Spot and forward exchange rates as predictors of future spot rates: trends in exchange market value and the contribution of new information

This study investigates whether or not new information affects the predictive capability of forward and spot foreign exchange rates symmetrically during periods of rising as opposed to falling currency values. Statistically significant different intercept and slope coefficients are found between the periods of U.S. dollar appreciation and U.S. dollar depreciation. Further, the predictive ability of the two models differs between opposite trends in foreign exchange values.     

Why HIV/AIDS prevention strategies fail in Botswana: considering discourses of sexuality

A phenomenological study that was carried out among five ethnic groups of Botswana revealed the importance of taking into account culturally situated sexual realities when prevention policies for HIV/AIDS are considered and implemented. Furthermore the study threw light on the ineffectiveness of the current national HIV/AIDS prevention strategy of ‘Abstain, Be faithful, or use a Condom’ (ABC), a strategy that has been externally imposed on communities, without sufficiently engaging the behavioural practices and values of the communities themselves. This paper therefore advocates educational strategies for HIV/AIDS prevention that take into consideration localised social relations and value systems. Devising policies that engage with the discourses that are dominant in each ethnic group can make a difference in a country that has been hard-hit by the HIV/AIDS epidemic.     

Dynamics of export channel relationships in high-velocity environments

How will export channel relationships develop in high-velocity environments? The study suggests that the dynamics be determined by a number of factors, including contextual uncertainties, activity complementarity between channel members, partners' distinctive and superior capabilities, competition uncertainties, and opportunism. Some of these factors stabilize or strengthen the relationships while others weaken or terminate the relationships.     

Measuring service content: A scale development

This research presents the development of an instrument for measuring the service content (the degree of intangibility, perishability, simultaneity, and heterogeneity) characterizing a firm's output. Service characteristics are acknowledged to be important strategic variables, and the characteristic of intangibility has been studied extensively. The scale presented here is an improvement over previous methods. In contrast to previous methods that have relied on various categorizations, or that have examined only intangibility or service quality, the scale presented here can provide a numerical measure of all four of the most important service characteristics. This can be used in future research efforts to examine the influence of service characteristics on firm internationalization, firm strategies, and performance. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.