Assessing performance in services: the travel agency industry

The aim of this article is to compare different approaches to the evaluation of economic performance in tourism. For the first time in tourism, this article simultaneously applies traditional productivity measures as well as parametric and non-parametric techniques to estimate efficiency and compares the results obtained. The empirical application is carried out on a sample of 567 travel agencies operating in Spain in 2004. The results reveal important differences depending on the methodology employed. Overall, none of the methodologies can be said to be better than the rest. These results highlight the importance of considering different approaches when evaluating performance in tourism.     

互联网时代背景下旅行社转型升级策略研究

当前,越来越多的旅游者尤其是年轻的旅游者习惯于直接通过网上平台预订旅游产品,旅游者需求的变化,加速了旅游服务业与互联网产业的快速融合发展。在互联网时代背景下,传统的旅行社不得不面临转型升级的巨大挑战,促使我们认真思考,寻求对策。     

Consumers engaged in a member-gets-member campaign: an agency perspective

In this article, the use of member-gets-member-campaigns is perceived as an agency problem: the agent (a consumer) is going to take some action on the principal's behalf (a manufacturer). However, before the principal decides to engage the agent in their member-gets-member campaign, the principal needs to know whether a particular agent has the appropriate characteristics and whether the agent will have the proper motivations to behave in accordance with the principal's goals. Moreover, the principal needs to know how the agent's ideas and behaviour can be changed. In this article, concepts from opinion leadership, social network theory and attitude research are used to test and evaluate the characteristics of the agent, who voluntarily participated in a member-gets-member campaign of a large producer of several brands of dog food. The outcomes show that agents that participate in the member-gets-member campaigns have characteristics which might be desirable for the manufacturer: these agents are opinion leaders and have a positive brand attitude. To some extent, these agents also ask permission from the consumer whether they are allowed to make them members and seek membership from people with whom they have close ties. The results also show that the agents positively respond to incentives used by the manufacturer. In general, the agents are not motivated to oversell the membership to the consumers.     

解秘九城与网易代理之争：文化差异与个性使然的必然结果

九城与网易对于《魔兽世界》运营权的代理之争,沸沸扬扬了许久。对于九城和网易,其意义已经不再停留在一场企业间竞争的层面上了。其实,说归根本．二者的竞争还是上海文化与广州文化之间的差异所致。     

国有资产使用效率问题的分析与对策研究——基于委托一代理理论的分析

使用委托—代理人理论提高我国国有资产的使用效率。目前国有资产使用效率中存在诸多的问题，针对这些问题，从博弈论的角度，通过“选择报酬和连续努力水平的委托一代理人模型”分析国有资产运作中的委托—代理关系，提供了一种针对企业最高层决策者—总经理—的激励机制思路；针对国有资产使用中低效率的问题，提出了一种提高国有资产使用效率的有效途径，即国家控股公司按照一定的参与约束和激励约束来设计对总经理的报酬函数，在这样的激励下，使总经理的努力目标和企业目标相一致。     

Determinants of the adoption of HRM practices in tourism SMEs in Spain: an exploratory study

This paper explores the relationship between the adoption of HRM practices in Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) and the characteristics of the firm and the person responsible for HRM. We propose a conceptual model based on the resource-based view, which is tested with quantitative data from 164 tourism’s SMEs in Catalonia (Spain). As predicted, the adoption of HRM practices is positively associated with the presence of an HRM department. Also, SMEs in which the person responsible for HRM has previous experience in similar positions are greater adopters of HRM practices. Finally, SMEs which cooperate with other organizations are more likely to implement HRM practices.     

Information technology and consumer behavior in travel and tourism: Insights from travel planning using the internet

Sustaining business success hinges upon a firm׳s ability to understand and capitalize on consumer behavior trends. Synthesizing information from a variety of sources, this paper discusses the nature of use of the Internet by American travelers. In general, the adoption of the Internet has reached a level of saturation and some traditional channels such as online travel agencies (OTAs) continue to dominate travel planning. While traditional means of Internet use for travel planning appears to be widespread across all customer segments, higher-order Internet uses (i.e., social media) are now prevalent among some segments, particularly among travelers of Generation Y. Also, there seems to be an important bifurcation in the traveler population in that the traditional online consumers remain unchanged with their pattern of use of online tools while sizable groups are adopting emergent information sources and transaction channels. This article details the particulars of these trends and offers managerial implications and future research directions.     

Firm size and productivity in Spain: a stochastic frontier analysis

This paper analyses the performance of the small and medium-sized manufacturing firms during the period 1995–2001, focusing on the degree of technical inefficiency and its determinants. We use a micro panel data set to simultaneously estimate a stochastic frontier production function and the inefficiency determinants using an unbalanced panel of manufacturing firms. Our empirical results suggest that small and medium-sized firms tend to be less inefficient than the large firms are. Also, we centre our analysis in the effect on efficiency of some organisational factors related to the managerial ability to use and adjust capital and labour properly.

Consumption structure and atmospheric pollution in Spain: towards a higher sustainability

The aim of this paper is to analyse the responsibility of Spanish demand composition (particularly private and public consumption) in the actual levels of atmospheric pollution in Spain. To that end, and on the basis of an input–output model, we set out to identify the environmental pollution generated both directly and indirectly by the economic sectors in order to obtain a determined final demand. We focus on three atmospheric pollutants, namely SOx, NOx and CO₂. After identifying the key sectors in the generation of these types of pollution, we estimate the effect that a change in final consumption will have on the global level of pollution. As a consequence, we can evaluate the effectiveness of different demand policies when seeking to control this global pollution. These policies, directed mainly towards a change in private and public consumption, can hopefully contribute towards the objective of achieving sustainable development.     

Capital structure of Chinese listed SMEs: an agency theory perspective

Prior work examining the antecedents of capital structure for small and medium-sized enterprises in emerging markets is limited. This paper sheds light on how the corporate governance mechanisms adopted by firms on the newly established Growth Enterprise Market (GEM) in China influence their use of debt. We find that the financial leverage of GEM firms is positively influenced by executives’ shareholding and their excess cash compensation. Ownership concentration appears to reduce leverage, whereas the percentage of tradable shares increases leverage. In contrast, institutional investors’ shareholding does not influence the level of debt. Traditional factors such as tax and operating cash flow are insignificant in explaining the debt levels among GEM firms.     

Usage of,and satisfaction with,a governmental consumer protection agency

State consumer protection agencies provide alternatives for consumer inquiries and for redress when consumers are unable to obtain satisfaction. In this study, the major objectives were to determine whether consumers used the services of the Kentucky Consumer Protection Division, the frequency of contact, the method of contact, the satisfaction/dissatisfaction with handling of inquiries or complaints and characteristics of inquirers/complainers. Four different surveys were used to obtain the data. The data analysis indicated that a large percentage of those who made inquiries or complained were satisfied. However, only a small percentage of the consumers had contacted the CPD, and very few used the hotline in making requests or complaints. Those who had contacted the CPD were younger, better educated and had higher incomes. Among the recommendations are that increased efforts be made to publicize the hotline and other CPD services.     

R&D investments in family and founder firms: An agency perspective

Investments in R&D can influence a firm's ability to develop new products and to create and adopt innovative technologies that may enhance productivity. However, due to uncertainty regarding the outcome, investments in R&D may lead to an agency problem between the owners and the managers of a firm. Family and founder firms are often considered to be different in their agency situation than other firms, which may have an influence on R&D investments. This paper analyzes R&D spending in family and founder firms versus other firms. The results show that while family ownership decreases the level of R&D intensity, ownership by lone founders has a positive effect not only on R&D intensity but also on the level of R&D productivity. The paper contributes to the understanding of the role of entrepreneurship in making high risk/high return R&D decisions.     

Corporate giving in Taiwan: agency cost theory vs. value enhancement theory

This article examines the determinants of corporate giving (CG) in Taiwan according to agency cost (AC) and value enhancement (VE) theories. Panel regression test results reveal several new and interesting pieces of evidence. First, VE determinants outweigh AC determinants in explaining CG there. Second, the positive link between the current CG ratio (CGR) and the lagged CGR (CGR(-1)) suggests the consistent nature of CG. Third, after the global financial crisis in 2008, the influence of debt leverage on CGR vanished, but the impact of managerial insiders’ shareholdings on CGR became significant. Last, the influences of VE determinants and CGR(-1) on CGR remain during both pre-crisis and post-crisis periods. Moreover, after the crisis, CG was still motivated to create current value for shareholders, and was apparently used as a business strategy to signal companies’ financial or managerial stability.     

Franchising in Spain: Agency and capital scarcity perspectives

Franchising is currently perhaps the most interesting formula, financially speaking, for generating self-employment, as the capital risk on the investment needed to set up a business is kept to a minimum. Since the aim of this research is to combine the agency and scarcity theories, we conducted a study throughout the total number of observations existing in Spain to determine the importance of the sector. Factors under examination included the number of distribution units that are franchised units as a proportion of the total number of units, the number of years since the firm was set up, yearly growth rate, geographical scope of operation, average start-up costs and average royalty rates.     

Measuring service quality of travel agents: evidence from Northern Cyprus

Service quality delivered by travel agents in Northern Cyprus was examined using a SERVQUAL scale. The translated instrument was purified using an item-categorisation technique and administered to 337 current users of travel agents in the region. Expectations and performance (SERVPERF) scores indicated that respondents were concerned most with the efficiency and least with the personalisation of the services offered. The largest service gaps were identified with the ‘modern’ appearance of the service and service-scape, and the smallest with interpersonal qualities of service. Multiple regression showed promptness, empathy, efficiency and service-scape aesthetics to be the main determinants of customer satisfaction. SERVPERF scores gave a better prediction of overall satisfaction and showed marginally better reliability and validity than those from which expectations were subtracted. Instead of the predicted SERVQUAL five-factor solution, factor analysis showed an underlying uni-dimensionality that is consistent with the findings of other authors. Possible management actions suggested by the findings are discussed in the context of the small business environment in Northern Cyprus.     

Industry and agency views of social media: Issues implementing dialogic communication

The technologies and culture of social media present issues for organisations implementing dialogic communication. The ubiquity of social media and the dialogic nature of communications in the digital age are raising awareness of the necessity of a total stakeholder approach to integrated communications. Yet, while the Marketing discipline argues that dialogic communication represent communication par excellence, this research finds that implementing a total stakeholder approach to dialogic communication is proving to be extremely elusive for many organisations exploring social media applications. The empirical findings of this research explore how marketing and communications professionals from a diverse range of industry and agency role contexts view social media, and presents issues that organisations face in implementing dialogic communication. It is suggested that these implementation issues inhibit the ability of organisations to move beyond ‘control’ and implement a total stakeholder approach to social media for dialogic communication that can engage with an organisation's stakeholders to gain their support.     

Measuring service experience: Applying the satisfaction with travel scale in public transport

It is argued that favorable customer service experiences are crucial for the success of a company's offering, and research on the subject is growing rapidly. However, instruments for measuring service experience are not readily available. This study applies and validates the Satisfaction with Travel Scale (STS) for measuring the service experience in public transport. The results confirm that service experience is multidimensional, consisting of a cognitive dimension related to service quality and two affective dimensions related to positive activation, such as enthusiasm or boredom, and positive deactivation, such as relaxation or stress.     

Advertising Media Planning in Spain: Models and Current Usages

Advertising media planning has attracted considerable attention from researchers and practitioners. There is a clear dichotomy between the optimizing and the nonoptimizing approaches. We have reviewed the present state of the art of the mathematical media models. The purpose of this study was to examine the available models for media planning in Spain and to assess their usage. A postal survey was conducted among Spanish advertising agencies whose advertising expenditure in million pesetas was 521,000 in 1988.