Employee Perceptions of Award and Incentive Programs

Abstract

Employee award and incentive programs have become standard practice in the business world and in many nonprofit organizations. A study was conducted to measure employee beliefs about meeting management's objectives and employee satisfaction with award/incentive programs. It was found that employee motivation-in terms of liking awards, willingness to encourage others, and willingness to work hard for awards-was the most important factor contributing to employee satisfaction with the programs and employee perception that management's objectives were satisfied by these programs.     

The Economic Impact of the Small Business Administration's Intervention in the Small Firm Credit Market: A Review of the Research Literature*

The guaranteed lending programs of the Small Business Administration (SBA) are large and growing rapidly. The SBA's fiscal year 2009 Performance Budget calls for $28 billion in guaranteed loans for small businesses—a new record for the agency. Some critics of SBA programs suggest they do not help small businesses or overall economic performance. Other critics suggest that these programs unfairly benefit the financial institutions that participate in SBA's guaranteed lending programs. Whereas very little serious empirical evidence exists on whether the net economic impact of the SBA's guaranteed lending programs is positive or negative, a few recent studies provide some insight into the question. In general, they suggest a small positive impact of the SBA's programs on economic performance. However, the results are very tentative and further research is needed to declare a more definitive position. We provide a general overview of the SBA's guaranteed lending programs and summarize the results of these studies.     

Affirmative Disclosure of Nutrition Information and Consumers' Food Preferences: A Review

In order to evaluate a food advertising regulation proposed by the FTC, this paper examines some empirical studies of food marketing practices and their influence on consumer attitudes and behavior toward nutrition information and dietary habits. The requirement for affirmative disclosure of nutrition information may fall short of its intended goal because consumers have low motivation to use such information and inadequate comprehension of it. Moreover, the limited information processing capacity of the average person may preclude effective communication of nutrition information in a television commercial. The regulation's most likely impact would be to create awareness of nutrition information and increase the salience of nutrition in the consumer's food choices. Unless consumer education programs are coordinated with the regulatory efforts, lack of motivation and comprehension in the use of nutrition information will be a major barrier in achieving any significant improvement in the nutrition status of consumers.     

Preferences for Promotion Programs

The study's primary objective was to obtain information about Japanese consumer's attitudes towards various promotion pm- grams. This information will enable promotion planners to make more objective decisions regarding the allocation of promotion dollars. The study was designed to determine: Japanese peoples' attitudes towards various consumer promotion programs, to ascertain which programs they prefer mostfleast, which they participate in the most/ least and to predict which promotion program(s) will be the most/ least important in the 21st Century. A major conclusion is that Marketers must differentiate between "private" and "public" promotion programs. Private programs are those in which others are unaware that a person is participating in. Examples are: stamps, sweepstakes, novelties (distributed at home), and direct mail. Public programs are those in which others may be aware that a person is participating in. Examples are: in store promo- tions, novelties (distributed in public places), rebates (in store), and coupons. Promotion programs deemed to be very important during the 21st Century are: Novelties, Stamps, Events and Rebates. Promotions of moderate importance are: Direct Mail, Sweepstakes, Cause Related, Premiums, Coupons and Contests. Promotions of lesser importance are: In Store, On Pack, Novelties and Coupons.     

“十三五”期间我国组织或共同发起的国际大科学计划和大科学工程发展状况与对策

国际大科学计划/工程兼具科学属性与工程属性。组织实施该类计划或工程是一个国家的科技实力与国际竞争力的重要体现。我国曾大量参与国际大科学计划和大科学工程，不过发挥牵头和主导作用的却寥寥无几。国务院印发的《“十三五”国家科技创新规划》对组织实施国际大科学计划和大科学工程作出战略部署。本文在对“十三五”时期我国牵头组织国际大科学计划、大科学工程的成效与影响进行总体评估的基础上，分析实施过程中存在的问题与挑战，并对我国“十四五”时期如何加强国际大科学计划和工程提出政策建议，以期为提高我国的科技创新能力提供启示。     

我国参与及发起国际大科学计划相关研究综述

本文从国际大科学计划与大科学工程的概念、研究阶段、国际发起经验、我国组织实践与参与经验等方面,总结现有研究方向,依序综述我国与国际大科学计划与大科学工程相关研究的现状;并认为本世纪相关研究推进与建言献策可分为三个阶段,这些研究与我国的相关参与及发起相辅相成,为我国国际大科学计划与工程的发起提供助益。本文还整理了我国牵头组织国际大科学计划与工程的优势与风险、牵头工程的准备与推进状况以及学界的相关建议。     

Sources of Information,Consumer Attitudes on Nutrition,and Consumption of Dairy Products

Commodity promotion programs, paid for by producers, may be a source of nutrition information for consumers. The analytical approach treats sources of nutrient and health information, consumers' attitudes, and behaviors sequentially. The National Dairy Board's promotion of the calcium-related benefits of dairy products is one case where nutritional messages, through their impact on attitudes, do effect change in dietary behavior.     

A Global MBA for Tomorrow's Global Business Leaders

Abstract

Traditional IB programs have received mixed reviews from the corporate world. With this in mind, the Suffolk GMBA was benchmarked against the leading international business programs. The Suffolk GMBA was designed to be different and to ascertain the global environment in which business operates. A unique feature of the GMBA curriculum detailed in this article is the combination of Boston's international business locational advantage with functional integration of the many disciplines that make international business unique. Borrowing components from the fields of economics, government and politics, finance, marketing, ethics, and law, a curriculum matrix was developed identifying and sequencing the key topics to be taught. The authors also explain potential pitfalls and outline a model which can be successfully implemented in other graduate international business programs. This program is shaping the thoughts and actions of tomorrow's global business leaders through its integrative decision-making framework of global perspectives and competencies.     

The Financial Services Environment and Schools' Savings Rates in the San Francisco Kindergarten to College Program

Children's savings accounts (CSAs) have emerged as a promising intervention to improve educational outcomes, curtail rising student loan debt, and promote equality of opportunity. Numerous localized CSA programs have emerged in the last decade, and many are embedded within school systems. This study leverages novel data to investigate participation in one of the oldest and most well‐known CSA programs in the country: the San Francisco Kindergarten to College (K2C) Program in the San Francisco Unified School District. Spatial analysis of 21,617 accounts at 74 elementary schools reveals statistically significant differences in the rates of elementary schools' K2C account participation based on the concentrations of banks, credit unions, and alternative financial service providers—net controls for neighborhood demographics. Unless explicitly addressed, substantial variations in the financial service environment across neighborhoods could undermine participation in school‐based CSA programs for the very children these programs intend to support.     

American and Canadian perspectives on affirmative action: A response to the Fraser Institute

The publication of the Fraser Institute's Discrimination, Affirmative Action, and Equal Opportunity offers an occasion to review some of the practical and philosophical issues raised by affirmative action policy. Canadian affirmative action programs derive from the American context, which is here reviewed, but do not have the legal recourse available in the American system. Perhaps as a consequence, most Canadian programs have been carried out by governments acting in their role as employers. The Canadian Union of Public Employees has been especially active in developing union perspectives on affirmative action programs, which do raise special concerns for organized labour. Affirmative action raises several basic questions: the importance of proportionality, merit, compensation and role models in determining who is entitled to opportunities in our society. Differences between the Fraser Institute's attitude about affirmative action and attitudes of other social groups, such as the labour movement, lie in their very different assumptions about what constitutes a free society.     

Impact of Sociodemographic Factors on Perceived Importance of Nutrition in Food Shopping

This study examines how the perception of a household main meal planner about the importance of nutrition in food shopping is related to the person's sociodemographic characteristics. Results of this study suggest that black, female, higher educated, and nonworking main meal planners generally perceive nutrition as more important in food shopping than do others. Findings also suggest that nutrition is more important to main meal planners who reside in cities and in the South. The results have important implications for government nutrition programs. The perceived importance of nutrition is also crucial to the success of consumer information programs that promote health and market nutritious foods.     

Disparate association between alliance social capital and the global pharmaceutical firm's performance

Some literature suggests that three dimensions of social capital—such as information volume, diversity and richness—have positive association with the firm's performance. However, these constructs and their implications cannot be taken for granted because they may not produce similar results in all contextual settings. The article develops and tests associations between dimensions of social capital and organizational performance in a multidimensional network system. This study provides an analysis on 252 pharmaceutical firms. The analysis shows disparate but insightful results. First, there is a positive association between information volume and the firm's performance. Second, there is a negative association between information diversity and the firm's performance. Third, there is no significant association between information richness and the firm's performance. Therefore, different dimensions of social capital had different links with the firm's performance. The paper provides some explanation and implications of these findings.     

The Contingency Effects of Supplier Influence Strategies and Their Implications for Retailer Cooperation

Abstract

The success of manufacturers' consumer marketing programs often hinges on whether they are implemented at the retail level. Manufacturers use various influence strategies to persuade retailers to adopt their marketing programs. We investigate how well those influence strategies shape the retailers' positive attitudes toward their suppliers' marketing programs. We find that the effectiveness of those influence strategies depends upon the extent of uncertainty in the retailers' market. We also find that the manufacturer's investment in specific assets to support its relationship with the retailer strongly affects the retailer's attitude toward the supplier's programs.     

Recall of Information from Political Advertising

Abstract

Televised political commercials have frequently been criticized for stressing idealized image characteristics of the candidates rather than issues. Content analyses of political advertising, however, have shown that these commercials generally contain both image and issue material. Given both types of content are present in political ads, this study was designed to determine what people recall from these ads in a natural environment. A telephone study during the last week of a gubernatorial election revealed that the amount of free recall exhibited was greater for information from a preferred candidate's commercials than from his opponent's. However, one-third of the respondents were unable to recall anything from either candidates' political commercials. Recall was more highly related to attitude variables than most demographic variables or total television exposure.     

Planning and implementing effective service guarantee programs

This article highlights different types of service guarantees, explains the benefits of service guarantees to consumers and service providers, examines why service guarantees are so rarely used, and describes the characteristics of effective service guarantee programs. We seek to motivate additional service providers into offering service guarantees (when appropriate), to improve the effectiveness of service guarantee programs, and to spur additional research that can reduce the gap between academic research and industry practices relating to service guarantees. Properly planned, implemented, and controlled service guarantees can benefit service providers by serving as a signal of quality to customers, focusing on consumer expectations, developing specific performance standards, providing reliable data on service failures, determining weak points in the service-delivery process, and regaining customers who would otherwise be lost. Despite these benefits, service guarantees are not commonly used by service providers for a variety of reasons. We study and evaluate these impediments as well as describe characteristics of effective service guarantee programs from both the consumer's and service provider's perspectives.     

Master's Level Education in Business Marketing: Quo Vadis?

ABSTRACT

Given the paucity of knowledge on the state of business marketing education at the master's level, we conducted an exploratory survey of instructors at selected universities in North America and Europe. We supplemented results from this survey with discussions with our colleagues who teach business marketing at the master's level, and a review of articles on master's level programs.

Through our investigations, we discovered that there is a shortage of management cases that address contemporary issues in business marketing. We learned that nearly half of survey participants do not use a textbook and that the remaining participants use a wide variety of textbooks. We observed that many instructors still teach business marketing courses from a traditional functional perspective. Instead, we believe that business marketing courses must address a host of emerging issues such as value and its assessment, business process reengineering, global marketing, working relationships and business networks, and cross-functional coordination issues, among other things.

We believe that scholars can rejuvenate the discipline by tailoring business marketing courses to the new generation of accelerated master's programs, by creating a network for sharing information on new cases and teaching materials, and by writing more relevant and timely business marketing cases. Finally, we believe that the time is right for a faculty consortium on teaching business marketing.     

E-Business Education in Transition

ABSTRACT

The present study built on previous research to explore the development of e-business education in North America. Data was collected from college and university web sites on master's and bachelor's e-business programs. Findings suggest that the number of both types of e-business programs is increasing. The proportion of technical e-business courses in such programs also appears to be growing. This may reflect a move toward balanced treatment of technical and nontechnical e-business course content.     

Relating Television Preference Viewing to Shopping Orientations,Life Styles,and Demographics: The Examination of Perceptual and Preference Dimensions of Television Programming

Abstract

Matching advertising to the appropriate segment is especially critical for television advertising which reaches many diverse segments. This problem has received much attention from researchers over the years. Attempts have been made to develop a television program typology based on the program's most salient feature rather than the dimensions perceived by the audience. However, little research has related preference for these program types to market related variables. The purpose of this study was to determine the perceived dimensions underlying the television programs and the similarity of the programs along the dimensions, and if various program preference groups differ with respect to life styles, shopping orientations, and demographics. The results of this research suggest that consumers prefer distinct sets of programs rather than one specific type. The preference groups were found to differ with respect to life styles and demographics but not shopping orientations.     

The conditions for successful knowledge transfer in development‐aid training programs

The shortage of qualified human capital is a major impediment to development. In the field of international development cooperation, training programs (TPs) have been widely employed to enhance the capacity of workforces in developing countries. This paper investigates the conditions in which these programs can contribute not only to individual human resource development but also to organization‐level reform and innovation in developing countries. The methods were regression analyses of training monitoring records as well as follow‐up e‐mail interviews with former participants of information and communication technology TPs sponsored by the Japanese International Cooperation Agency. The research reveals that bilateral communication between training participants and the home organizations during the training plays a key role in increasing the probability of successful organization‐level transfer of individual‐level learning, irrespective of the original level of organization's absorptive capacity. The researchers examine the differences in transfer factors between the development aid context in their research and the paradigm case of the business organization found in much of the transfer literature.