctive institutions which reflect their vision of what constitutes a good school.     

A Response to 'Ecotourism on Trial: The Case of Billfish Angling as Ecotourism'

This paper estimates the quantity of pollutant produced by the Hong Kong hotel industry through diesel oil consumption. A survey of 20 hotels was carried out to collect three years' energy consumption data. Regression analysis indicated that gross floor area was a major and statistically accepted factor in explaining diesel oil consumption. Diesel oil consumption had reduced from the early 1990s and stabilised by the late 1990s. The sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon dioxide and particulate pollution created by the hotel industry's diesel oil usage from 1990 to 1999 is estimated. The findings indicate that existing green measures and devices are passive and depend on the assimilation of the atmosphere. Environmental costs have stabilised at about HK$54,000 per annum. More proactive approaches to reduce usage and environmental impacts are proposed.     

Understanding the leadership perceptions of staff in China's hotel industry: Integrating the macro- and micro-aspects of leadership contexts

The objective of this paper is to understand the leadership perceptions of staff in China's hotel industry. This study integrates the macro- and micro-aspects of leadership contexts by identifying the contextual variables that affect leadership perceptions. In leadership research, industry setting, the hierarchical levels of an organization, and national culture are recognized as the contextual constraints that affect leadership perceptions, and these constraints were used in this empirical study. Four factors emerged from the factor analysis of a survey study: professionalism; integrity; masculinity or yang; and femininity or yin. A key finding indicates that both the industry setting and the hierarchical levels of an organization affect professionalism. Implications for the training and development of future international hospitality leaders and local staff are considered.     

START FILLING YOUR TALENT GAP-NOW

As businesses steer their way out of turbulence, they have a unique opportunity to identify their leadership supply and demand and then to close the talent gap in their organization. Alan Bird, Lori Flees and Paul DiPaola explain how you can take immediate steps to build the right team now – and lay the groundwork for a long-term approach for nurturing talent within the organization.     

Modelling the Risks Associated with the Increased Importation of Fresh Produce from Emerging Supply Sources Outside the EU to the UK

The risk of non‐indigenous plant pests entering the UK via international trade in fresh produce is increasing. The objective of this article is to identify existing and emerging supply sources for UK fresh produce importers and examine the extent to which they could provide invasion pathways. We tested the hypothesis that increased imports of fresh produce from new sources outside the European Union could increase the risks of non‐indigenous insect pests. We use a bio‐economic model approach in which the number of species arrivals is a function of the volume of imports, whereas the volume of imports itself is a function of gross domestic product, relative import prices and seasonality. The study has identified clear trends, which show import volumes of fresh produce and species detections increasing from new supply sources. If this trend continues in the future, then the UK inspection agency should expect to confront species from new suppliers in much greater numbers, given that import volumes of fresh produce are income elastic.     

Parental preferences and choice of school

This paper provides a UK high resolution microeconometric study of parental preferences and the choice process for secondary schools. Given the particular geographical features of the region, first preference almost entirely related to one of two state schools, which is a situation that perhaps better reflects the real nature of the options faced by most parents in the UK. In contrast to earlier work, distance and access considerations were explicitly incorporated in the preference and choice models estimated and found to be a significant influence on parental decisions. Further significant factors were found, dependent upon the parents' actual choice of school.