Flugzeugbau bleibt wichtiges Standbein für den Industriestandort Deutschland

The aviation industry in Germany is one of the growing industry sectors and generates more than half of its revenues abroad. As a high-tech and knowledge-intensive sector, the aviation industry relies on a highly skilled work force as well as technical innovations. Effective research and development are therefore essential for the industry’s international competitiveness. Especially global trends open up positive development prospects for Germany’s aviation industry. To improve the economic conditions of the industry sector, companies as well as political and scientific actors have joined forces in regional sector networks.     

Key drivers of services website loyalty

The ease of website comparison and strong price competition encourage users to constantly switch tourism service providers. The present work analyses how satisfaction, trust, and commitment can help to strengthen loyalty towards websites selling accommodation services. Moreover, special attention is paid here to evaluate the moderating effects of gender on the relationships between these variables. Structural equation models were used to test the hypotheses on a sample of 230 Mexican Internet users, online purchasers of tourist accommodation services. The results show significant differences between men and women's post-purchase behaviour with a higher influence in women of trust on commitment and of commitment on loyalty towards accommodation services websites. Managerial implications for accommodation websites are provided.     

Cause-related marketing influence on consumer responses: The moderating effect of cause–brand fit

The traditional focus on the study of cause–brand fit in cause-related marketing (CrM) is that it is a mediator variable between consumer perceptions and subsequent responses. However, the literature is not conclusive on this point. This study adopts a new perspective, considering cause–brand fit as a moderator variable rather than a direct antecedent to consumer evaluations of CrM. Thus, the main objective of this research is to examine the moderator role of cause–brand fit in the influence of two corporate associations elicited in CrM (corporate social responsibility (CSR) and corporate ability (CA) associations) on brand attitude and two behavioural consumer responses (purchase intent and support to non-profit organisation (NPO)). For this, a theoretical model is proposed, and it is estimated with a sample of 595 Spanish consumers of insurance and personal hygiene and toiletries products. Results show that when consumers perceive high social cause–brand fit, the positive influence of CSR associations on the formation of brand attitude is amplified. However, when cause–brand fit is low, brand attitude is formed via CA associations. Finally, consumer behavioural responses in favour of the brand (i.e. purchase intent) and social cause (i.e. support to NPO) are reinforced in a context of high cause–brand perceived fit.     

Retail Micro-Marketing Strategies and Competition

The goal of this paper is to open the debate about the effect of customer specific retail marketing on competition. Segmentation and targeting based on loyalty card information affects horizontal and vertical relationships. Few retailers can take advantage of the power connected to the ownership of customer information. Consumers benefit from a more targeted approach to value creation but the distribution of such value varies widely, as a consequence of micro-targeting. A second goal is to test a new way of conducting joint research with practitioners. An online community was set up for the discussion of micro-marketing related issues. Online, the authors have been able to test the hypothesis and deliver the survey questionnaire to participating retailers who, in turn, can access results through the community website: www.partnership4loyalty.com.     

TASTE FOR VARIETY,TASTE FOR NOVELTY AND PRICE BEHAVIOUR

In this paper we propose a formulation of preferences that exhibit both love for variety and love for novelty. This enables us to investigate the effects of ageing on imperfect substitutes, as they became progressively old‐fashioned, due to the obsolescence of their aesthetic features. First, we assume that the industry is divided into several submarkets, each dominated by a monopolist producing a variety of a given vintage. We show that prices decrease, and the evolution of demand determines the equilibrium number of varieties at the point where the oldest vintage firm earns zero profits. Second, under a free entry condition assumption, the lifetime horizon of each variety will be characterized by decreasing prices accompanied by increasing demand levels.     

Maritimer EU-Handel auf Wachstumskurs

Im Zuge der expansiven Entwicklung des internationalen Warenhandels z?hlte auch die Frachtschifffahrt in den vergangenen Jahrzehnten zu den wachstumsstarken Wirtschaftsbereichen. Die fortschreitenden weltweiten Integrationsprozesse, der weitere Abbau von Handelshemmnissen und die zu erwartende Steigerung des Wohlstands in zahlreichen Regionen der Welt werden auch in den kommenden Jahrzehnten eine deutliche Expansion der Frachtschifffahrt f?rdern und erfordern. Welche Potentiale ergeben sich für den Seehandel der EU-Staaten? Und wie werden die H?fen im europ?ischen Fahrtgebiet hiervon betroffen sein? Dr. Alkis H. Otto, 33, und Dr. Silvia Stiller, 39, sind am Hamburgischen WeltWirtschaftsInstitut als Senior Researcher und Jan Wedemeier, 28, Dipl.-Volkswirt, als Junior Researcher t?tig. Dr. Harald Gro?mann, 52, ist als Mitarbeiter bei der Beh?rde für Wirtschaft und Arbeit in Hamburg t?tig. * Dieser Artikel ist eine Zusammenfassung der von HWWI und Berenberg Bank gemeinsam verfassten Studie „Maritime Wirtschaft und Transportlogistik“, die in der Reihe „Strategie 2030 – Verm?gen und Leben in der n?chsten Generation“ erschienen ist.     

Tariff Liberalisation and the Growth of World Trade: A Comparative Historical Analysis of the Multilateral Trading System

The aims of this study are to assess the relationship between tariff barriers and world trade growth from a comparative and historical perspective, and to derive some useful indications for evaluating the effectiveness of the current multilateral trading system for promoting world trade. The novelty of this work is the complex reconstruction of a historical tariffs and trade series for the period 1870–2000, for 23 countries; this constitutes a good proxy for world trade (accounting for over 60 per cent) in this period. The effect of tariff liberalisation on trade growth is analysed empirically using panel data and time series. The results, while confirming the existence of a world level long‐term relationship between tariff reductions and trade growth, demonstrate how this substantial and significant relationship pre‐World War II gradually diminished in importance and significance after 1950. This result does not conflict with the key role of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade/World Trade Organization system in trade liberalisation; however, it underlines the importance of a formalised multilateral trading system, not so much for tariff liberalisation, but for building a virtuous process of international coordination of trade policies and ensuring fuller participation in world trade.     

Characteristics of failed U.S. commercial banks: an exploratory study

This study uses survival analysis to determine how early the indications of bank failure can be observed. We find that banks with high loan to asset and high personal loan to assets ratios are more likely to survive. Older banks and banks with high real estate and agricultural loans, loan loss allowance, loan charges off and non‐performing loans to assets ratio are more likely to fail. It is possible to predict survival functions of <50% for failed banks, 3 years or less before failure. Moreover, we find that most of the variables present a behaviour that departs from Benford’s Law.