Localization and Customer Retention for Franchise Service Systems

This is one of the first studies to explore customer retention in reference to the franchisee–customer relationship. A subsequent objective was to examine localization and standardization from a franchise unit and system-level perspective. Data was collected using a self-administered survey based on customers of pet grooming services in Australia. Findings suggest that the addition of a customer retention perspective reveals a greater depth to the franchisee–customer relationship. Importantly, this implies that there are additional factors likely to influence franchisee–customer retention within franchise outlets. We suggest that individual franchise units, in cooperation with local customers, should co-create local marketing initiatives.     

Integration by Emerging Economy Multinationals: Perspectives from Chinese Mergers and Acquisitions

The integration process of international mergers and acquisitions by emerging economy multinationals is fraught with challenges of liabilities of foreignness and country of origin. We use insights from institutional theory and draw on the experience of Chinese international mergers and acquisitions to explore these challenges faced by emerging economy multinationals during postmerger integration. We find that these challenges, which are primarily caused by informal institutional differences, can be overcome by developing organizational capabilities for integration and employing mechanisms for appropriate control and justice during the integration process. The study contributes to the ongoing discussions about the relevance of sociocultural influences in the successful integration of international mergers and acquisitions. Our framework proposes initiatives that managers from emerging economies can take to overcome postmerger integration challenges. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

E-Shopping Patterns of Chinese and US Millennials

A conceptually based taxonomy of 22 distinct forms of e-shopping vehicles is proposed. A modification of the UTAUT and UTAUT2 models is introduced to explain how vehicles are interrelated in regard to consumer reliance upon them for their e-purchasing. A survey of over 1,000 millennial university students, 697 Chinese and 306 US, revealed strong support in both samples for the hypothesized six dimensional pattern underlying consumer vehicular reliance. Further, differences between Chinese and US samples lay not in the nature of the dimensions, but rather in the strength of reliance upon each dimension. Thus, the study demonstrates the utility of the concept/measure of shopper vehicular reliance, VPR (Vehicle Purchasing Reliance) for both practitioners and scientists. In cross-national comparisons, observed differences between samples in strength of reliance supported four of five hypotheses predicated on previously established national distinctions a) in trust and b) in the cultural value of individualism-collectivism.     

金融功能的全球化发展与银行业国际化

金融功能的国际化进程,通常按以下次序演进结算功能的国际化→融资功能的国际化→资产管理功能的国际化.金融功能国际化高级阶段的到来,加速了我国银行业国际化的步伐.中国银行业加速国际化,改变了我国国际债务的管理形式、促进了银行业市场结构的改变和规模集中,也增加了我国货币政策的实施难度.银行业国际化提高了银行机构金融服务的能力,使银行经营效率提高,增强了与国际金融机构的联动性.     

价值工程在淮河干流蚌浮段工程中的应用

基于淮河干流河道治理工程中引入价值工程研究模式,选择香浮段行洪区调整和建设工程作为价值工程的研究对象,将施工准备阶段作为切入口,以河道疏浚工程排泥场布置等相关问题为研究重点,通过功能分析和方案创造,用合理的最小工程成本,实现综合最优的河道治理功能价值,并将研究成果直接应用于工程建设实践,达到优化设计和实施方案、节约工程投资的成效。     

农民参与农地整理项目建后管护的意愿与行为转化研究：以河南邓州的调查为例

研究目的:通过分析农地整理建后管护农民的参与意愿和参与行为的影响因素,揭示农民参与的意愿—行为转化机理。研究方法:基于计划行为理论、交易费用理论的理论分析和基于Logistic回归模型、多元线性回归模型的实证检验。研究结果:(1)农地整理建后管护的农民参与意愿受到知觉控制的显著影响,农民参与行为则主要受到主观规范的显著影响;(2)从交易费用视角来看,对管护行为的监督难度是影响意愿—行为转化的显著性因素;(3)对管护行为的监督难度受到管护实施的激励效用和约束效用影响。研究结论:建议发挥乡村精英的资源优势和社会影响力,同时制定农地整理建后管护的契约以降低交易费用。     

华北油田冀中电网输配电线路存在的主要问题及应对措施

本文论述了华北油田冀中电网输电线路存在的老化、线路下方违章建筑物、树木顶线、杆塔缺土、施工车辆、挖掘机、吊车误碰导线跳闸等情况,并提出了应对措施。     

中小企业融资现状与政策分析

中小企业在我国经济社会发展中发挥着不可替代的"强位"作用,却处于融资弱势的不对称地位,融资约束已成为制约中小企业发展的瓶颈。解决中小企业融资难的问题,需要政府政策制定部门大胆借鉴外国经验,尽快完善并落实各项针对中小企业的融资支持措施,建立中小企业信用担保体系,完善信用担保制度及相关配套体系,使之与商业性金融协调配合,共同支持中小企业发展。     

银行理财服务消费者知情权保护研究——基于理财服务合同缔结过程的视角

本文以银行理财服务合同缔结过程中消费者的知情权保护为视角,首先分析了消费者知情权的法律保护现状及其法理基础,然后将合同缔结过程分为要约邀请和磋商缔约两个阶段,区分了不同阶段银行所应承担的信息披露义务和说明义务,最后为银行理财服务消费者知情权保护提出了若干立法建议.     

Is regulatory adoption ceremonial? Evidence from lead director appointments

Research Summary: Regulatory bodies often wrestle with the thorny question of whether to mandate a governance practice or allow for organic adoption. While mandates afford rapid diffusion, we theorize that they also result in ceremonial adoptions. Leveraging a quasi‐natural experiment, we compare adoption outcomes for a governance practice—lead director adoption—that was mandated by the NYSE but not the NASDAQ. We find that NYSE firms are more likely than NASDAQ firms to have installed a lead director as a symbolic management tactic, so their lead directors are less effectual. We also find that transient institutional investors are deceived by this symbolic management, but dedicated institutional investors are not. Managerial Summary: Shareholders and analysts often desire to see companies introduce strict governance measures, such as proxy access and independent boards. Consequently, regulatory bodies often wrestle with the thorny issue of whether and when to mandate such practices for all companies. What they might not realize is that mandates may not work as well as they seem. Although more companies adopt reform under a mandate, they do so merely as a symbolic gesture. We look at one governance reform—appointing a lead director—finding that companies who introduce this reform as a result of a mandate appoint someone that is relatively toothless. We also find, though, that savvy investors are not actually fooled by this tactic and will trade out of firms that attempt such symbolic management.