Other consumers in service encounters: A script theoretical perspective

Hospitality service consumptions often involve sharing the service environment with other consumers. Drawing upon the Script Theory, this research provides a theoretical perspective of consumer responses to behaviors of other consumers in service encounters. The results from an experimental study provide strong support for the dual-mode consumer responses (felt emotions and displayed emotions) and for the moderating effect of psychological closeness on consumer responses. Managerial implications for training, service management and service design in hospitality businesses are also discussed.     

Major fire in a steam-methane reformer furnace

Causes of a major fire which resulted when a pigtail ruptured on a 10-year old hydrogen plant reformer and led to the destruction of 54 catalyst tubes.     

Regional welfare loss meaures of the 1973 oil embargo: a numerical methods approach

A simple exercise of time-series analysis shows that the presence of the phonomenon of temporal aggregation in quarterly consumption data can substantially alter the empirical inference about Hall' mocel of consumption behaviour. This fact has received almost no attention in the econometric research in this field.     

Impact of league restructuring on team sport attendances: the case of rugby league

An econometric analysis of attendances at Rugby Footbal League matches, in England, over the period 1966–1990 is presented. The major finding is that the move from one to two leagues, in 1973, had a substantial impact on attendances. Teams in the upper league experienced greater attendances ceteris paribuswhilst those in the lower league had reduced attendances.     

RESEARCH AND CONSULTANCY: TOWARDS A CONCEPTUAL SYNTHESIS

This paper describes an investigation into some of the apparent similarities between what certain kinds of researchers and consultants do in organizations. Using a facet analysis approach (Foa, 1965), an instrument was devised with the purpose of identifying and delineating overlaps between organizational research and consultancy. Sixty-six British researchers and consultants took part in the study. The results highlight certain specific similarities and suggest that these may represent aspects of research and consultancy which are crucial to their success. The facets of the two activities which emerged from the study as being common are described by reference to the qualitative data which were generated by participants. A number of important implications for the successful conduct of research and consultancy are discussed with particular reference to the process of managing the relationship between investigators and those with whom they work.     

A mutual insurance diffusion stochastic control problem

This paper determines the optimal loading factor policy of a mutual insurance firm. Insurance is viewed as a collective process of N persons paying fixed (or variable, contingent) premiums and seeking protection against claims. Risk reduction for each person is then exercised through a distribution of risk by aggregating individual risks and by accumulating cash (net of operating expenses) to meet possible contingent claims. By assuming an approximate claims diffusion process, stochastic control problems for selecting the optimum loading factor policies are stated and resolved analytically. In particular, the implicit cost of bankruptcy is computed and an optimum variable-feedback loading policy is established.     

The role of (non-)transparency in a currency crisis model

This paper extends the work by Morris and Shin (Am. Econom. Rev. 88 (1998) 587-597) where multiple equilibria in the self-fulfilling currency attack models can be reduced to a unique equilibrium when agents observe fundamentals privately with small errors. We find that under a more general specification with realistic parameters, noisy private observations are generally insufficient to prevent the multiplicity of equilibria. The pivotal role played by the transparency of fundamentals/policies in currency crisis is also examined. Surprisingly, transparency may trigger rather than eliminate currency crises when fundamentals are relatively healthy. Our results may be relevant to research in other coordination problems.