Drivers of environmental innovation in Majorcan hotels

Using a database of Majorcan hotels, this paper examines several previously untested determinants of environmental innovations in hotels derived from the Porter hypothesis and from the specifics of knowledge transfer in the tourism industry. The empirical analysis is original in that it distinguishes between eight types of environmental innovations. The results show that hotels’ general predisposition to implement innovations, manager remuneration based on environmental performance, staff satisfaction, environmental accounting, and trainings are important determinants of the overall environmental innovation activity of Majorcan hotels. Moreover, the use of environmental management systems is associated with innovations with cost-saving potential, whereas the hotel star category is associated with innovations that contribute to hotel quality, such as wastewater treatment, noise reduction, noise isolation, and visual impact improvements. Furthermore, high levels of staff satisfaction are related to the implementation of water-saving and noise reduction innovations, as such innovations require staff participation, whereas the role of information sources in explaining innovation adoption varies based on the technical complexity of innovations. The paper concludes with policy implications for sustainable tourism development, recommendations for the hoteliers, and directions for future research.     

The transpitality industry

Hotel operations can be usefully viewed as part of a larger system, the transportation-hospitality, or transpitality industry. The two service industries concerned are inextricably linked. There is already some cooperation between the two, but this paper argues that closer cooperation may well be possible and potentially profitable. Linkages discussed include those through computer data banks, the use of network models, common planning, and the services provided by either arm of the industry to ease the strain of travel for the consumer.     

Smooth convergence in the binomial model

In this article, we consider a general class of binomial models with an additional parameter λ. We show that in the case of a European call option the binomial price converges to the Black–Scholes price at the rate 1/n and, more importantly, give a formula for the coefficient of 1/n in the expansion of the error. This enables us, by making special choices for λ, to prove that convergence is smooth in Tian’s flexible binomial model and also in a new center binomial model which we propose. Ken Palmer was supported by NSC grant 93-2118-M-002-002.     

A profile-analytic approach for classifying debt reschedulings in the Asia pacific region

For years, international lenders have looked for new methods for evaluating both the ability and willingness of sovereign borrowers to repay their external debt obligations. This paper presents an application of a classification technique, known as profile-analysis, which might be used as an early warning indicator for the interruption of sovereign debt payments. The potential usefulness of this technique was demonstrated by successfully classifying the Philippines as a candidate for debt rescheduling one year prior to its 1984 debt restructuring agreement. Although preliminary in scope, this study suggests that profile-analysis might be an important supplement in the management of an international loan portfolio.     

向管理层推销质量设想

在我的质量工作生涯中，我非常惊讶地看到很多人有很好的设想，这些设想因为未被管理层接受而不见阳光，对企业所产生的负面影响是很严重的，因为它使员工失去了信心和参加管理的愿望，导致问题继续发生，并妨碍了可能给组织带来巨大效益的改进。