Cost metafrontier approach for measuring the Malmquist productivity index: An example of bank groups formed after the financial reform in Taiwan

This study attempts to provide a framework under the variable returns to scale hypothesis to account for the effect of the cost scale efficiency change in the decomposition of the cost metafrontier Malmquist productivity index (CMMPI). In addition, the meta‐cost efficiency and cost frontier gap between subordinate banks of financial holding companies (FHC) and independent banks are also examined. A total of 34 banks in Taiwan are empirically analysed from 1999 to 2012. The results indicate that the meta‐cost efficiency, meta‐technical efficiency and meta‐allocative efficiency scores of subordinate banks of FHC are better than those of independent banks. The banking industry in Taiwan is found to have an improvement in cost metafrontier Malmquist productivity. The subordinate banks of FHC are also found to exhibit positive CMMPI and decomposition components, but do not achieve a significant improvement except in the case of the technical gap ratio change. The empirical results recommend that Taiwanese banks place more policy focus on the issue of scale adjustment, which should be beneficial. Based on the CMMPI decomposed results, we can gain further understanding of the growth path to enhance operational performance.     

Strategic planning of optimal resource allocation in response to global financial crisis – a study of international tourist hotels

This study is principally designed to examine the changes in the efficiency, effective resource allocation and future operation strategies of Taiwan's international tourist hotel in global economic downturn. At first, we set up critical input and output factors and construct an assessment model using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) for analysis of relative efficiency. Further, we apply an allocative efficiency model for additional considerations of each input cost and analyse proper and effective resource allocation. Finally, there are significant changes in overall efficiency of international tourist hotels under global financial crisis. We can also reach an effective allocation of the overall resources. In such cases, lowering cost has become a key issue for sustainable operation of international tourist hotel. Finally, the greatest contribution of this study is to further classify the competitiveness and optimal cost allocation of Taiwan's international tourist hotels into seven categories based on the study results and propose strategic planning of future operations for hotel administrators’ reference in making improvements in the future.     

中国旅游饭店供给特征研究

旅游服务性单位的空间、等级供给特点是旅游业发展特征的重要表现，本文在对我国旅游饭店的现状及特征等相关资料分析、研究的基础上，对我国旅游饭店在发展、经营、等经和空间等供给方面的特征及其存在的问题进行了探讨。     

Impacts of star-rated hotel expansion on inbound tourism development: evidence from China

This article applies heterogeneous firm trade theory, developed for the manufacturing sector, to the hotel and tourism industry to detect expansion among star-rated hotels in the context of inbound tourism development at the macro level. This article adopts both a traditional ordinary least squares (OLS) panel model and a threshold panel model using data from 31 administrative regions (provinces) in China during the 2004–2013 period. The results reveal remarkable and significant nonlinear relationships between star-rated hotel expansion and inbound tourism development, thereby offering sound evidence supporting the research hypotheses. Star-rated hotel expansion in most provinces clusters in the standardized threshold between 0.48 and 0.83, while only a few hotels have realized ‘leapfrog development’ thus far. In addition, as in the particular case of star-rated hotels, inbound tourism development should be promoted through investments in human resources rather than through the exploitation of natural tourism resource endowments. The implications of our results are that rational development plans can be made according to different expansion levels of star-rated hotels in corresponding regions, when both hotel labour productivity and macro tourism environment are considered.     

Productivity in the tourism industry

This paper analyzes the efficiency of a Portuguese public-owned hotel chain, Enatur. It applies data envelopment analysis (DEA) to estimate total factor productivity (TFP) change, while breaking it down into technical efficiency and technological change. The benchmarking procedure used is an internal one, which compares hotels with each other. For the period 1999–2001, the hotels are ranked according to their total productivity change. It is concluded that some hotels experienced productivity growth, while others faced a decline. Some implications beneficial for managerial policies were drawn from this study.     

A stochastic DEA study of hotel efficiency

This current study is the first to apply Stochastic Data Envelopment Analysis (SDEA) approach to assess the efficiency of hotels. The determinants of hotel efficiency were also investigated employing the Tobit regression model approach. The SDEA results show that the SDEA efficiency measures are higher than the deterministic ones and the greater the stochastic variability of outputs, the closer the envelope moves successively to any given observation and the efficiency score approaches one. The optimal solution to SDEA involves the presence of some buffer (slack) of all outputs. In applications involving practice production situation, such buffer (slack) can be interpreted as the firms' need to hold inventory, excess capacity and organizational slack against stochastic uncertainty of market environment. Our results also indicate that resort hotels achieve better efficiency than those in metropolitan areas and operating as part of a chain is not the main determinant of the efficiency of international tourist hotels in Taiwan.     

我国省域酒店服务业规模化发展能力比较

从酒店服务业的整体规模、营业收入、营业利润等方面比较分析,了解我国不同区域间酒店服务业发展基础,探寻酒店服务业价值创新的着力点和模式。本文采用2006-2010年期间我国31个省区市酒店服务业数据,选取省域酒店数量、从业人数、客房收入、餐费收入、资产总额、固定资产、主营业务收入等指标,比较省域酒店服务业规模化发展能力,以分类指导酒店服务业的差异化发展。2010年全国国有企业、有限责任公司和私营企业酒店营业数据显示,其收入利润率低于外商投资企业、港澳台商投资企业,可见在内资企业的盈利模式处于劣势。而我国有限责任公司和私营企业酒店服务在税金缴纳比例方面又高于外商投资企业和港澳台商投资企业,甚至高于国有酒店企业。结论表明,我国有限责任公司和私营企业酒店服务创新难度和压力比国有企业更大。一方面国有企业在享有比较低的税率同时,强调稳健营业、规模经营,并没有充分发挥创新优势。另一方面外资企业和港澳台商酒店企业更强调和重视服务创新。研究还发现,国内广东省、北京市、浙江省、江苏省、山东省、上海市六省市酒店服务业规模化发展能力具有较强优势。     

中外国际高星级连锁酒店服务质量对比研究——基于网络评价的内容分析

服务质量是酒店研究的重要内容,国内外相关研究已在酒店服务质量评价和中外酒店对比中取得了一定的成果,但尚未涉及国内外国际高星级连锁酒店的服务质量评价对比。基于此,文章在文献研究的基础上建立了国际高星级连锁酒店服务质量的评价指标体系,并分别从到到网（http：／／www．daodao．com）及其母网上搜集了1035条顾客评论样本,运用内容分析法将其量化处理,通过SPSS17．0统计软件进行分析,主要结论有：①国外评价的总体评价略高于国内水平,对各项基础设施的关注度远高于国内评价,但满意度却远低于国内评价,且国外顾客的意见分散程度大大高于国内顾客;②两者对各项设施设备的关注度和满意度存在明显差异;③国外顾客更愿意在客观评价的基础上将酒店推荐给他人;④国外评价的回复率略低,但回复质量和实际利用效果大大优于国内水平。最后,针对性地提出了相关建议。     

合肥市旅游饭店经营现状评价分析

本文首先分析了合肥市旅游饭店业的发展现状,指出合肥市旅游饭店业在整个安徽省旅游业发展中的重要地位。在此基础上,从企业规模、经济效益与经济贡献、成本与费用三大方面构建了评价指标体系,运用主成分分析法和因子分析法对合肥市旅游饭店09年经营数据加以分析,从而对合肥市旅游饭店的发展现状进行了客观评价,对旅游饭店竞争力的提高有一定的指导作用。     

Technology gaps in European banking: Put the blame on inputs or outputs?

This paper investigates the production efficiency of 12 European banking systems over the period 1997–2004, taking into account possible technology heterogeneity. Using a non-parametric metafrontier framework, efficiency and metatechnology ratio measures are computed and decomposed into input- and output-invariant components. Empirical findings indicate the existence of significant and rather increasing technology heterogeneity within European banking. A typology of the national banking systems is also developed, based on the overall productive performance with respect to the European technological edge, the absorptive capacity and the role of knowledge spillover effects. Decomposition results draw attention to catching up policies focusing on input and/or output scale adjustments.     

论如何建立饭店绿色管理的保障体系

饭店绿色管理将环境保护的观念融入饭店的经营管理中，是着眼于追求经济效益、社会效益和环境效益最优化的新型管理模式。为了保证绿色管理在饭店管理中得到有效推广，我们必须建立相应的保障体系。本文从分析饭店绿色管理的内涵出发t对如何建立饭店绿色管理的保障体系提出了几点看法。     

Insiders vs. outsiders in the hotel sector

We investigate whether entering an official hotel classification system is as lucrative as suggested in the tourism management literature. Indeed, in countries in which the official hotel classification system is voluntary, a substantial fraction of hotels choose not to enter the system, and are outsiders. Considering that being classified (being insider) as a predictor of the rate structure may raise an endogeneity issue, we apply the recursive semi-ordered probit model to control for endogeneity and appropriately assess the effect of being classified on price rates. Using a sample of 357 hotels of Corsica, we show that, in contrast to previous research, classification does not provide any rate premium. We also fully derive conditional probabilities and partial effects on differences in conditional probabilities within the recursive semi-ordered probit model.     

War,terror, and the tourism market in Israel

A supply and demand model of the Israeli hotel industry is developed, distinguishing between its domestic and foreign sectors. Model simulations are employed to examine the impacts of war and terrorist incidents on tourist activity and hotel revenues. Foreign demand for Israeli hotel stays is highly price-elastic and income-inelastic, and moderately sensitive to terrorist events. Domestic demand is price-inelastic, income-elastic, and terror-insensitive. In the wake of terror attacks, hotels' supply or minimum prices to Israeli tourists shift downward, reducing local market prices and encouraging more local tourism. However, the magnitude of these shifts is minor, and the local market thus provides little buffer for dropoffs in foreign tourism. By permitting excess capacity in such fashion, hotels respond rationally to the price inelasticity of local demand.     

WHAT CAUSES THE EFFICIENCY AND THE TECHNOLOGY GAP UNDER DIFFERENT OWNERSHIP STRUCTURES IN THE CHINESE BANKING INDUSTRY?

This paper estimates and compares the cost efficiency of the Chinese banking industry among different ownership types for the period 2003–2014, using the stochastic metafrontier model. We find that foreign banks have the lowest cost frontier, while state‐owned commercial banks undertake the least sophisticated technology. Moreover, the results of the upward trend in the technology gap ratio (TGR) and in metafrontier cost efficiency support that a more open financial market is able to enhance banking efficiency. As for the role of environmental conditions, off‐balance sheet items, non‐performing loans, and financial market structure significantly impact the TGRs of different bank types. (JEL C51, G21, D24)     

Bidirectional technological spillover in the Chinese star-rated hotel sector: An empirical investigation

The star-rated hotel sector has played an increasing role in Chinese economic development. A feature of this sector is the technology-gap between high- and low-end hotels, which may generate spillover through different channels: such as human capital mobility and management systems. High-end hotels are technological leaders with better access to technology, foreign connections, and government policy support, while low-end hotels have better localized knowledge and expertise. Therefore, it is important to see whether there is spillover between high- and low-end hotels. Two contributions of our paper are to model hotels as multi-service decision-makers, and to rely on a nonparametric empirical strategy. The results show that high-end hotels are the major spillover generators moving the star-rated hotel sector to better performance. On the other hand, low-end hotels not only integrate the technological knowledge from high-end hotels, but also share their experience of local knowledge.     

星级酒店客房定价策略分析

客房是酒店收入的主要来源,而对于经济型酒店来说就更加重要了。酒店经济效益的好坏关键就取决于是否能够制定出合理的客房价格。在酒店经营中,也会有很多的因素制约着客房价格的制定,通过对客房价格制定方面的分析,来探讨增加酒店营业收入和利润的定价策略。     

对旅游饭店星级评定中安全与应急预案规定标准的分析

《旅游饭店星级的划分与评定》（GB/T14308-2010）于2011年1月1日起开始实施。这部标准在旅游饭店安全与应急预案的规定比历次标准更加细化与明确,形成了比较完备的促进旅游饭店业整体发展的星级评定管理体系。它不仅提出有限服务饭店与完全服务饭店的概念,还特别强调安全与应急管理,这是该标准的最大亮点,体现和谐社会中＂人性化＂的要求,为此,它要求培育企业安全文化,使旅游饭店在运营中明确安全理念、安全制度、应急预案的重要地位和对宾客的重要性。但在安全与应急预案中的相关规定中还存有一些值得探讨和分析的问题。通过对《旅游饭店星级的划分与评定》（GB/T14308-2010）的思考和细致分析,指出其中需修补完善的地方,认为星评标准是动态的,在实践和应用中要不断的根据客观情况加以调整。因此,根据旅游管理理论和实践两方面的要求,提出进一步完善的建议。     

Metafrontier frameworks for the study of firm-level efficiencies and technology ratios

This paper uses the concept of a metafrontier to compare the technical efficiencies of firms that may be classified into different groups. The paper presents the basic analytical framework necessary for the definition of a metafrontier, shows how a metafrontier can be estimated using non-parametric and parametric methods, and presents an empirical application using cross-country agricultural sector data. The paper also explores the issues of technological change, time-varying technical inefficiency, multiple outputs, different efficiency orientations, and firm heterogeneity.     

发展汽车旅馆业——中国饭店业的选择

汽车旅馆是西方一种非常流行的旅馆类型,以其经济、舒适、方便的特点深受这些国家民众的喜爱。可以说,汽车旅馆的出现,不仅为所在国的饭店业带来了新的活力,而且也有利于其旅游业的发展。改革开放以来,中国经济日新月异,已经具备了发展汽车旅馆业的条件。汽车饭店将是今后中国饭店业的选择。本文介绍了汽车旅馆的概况,并结合中国现状,提出了发展汽车旅馆业的一些对策和建议。     

Power laws and the market structure of tourism industry

In this article, we use both graphical and analytical methods to investigate the market structure of one of the world’s fastest growing industries. For the German and Italian datasets, we show that the size distribution of tourism industry is heavy-tailed and consistent with a power-law behavior in its upper tail. Such a behavior seems quite persistent over the time horizon covered by our study, provided that during the period 2004–2009, the shape parameter is always in the vicinity of 2.5 for Germany and 2.6 for Italy. Size of the tourism industry has been proxied by the lodging capacity of hotel establishments: hotels, boarding houses, inns, lodging houses, motels, apartment hotels, tourist villages, and tourist apartments. Data belonging to the EUROSTAT and ISTAT databases have been used for Germany and Italy, respectively. Our aim is not to provide the best fit to the data but simply to focus our attention on the right tail of the size distribution of tourism industry. Understanding the behavior of the upper tail is indeed fundamental to capture the structure of the market. This study adds a new evidence to the list of empirical phenomena for which power laws hold.