A total expense reduction plan

The article depicts strategies for reducing both salary and nonsalary expenses. The importance of productivity monitoring and flexible staffing are key points. Nonsalary reduction techniques include signature controls, review of existing policies and procedures, and cost awareness education.     

The new work of the nonprofit board

Too often, the board of a nonprofit organization is little more than a collection of high-powered people engaged in low-level activities. But that can change, the authors say, if trustees are willing to discover and take on the new work of the board. When they perform the new work, a board's members can significantly advance the institution's mission and long-term welfare. Doing the new work requires a board to engage in new practices. First, the board must go beyond rubber-stamping management's proposals and find out what issues really matter to the institution. It can do that by making the CEO paint the big picture of the organization's strategic concerns, by understanding key stakeholders, by consulting experts, and by deciding what needs to be measured in order to judge the institution's performance. Second, a board doing the new work must take action: the board must not only set policy but also work with management to implement it. Third, the board must go beyond strictly functional organization: the new work requires flexibility and encourages ad hoc arrangements. Finally, board meetings--where boards underperform most visibly--should be driven by goals, not by processes. The authors give many examples of boards that have successfully embraced the new work. The stakes are high: if boards demonstrate that they can change effectively, the professional staff at the institutions they serve just may follow suit.     

Anatomy of an instrument tray from central sterile supply to the operating room

One can understand the importance of quality control measures to ensure that instrument trays meet specific standards on a consistent basis. The essence of the role of the quality control supervisor of CSS is to support the surgical services provided in the OR. Since technology is constantly changing, it is paramount that the quality control supervisor keep abreast of new knowledge and improve services to meet the needs of the OR.     

Experiences of women professionals abroad: comparisons across Japan,China and Turkey

The article reports on a series of studies that examined women professionals' experiences working outside their home countries, specifically Japan, China and Turkey. The studies investigated several dimensions: (1) areas where, regardless of setting, women reported similar experiences, (2) areas where their experiences seemed to differ, in part because of setting, and (3) areas in which the women disagreed on their experiences or insights, regardless of setting. Examples of findings were that, regardless of setting, women faced challenges of gaining credibility, faced high visibility and responsibility, needed keen interpersonal skills, were frustrated with social life outside of the workplace, and used networks extensively. The womens' experiences and perceptions differed most for their reasons for working abroad, their views on performance, and their experiences with sexual harassment. The article closes with ideas for future research.     

Subtle discrimination in the rental housing market: Evidence from e-mail correspondence with landlords

We find that landlords practice subtle discrimination in the rental housing market through the use of language associated with describing and viewing a unit, inviting further correspondence, making a formal greeting, and using polite language when replying to e-mail inquiries from a white name more often than to an African American name, they also send longer e-mails and respond quicker to white names.     

Current Research and Developments

This article examines the Ricardian model of the industry developed by Baum and Mudambi [1994]. It suggests that several of the explicit and implicit assumptions may not be reasonable. All of their examples of a duopoly in which equilibrium fails to exist depend crucially on each firm having the naïve belief that the other firm will not react to its strategic moves. When the reactions of the other firm are considered by each firm, the main model has an equilibrium sustained by firms withholding units. The analysis is extended regarding equilibrium and concentration of unit ownership to show that only large firms find it in their interest to withhold units at the margin, whilst large firms selling units with qualities well above marginal qualities may not find it in their interest to withhold units. Strategic withholding and industry structure are thus interdependent.     

The adoption of strategic marketing practices： A comparison between New Zealand and Chinese manufacturers

This article compares the extent to which ten basic ＂textbook＂ strategic marketing practices are being used among manufacturing firms in New Zealand and China. Data was collected via questionnaire and a total of 145 and 89 usable responses were received from firms employing more than 50 people in each country respectively. The results indicate that many of the basic strategic marketing practices which are typically advocated in the mainstream academic literature have been similarly and quite widely adopted by manufacturers in both countries. However, the results also suggest that, albeit in different areas, there is still scope for manufacturers in both New Zealand and China to embrace strategic marketing more fully.     

The Corn Price Surge: Impacts on Rural Mexico

We use an agent-based, general-equilibrium model to explore the impacts of world corn-price increases on land use and income in rural Mexico. In the model, interactions among heterogeneous agents within a local context shape both macro and microeconomic outcomes. Results suggest that subsistence activities allowed agriculture to absorb the shock, limiting the benefits of higher prices for the population while keeping deforestation pressures in check. An estimated 5.7% corn-area expansion by 2008 and wide variation across regions corresponds well with ex-post reports. Agricultural growth led to 0.02% and 3.9% increases in real income for rural households and absentee landholders, respectively.     

Can Students' Academic Integrity Be Improved? Attitudes and Behaviors Before and After Implementation of an Academic Integrity Policy

This study compares survey results administered before the implementation of a culture change and the adoption of an academic integrity policy with results of a second administration of the instrument six years later. Data collected reveal significant changes in attitudes towards academic integrity issues by undergraduate business school students. Progress, in terms of reducing students' participation in various forms of academic dishonesty, has been uneven. The most notable shift occurred in behaviors over which instructors enjoy some measure of control.     

International student graduation ceremonies: An opportunity for local tourism services providers

This purpose of this paper is to examine the significance of travel when associated with graduation ceremonies for the international student cohort. Due to the global growth in the international student market, the perceived importance of investigating this market in relation to the impact on tourism marketing is of timely significance. A mail survey of international students who completed their studies in a large Western Australian (WA) university in the past few years was conducted in 2001. The aim of the survey was to determine the significance of the following: (a) types of accommodation facilities used by the family/friends when visiting for graduations; (b) the proportion of expenditures on various types of activities; and (c) the differences in spending patterns for various countries of origin; and (d) the overall contribution of visiting friends and relatives (VFR) to the WA tourism sector. Results indicate that at least two to three family members (mostly parents) of graduating international students attend graduation ceremonies in Perth. Results also show that 58% of the visitors use commercial accommodation facilities (mainly hotels/motels) spending $462 on accommodation for staying 5.35 nights on average, and spend $653 on shopping. At least 58% of the graduates returned to Australia since graduation mainly for holidays (54%). Results of the study are discussed and implications for both the tourism and education sectors are highlighted, in addition to future research directions.