Guidelines for commercial negotiators

Most negotiators would be happy to sharpen and refine their bargaining skills. The following points, drawn from practical experience, can help them do so.     

Guaranty trust bank of Nigeria: Building a trusted brand in financial services

The case study is about the Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB) of Nigeria and charts the growth of the bank from startup to its current position as the fifthlargest bank in Nigeria. The case describes how the vision of the bank's two cofounders is turned into reality by adopting an ethical brand positioning for the bank in a competitive environment characterized by corruption and lack of trust. Students are invited to participate in a strategic review of the bank's growth prospects. Using a brand model, students are asked to review appropriate brand development strategies. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Foreign exchange pricing under free floating versus admissible band regimes

In this paper contingent price theory is used to infer the fair present value of the future effective spot rate under free float and alternative permissible band regimes. It is shown that a given term structure cannot at the same time bring about an equilibrium in both controlled and free exchange markets. A controlled exchange rate is proven to be less sensitive to changes in expectations about the future effective spot rate than a freely floating rate, whereas the interest rate change needed to offset such a shift is smaller. It is inferred that under an admissible band regime, the effective control limits on the current spot rate can differ significanly from the government's declared intervention points.     

Decision making and decision aiding: Defining the process,it representations,and support

We present a formalized account of decision making as a multistep process that involves several classes of participating entities. The purpose of this article is to lay the foundations for a conceptual framework in which decision support systems can be placed. A series of increasingly formal representations of the decision problem are developed, from a mental model conceived by the decision maker to a knowledge base that may be used in a decision support system. The reformulations of the decision problem lead us to contemplate different forms of support: for mental models, for formal models (this includes supporting measurement and representation), for solution, and for communication.     

An investigation into blood donation intentions among non‐donors

• In broad terms, the donation of blood along with organ and bone marrow donation is considered to be the ultimate act of humanity involving a voluntary and anonymous exchange between two people of a life saving commodity. Yet motivating people to donate blood is a significantly difficult task. The aim of this paper is to use the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) to examine non‐donors on the basis of their likely intention to donate blood in the future and to identify barriers on these more favourable non‐donors. This exploratory research finds that subjective norm, perceived behavioural control and time related barriers are related to intent to donate by current non‐donors. Differences between higher and lower intention donors are also explored.

Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.