Does foreign institutional ownership motivate firms in an emerging market to increase voluntary disclosure? Evidence from Taiwan

This study examines the relationship between foreign institutional ownership and voluntary disclosure in an emerging market. By exploiting a unique dataset of daily foreign investment flow and ownership data from Taiwan, this paper examines whether foreign ownership is associated with the likelihood of holding conference calls and investigates whether conference calls are informative to foreign market participants. After controlling for other characteristics of a firm??s information environment, we find that the decision to hold conference calls is positively associated with foreign institutional ownership. We also provide evidence that the trading turnover by foreign institutional investors immediately increases after the conference calls, indicating that conference calls are informative for foreign institutional investors. Our results are robust, after controlling for endogeneity.     

Destination competitiveness: evidence from Bali

Within the dynamic global tourism industry, understanding the reasons for a destination's competitiveness is essential in order to enhance its performance, facilitate more effective destination management, and inform its overall sustainable economic development. This paper applies Kim and Wicks’ (2010, July 30. Rethinking tourism cluster development models for global competitiveness, international chrie conference-refereed track, University of Massachusetts) tourism cluster development model to Bali – a small, mature destination in the developing economy of Indonesia. It demonstrates that there are complex relationships between: (i) cluster actors; (ii) barriers preventing effective networking; and (iii) the significance of these interactions for the local host community. This paper contributes to the debate by addressing new and different attributes and actors such as transnational corporations, universities, and the concept of co-opetition, as being significant attributes in Kim and Wicks’ initial model. Through a qualitative approach involving N?=?23 semi-structured interviews, this paper illustrates intricate issues and relationships that are identified in Bali, a small mature destination. Purposive sampling methods were employed to generate a range of key stakeholders who informed our understanding of ‘cluster actors’ in Kim and Wicks’ terms. The systematic examination of these key tourism elements provides a detailed analysis of the destination's strengths and weaknesses, and a more nuanced understanding of what facilitates a destination's competitive position.     

Trade Liberalisation and the Wage Skill Premium in Korean Manufacturing Plants: Do Plants’ R&D and Investment Matter?

This paper examines the effects of output and input tariff reductions on within‐plant wage skill premium in Korean manufacturing plants. We find evidence that output tariff reduction interacts differently with plants’ R&D and investment behaviours, respectively, to affect wage skill premium. More specifically, output tariff reduction increases wage skill premium mostly in R&D‐performing plants while reducing it mostly in plants making positive facility investments. While there is weak evidence that input tariff reduction increases wage skill premium, no such interactive effects are found. One story behind our results is that, although both R&D and facility investments may respond to changes in profit opportunities due to output tariff reductions, R&D raises the relative demand for the skilled workers while facility investment, an activity of increasing production capacity, raises the relative demand for the unskilled workers.     

Estimating the environmental effects and recreational benefits of cultivated flower land for environmental quality improvement in Taiwan

The main purpose of this study is to measure environmental effects and recreational benefits under different hypothetical scenarios program, involving quality improvement in Tien‐Wei Highway Garden, which is the biggest cultivated flower land in Taiwan. The contingent behavior model was adopted. The data combined actual number of trips under current quality of environment combined and the intended number of trips for expected scenarios of environmental quality improvement and congestion mitigation. For the empirical model, on‐site Poisson model was performed to correct truncated and endogenous stratification issues from on‐site surveys. The results show that the estimated average consumer surplus is greater in contingent behavior method than the one in the traditional travel cost model. Also, the estimated recreational benefits in contingent behavior method are more precise than those in the traditional travel cost method. The environment benefits to consumers are communicated with the programs that changes in environment quality. Meanwhile, the incremental economic benefits comprise the gain associated with the improvement of environmental quality.     

Bust prominence related to bra fit problems

Poorly fitted bras lead to physical discomfort or more serious health problems such as muscle fatigue or pain. The purpose of this study is to find the relationship of bust prominence (one aspect of size) to fit problems women perceive in their everyday bras. To investigate this relationship, this study recruited female college students and measured their bust prominence using three previously developed methods of determining bra size. A bra fit questionnaire was then administered to survey the participants' perceptions on the bras they typically wore to school or work. Results show that lack of sufficient support is the most prevailing bra fit problem among this group of young women, and participants with prominent breasts, in particular, are likely to perceive the fit problems of tight bra cups and loose bra bands. Although the convenience sample may not represent a generalization of breast shape in college women, findings related to bra fit perceptions of women will assist bra companies in designing and producing better fitting bras for female consumers with various bust prominences. Meanwhile, information related to calculated differences of chest, bust and under‐bust circumferences will help design a more practical and reliable bra classification system.     

Mining the R&D innovation performance processes for high-tech firms based on rough set theory

The research and development (R&D) innovation of firms continues to be viewed as an important source of competitive advantage to academics and practitioners. To explore and extract the R&D innovation decision rules, it is important to understand how the R&D innovation rule-base works. However, many studies have not yet adequately induced and extracted the decision rule of R&D innovation and performance based on the characteristics and components of the original data rather than on post-determination models. The analysis of this study is grounded in the taxonomy of induction-related activities using a rough set theory approach or rule-based decision-making technique to infer R&D innovation decision rules and models linking R&D innovation to sales growth. The rules developed using rough set theory can be directly translated into a path-dependent flow network to infer decision paths and parameters. The flow network graph and cause-and-effect relationship of decision rules are heavily exploited in R&D innovation characteristics. In addition, an empirical case of R&D innovation performance will be illustrated to show that the rough sets model and the flow network graph are useful and efficient tools for building R&D innovation decision rules and providing predictions. We will then illustrate that integrating the flow network graph with rough set theory can fully reflect the characteristics of R&D innovation, and, through the established model, we can obtain a more reasonable result than with artificial influence.     

Ecotourism in Bako National Park,Borneo: Visitors’ Perspectives on Environmental Impacts and their Management

Ecotourism potentially provides a sustainable approach to development in Malaysia. However, to realise this potential the adverse effects of visitor activity and associated infrastructure on the natural environment and the tourism experience must be identified to guide management actions and thus to sustain the resources on which ecotourism ultimately depends. This study, conducted in Bako National Park on the island of Borneo, reports one of the first efforts to identify the impacts of ecotourism in Malaysia from the perspective of visitors. Environmental conditions of greatest influence on visitors’ experiences included litter and biophysical conditions such as soil erosion and vegetation damage. These conditions were of greater concern to visitors than social conditions, such as the number of people. These results suggest that management efforts can be directed towards indicators of greatest concern such as litter, soil erosion and vegetation damage. The broad support given by those surveyed for a range of management actions provides managers with a choice of strategies to sustain ecotourism in Bako National Park. This study, with its sociopolitical approach, contributes to a greater understanding of the implications of the ecotourist experience for ecotourism management in Malaysia.     

Safety Risk Management in Construction Worksites

ABSTRACT: This study in safety risk management of construction worksites in Singapore stems primarily from recent concerns following several fatal accidents. A greater need for safety is apparent, as the reports from the Ministry of Manpower have shown that construction injuries remain disproportionately high compared to the total number of industrial accidents. The main objectives of this study are to ascertain the safety hazards faced by construction workers and the measures to deal with these hazards.
A questionnaire survey was sent to 150 randomly selected contractors in early November 1999. A 36 percent response rate was obtained. Interviews were conducted with various professionals in the insurance and construction industries to solicit information from the perspective of the practitioners, so that a better understanding of both industries could be achieved. Results indicated that the contractors agreed that practicing good risk management is important. The results of this study are useful to employers in the construction industry who are responsible for providing a safe work environment for workers, as well as to practitioners in the insurance industry involved in construction projects.     

An Analysis of Disaster Risk Management Practices in the u.s. and Singapore

ABSTRACT: This study outlines the framework of the Disaster Recovery Planning (DRP) process and describes the key steps in preparing a DRP. It also identifies the essential characteristics and core elements of the DRP and highlights the critical success factors. It provides a recommendation on the process of DRP that companies can adopt, to help them prepare a comprehensive, well-documented, and cost-effective DRP that is workable. Survey data are used to find out whether DRP is widely practiced in Singapore and the U.S. The survey questions aim to identify the various DRP arrangements an organization has when a disaster strikes and the provisions that are included in its general contingency plan, if any. The survey results for the two countries are analyzed to evaluate why the level of DRP differs so greatly between the U.S. and Singapore.