An Almost Ideal Demand System Analysis for Meats with Habit Formation and Structural Change

In this paper, Canadian meat consumption patterns are analyzed using a dynamic version of the almost ideal demand system (AIDS). Structural change in the demand for meats is examined by testing for non-constancy of the parameters of the non-linear system. It is concluded that Canadian meat consumption patterns can be explained by a combination of habit persistence as well as changes in prices, consumer expenditures and tastes. Incorporating the dynamic element of a habit effect in the AIDS model improves the consistency between demand theory and the observed data. The hypothesis of structural change in demand during the late 1970s cannot be rejected. The detected structural shift is related to the intercept terms of the expenditure share equations, suggesting changes in taste in the demand for different meats. Consumption expenditures have shifted from beef to chicken but remained stable for pork; a 6% decline in the expenditure share of beef and a 33% increase in the expenditure share of chicken seem to have been due to this structural shift. Le présent document analyse la consommation de viande au Canada au moyen d'une version dynamique du système de la demande quasi idéale. Les auteurs examinent le change-ment structurel de la demande de viande en vérifiant si les paramètres du système non linéaire sont constants ou non. Ils en concluent que le comportement de la demande de viande au Canada peut s'expliquer à la fois par la persistence des habitudes et par les change-ments observés au niveau des prix, des dépenses des consommateurs et des goûts de ces derniers. L'intégration d'un élément dynamique au modèle, soit l'incidence des habitudes, accroît la cohérence entre la demande théorique et les observations. L'hypothèse que la demande aurait changé vers la fin des années 1970 ne peut être rejetée. La modification structurelle décelée est associée aux coordonnées à l'origine des équations de répartition des dépenses, ce qui suggère des changements de goût en ce qui concerne les différentes viandes. Ainsi, les achats de poulet ont augmenté au détriment du boeuf mais les dépenses sont restées stables pour le porc; on a observé une régression de 6 p. 100 des achats de boeuf et une hausse de 33 p. 100 de la demande de poulet, variation qui semble à l'origine du changement structurel observé.     

Measuring customer pre-purchase satisfaction in a retail setting

Previous studies have addressed customer satisfaction as a post-purchase phenomenon. However, examining solely post-purchase satisfaction when investigating consumer satisfaction is incomplete because multiple stages are involved in the purchase decision making process. Thus, the purpose of this study was to develop an instrument to assess customer satisfaction in the pre-purchase stage using procedures for developing a reliable and valid scale, as proposed by Churchill [1979. A paradigm of developing better measures of marketing constructs. Journal of Marketing Research, 16(1), 64–73.] and DeVellis [2003. Scale development: Theory and applications (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.]. Two sets of data were collected to carry out two stages of scale purification – 98 subjects participated in the first stage and 443 subjects participated in the second stage. The factor structures, reliability, and construct validity were tested to assess the properties of the final scale. Findings revealed a 21-item, 6-dimension scale measuring customers' pre-purchase satisfaction. Discussion of the results, managerial implications, study limitations, and suggestions for future research are presented.     

Organisational Perception of Customer Satisfaction: Theories and Evidence

Do managers in service organisations believe that the struggle matters more than the triumph? This paper proposes a model of organisational perception of customer satisfaction which posits that, given a lack of first-hand information on customer responses, organisations tend to adopt a process-based approach of evaluating the level of satisfaction of their customers. This evaluation process depends not on the assessment of actual outcomes such as sales revenue and customer complaints, but instead on the organisational efforts involved in satisfying the needs of customers. The propositions are tested by surveying 150 e-banking service providers and the data supports the hypotheses.     

Prediction of hotel bankruptcy using support vector machine,artificial neural network,logistic regression,and multivariate discriminant analysis

The objectives of this paper are firstly, to provide an optimal hotel bankruptcy prediction approach to minimize the empirical risk of misclassification and secondly, to investigate the functional characteristics of multivariate discriminant analysis, logistic, artificial neural networks (ANNs), and support vector machine (SVM) models in hotel bankruptcy prediction. The performances were evaluated not only in terms of overall classification and prediction accuracy but also in terms of relative error cost ratios. The results showed that ANN and SVM were very applicable models in bankruptcy prediction with data from Korean hotels. When jointly measuring both type I and type II errors, especially allowing for the greater costs associated with type I errors, however, ANN was more accurate with smaller estimated relative error costs than SVM. Thus, if the objective is to find the best early warning technique that performs accurately with small relative error costs, then, it will be worth considering ANN method for hotel bankruptcy prediction.     

Memory for advertising and information content: Comparing the printed page to the computer screen

An experiment was used to test memory for two forms of information—ad copy (persuasive) and consumer information (nonpersuasive) presented in print and screen media. For both forms of information, print outperforms screen on recall but not on recognition. The results suggest that print information is easier to retrieve but also that screen information is available in memory. Differences between print and screen media are persistent and not readily explained by any of the obvious individual factors—comfort/familiarity, preference, and reading time. Other results with implications for marketing communication decisions show that brand name is poorly recalled from the screen relative to the printed page and that the nonpersuasive consumer information is better remembered than is persuasive ad information. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

基于SWOT理论的航班延误补偿方式研究

本文在阐述SWOT理论的基础上，把SWOT理论应用到确定航班延误补偿方式的分析中，提出在确定航班延误补偿方式时既要考虑到航空公司的利益，又要考虑到消费者的利益，根据消费者内心评价来确定航班延误的补偿方式。强调应用SWOT理论可以帮助航空公司提出尽可能多的补偿方式，最终实现消费者与航空公司的双赢。     

The Impact of Conflict Types and Location on Trade

This article investigates the impact of interstate and intrastate conflict on trade. Analyses rely on a pooled time-series cross-sectional dataset with observations for 134 countries from 1979 to 2000. Results show that intrastate conflict has a larger negative impact on trade than interstate conflict; conflict in the exporting country has a more negative impact on trade than conflict in the importing country; and, finally, conflict's destructive effects go beyond the borders of the countries that directly experience it, as trade flows are also negatively influenced by conflict in neighboring countries.     

Students,Patients, Citizens,and Believers as “Customers”: A Cross-National Exploratory Study

ABSTRACT

Executives in 94 large UK companies engaging in cause related marketing (CRM) completed a questionnaire concerning (i) their firms' approaches to the management and evaluation of CRM, (ii) the benefits perceived to accrue to the practice, and (iii) whether these businesses applied commercial rather than philanthropic principles when selecting CRM partners. It emerged that, in general, the sample firms employed mainly commercial criteria when choosing CRM projects, that selections were frequently influenced by employee opinion, and that most of the evaluation techniques conventionally used to appraise commercial sponsorship and advertising were also utilised to assess CRM programmes. Companies were reported to demand close and obvious links between their products and the activities of partner charities. Typically, they preferred to affiliate with well-known charities and tended to dislike “controversial” causes. In the main the respondents held low opinions of their charity partners' marketing abilities. The article concludes with a number of recommendations regarding the ways in which charities should formulate proposals when inviting businesses to participate in CRM programmes.     

A new framework for evaluating sponsorship opportunities

Despite the popularity of sponsorship, there remains a paucity of research attention. This is especially the case when considering the product relevance issue (the fit between the sponsor and the activity being sponsored). In the past, relevance has incorrectly been treated in terms of two mutually exclusive categories: function-based similarity (where the sponsor’s product is used in the event being sponsored) and image-based similarity (where the sponsor’s image is congruent with that of the event). In reality, however, these two types of similarity can coexist.

In this paper a new product relevance construct – integrated product relevance – is proposed. Research hypotheses are then formulated as to how integrated product relevance may affect consumer responses (in terms of quality perceptions, attitude towards the brand and purchase intention) to a sponsor’s products. Directions for future research are proposed based on this new construct.     

The effect of outward foreign direct investment on home country's export: A case study on Taiwan, 1989–2006

The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of outward foreign direct investment (FDI) on home country's export in Taiwan since the late 1980s. By pooling the time series and cross-section data in a modified gravity model, the study analyzes the effect of outward FDI, both country by country and host groups as a whole, on Taiwan's exports. It is concluded that outward FDI has a complementary effect on home country's export in Taiwan, most significantly evidenced in China-bound investment, which accounted for most FDIs after the 1990s.