Studying Abroad: Understanding the Relationships Among Beliefs,Perceived Value,and Behavioral Intentions

Increased globalization highlights the importance of encouraging university students to participate in an international experience. In this study, the authors investigate how behavioral belief, subjective belief, and control belief influence students’ perceived value and intention to study abroad. The authors further examine the moderation effects of generation on the proposed relationships. The results show that behavioral belief, not subjective belief and control belief, is significantly related to perceived value. Second, the relationship between perceived value and intention to study abroad is stronger for the first-generation sample. Third, the subjective belief measure could be divided into the financial support versus nonfinancial support scales. The article concludes with implications of its findings for educators as well as for academic researchers.     

Heterogeneous Consumer Preferences for Turfgrass Attributes in the United States and Canada

This study investigates U.S. and Canadian consumer preferences and willingness to pay for turfgrass attributes and potential consumer market segments. Most studies focus on consumers’ preferences for low‐input turfgrasses at a state or regional level, but none have examined consumer preferences at a national or international level. In addition, we explore possible consumer preference heterogeneity and market segments. We find that one of the most influential turfgrass attributes for both U.S. and Canadian consumers is the ability to withstand foot traffic. Consumers’ preferences are greatly affected by maintenance attributes. Low mowing frequency, followed by water usage and fertilizer requirements, are considered the most important attributes for consumers. Generally speaking, many consumers are willing to pay high premiums for turfgrasses with lower maintenance requirements. Three consumer segments are identified based on participants’ heterogeneity in their preferences for turfgrass attributes: Balanced Consumers, Low‐input Conscious Consumers, and Appearance Conscious Consumers. Our results imply that breeding and promotion of low‐input turfgrasses species, which could benefit consumers and the environment, should receive greater attention from the turfgrass seed industry. Cette étude se penche sur les préférences des consommateurs américains et canadiens et leur volonté de payer pour des attributs du gazon, et les potentiels segments de marché grand public. La majorité des études se penche sur les préférences des consommateurs pour des gazons à faibles intrants au niveau de l′état ou régional. Aucune n'a encore examiné les préférences du consommateur au niveau national ou international. De plus, nous explorons l'hétérogénéité des préférences des consommateurs ainsi que les segments de marché. L'on constate que l'attribut du gazon ayant la plus grande influence sur les consommateurs américains et canadiens était la capacité de résister à la circulation piétonnière. Les préférences des consommateurs sont énormément influencées par les attributs d'entretien. La faible fréquence de tonte et les besoins en eau et en engrais représentent pour les consommateurs les plus importants attributs. En général, de nombreux consommateurs sont prêts à débourser plus pour des gazons qui nécessitent peu d'entretien. Trois groupes de consommateurs sont identifiés en fonction de l'hétérogénéité de leurs préférences pour les attributs du gazon: les consommateurs équilibrés, les consommateurs préoccupés par les faibles intrants et les consommateurs préoccupés par l'apparence. Les résultats suggèrent que la production et la promotion d'espèces de gazons à faibles intrants, bénéfiques pour le consommateur et l'environnement, devraient se trouver dans la mire de l'industrie semencière.     

Cross country maize market linkages in Africa: integration and price transmission across local and global markets

In order to study short‐run price shock propagation, we model twenty seven Sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA) domestic maize markets within a Global Vector Autoregression framework. The main purpose is to fully embed multilateral trade flows as a way to better structure local price transmission dynamics and interdependencies, and get a more comprehensive picture of food price shocks propagation. We found significant between‐country market contagion and prompt regional price shock propagation when trade connection exists. Yet, the integration of SSA domestic maize markets within the continent and with global markets remains generally weak. Furthermore, under regular market conditions, most local price series appear to be more responsive to regional neighbors than to global shocks.     

Workplace Dignity in a Total Institution: Examining the Experiences of Foxconn’s Migrant Workforce

In 2010, a cluster of suicides at the electronics manufacturing giant Foxconn Technology Group sparked worldwide outcry about working conditions at its factories in China. Within a few short months, 14 young migrant workers jumped to their deaths from buildings on the Foxconn campus, an all-encompassing compound where they had worked, eaten, and slept. Even though the language of workplace dignity was invoked in official responses from Foxconn and its business partner Apple, neither of these parties directly examined workers’ dignity in their ensuing audits. Based on our analysis of media accounts of life at Foxconn, we argue that its total institution structure imposed unique indignities on its workers that both raised questions of their self-respect and self-worth, as well as gave rise to multiple episodes of disrespectful communication. We interpret our findings in light of the larger cultural context and meanings of work in China to understand more fully the experience of dignity of Foxconn’s migrant workforce.     

Minimizing the Probability of Lifetime Ruin under Random Consumption

Abstract

We determine the optimal investment strategy in a financial market for an individual whose random consumption is correlated with the price of a risky asset. Bayraktar and Young consider this problem and show that the minimum probability of lifetime ruin is the unique convex, smooth solution of its corresponding Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman equation. In this paper we focus on determining the probability of lifetime ruin and the corresponding optimal investment strategy. We obtain approximations for the probability of lifetime ruin for small values of certain parameters and demonstrate numerically that they are reasonable ones. We also obtain numerical results in cases for which those parameters are not small.     

Spatial Price Discrimination and Merger: The N-Firm Case

The consequences of merger are analyzed in an N-firm model of spatial price discrimination. The merger occurs with known probability after location decisions have been made. The possibility of merger alters locations, generates inefficiency, and increases the profit of the merging firms. In the case of corner mergers, but never in the case of interior mergers, the possibility of merger may also reduce the profit of the excluded firms.     

Savings and investment rates in Latin America: An error correction analysis

Using savings and investment rates from fifteen Latin and Central American countries, this study explores the possibility of a long-run relationship between saving and investment. The analysis consists of regressions unit root tests, and an error correction model developed by Jansen and Schulze (1996) and Jansen (1996). Of the 15 countries, there is evidence to substantiate capital mobility in 13 countries. For Chile and Uruguay, countries that have experienced considerable capital controls, evidence indicates the lack of capital mobility for these two countries.     

Impact of Consistency in Customer Relationship Management on E-Commerce Shopper Preferences

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) in e-commerce is concerned with retaining the existing customers on a long-term basis, motivating them to come back to shop for more and to talk positively to their peers about the products and services provided. Fourteen items have been identified in a developed questionnaire to measure CRM factors in consistency of customer treatment. They are consistencies of: price-quoting, steps to execute a transaction, design of the shopping Web page, site navigation, promotions offered, indication of in-stock products, product variety, alternative product suggestions, fraud protection, presented guarantees involving the product, fairness of the site, help offered, return policies, and personal information. To determine the validity of the items, 100 e-commerce experts from academia were presented the questionnaire and asked to rate the importance of the individual items. The developed tool had a Cronbach's Alpha internal consistency value of 0.81. A multivariate analysis was conducted to cluster the aspects of consistency in CRM. For this purpose, two factors were identified: Technical and Customer Treatment Factors. The individual Cronbach's Alpha values were 0.84 for Treatment Factor and 0.74 for Technical Factor. The analysis indicated that the Technical Factor included the consistencies of shopping steps, site design, and navigation, while the Customer Treatment Factor included the consistencies of promotions, in-stock indication, product variety, fraud protection, presented guarantees, customer fairness, and return policies. Based on the analysis, 10 guidelines for Consistency in CRM were produced. The guidelines can be applied to Business-to-Consumer (B2C) e-commerce sites as part of their CRM policy.     

When supply chain strategy changes, what doesn't change?

Although implementation of an assemble-to-order supply chain strategy can often improve customer service, the transition to an assemble-to-order system requires many new processes, organizations, and skills. This article, in describing how Etec Systems, a leader in patterning solutions for the semiconductor and electronics industries, has implemented an assemble-to-order strategy, illuminates some of the issues that will be faced by any company choosing such a strategy.