Fair Trade Community Café

This case concerns the real operations of a café in a small town in Nova Scotia, Canada. It is a second location of a theme restaurant, with the first location successfully operating for a number of years. The owner of the first location, and senior partner of the second café, is available for advice but does not participate in the day‐to‐day operations of the second location; there are two junior partners who run the business. The focus is on the financial statements generated by an external bookkeeping service. The income statement reports a significant loss, and some of the accounts on the balance sheet and income statement do not make sense for this type of business. Simple ratio and variance analysis provides information for students to determine where problems lie. The case presents a good opportunity for students who have a basic understanding of financial statements to read a set of real statements generated by a bookkeeping service. Not all transactions are logical for a small café, although the financial information is from a real café in operation. The case also contains industry information on the operations of small food and drinking businesses located in Nova Scotia.     

探索支持个人本外币兑换特许业务的发展路径

个人本外币兑换特许业务自2008年试点以来，尤其在2012年国家外汇管理局对特许业务的管理办法进行修订以来，业务量和机构家数增长迅速。但与国际货币兑换公司相比，国内仍存在业务量较低、对银行的依赖较大、业务范围较窄等问题。文章回顾了该业务在我国的发展现状，借鉴成熟国际特许机构的发展经验，对促进我国特许业务发展提出相关政策建议。     

Cucina Roma

Focusing on a client organization wanting to outsource its food services, this case provides the opportunity for students to analyze the issues from the perspectives of both the outsourcing company and the food service company (Cucina Roma). The client wants employees to increase their use of the café in order to improve employee morale, productivity, and work‐life balance. The Cucina Roma case requires students to use a budget to dynamically plan tactics that will encourage employees to use the company café. Students are tested for budgeting and planning, both quantitatively and qualitatively. The challenge for students is to convert the qualitative analysis into numbers.     

New development: Public service enterprises and consumer-centric management

This article presents consumer satisfaction surveys for three very different public enterprises in the city of Edessa in Greece: the local water and sewerage company, the municipal conservatory of music and a café/restaurant. The majority of consumers were satisfied with the services provided to them by these three public enterprises. Relationships with consumers were managed very differently by the enterprises suggesting that service delivery should be based on the individual characteristics of the enterprise and the environment it operates in.     

特许连锁企业知识转移的影响因素。

促进特许连锁体系内的知识转移,提高特许连锁体系的知识管理水平是特许连锁企业成功的关键。文章根据组织间知识转移的一般过程,结合社会网络分析观点,分析了影响特许连锁体系内知识转移效果的主要因素。     

A Medieval Controversy About Profit and Loss Allocations

This paper analyses a controversy between Maimonides and Rabbi Abraham Ben David of Posquierres over the allocation of partnership profits and losses in the absence of a partnership contract. The Maimonidean allocation system depends upon whether the partnership is formed for business or non-business (consumption) activities. The controversy concerns the notion of indivisibilities in partnership capital. This early debate is analysed in light of the modern—including game-theoretic—cost allocation literature.     

对个体工商户受理信用卡业务制约因素的探析

为防止恶意套现,2009年8月央行出台了有关加强银行卡安全的文件,明确规定严格收单结算账户管理,禁止将特约商户（含固定电话支付业务的特约商户）的个人结算账户设置为信用卡收单账户。本文在对克拉玛依地区银行卡推广使用情况调查的基础上,阐释了关闭信用卡受理功能后对市民、商户造成的不利影响,分析了转开单位结算账户受理信用卡存在的成本较大、手续烦琐,且现金流动不便的问题,并提出了相关对策建议。     

We're in this together

When managers from Wendy's International and Tyson Foods got together in 2003 to craft a supply chain partnership, each side had misgivings. There were those in the Wendy's camp who remembered past disagreements with Tyson and those on the Tyson side who were wary of Wendy's. But the companies had a tool, called the "partnership model,'to help get things started on the right foot. Drawing on the experiences of member companies of the Global Supply Chain Forum at Ohio State University, the model offers a process for aligning expectations and determining the most productive level of partnering. It rapidly establishes the mutual understanding and commitment required for success and provides a structure for measuring outcomes. This article puts the tool in the reader's hands. Partnerships are justified only if they stand to yield substantially better results than the firms could achieve on their own. And even if they are warranted, they can fail if the partners enter them with mismatched expectations. Over the course of a day and a half, the partnership model elucidates the drivers behind each company's desire for partnership, allows managers to examine the conditions that facilitate or hamper cooperation, and specifies which activities managers must perform to implement the relationship. This tool has proved effective at Wendy's and elsewhere in determining what type of partnership is most appropriate. Colgate-Palmolive, for example, used it to help achieve stretch financial goals with suppliers of innovative products. But the model is just as effective in revealing that some companies' visions of partnership are not justified. In matters of the heart, it may be better to have loved and lost, but in business relationships, it's better to have headed off the resource sink and lingering resentments a failed partnership can cause.     

Using journal entries to teach partnership tax: An illustrative case

The use of journal entries to teach partnership taxation concepts provides students with a visual tool that liberates them from the memorization of formulas that has long been a staple in partnership tax education. Employing journal entries as our pedagogy, we present a case designed to be a comprehensive project for a stand-alone graduate partnership taxation course. We also provide guidance for how individual components within the case can be assigned, which could be particularly useful to instructors of business entity tax courses. Our case provides a resource that will assist instructors in teaching and students in understanding (1) the book accounting requirements, and (2) the interrelationship between the tax and book reporting requirements. Graduate tax students who completed this case in its entirety agree that the case meets its stated learning objectives, and that journal entries are an effective tool for analyzing partnership tax transactions and make learning partnership taxation easier.     

TO OWN OR TO FRANCHISE?: THE INTERNATIONAL CONTROL DECISION FOR SERVICE COMPANIES

Franchising, which accounts for a significant share of the U.S. domestic service industry, has also become a major strategic alternative in the international expansion of U.S. service firms. This article attempts to explain the international franchising and control decision by U.S.-based service firms in terms of a theoretical framework that borrows from agency theory and transaction-cost analysis. Specifically, it attempts to answer the following question: Why would a well-established service firm choose to operate in certain countries through a franchising agreement whereas in others it would set up a wholly-owned subsidiary? In their empirical test of a sample of over 10,000 international service units that were either owned or franchised by 12 U.S. multinational service companies, the authors find that the most important determinants of the decision to franchise rather than own are the following four: (1) geographical distance from headquarters; (2) extent of cultural differences; (3) years of international experience; and (4) degree of concern about reputation or brand name. Greater geographic and cultural distance make service companies more likely to franchise, as do greater experience and familiarity with international business settings. Greater concern about brand name, by contrast, makes companies more likely to own than franchise. Measures of political and exchange risk have no detectable effect.     

The Origin of General Limited Liability in the United Kingdom

This article discusses the introduction of general limited liability into the United Kingdom. This was effected by the independent Irish Government through a Statute it enacted in 1782, commonly referred to as the Anonymous Partnership Act. The article explores the political and economic circumstances of eighteenth century Ireland which led to the passing of the Act. It summarises the provisions of the Act and seeks to highlight the insights which it gives into the nature of the limited partnership form of business organisation. An appendix provides statistics which demonstrate the infrequent use that was made of the Act. The probable reasons for this are discussed. The article concludes by pointing to some general lessons that can perhaps be learned from a study of the history of this Irish experience of employing an innovative commercial form of business organisation.     

Public–private partnership meets corporate social responsibility—the case of H-JUMP school

This paper examines tripartite public–private partnerships (PPPs), a new form of partnership between the government, business, and nonprofit sectors. Partly funded by for-profit firms’ corporate social responsibility (CSR) budgets, this approach reduces a government’s costs for providing a public service. Based on a case study of the H-JUMP school, a recently-formed tripartite PPP in South Korea, the authors explore the motives of each partner organization, the key factors in making the partnership sustainable, and the partnership’s social value implications.     

Vertical control of a distribution network—an empirical analysis of magazines

How does an upstream firm determine the size of its distribution network, and what is the role of vertical restraints? To address these questions, we develop two empirical entry models. In the benchmark coordinated entry model, the upstream firm sets market‐specific wholesale prices and implements the first best. In the more realistic restricted/free entry model, the upstream firm only sets a uniform wholesale price. As a second‐best solution, it restricts entry in markets where business stealing (encroachment) is high, and allows free entry elsewhere. We apply the model to magazine distribution, and assess the profitability of alternative vertical restraints. Banning restricted licensing reduces profits only slightly, so the business rationale for restricted licensing should not be sought in the prevention of encroachment. Furthermore, market‐specific wholesale prices implement the first best, but the profit increase would be small, providing a rationale for the commonly observed uniform wholesale prices. Finally, uniform franchise fees are much less effective than a uniform wholesale price to cope with local market differences.     

Who Transfers Credit Risk? Determinants of the Use of Credit Derivatives by Large US Banks

Abstract

Credit derivatives enable banks to transfer selected credit risks to third parties. An empirical model is developed for the motivation for bank participation in credit derivative markets and, conditional on participation, the factors that determine the volume of business transacted. Participation appears to be closely related to bank size, but there is only limited evidence that entry barriers related to franchise value or past experience in dealing in derivatives are important. There is evidence that banks use credit derivatives as part of their overall risk management strategy. However, the use of credit derivatives does not appear to be influenced by the extent of managerial share ownership.     

Seven rules of international distribution

A multinational entering a new market in a developing country knows that on its own, it cannot master local business practices, meet regulatory requirements, hire and manage local personnel, and gain access to potential customers. So it partners with a local distributor. At first, sales take off, revenues grow, and the entry seems like a smart move. But when sales plateau, the corporation begins blaming the distributor for not investing sufficiently in business growth or expanding markets, and the distributor claims that it hasn't received enough support and that the corporation's expectations are too high. The key to solving such problems lies in recognizing that the phases are predictable and can be planned for. As a new business grows in an emerging market, its marketing strategy needs to evolve, and each sequential phase requires different skills, financial investments, and management resources. The author offers seven strategies to manage the multinational-distributor partnership. He discusses what to consider when choosing a distributor, how to structure the relationship between the two partners, what resources the multinational should commit, and what can be expected in return. He states that a successful distributor must risk investing in training, information services, and advertising and promotion in order to implement the company's marketing strategy and grow the business. Paying attention at the start of a partnership can result in a better working relationship between a multinational and a distributor, along with more consistent sales and growth for the corporation.     

Future for food education of children

Food plays an important role in the daily life and wellbeing of children. Childhood food experiences are important guides to eating behaviour in adults. Food is full of properties that we perceive with our senses of smell, touch, hearing, sight and taste. We live in individual sensory worlds, and our food perception processes are also individual. Children actively investigate food during eating and cooking. By encouraging their excursion into the world of food culture and food activities, we support them in expanding their food preferences. This paper is based on the “Future for food education” workshop in the Future for Food Conference and focuses on the knowledge applied to the sensory-based food education for children. Examples of food education practices from Finland and Denmark are presented. The learning café method was used for the workshop attendees to outline the food education possibilities. The key issues were discussed in groups and included such topics as: “Who should perform the food education activities?” and “Who will benefit in the future from food education?” The workshop presentations and discussions indicate that there is a need for the advancement and research of food education for children.     

Pitney Bowes: using comprehensive cost information to build provider networks

Wishing to develop a work partnership with a managed care organization, Pitney Bowes decided to select its own network providers. The company reached out to the medical community for input and participation in crafting both a clinical and a business partnership that would set new standards for health care delivery in the country. A methodology--described here--was developed for comparing medical plans and selecting providers.     

论PPP特许经营权收回的协商型法律规制

在PPP特许经营领域,当公用事业遭受或面临重大损害之虞时,政府基于行政监管权和行政优益权而提前收回特许经营权有其正当性,与此同时因行政控权及保障合理私益需要,该收回权的行使也应受到合理规制.与PPP特许经营模式发展阶段相对应,对特许经营权收回的规制呈现出由命令型向协商型过渡的基本轨迹.作为规制PPP特许经营权收回的一种包容性模式,协商型规制应明确其基本构造,具体而言则是从原则遵循、启动要件、主体要件、程序要件等方面进行细化和完善,从而最大程度保障公用事业运营秩序的稳定及各方主体的合法权益.     

The effect of corporate social responsibility on the branding of financial services

In today's global world, corporate social responsibility (CSR) is increasing public demand for greater transparency from multinational companies. CSR is a new and growing financial risk factor. If it is mismanaged, a firm's corporate reputation can be badly damaged and a direct negative impact on its business and bottom-line may result. Instead of simply campaigning directly against industrial groups and lobbying governments and international organisations to issue new legislation, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are increasingly putting pressure on the financial services groups and insurance companies. This new global tactic may affect a bank's relationship with its clients and shareholders.There are market benefits and competitive advantages for those companies whose business policies integrate CSR. The growth in socially responsible investments and in CSR awareness among City people persuades some bankers that the most successful firms of the future will be those who proactively balance short-term financial goals with long-term sustainable franchise building. To respond to this challenge, corporations will have to convince citizens they can trust both their brands and the people behind them. In this context, one must recognise that finance brands have been clumsily managed. Nowadays, several big consumer brands are used as societal role models, but they are also the targets of anti-globalisation and anti-logo activists. In order to avoid such an outcome — not to mention corporate mortification — the key social marketing strategy must be to communicate proactively the business activity's raison d'être to opinion leaders and the general public. In general, industry does not yet care enough and many companies are reacting only when put under pressure by public opinion. It is time, however, to market the social raison d'être of a business and indeed to contest its current exclusion from ‘civil society’. Consumer and service sectors lead the field. In view of the downturn of the global economy, more than ever before, CSR branding is of paramount importance to the financial sector if bankers do not want to become the easy scapegoats. It is necessary to make it clear that financial services companies are global citizens too.     

Franchising and real estate brokerage

This paper examines the value of franchise affiliation to real estate brokerage firms. It uses a national sample to estimate models of brokerage firm sales and revenues. The results suggest that franchisees sell more properties than nonaffiliates, but that the average franchise sale results in less revenue. The net benefit of franchise affiliation is a 9.0 percent increase in net revenue to the average firm. We compare the initial cost of affiliation with the benefits and find that the up-front fees charged by franchisors are substantially lower than the present value of the stream of incremental profits generated by franchise affiliation.