Performance analysis of the Gulf hotel industry: A Malmquist index with bias correction

This study uses the Malmquist index with bias correction to analyze the performance of hotel chains from the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Oman. We show that Saudi Arabia hotel chains have the highest productivity growth, followed by the UAE and Omani hotel chains. A further decomposition of productivity indicates that a small number of hotel chains experienced an increase in revenues for lower occupancy rate, while most other hotel chains experienced an increase in occupancy rate for lower revenues. Related market discussions of the results are provided.     

Market knowledge of the travel industry from knowledge-based view: a case of two Taiwanese travel agencies

There has been a lack of comprehensive model elaborating the key dimensions of knowledge management in the tourism field. Based on market orientation literature, market knowledge could be illustrated from consumer and competitor dimensions. However, what knowledge topics are in these two dimensions (e.g. knowledge depth) or do any dimensions of market knowledge exist (e.g. knowledge breadth)? These questions can be clearly answered. Drawing on knowledge-based view of firms, this study explores market knowledge from four characteristics: depth, breadth, tacitness, and specificity. It seeks to contribute to the existing literature through a series of semi-structured interviews and behavioral observation with senior managers of Taiwan’s leading travel agencies. Four market knowledge categories emerge: customer knowledge, employee knowledge, competitor knowledge, and partner knowledge. It is suggested that high levels exist as to the importance of knowledge acquisition, classification, dissemination, and usage, and this represents a significant change over past findings.     

A contrast analysis of online hotel web service purchasers and browsers

Ever since the introduction of Internet technology to general business, websites have played an important role in the business and promotional efforts of hotels. However, the existing tourism and hospitality literature contains only a limited number of articles that examine the perceived importance of the different attributes of a hotel website. This paper reports a study that analyzed the different perceptions of specific hotel website attributes between online purchasers and browsers and between Western and Asian users. The empirical findings reveal a set of attributes that are the most important in developing effective hotel websites. The findings also indicate the necessity of designing English- and Chinese-language hotel websites differently, based on the significant differences in the responses obtained from these two groups of online users.     

The desired level of market orientation and business unit performance

Existing studies of market orientation have hypothesized that the strength of the market orientation/performance relationship depends on environmental variables such as market turbulence, technological turbulence, and competitive intensity. To date most empirical studies have failed to confirm these hypotheses; however, these studies (1) assumed that performance is a linear function of the achieved level of market orientation and (2) tested whether environmental uncertainty moderates this relationship. A complementary explanation for the impact of environmental variables on a firm’s market orientation arises from studies of organizational behavior that link the need for coordination and control to environmental uncertainty and organizational strategy. Building on this perspective, the authors argue that (1) environmental uncertainty influences the desired level of market orientation and (2) the gap between the desired and achieved levels of market orientation influence business unit performance. The authors test these hypotheses with data collected from multiple respondents in 308 US firms. The data analysis confirms that the desired level of market orientation is a function of market turbulence, competitive intensity, technological turbulence, and innovation strategy. In addition, the desired level of market orientation positively influences the achieved level. Finally, when the achieved level of market orientation is less than the desired level, business unit performance is a negative function of the gap between the desired and achieved levels of market orientation.

统筹城乡发展是对完善社会主义市场经济体制的有效探索

中国建设社会主义市场经济体制的探索,经历了一条先农村、后城市,然后进行统筹城乡综合改革三大阶段。统筹城乡发展成为探索中国推进制度转型发展,完善社会主义市场经济体制的重大战略。统筹城乡发展对社会主义市场经济体制完善的主要路径是政府主导建立社会主义城乡统一大市场,规范市场运行,弥补市场失灵,同时推进基层民主建设以弥补集权管理制度不足。制度贡献将成为统筹城乡发展对推进国家现代化进程的最大贡献。     

中国股票市场有效性实证分析

股票市场的有效性直接影响资金配置的效率,中国股市的有效性问题一直是业界讨论的焦点,其有效性的检验主要集中在市场是否具有弱式有效方面。本文依据Fama对股票市场的定义及三个层次市场对应的有效市场检验方法,对国内股市的有效性进行检验。首先使用沪、深两市日收益率数据,对各自日收益率之间的相关性进行检验,发现日收益率之间不存在自相关和偏自相关,由此认为中国股票市场弱式有效。然后采用事件研究法,以年报公布作为事件,以年报公布日前、后共30日,120支股票收益率数据为样本,对我国股票市场半强式有效性进行检验,结果发现年报公布日前、后超额收益存在明显变化,以此认为中国股市目前不符合半强有效市场的定义。最后对市场中存在的问题进行了分析,并给出了政策建议。     

技术导向与市场导向的战略协同研究

对于高技术企业而言,技术创新能力的提升无疑是其生存与发展的根本。但是,由于高技术行业具有高风险、高竞争、高成本等特征,能否进一步获得顾客关系、企业品牌等市场基础资源成为取得长期竞争优势的关键。本文以高技术企业为研究对象,选取2007-2011五年的相关数据,采用逐步扩大检验期间的方法,分别对技术导向和市场导向两种战略行为及其协同效应对企业绩效的影响进行了检验,研究发现：技术导向对企业营业利润率、市场价值均有显著的正向影响,而市场导向对企业市场价值没有显著影响,但对营业利润率具有逐渐增强的正向影响。对营业利润率而言,技术导向和市场导向具有协同效应,采取高技术导向和高市场导向相结合的战略的企业绩效更好。     

A股市场过度反应的新证据——基于A股和H股估值变化的视角

传统的检验市场过度反应的方法是采用De Bondt和Thaler构造的赢家组合和输家组合,通过检验赢家组合和输家组合的超额收益率来判断市场是否存在过度反应。有别于传统的检验市场过度反应的方法,本文基于我国股票市场上A股和H股估值变化的特殊视角,实证分析了我国A股市场存在的过度反应现象。     

自由现金流、控制结构与投资——对A股和香港上市公司的比较研究

文章从控制结构和市场环境角度对A股和香港上市公司的投资—现金流敏感性作了比较研究。本文的研究发现,A股和香港上市公司的投资与自由现金流存在显著的正相关关系。控制结构是投资—现金流敏感性的影响因素,多数制衡控制、多数独占控制和少数状态依存控制结构的投资—现金流敏感性依次增加。处在不同的市场环境中,投资—现金流敏感性水平也会表现出差异。香港本地股的投资与自由现金流之间的相关关系最强,其次为A+H股和A股。     

欧洲能源交易所介绍

欧洲能源交易所（EEX）是全球仅次于欧洲气候交易所（ECX）的碳交易平台,其在电力市场、天然气市场和碳排放权交易市场均享有较高声誉。本文介绍了欧洲能源交易所在欧盟碳市场中的作用、交易产品、市场监察、结算服务等,以为我国碳交易所和碳市场的发展提供经验支持和智力支撑。