Salesmen-customer interaction: An experimental approach

The interaction between customers and salesmen often determines the final outcome of a retail transaction. Salesmen often use various cues about potential customer's byuing intentions in designing their sales presentation strategies. This study examines nonprice aspects of salesmen-customer interaction utilizing an experimental design. The results of the study show that salesmen respond differently to prospects with different characteristics.     

Worldwide reach of short selling regulations

We characterize legality and incidence of short selling in a worldwide, multimarket framework. Home country short selling restrictions curtail home market stock borrowing by 45% and reduce short selling of the country's American Depository Receipts (ADRs) by 68% due to regulatory reach. Also, the 2008 US ban on short selling of financial firms reduced borrowing in foreign locations. These findings are robust to controls for option availability, enforcement, returns, firm size, trading volume, dividends, ADR level, volatility, days-to-cover, and industry sector. Further, we show that investor conduct resulting from adherence to professional standards is a more powerful mechanism of regulatory reach than intergovernment cooperation.     

Investor protection and cash holdings: Evidence from US cross-listing

This paper examines (i) whether the level of firms’ cash holdings differ depending on the strength of investor protection, (ii) whether excess cash holdings are valued more with better investor protection, and (iii) whether cross-listed firms that improve investor protection through “bonding” hold relatively more cash than non-cross-listed firms. We analyze 1405 ADR firms and their corresponding matched firms from 39 different countries and document that ADR firms have significantly higher cash holdings relative to their non-cross-listed peers, especially in recent years. The increase in cash holdings is much higher for emerging market firms because of their transition from particularly poor home country investor protection and accounting standards before cross-listing to much higher standards after cross-listing. In addition, firms with level III ADR listing, which represents the strongest investor protection, have higher cash holdings relative to other types of ADR firms.     

Workplace Human Rights Reporting: A Study of Australian Garment and Retail Companies

The opening of the Australian economy in a globalised world has led to Australian garment and retail corporations moving their manufacturing overseas and acquiring goods from overseas providers. This is usually better for the corporations’ bottom‐line, as they can purchase goods overseas at a fraction of their local cost, partly due to cheap labour. Australia is one of the many OECD countries not to have a well regulated environment for workplace human rights. This study examines 18 major Australian retail and garment manufacturing corporations and finds that workplace human rights reporting is poor, based on content analysis of their annual reports, corporate social responsibility reports and websites. This is probably due to the failure of the Australian Government to provide adequate oversight by promulgating mandatory reporting standards for both local and overseas operations of Australian companies. This permits corporations to avoid reporting their workplace human rights standards and breaches.     

Contributions to the exchequer funds by state level public sector enterprises: does political alignment matter?

Regular payments or contributions to states’ exchequer funds are mandated for state level public sector enterprises (SLPEs) in most states in India. However, in the absence of a regular mechanism to ensure timely payments, the contributions are abysmally poor. In most SLPEs, the situation is driven by the presence of soft budget constraints and strong financial support from the state governments. The current study analyses the effect of political factors on the contribution that SLPEs make to the state governments’ exchequer funds. Using different econometric methods, the study finds that SLPEs located in assembly constituencies that are politically aligned with the state government, make frequent and larger contributions to the exchequer funds. Surprisingly, the subsidies provided to the SLPEs by state governments are not driven by political alignment between the state government and the constituency where the enterprise is located. In fact, subsidies compensate for the contributions to the extent that there is no effect of political alignment on net contributions (contributions–subsidies) by SLPEs to state governments. Finally, political alignment has a strong influence on the relative share of contributions made by SLPEs to state governments vis-à-vis the centre. These results are robust across different model specifications.     

The biotechnology industry and strategies of biodiversity conservation: The influence of managerial interpretations and risk propensity

This article presents the results of a questionnaire‐based mail survey which was conducted to examine the influence of managerial cognitions on the strategies for biodiversity conservation undertaken by individual companies in the North American biotechnology industry. The study confirmed that managerial issue interpretations and risk propensities were significant influences on organisational actions for biodiversity preservation. More specifically, the biodiversity conservation strategies undertaken by individual companies were influenced by whether or not the managers of these companies interpreted biodiversity conservation as an opportunity or a threat as well as the propensity of these managers to undertake risk on behalf of their companies. This article concludes that opportunity interpretations of biodiversity conservation by managers of biotechnology companies will be translated into proactive environmental responsiveness strategies in uncertain environments only if these managers also exhibit a high risk propensity. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.     

What’s so Mysterious about Mystery Shoppers? Understanding the Qualifications and Selection of Mystery Shoppers

Mystery shopping are a method of quality management that is utilized often in a variety of businesses. A holistic definition of a mystery shopper is, however, unclear. Literature relating to mystery shoppers was reviewed and analyzed through content analysis, to develop criteria which can be used to define a mystery shopper. The various traits identified were divided into personal traits, training elements, company considerations. The results of the paper provide a thorough analysis of the various traits that constitute a mystery shopper.     

Sustainable development and hospitality education: employers’ perspectives on the relevance for graduate employability

This paper examines hospitality employers’ perspectives of sustainable development (SD) and the implications for hospitality education, particularly graduate employability. An exploratory approach is used in this research where semi-structured interviews were conducted with employers of hospitality graduates. The results established that respondents had mixed understandings of the meaning and relevance of SD. These employers are, however, gradually recognising the value of sustainability for their business. Though it is not currently a priority in terms of a critical employability skill specifically for the hotel sector, related industries seem more mindful of the implications of sustainability credentials. Thus, hospitality educators need to take appropriate actions in subject-specific areas where SD is critical to employment opportunities, creating more industry-ready graduates who are also globally aware citizens.     

Industrial-Relations Practices of Japanese Multinationals and Their Subsidiaries in Canada: Are They Transferable to Canadian Firms?

This paper presents the findings of a comparative study of the industrial-relations practices of thirty Japanese parent companies and their subsidiaries in Canada. Our analysis indicates that differences in the degree of Japanese industrial-relations practices among the parent companies and their subsidiaries in Canada cannot be explained either by cultural or by structural factors. The only meaningful role of the “Japanese” factors in our findings is the high correlation of the degree of Japanese-style industrial relations with the low rates of labour turnover in the Japanese subsidiaries in Canada. As far as the transferability of Japanese industrial-relations practices to Canadian enterprises is concerned, it appears that the enterprise-union structure and the Japanese work ethic-that is, loyalty and close identification with the firm-would be unacceptable to most workers in Canada. The principles in the Japanese industrial-relations system which can be applied to the Canadian scene include better management of human resources, an extensive system of training and education for all employees, and a joint consultative mechanism based on a relationship of trust between labour and management. Résumé Ce mémoire présente les résultats d'une étude comparative traitant des méthodes de relations industrielles de trente sociétés-mères japonaises et de leurs filiales au Canada. Notre analyse indique que les différences en matière de relations industrielles entre les sociétés japonaises et leurs filiales canadiennes ne peuvent ětre expliquées par des phénomènes culturels ou structurels. Selon nos études, le seul rǒle signicatif des caractéristiques “japonaises” se retrouve dans la corrélation élevée existant entre le degré des méthodes japonaises et le faible taux de roulement dans les filiales canadiennes. Il semble cependant que l'application dans l'entreprise canadienne des pratiques de relations industrielles japonaises, entre autres, la structure syndicale et l'éthique de travail qui exigent loyauté et identification étroite avec l'entreprise, sarient inacceptables pour la plupart des travailleurs au Canada. Parmi les principes japonais qui seraient acceptés dans l'industrie canadienne, on retrouve une meilleure gestion des ressources humaines et des programmes complets d'études et de formation à l'intention de tous les employés, de měme qu'un mécanisme de consultation mutuelle fondé sur des rapports de confiance entre les employés et la direction.