Toward an Integrated Model of Purchase Intention of Dietary Supplements in Sexually Oriented Advertising

This study was designed to examine antecedent factors that yielded a model of purchase intention of dietary supplements in sexually oriented advertising. Results suggested that sexual cognition, gender difference, individual attitude toward advertisements, and product involvement were yielded as key predictors toward people's purchase intention of dietary supplements. However, sexually oriented advertising did not considerably increase their purchase intention. A regression analysis also loaded sexual cognition and product involvement as two key determinants in the model of purchase intention of dietary supplements. Moreover, people with a more positive level of sexual cognition significantly resulted in their higher degree of purchase intention of dietary supplements.     

Five dimensions of the uncertainty–disagreement linkage

We analyze the relationship between forecaster disagreement and macroeconomic uncertainty in the Euro area using data from the European Central Bank’s Survey of Professional Forecasters for the period 1999Q1–2018Q4 and find that disagreement is generally a poor proxy for uncertainty. However, the strength of this link varies with the dispersion statistic employed, the choice of either the point forecasts or the histogram means for calculating disagreement, the outcome variable considered and the forecast horizon. In contrast, distributional assumptions do not appear to be very influential. The relationship is weaker in subsamples before and after the outbreak of the Great Recession. Accounting for the forecasters’ entry to and exit from the survey has little impact on the results. We also show that survey-based uncertainty is associated with overall policy uncertainty, whereas forecaster disagreement is related more closely to the expected fluctuations on financial markets.     

The role and impact of professional accountancy associations on accounting education research: An international study

This paper explores the relative influence of the accounting academy and accountancy professional associations in the debate concerning the profile and quality of accounting education research. This research analyses 13 semi-structured interviews undertaken with members of key accounting professional associations in Australia, New Zealand (ANZ) and the United Kingdom and Ireland (UKI). The paper makes a theoretical contribution by the novel application of the institutional logics theory to the literature concerning professional accounting associations (PAAs) demonstrating the dominant commercial logic of the education function and the more traditional fiduciary logic of the technical function. The research finds that the primary stakeholders in the professional accounting curriculum development model are the PAAs and employers, whilst the accounting academy is relatively absent. The relative independence of the education and research and technical functions within PAAs is also identified: academic research and technical activity has little influence on professional education and vice versa. However, PAAs’ funding of academic research is common across all four countries for brand recognition and in some instances to influence policy rather than informing the professional curriculum.     

Firm-specific human capital in different market conditions: Evidence from the Japanese football league

This paper examined how and the extent to which obtaining skills to meet team specific human capital is important to improve football player’s performance by comparing the top league and the second league. Based on panel data of individual players during the 2012–2016 seasons of the Japan Professional Football League (J League), we found; (1) In the top-league, changing team reduced player’s performance and their performance improved as player’s tenure of the team and also tenure of J League increased. (2) returns from acquiring team specific skills on time of play in the game increase and then decrease as years have passed. (3) benefit from moving team depends on the timing of moving, and so rookie players can benefit from moving when team tenure reach 4 years or more. (4) In the second league, neither team tenure nor experience of the professional football player does not influence player’s performance.     

Finance,institutions, and innovation activities in China

Using novel firm-level micro-panel data in China from 2000 to 2009 and data on institutional factors, we study which funding sources effectively finance firm innovation activities in China and how the effectiveness of funding sources varies according to the quality of institutions. We show that institutional factors impact the effectiveness of each funding source in different ways. First, when property rights are better protected against the risk of expropriation by the government, internal financing from net profit—namely, the reinvestment of profit—is more important in financing firm innovation activities. Second, as contracts are enforced more reliably, trade credit finance and bank finance play larger roles in financing firm innovation activities.     

Intermediate units in multinational corporations: A resource dependency view on coordinative versus entrepreneurial roles

Due to the dispersion of headquarters’ activities across organizational and geographical boundaries, intermediate units (IUs) are emerging as a key actor of international business. IUs are intermediate structural layers between headquarters (HQ) and local subsidiaries with specific HQ responsibilities. Our study relies on original data of 67 IUs and, taking on a Resource Dependence approach, explores empirically the two HQ roles attributed to IUs: coordinative versus entrepreneurial. According to our results, the main differences between both roles relate to external network embeddedness, internal network position and autonomy. We argue that these differences arise from the dominant sources of power in each role. These findings have signi?cant relevance for theory development and managerial practice as we provide a starting point for understanding the dispersion of complex HQ systems as well as how those systems are discharged and add value.     

Analyzing passenger behavior in airport terminals based on activity preferences

Airport terminals are facilities that provide a variety of activities related to both the preparation of the passengers for their air trip (aeronautical) and their free time inside the terminal (non-aeronautical). In the last years, the number of non-aeronautical activities has substantially increased and significantly diversified both before and after the security checkpoint. The established role of non-aeronautical activities forces planners and managers to better understand passenger behavior. The potential of discrete choice models for the exploration of passenger behavior is analyzed in this paper. For the demonstration of the methodology, Lisbon Humberto Delgado International airport is used as a case study. Data is collected through a revealed and stated preference survey inside the terminal at the area before the security checkpoint. Activity-choice models are developed to identify the factors that affect the choices of the passengers over the area where they conduct non-aeronautical activities. Forecasts show that when increasing the percentage of passengers who conduct the check-in online and have planned their activities before arriving at the airport, the passengers’ preferences to conduct non-aeronautical activities only after the security checkpoint increase. This paper shows the contribution of developing discrete choice models in the better comprehension of passenger decisions over the activities they perform in an airport terminal.     

市政工程施工中的安全管理与质量控制

如今,国内城市化进程正在加速。同时,市政项目变得越来越突出。可以说,市政工程的建设效果可以无形地干扰城镇的日常运转,与人民的生活质量息息相关。市政建设活动的安全性和质量一直是有关部门高度重视的一部分。在此基础上,本文以市政工程为出发点,首先探讨了实施安全质量控制的关键意义,然后分析了目前工作中存在的困难和常见不足,最后提出了一些安全质量管理建议。不同层次的管控工作有效路径,可供参考。     

培养优秀跟单员提升外贸订单履行品质

由于合成革行业面临国内外市场需求不足,生产成本提高、环保要求高等问题,合成革外贸企业经济下行压力较大,订单量减少,国际市场份额萎缩。针对以上问题,从提高订单履行品质的角度提出了遵循帕累托法则,重视外贸跟单员培养;校企深入合作,定向培养跟单员的措施,来提升订单履行品质,增强外贸企业盈利能力。此外,跟单员应具有专业知识,熟悉产品性能和流程,高效沟通技巧和商务谈判能力,良好的职业道德。     

The long-term role of non-traditional banking in profitability and risk profiles: Evidence from a panel of U.S. banking institutions

The goal of this empirical study is to identify empirically and on a panel basis how non-traditional bank activities affect directly the profitability and risk profiles of the financial institutions involved in such activities. Through a dataset that covers 1725 U.S. financial institutions involved in non-traditional bank activities spanning the period 2000–2013 and the methodology of panel cointegration, the empirical findings document that non-traditional bank activities exert a positive effect on both the profitability and the insolvency risk. The results could be important for regulators given they could serve as a pre-warning signal that sends a clear message to regulators about the potential systemic risk that exists within the financial markets.