Career interrupted? The case of the self-directed expatriate

This paper examines the role of individual agency and the perceived value of international experience for self-directed expatriation as an increasingly common career choice. Drawing on a study of British expatriate academics, it reports that themes relating to both agency and structure come into play. Although individual desire for adventure, life change and family concerns were key incentives to expatriate, participants believed that their subsequent international experience would provide a distinct advantage in the academic marketplace. The internationalization of higher education was a key theme in these perceptions. The paper also presents practical recommendations regarding expatriate academics and other self-directed expatriates.     

Doing business in South Africa

This survey of the South African business environment outlines the major transformations the country has experienced since 1994. The economy has been restructured, which enhanced fiscal and monetary discipline as well as domestic and global competitiveness. The general business climate has been improved, but continued progress requires (1) prioritization of social issues such as HIV/AIDS, employment, and crime and (2) accelerated privatization, market reforms, and clarity about black economic empowerment. Such changes may stimulate inflation‐rate reduction, foreign exchange stability, and an increase in foreign direct investment. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Exploring Market Driving: A Case Study of De Beers in China

Theorists have highlighted the issue of market driving wherein, in contrast to focusing on being close and listening to the market/customer (market driven), the firm leads the customer or reshapes the markets to their own requirements. This study aims to present an empirical study of market driving that generates insights into not only what factors lead a firm into a market driving approach but also how market driving occurs in practice. A review of existing literature reveals that while a range of contributions have considerably advanced our understanding of both market driven and more recently, of market driving organizations, few empirical studies have been presented. Consequently, this study presents an exploratory case study of De Beers in China as a potentially valuable source of insights, complemented by a propositional inventory. The case of De Beers proposes that two factors lead to the adoption of a market driving approach, namely; customer familiarity and preconceptions of product characteristics, and the extent of market control. This study also contributes insights into the nature and dynamics of market driving. In particular, four tenets of market driving are identified as; market sensing, changing customer preferences, channel control through relationship formation, and local sensitivity. The study culminates with series of conclusions and implications.     

Conceptualising Customer‐to‐customer Value Co‐creation in Tourism

The notion that tourists actively co‐create value with organisations is increasingly acknowledged in tourism marketing. Yet, not much is known about the processes in play when customers co‐create value with each other. This conceptual paper offers a theoretical basis for the study of customer‐to‐customer co‐creation in tourism contexts, while debating the epistemological assumptions of value‐related research in tourism. Proposed conceptual framework posits that value is socially constructed and embedded in tourists' social practices. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Capitalist exploitation and black labor: Some conceptual issues

Summary and Conclusion The preceding discussion sets up, on a systematic theoretical basis, the precise analytical meaning of the concept of exploitation. This concept is shown to have meaning with reference to the process of production of surplus value and its appropriation as profits, interest, rent, taxes, etc. within a system of capitalist relations based on free exchange of commodities, including labor power, and dominance of capital over property and production. Exploitation is located within the sphere of the use of labor-power in production and in the context of the capital-labor relation as a specific form of class relation peculiar to capitalism. It is shown to be consistent with market relations of free exchange.     

An Empirical Investigation of Market Structure, Efficiency, and Performance in Property-Liability Insurance

This study examines the relationships among market structure and performance in property‐liability insurers over the period 1992–1998 using data at the company and group levels. Three specific hypotheses are tested: traditional structure‐conduct‐performance, relative market power, and efficient structure (ES). The results provide support for the ES hypothesis. The ES hypothesis posits that more efficient firms can charge lower prices than competitors, enabling them to capture larger market shares and economic rents, leading to increased concentration. Both revenue and cost efficiency are used in the analysis, and this is the first study to use revenue efficiency in this type of analysis. The results for the sample period as a whole and by year are consistent. The overall results suggest that cost‐efficient firms charge lower prices and earn higher profits, in conformance with the ES hypothesis. On the other hand, prices and profits are found to be higher for revenue‐efficient firms. Revenue X‐efficiency is derived from activities such as cross‐selling and may rely heavily on the use of detailed information from customer databases to identify potential customers. The implications of this research are that regulators should be more concerned with efficiency (both cost and revenue) rather than the market power that arises from the consolidation activity taking place in insurance.