The end of growth in residential tourism destinations: steady state or sustainable development? The case of Calpe

This article discusses how the slowdown in the real estate market during the most recent economic and financial crisis has affected residential tourism destinations on the Spanish coast. The afore-mentioned crisis, which gave rise to a standstill in residential activity, coincided with the turbulences experienced in the competing destinations of Northern Africa, which brought about a record number of international tourist arrivals to Spain. The resulting situation enables us to explore the future scenario of all the Spanish destinations that, due to the depletion of available land, are reaching their maximum levels of urban growth. Examining the case of Calpe, a destination which is representative of the Spanish Mediterranean, the study analyses whether the foreseeable dynamics for the future are conceptualized in the favourable terms that characterize “sustainable development” or, on the contrary, exhibit negative implications which the classic economists refer to as the “steady state”.     

The Outlook for the Euro Changeover: A Summary and General Analysis

In this paper, the procedures and problems of the changeover to the euro are reviewed. The legal elements involved are discussed as are the psychological aspects. Various practical problems and proposed solutions are described. The possibility of resistance from the consumers in certain segments of the Member State populations is also addressed. One reason for any such resistance might be that for many citizens, the change of currency appears to have little bearing on their everyday concerns.Particular attention is devoted to the scenario for the period 1 January to 1 July 2002, during which coins and notes in euros and national monetary units can be in circulation at the same time.     

Social Capital,political empowerment and social difference: a mixed-methods study of an ecotourism project in the rural Volta region of Ghana

Abstract

Claims abound regarding the empowering possibilities of community-based natural resources management (CBNRM). Social capital is seen as a key element towards that end, yet there is a paucity of critical research testing these connections. This study examines two aspects of social capital (cognitive and structural) in a community-based ecotourism (CBE) project in Ghana as they relate to social difference (notably gender and ethnicity) and political empowerment (i.e., access to political involvement, and political efficacy). Quantitative results highlight specific gendered and ethnic differences in political empowerment and social capital that, when combined with qualitative analysis, reveal how those inequities in ecotourism may be rooted in socio/cultural norms. In addition, a novel contribution from this study is that political empowerment seems to be partly mediated by peoples’ access to social capital. This suggests that, regardless of one’s gender and ethnicity, social capital helps to empower individuals. We conclude by describing what an intervention could look like in the context of this CBE project when informed by qualitative feminist as well as quantitative social capital analysis. Doing so we illustrate how a mixed-methods approach to the study of social capital and empowerment may offer important insights towards more equitable CBE.Abbreviations: CBE: Community Based Ecotourism; CBNRM: Community Based Natural Resources Management; NCRC: Nature Conservation Research Centre; FPE: Feminist Political Ecology; PCA: Principal Component Analysis; ANOVA: Analysis of Variance     

Product return and logistics knowledge: Influence on performance of the firm

Survey data on reverse logistics processes from 284 Spanish firms are used to test a structural model that analyzes the importance of returned materials and the creation of logistics knowledge within processes of reverse logistics and their effects on organizational performance. The results show that the cost of reverse logistics and the value of returns were found to be positively related to reverse logistics activities. Further, their proper management and the creation of logistics knowledge that improves organizational performance.     

Dividend reinvestment plans: An empirical analysis

This study examines the effect of initiating discount and no discount dividend reinvestment plans on shareholder wealth. The results show a negative response to DRP announcements, which is significantly smaller than that found in studies of new equity offerings. These results are consistent with the Scholes and Wolfson (1989) hypothesis that managers in need of equity capital use DRPs to mitigate the adverse stock price effects of new equity issue announcements. Furthermore, there is a significant difference in the price response of discount and no discount DRPs for industrial firms. This result is supportive of the signaling potential of discount DRPs. Supportive evidence is also found in the analysis of firm characteristics for industrial firms.     

Public-Interest Arguments in Privatising Government Audit

The privatisation of the state audit office of Victoria in 1996-97 engendered a widespread debate that was joined by the two main accounting bodies in Australia. Although the accounting bodies adopted divergent positions, both rationalised their arguments in terms of public interest. An analysis of this paradox shows that the accountants pursued their commercial interests through intra-professional conflict and cooperation behind the cloak of public-interest arguments, showing little concern for the public accountability function of public-sector audits and reporting requirements.     

Understanding the intellectual structure and evolution of Competitive Intelligence: a bibliometric analysis from 1984 to 2017

ABSTRACT

Competitive Intelligence (CI) is a relatively novel discipline that is generating a growing interest in the field of strategic management. Its novelty, approach and origin have meant that the definition of the CI entails different interpretations and utilities depending on the audience. This research develops a conceptual analysis of CI in literature by quantifying the bibliometric performance indicators, identifying the main authors, countries, journals and research areas and evaluating the intellectual structure and evolution of the discipline using SciMAT as bibliometric analysis software. The bibliometric performance analysis is focused on the citation-based impact of the scientific output, while the science mapping illustrates the evolution of the research themes that build the discipline through the use of bibliometric network analysis techniques. To this purpose, the publications related to CI from 1984 to 2017 available at Scopus have been retrieved (5,275 publications). Finally, it offers a framework to support future researches.     

VOLUNTARY AUDITS IN NEW YORK MARKETS IN 1927: A CASE STUDY

This study examines the demand for audits in the pre-SEC period in the United States. We focus on three hypotheses - monitoring, information, and capital formation - to test the economic incentives prior researchers have posited led to demand for audits. We compare a sample of companies traded in three non-NYSE markets (unregulated) to a sample of NYSE listed companies (regulated). We found that the need to raise capital did increase use of audits, but that neither the monitoring nor information hypotheses explain this early demand. Common stock ratings appeared to be a cost-effective alternative to audits and we found little evidence that audits improved the quality of financial reports.     

Successful Innovation Using Strategies to Reduce Consumer Resistance An Empirical Test

This article focuses on a relatively neglected concept in new product management: innovation resistance. Specifically, it examines why consumers develop resistance to innovations at the attitude formation and intention-to-buy stages of their decision process, and what strategies marketing firms have within their direct control to reduce this resistance. S. Ram identifies two major sources of innovation resistance: perceived risk and cognitive resistance. These are studied in the context of four product groups and two distinct strategies to reduce innovation resistance. The results show that a strategy of innovation modification works to reduce resistance caused by perceived economic and functional risk. On the other hand, communication strategies can reduce resistance caused by perceived social or psychological risk. Sources of innovation resistance and appropriate strategies vary across different product groups.