The impact of air policy on incoming tourist traffic: the contrasting cases of the Caribbean Community and the Middle-East

It is generally agreed that government ownership and participation in national carriers and regulated air service agreements can lead to inefficiencies and abuses of market power. This can result in poor carrier performance and service levels, impeding further growth in tourism markets. This paper contrasts this theory with recent case evidence from the Caribbean and the Middle-East. The former represents the mature exotic type beach holiday while the latter is a fast developing religious, cultural and multi-product form of tourism. In both cases multi-step relationships exist between the development of air transport policy and the number of incoming visitors. The strength and significance of these interrelationships are tested using two separate best-fit Structural Equation Models (SEMs) based on a panel data set of a selection of endogenous and exogenous variables for the period 2000-2007. It is found that, despite both regions’ continued government participation in national carriers, only in the Caribbean has this appeared to have resulted in the expected dampening effect on tourism output, whereas a reverse effect was found for the sample of Middle-Eastern states. Focussing on their formidable hub-and-spoke networks, state owned and vertically integrated Middle-Eastern carriers are still encouraged to offer competitive fare and service levels to capture 6th freedom traffic with the growing number of long-stay visitors being one of the main beneficiaries of this.     

Migration and remittances in island microstates: a comparative perspective on the South Pacific and the Caribbean

For several decades there has been extensive migration from the small island states of the South Pacific and the eastern Caribbean to metropolitan countries, resulting in absolute population decline in some states and new social, economic and political relationships between these island regions and distant worlds. Early research on the consequences for island development of return migration and remittances dwelt upon the unproductive nature of expenditures and the various problems return migration and remittances cause. Questioning this view, a new conceptualization of the influences of migration, circulation and remittances on recipient families, communities and societies in the island states of the South Pacific and the Caribbean is presented. Regional similarities and differences are recognized, yet commonalities of island microstates’ experiences emerge. Remittances are a very significant private transfer of capital and return migrants represent people endowed with human capital, capable of enriching the social and cultural capital stocks of their island communities. In both insular regions, the consolidation of transnational linkages emphasizes the significance of diaspora relations for migrant households at home and abroad and offers some prospects for sustainable development, beyond those offered solely by domestic economic opportunities. Depuis plusieurs décennies, une migration considérable s’est développée des petites îles états du Pacifique du sud et des Antilles de l’est vers les pays métropolitains. Le résultat est un déclin du nombre absolu de la population dans certains de ces états et de nouvelles relations sociales, économiques et politiques entre ces régions des îles et les mondes éloignés. Les premières recherches sur les conséquences pour le développement des îles de la migration de retour et des envois de fonds insistaient sur la nature improductive des dépenses et sur les différents problèmes causés par la migration de retour et les envois de fonds. Questionnant ce point de vue, nous présentons une nouvelle conception des influences de la migration, de la circulation et des envois de fonds sur les familles qui en bénéficient, sur les communautés et sur les sociétés des îles états du Pacifique du sud et des Antilles. Bien que les similarités et des différences régionales soient reconnues, des points communs dans les expériences des micro‐états émergent. Les envois de fonds sont un tranfert privé de capital très significatif et les émigrants qui reviennent sont dotés de capital humain, capables d’enrichir le domaine social et culturel de leurs communautés des îles. Dans les deux régions insulaires, la consolidation des liens transnationaux démontre la signification des relations de la diaspora pour les familles migratrices chez elles et à l’étranger et offre des possibilités de développement durable au‐delà de ceux offerts uniquement par les opportunités économiques intérieures.     

Purchasing environmentally sustainable apparel: The attitudes and intentions of female Kuwaiti consumers

The purpose of this study is to examine relationships among knowledge, environmental concern, attitudes about environmentally sustainable apparel (ESA) and ESA purchasing behaviours of Kuwaiti women. This was accomplished by surveying 236 participants using four preexisting scales, measuring knowledge about the impact of manufacturing apparel and textile products on the environment, levels of concern about environmental degradation, feelings about clothing that is environmentally sustainable and ESA purchase intentions. Data analysis determined several findings. First, female Kuwaiti nationals showed a low level of knowledge about the environmental impacts of the apparel and textile industry. The participants also held neutral attitudes of environmental concern and neutral attitudes towards ESA. Finally, despite their knowledge and attitudes, the participants did have positive intentions to purchase ESA in the future. To produce, market and sell ESA effectively in Kuwait, the conclusions from this study are important for manufacturers and retailers of ESA products. Kuwait provides a large market for apparel goods and this study is a contribution to a better understanding of consumers and ESA in that market.     

Strategic manoeuvres and impression management: communication approaches in the case of a crisis event

This historical study examines the actions of the Australian former asbestos company, James Hardie, when faced with a potentially ruinous corporate scandal between 2001 and 2007. The company became vilified as public awareness grew of the damage to public health its use of asbestos had caused. In response, it set-up a knowingly underfunded compensation fund supported by a strategy of misinformation and denial. Its actions are analysed using Oliver’s typology of strategic responses and theories of crisis management and crisis communications, providing insights into the company’s motivations for adopting strategies that took it to the brink of financial collapse.     

Financial structure and diversification of European firms

Small and medium enterprises have been shown to rely mainly on banks for funding and, unlike larger firms, rarely have direct access to capital markets. This article looks at the extent to which SMEs avail of a wider range of funding options and how their use differs across firms and countries. Across all countries, we find that firms are currently using two or three sources of finance to fund their operations and have had previous experience of other types of funding. There are some noticeable differences across countries with peripheral economies generally being less diversified. Differences across firm size and age groups are more marked than cross-country variation, with smaller and younger firms significantly more reliant on a limited set of finance types and older, larger firms having more diversified financial structures. Looking at individual sources of financing, we find that trade credit and informal sources of finance are extremely prevalent across all countries, with Irish firms being particularly likely to use them as sources of funding.     

The impact of customer satisfaction on CEO bonuses

In this study, we build on prior research in marketing and executive compensation to show that customer satisfaction is a significant determinant of CEO bonuses. Findings demonstrate that the success of CEOs in managing customer satisfaction has a direct, personal, and economic impact in the form of their annual bonus awards. Our study contributes to research on the use of customer satisfaction information, marketing accountability, and marketing’s board level relevance. Our research also extends marketing theory by pointing to a previously unexamined role for marketing performance metrics.     

The Role of Baseline Physical Similarity to Humans in Consumer Responses to Anthropomorphic Animal Images

While humans have a long history of anthropomorphizing animals and the use of animal imagery in the marketplace and popular culture is commonplace, the phenomenon has received little attention. This research investigates the role of how consumers respond to anthropomorphic portrayals of animal mascots that differ on their baseline physical resemblance to humans. In order to test this assertion, an experimental study was conducted with 62 undergraduate participants from a large state university in the Northeastern United States. Results from the study indicate that evaluations of anthropomorphic portrayals of animals with a lower baseline physical similarity to humans are less favorable than nonanthropomorphic portrayals. In contrast, evaluations of anthropomorphic portrayals of animals with a higher baseline physical similarity are more favorable than nonanthropomorphic portrayals.     

Trust and HRM in the new millennium

This paper introduces the topic of trust in the workplace. The rationale for the growth of interest in trust is explored, as are the implications for HRM policy makers and researchers. Here, we also outline the main thrust of the eight papers incorporated in this special edition. First, we explore the topic of HRM and trust, before moving to issues relating to trust and workplace change. Next we discuss team dynamics, manager–employee relationships and trust and, finally, the characteristics associated with trust and situational, dispositional and affectual factors.     

Riding the wave: Monetary responses to aid surges in low-income countries

We focus on the management of highly persistent shocks to aid flows in the presence of currency substitution by the domestic private sector. Such shocks have beneficent long-run effects, but when currency substitution is high they can produce dramatic macroeconomic management problems in the short run. What is the appropriate mix of money and exchange rate targeting in such cases, and the role of temporary sterilization? We analyze these and related issues in an intertemporal optimizing model that allows a portion of aid to be devoted to reducing the government's seigniorage requirement. Our results show that a managed float, with little or no sterilization of increases in the monetary base, supports the smooth absorption of the increased aid without incurring higher inflation, higher real interest rates or overshooting of the real exchange rate.