Rural development through industrial clustering： A case study from China

In recent years, as cluster theory evolves and more countries and regions implement industrial stimulation policies rooted in cluster theory, empirical research on industry clusters has likewise gained momentum. With the spread of clusters and regions instituting cluster policies, cluster formation has come to be seen as a promising tool for regional development. However, compared with industrial clusters in general, rural development clusters exhibit a higher level of diversity, namely in the purposes behind their formation, the parties that participate in or operate them, and the conditions in which they are formed. In terms of China, there is a considerable degree of diversity in clusters related to agriculture and rural communities depending on the particular sub-sector, the leaders of the sector, the socioeconomic conditions of the particular region, and other factors. For this reason, rather than the clusters themselves, in this research, we focused on cluster initiatives （CI）, i.e. the efforts to facilitate regional cluster growth and competitiveness. Firstly, we conducted a brief survey of previous studies of clusters. Secondly, we analyzed the effects of industrial clustering on rural economy in China econometrically. Thirdly, we examined the cases of vegetable cluster in Shanghai and the naturally colored cotton and hops cluster in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. By concluding the above-mentioned analysis, we finally explored the potential and outstanding issues for rural development using cluster initiatives models.     

Economic sanctions and trade diversions in Sudan

The latest episode of the armed conflict between Northern and Southern Sudan erupted in 1983 and ended with the signing of the ＂Comprehensive Peace Agreement （CPA）＂ in 2005. The CPA allows for a referendum on independence for South Sudan in 2011. A similar scenario is possible for Darfur, where an armed conflict broke out in 2003 over demands for greater decentralization and development in the region. The peace agreement between the central government and the Eastern Sudan region continues to be fragile, and the risk of escalation of across the border spillovers of conflicts with Uganda and Chad persists. The U.S., EU, among other global players, is putting pressure on the Khartoum government to change its policies. Economic sanctions are among the tools used by the U.S. government while encouraging others follow suit. This paper investigates the response of the Sudanese economy to eliminating trade flows with the EU in the first phase and with East-Asian countries in the second. It discusses the changes in the macro-indicators, trade variables and welfare measures that would result. Moreover, it assesses the potential trade diversion and resource reallocation due to sanctions in each phase. To simulate these scenarios, detailed economic databases for Sudan, EU, East-Asian region, MENA, COMESA and the rest of the world are needed. For this purpose, GTAP Africa database and the standard GTAP model are employed. The 57 sectors of Africa database are aggregated to ten sectors including： grains and crops, livestock and meat products, mining and extraction, processed food, textiles and clothing, light manufacturing, heavy manufacturing, utilities and construction, transport and communication and other services. Moreover, the database regions are aggregated to six including Sudan, the EU, East Asia, MENA, COMESA and the Rest of the world. Results show that Sudanese trade reallocates to Asia in the first phase and to COMESA and MENA regions in the second. Sanctions exact a devastating toll on the Sudanese economy： GDP declines, trade shrinks and welfare deteriorates. The deterioration in the country＇s trade is mainly in the imports side, which justifies an improvement of the country＇s balance of trade, while welfare losses are derived by a deteriorated terms of trade and allocative efficiency.     

Characteristics of labor market in Serbia - View on the labor demand on Belgrade and Banat labor markets

The labor market in Serbia is characterized by one of the highest unemployment rates of the working population （aged 15 to 64）. Also, it is notified that the unemployed level of the qualification is very low and that there isn＇t enough space in the existing formal educational system for any new introductions （such as prequalification courses, or lifelong educational concepts）. The research on the labor demand was aimed at assessing the state of the labor markets in the selected regions and at analyzing short-term demand for labor force. The analysis establishes： Which sectors of local/regional economy are being developed and are likely to require additional labor force in the next six months; which types of jobs are likely to be in demand in the aforementioned sectors; which additional knowledge and skills are needed for such occupations. The applied methodology also enabled to analyze information on vulnerable groups of unemployed, namely persons with disturbing factors in employment and the young unemployed of up to 24 years of age. In order to gather reliable data at regional level, a research was conducted on a stratified sample covering 1400 enterprises and some of the statistical labor market indicators were established indicating particularities of the labor markets in the surveyed regions -- Belgrade and Banat.     

Emerging Geography of Creativity and Labor Productivity Effects in China

The paper presents an alternative approach to explain why regional productivity is different across regions by utilizing the creative class approach in China. First, we analyze the extent of spatial agglomeration of the creative class across regions in China. Second, we develop a model with spatial externalities to investigate how the concentration of the creative class can promote regional productivity. Our analysis confirms the importance of spatial agglomeration of the creative class in stimulating regional productivity. The results also imply that regional productivity is greater in markets with higher levels of innovation, capital stock, manufacturing and urbanization. In light of the results of our analysis, we discuss a number of policy implications.     

Possibility of the Implementation of the Principle of Sustainable Development in the Sphere of Coal Processing

High-sulphur coals processing generates a great number of pollutant substances in atmosphere. This study was undertaken to obtain more definite information about the composition of sulphur coal extracts, i.e., on the quality and quantity of dormant Volatile Organic Emissions （VOCs）. Analysis of the liquid products was carried out by different protocols of extraction, adsorption chromatography, and GC/MS identification. It should be pointed out that the basic components of coal extracts are polyaromatic hydrocarbons, sulfur-containing compounds and phenols act as a basic factor of environment pollution with carcinogenic products. The complex treatment of these components will permit not only to obtain some valuable chemical products, but also to improve the ecology in the industrial regions.     

Policy Options for China＇s Bio-ethanol Development and the Implications for Its Agricultural Economy

The present paper analyzes the potential impacts of bio-ethanol expansion on agricultural production, food prices and farmers＇ incomes in different regions of China. The results show that increase in demand for feedstock to produce bio-ethanol will lead to large increase in the prices of agricultural products. The increase in prices will trigger a significant rise in the production of feedstock at the cost of lower rice and wheat production. The study also reveals that the impacts of bio-ethanol on farmers＂ incomes vary largely among regions and farmer groups. Given the expected expansion of bio-ethanol production in the future, and the limited land resources for feedstock production in China, the viability of different crops as feedstock for bio-ethanol requires careful analysis before a large-scale expansion of China＇s bio-ethanol program. Bio-ethanol production in China should be relying more on the second generation of bio-ethanol technologies （i.e. using celluloses to produce bio-ethanol）, and China＇s government should increase research investment in this field.     

Study on the Method of Regional Purchasing Power Parity in China

China is a country with great territory and the price level has remarkable disparity among various regions, which affects the accuracy of many economic indexes. Using the calculating way of the purchasing power parity of the United Nations International Comparison Project （ICP）, this paper chooses 127 samples of commodities and services as comparison programs for 31 provinces and calculates purchasing power parity of every province in 2002 by taking Shanghai as a norm. The aim of this article is to study the method of regional purchasing power parity of our country.     

Empirical Analysis of Provincial Energy Efficiency in China

This paper proposes an energy efficiency index based on the data envelopment analysis approach. The index is used to examine energy efficiency in China. Using 1997-2006panel data for 29 provinces, we find that energy efficiency is negatively associated with the secondary industry share in GDP, the state-owned economic share in GDP and the government expenditure share in GDP, and is positively associated with the technical level and non-coal share in energy consumption. In addition, we find that there exists a large gap in energy efficiency among eastern, central and western regions. The eastern region has a significantly higher energy efficiency level than the eentral and western regions. We conclude that the different levels of industry structure, government intervention, energy structure, and the technology content in the three regions lead to the differences in energy efficiency.     

Property development firms IPOs in Brazil： Was there overpricing or not？

Between September 2005 and October 2007, representative companies of the Brazilian residential real estate market adopted a strategy intended to increase their investment capacity by Initial Public Offer （IPO）. The setting at that time was favorable for constructing residential real estate designed for the middle class, in view of two main factors： First, in 2005, a restructuring of the Brazilian finance system had relaxed requirements needed to receive financing for the purchase of residential property; Second, there was substantial demand in the middle class market because most developers had been focusing on the upper class market in order to guarantee the sale resources in the production phase. Thus, it was necessary to enhance the investment capacity of the real estate companies to attend the middle-class demand. These two factors, associated with a favorable outlook for the Brazilian, as well as the global economy, encouraged those representative companies to rapidly increase their investment capacity by IPO in a short time. The focus of this article is to analyze the quality of the investments in the stock of these real estate companies （21 offers were taken into account in the analysis）. In order to identify what these companies＇ expectations were and how they supported their decisions to enter BOVESPA with their designated prices and amounts, correlating offers against the BOVESPA Index （market index） were also analyzed. The results allow concluding that these offers were not supported by validated procedures of pricing, but rather were just speculative offers, even though we do take into account the investment grade granted to the Brazilian economy within the period concerned in our analysis.     

Intercultural Competency Development in Conjunction With a Short Term Study Away Experience： Changes in Undergraduate Students

The purpose of this research was to examine whether undergraduate business students who participated in a short term study abroad course and intercultural competence building coursework demonstrated a significant increase in intercultural competence over those who only enrolled in the study abroad course. The 20 participants attended a small liberal arts College in Midwestern United States. The Intercultural Development Inventory （IDI） was administered to the participating students before and after their study away experience. The IDI （v.3） is based on the theoretical framework of the Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity （DMIS） introduced by Milton Bennett. The DMIS is based on the assumption that intercultural competence can be strengthen through the development of intercultural knowledge and experience with people from other cultures. The IDI has been used in numerous scholarly studies and has demonstrated valid and reliable results. It is a self-administered 50-item series of statements in which participants are asked to rate the level of their agreement with statements that address their relationship to and evaluation of cultural difference. In the model, people progress in a linear developmental fashion through six stages： defense, denial, polarization, minimization, acceptance, and adaptation. This study was designed to determine if students who studied away and completed intercultural coursework （prior intercultural knowledge and an intercultural experience） would increase their level of intercultural competency more than those students who just studied away （intercultural experience only） as measured by the change in their IDI scores. The results of this small sample show that intercultural coursework in conjunction with a short term study away experience can have a positive impact on individual intercultural development.     

Strategic groups in hotel industry： Empirical evidences

The Serra da Estrela Tourism Region （SETR）, gifted of unique landscape conditions, of singular natural resources, filled with culture and history, has become an attractive leisure and recreation region. Considering its tourism potential, we have seen a development of the tourism activities on that region, making necessary a study of the presence of derivative offering components, mainly on the tourism hotels level. Considering the crucial strategic role that this activity has on the region, and since there are only a few follow-up studies of the activity development, the present research aims to contribute for the knowledge of the relevant tourism hotels units reality in the SETR. In this sense, the authors intend to analyze the different strategies that are being taken in the region, by this sort of companies and, to identify the existence （or not） of company groups that carry on similar strategies--strategic groups. To reach such goals, an empirical study was developed, based upon the information obtained from the statistical analysis of questionnaires applied to the hotels unit＇s managers. The results allowed concluding that the hotels units enforce combined strategies, instead of a single specific strategy. It was also possible to identify the existence of different strategic groups that use similar competitive strategies. From this process, it also resulted that the companies that operate in this sector consider that strategy assumes a determinative role for the success of their activity.     

University Company Government Interaction： FAPEMIG as Propeller Agent of the Scientific-Technological Development in Minas Gerais, Brazil

This article aims to present the main indicators for Science, Technology, and Innovation （ST＆l） generated by the Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais （FAPEMIG） in four years （2008-2011）. The methodology used was a case study, with documentary research, held in the annual reports of activities of the foundation. The results showed that all indicators analyzed in aggregate form, evolved gradually. It is concluded that the FAPEMIG comes complying with their mission to induce and encourage research and scientific and technological innovation for the development of the State of Minas Gerais in the southeast region, maintaining the recognition as one of the main agents of development inductors ST＆I in Brazil.     

Executive Compensation： Pay-for-Performance in High-Technology Firms

This study examines the relationship between corporate performance and the Chief Executive Officer （CEO） compensation in high-technology firms in the S＆P 500. The total short- and long-term CEO compensation in high-technology was compared with other industrial sectors from standard classification codes and tested in terms of corporate performance. The ExecuComp database was used to find the variables and to create a sample of firms between 2004 and 2010. Important corporate performance variables are used in this work, such as assets, employees, sales, net income, and earnings per share （EPS）, as reported by the firms for each year. A panel data GLS with a fixed effect model for time is estimated that describes total compensation for the period between 2004 and 2010. The result was aligned with the theory of executive compensations to address agency problems and to examine CEO pay-for-performance. The main objective of this paper is to consistently demonstrate that the performance is determined for the total CEO compensation for short- and long-term periods and to examine whether the total remunergttion paid to CEOs in high-technology firms in the S＆P 500 is related to corporate finance. This work provides a better understanding of the relationship between compensation and performance in high-technology firms. Results suggest that high-tech firms tend to use more sophisticated performance measurements to determine CEO compensation.     

Size, performance and financial conditions for Spanish real estate firms 2004-2007

Spanish real estate has experienced more than a decade of continuous buoyancy, from 1995 to mid 2006. High rates of return, especially in the housing sector, during this period, have prompted the entry of many firms in the market and the growth in activity of incumbents, with the subsequent excess capacity. This situation, combined with the reduction in demand associated with fiancial constraints, has brought about a deep crisis within the real estate industry. In the future scenario of reconfiguration and consolidation of the sector, many firms will be likely to disappear. One key question is that which type of real estate firm will survive. Casual evidence suggests that size may be a relevant factor through its connection with efficiency. This paper explores the roles of size, performance and financial leverage using a sample of Spanish developers and builders over the period 2004-2007. Basic results from a panel estimation suggest the existence of a positive correlation between size, proxied both by income and assets, and Return on Equity （ROE）. In turn, the estimates also suggest that larger firms display higher margins （computed as profits over sales） and are more leveraged in relative terms. Our interpretation is that many finns may lack the critical mass necessary to dilute fixed costs and achieve larger levels of efficiency. This feature endangers not only the possibility of profits in harder times, but also their survival. These empirical findings suggest, in addition, that a process of concentration among Spanish firms in the industry could entail gains in terms of efficiency.     

Understanding Failure in International Retailing： An Institutional Framework for Future Investigation

The move from domestic market to one that includes major retailers. Whiles prior research acknowledged differences international firms is not proving an easy task for between country environments and stressed the importance of addressing these differences in order to avoid the dangers and failures inherent in internationalisation, there is still lack of suitable framework that captures the effects of the institutional environment on failure in international retailing. The purpose of this paper is to introduce institutional theory as a complementary framework to explain failure in international retailing and suggest propositions for further research. The paper seeks to answer the research question： What are the factors in the institutional environment of a host country that affect failure in international retailing？ Consequently, the objective of this paper is threefold： （1） to introduce institutional theory as alternative theoretical framework to conceptualise failure in international retailing; （2） to identify institutional factors that exert pressures on the operational activities of international retailers in foreign markets and which leads to failure; （3） to provide some research propositions for further investigation. This paper offers several contributions. First, we extend current theories in international business, particularly, the literature on retail internationalisation and institutional theory by exploring pressures and difficulties that international retailers face in a new host institutional environment. Second, we identify a set of institutional factors that exert pressures on international retailers in foreign markets that lead to failure. Finally, with the institutional approach, this study fills the gap in earlier works by developing a complementary framework along with 11 propositions for future research. One major limitation of this paper is that it is conceptual; hence, further empirical analysis is needed to test the suggested propositions.     

Applications of planned behavior theory on internet banking services adoption in Jordan： Structural equation modeling approach

Although banks are investing more into online banking innovation to be at par with the world information technology advances, the internet banking services adoption （IBSA） in Jordan is still lagging behind. This paper is concerned with an empirical investigation of factors that could predict successful IBSA in Jordan through the applications of planned behavior theory （TPB）. This theory suggests that three independent variables （exogenous）： attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavior control could have a direct impact on intention and indirect impact on IBSA. This study uses a questionnaire survey data of 517 Jordanian public university employees as customers of internet banking services. Confirmatory factor analysis （CFA） was performed to examine the composite reliability and convergent validity of the measurements, and the structural equation modeling （SEM） was used to evaluate the causal model. Results of the study demonstrate significant and positive direct relationships between attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavior control and behavior intention. Similarly, direct significant and positive linkages between attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavior control, behavior intention and IBSA were observed. However, behavior intention does not have a mediating effect on the three linkages （attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavior control） with IBSA. This study concludes that the original TPB has a strong predictive power to explain IBSA in Jordan.     

Neighborhood Effects and Regional Poverty Traps in Rural China

The present paper investigates how neighborhood effects are connected to chronic poverty. We examine a large sample of groups of households and find that neighborhood effects are significant in a majority of groups, especially in the poorest groups. People living in poor communities tend to suffer from poverty over time. It is of theoretical and empirical importance to explore how neighborhood effects are interrelated with chronic poverty and the channels through which this occurs. Unlike other econometric analyses, we establish a multilevel econometric model to show that： （i） it is difficult for an individual living in a neighborhood with a high proportion of agricultural labor, low education levels, and poor transport and telecommunication infrastructure to escape from poverty traps; （ii） neighborhood effects dominate in poor communities; and （iii） although poverty is affected by group-level factors, individual factors still play a dominant role in regards to escaping poverty when income surpasses a threshold level Therefore, policy priority should be given to providing social protection and public services, especially in poor rural areas.     

Relationship marketing in health organizations and its effect on customer loyalty

This study was carried out to determine the role of relationship marketing in health organizations with regard to providing customer loyalty and to evaluate the views of patients related to relationship marketing activities. In this study, a questionnaire was applied to 371 patients in Kadlk0y Universal Hospital, which is a private hospital in Istanbul. As a result of the correlation analysis between the satisfaction level from hospital and customer loyalty, it was seen that there is a medium level positive relation between customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. The important implications of this study can be stated as follows： Keeping existing patient is significant as much as gaining new patient, the variables being effective for providing customer loyalty can show difference from one patient to another, the image of health organization is significant for providing customer loyalty, and customer loyalty can be acquired by making continuous communication with patients.     

Marketing and Territorial Factors： An Integrated Study of the Accommodation Choice in the Island of La Palma

The literature has highlighted the relevance of segmenting the tourism market as a start point for developing the right tourism policy recommendations. The present study examines the rural tourism market on the island of La Palma （Canary Islands） and its relationship with territorial factors. Specifically, it attempts to establish the role played in tourists＇ accommodation location choice by territorial and related factors （for instance, the area of the island, proximity to the beach, hours of sunshine, etc.） compared to other factors. A sample of 316 tourists who holidayed in rural tourism accommodation in La Palma during the period from July to September in 2007 was selected for this purpose. The methodology consisted of a preliminary analysis of the associations between the variables and their modalities, followed by a multiple correspondence analysis （MCA）. The results of the study allow to conclude that the weight of territorial variables in the choice of destination and accommodation location can vary substantially depending on the market segment considered.     

The Information Content of Environmental Performance of the Companies Listed on Indonesia Stock Exchange Period 2010-2011

Information content is a meaningful information for users to make decision. If the information is effecting to users＇ decison. One of the information is the announcement of the environmental performance. This information is effecting to investor reaction. Indonesia experience many problems of environmental damage. Program Penilaian Peringkat Kinerja Perusahaan （PROPER） or Company Performance Rank Program as an environmental control tool released by Kementerian Lingkungan Hidup （KLH） or Environmental Ministry and government received good response from several parties. However, some research studied about the relationship of environmental performance and economic performance found unexpected result. This research attempts to analyze the effect of environmental performance to abnormal return by event study analysis technique before and after PROPER announcement. The observation period is 2010 and 2011. The sample used in 2010 is 30 companies; while in 2011 are 41 companies. Hypothesis used Wilcoxon Rank test with selected window is five days before and five days after the announcement. The result shows that, without rank categorization, there is no significant difference of abnormal retum before and after PROPER announcement in 2010, while there is a significant difference of abnormal return before and after PROPER announcement in 2011. By the rank categorization, in both of observation period, there is a significant different of abnormal retum before and after the company received good rank, while there is no significant difference of abnormal return before and after the company received bad rank. Hence, it is recommended to KLH and government to announce louder the PROPER result, mainly for the companies which received bad rank and make this program to be mandatory due to its urgencies.