Increasing hotel customer value through service quality cues in Taiwan

The purpose of this paper is to elucidate how service quality cues and customer value are related, and explores the internal composition of this relationship. Samples were collected using a questionnaire, which had assessed the quality of the researcher's measurement efforts by investigating reliability and validity. Functional value is found to be affected mainly by reliable cues and accuracy of service quality, whereas conditional value is influenced by responsiveness of service quality. Furthermore, emotional value is found to be affected mainly by empathy of service quality, whereas social value is influenced by tangible cues of service quality. Finally, epistemic value is affected by responsiveness service quality. For future research, other external cues may influence perception of customer value with extrinsic information should be discussed. In practice, hotel managers can hone the relevant cues and optimise investments to raise service quality. Finally, this study provides a new shape of ‘structural’ relationships among five service quality cues and five types of customer value.     

Electronic Marketing Communications: An Evolving Environment,but Similar Story Regarding the Perception of Unsolicited Commercial E-Mail and Postal Direct Mail

The internet is still a relatively new mass communication tool for advertisers and marketers. When weighing the potential benefits of electronic techniques against the financial investment, spam seems particularly attractive to marketers for either for-profit or non-profit objectives. Since it is unlikely that marketers will decrease their efforts related to spam and postal direct mail as a form of communicating to mass consumers, it is important to track consumer attitudes so that audiences are not subjected to the backlash predicted by psychological reactance. The results of this study found that spam is more irritating than postal direct mail at both T₁ (2004) and T₂ (2006), and participants in T₂ found both direct marketing communication methods more intrusive than those in T₁.     

Effect of Money Supply on Real Output and Price in China

Over the past 30 years, China has achieved remarkable long-term economic growth. Using quarterly data, we study the effects of money supply on real output and inflation in China between 1993 and 2008. To this end, we use money supply shocks afler filtering out the expected component of the money supply. Our findings provide evidence supporting the asymmetric effect of positive and negative money supply shocks on real output and inflation in China. That is, real GDP growth in China responds to negative money supply shocks but not positive money supply shocks. In addition, inflation responds to positive money supply shocks but not negative money supply shocks. We conclude that the People＇s Bank of China＇ s policy of steady monetary growth appears to be appropriate. Our study offers important policy implications for China.     

社会养老保险制度的困境与抉择

自80年代中期开始,我国开始对单位养老保险制度进行改革,政府相继出台了一系列有关政策,逐步确立了现行的社会统筹与个人账户相结合的社会养老保险制度.社会养老保险制度基本目标的确定适合我国社会经济条件,反映了社会的实际需求,理应在实施中取得较好的效果.然而,大量的实地调研及政府有关资料表明,政策的实施并不令人满意.     

新时期国民生活水平和生活质量变迁论略——兼谈存在的问题及主要对策

新时期以来,我国国民的生活水平有了很大的提高,主要表现在GDP的持续增长和人均可支配收入的增加。生活质量也有了很大的提升,主要表现为衣食的多样化和精致化、居住环境的宽敞化和人文化、生活用品高档化、人口素质不断提高和休闲生存状态方面等。但是,从总体上说,我国人民的生活水平和生活质量还存在着很多问题。彻底打破城乡二元结构,对国家的产业结构进一步调整和完善社会保障制度是当前应该采取的主要对策。     

Revisiting Perceived Risk in the Context of Online Shopping: An Alternative Perspective of Decision‐Making Styles

This study attempts to elaborate the consequences of perceived risk by taking the moderating effects of decision‐making style (i.e., involvement vs. heuristics) into account in the context of online shopping. The integrated model is tested repeatedly in diverse purchasing situations with different Web presentation styles and product categories. The findings indicate that perceived risk toward the Web site/product influences purchasing intention through cognition‐ and affect‐based attitudes. Moreover, the moderating effects of decision‐making style on the relationship between perceived risk and its consequences are conditional. Since perceived risk appears very crucial for promoting online shopping, the results of this study may provide an influential reference for academicians and practitioners when considering the role of perceived risk in Web site marketing. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

汇市干预的理论与实证分析——来自日本的经验

本文以颇具代表性的日本货币当局外汇干预的模式为参照系,对当今世界资金规模最大、金融领域最前沿的外汇市场从理论和实践的角度进行论证,旨在为未来我国人民币国际化后所必将产生的外汇干预等相关问题提供具有实际意义的建议与理念。     

Who Benefits in an Insider Negotiated Block Trade?

We examine insider negotiated block trades to investigate whether new active blockholders with special expertise create shareholder value. In contrast to existing studies, we find no reliable overall evidence of permanent stock price increases, operating changes, or improved net of industry profitability associated with these major control changes. Top executive turnover is extensive, but appears largely attributable to the block sellers’ actions, not the imposition of discipline by the block buyer. Results suggest initial shareholder gains anticipate takeovers, not improvements in profitability. When a takeover is not forthcoming, the gain disappears.     

The association between continuing professional education and financial performance of public accounting firms

This study investigates the relationship between continuing professional education (CPE), a mechanism of professional training, and financial performance of public accounting firms. Both training subject (partner and assistant) and training location (internal and external) are included. Public accounting firms are categorized as big, medium, and small-sized ones. Empirical data are obtained from the 1992–1995 Survey Report of Public Accounting Firms in Taiwan, published by the Financial Supervisory Commission, Executive Yuan, Taiwan, ROC. Univariate test and multiple-regression model are employed to examine the financial performance effects of CPE. Main results indicate that both professional training of assistants and external professional training are positively related to financial performance in big-sized firms. Next, we document a significantly positive association between internal training of assistants and financial performance in either big-, medium-, or small-sized firms. Finally, both external professional training of partners in big-sized firms and external professional training of assistants in small-sized firms are positively related to financial performance. Few prior studies investigate professional training of public accounting firms by a regression model due to availability of empirical data. Accordingly, evidences obtained in this study provide useful information to partners for decision-making in public accounting firms under the considerably competitive audit market.     

A hybrid parallel genetic algorithm for yard crane scheduling

This paper aims at postulating a novel strategy in terms of yard crane scheduling. In this study, a dynamic scheduling model using objective programming for yard cranes is initially developed based on rolling-horizon approach. To resolve the NP-complete problem regarding the yard crane scheduling, a hybrid algorithm, which employs heuristic rules and parallel genetic algorithm (PGA), is then employed. Then a simulation model is developed for evaluating this approach. Finally, numerical experiments on a specific container terminal yard are used for system illustration. Computational results suggest that the proposed method is able to solve the problem efficiently.