E-tailer personality and behavioral intentions: the application of self-congruity theory

The present study is an effort to develop an e-tailer personality scale. Subsequently, we check the impacts of e-tailer personality on self-congruity and behavioral intentions such as intention to re-shop and intention to recommend. We have followed a traditional scale development method – item generation, purification, and dimension assessment. A structure questionnaire has been used to collect primary data online. A structure equation model was used to analyze the data. This study has developed a e-tailer personality scale of five dimensions: sophistication, competence, excitement, sincerity, and convenience. The results of a structural equation model largely support the propositions that e-tailer personality is positively related to self-congruity. The results also show that e-tailer personality, behavioral intentions and self-congruity are positively related. A comparison of the developed scale with the existing brand personality scales, results in a unique dimension of e-tailer personality scale. Arguably, this study may be seen as a first study in an emerging economy and online retailing domain. The results have both academic and managerial implications.     

On the measurement of corporate diversification strategy: Evidence from large U.S. service firms

Actual, not potential, relatedness determines the results of diversification strategies. An external examination of a firm's businesses, products, markets and technologies permits an assessment of potential relatedness among its various businesses. Potential relatedness is, however, often not realized. Also, relatedness may be externally invisible. Hence, actual relatedness may diverge from externally measured potential relatedness. This paper provides evidence suggesting that measures of corporate diversification strategy based on internal data differ significantly from those based on externally available data.     

A Profile of Poverty in Egypt

This paper presents a profile of poverty in Egypt for 1997. It assesses the magnitude of poverty and its distribution across geographic and socioeconomic groups, provides information on the characteristics of the poor, illustrates the heterogeneity amongst the poor, and helps identify empirical correlates of poverty. This poverty profile is constructed using data from the Egypt Integrated Household Survey (EIHS), which is a nationwide, multiple‐topic household survey. One of the more striking set of findings relates to the differences between the poor and the non‐poor in their educational attainments. Our results indicate a significant literacy and schooling gap between the poor and the non‐poor. On average the poor have 2.6 fewer years of schooling than the non‐poor, and their literacy rate is 27 percent lower than the non‐poor. Our results also indicate that augmenting educational attainment of the poor does not require building more schools, but reducing the poor’s opportunity cost of attending schools and increasing their returns from extra schooling, both suggesting the importance of income generating activities as a policy instrument.     

Entry in a Dynamic Model with Equilibrium Price Dispersion with an Application to the Market for Long-Distance Telephone Services

Models of entry based on the traditional models of oligopoly do not allow for price dispersions on homogenous products. Yet, such price dispersions do exist for homogenous products, and a firm does not lose its entire market share when it fails to charge the lowest price. Existing models of equilibrium price dispersion are not designed to analyze entry in a dynamic framework. A dynamic model is developed that allows an analysis of the effects of entry into a previously monopolized market. Despite asymmetric initial shares, the market shares of equally efficient firms tend to equalize over time. An application is the market for long‐distance telephone services following the divestiture of the bell operating companies from AT&T.     

Determinants of Trade Costs and Trade Growth Accounting between India and the European Union during 1995–2010

This study aimed to utilise the micro‐founded measure of trade cost derived by Novy to estimate the relative bilateral trade costs of India with its European Union partners. The advantage of using such a model is that the trade costs can be derived entirely using observable trade data. The results show that Indian tariff equivalent with its major EU trading partners has declined by 20 percentage points between 1995 and 2010, with Malta and Latvia experiencing the greatest decline. The study then decomposes the bilateral trade growth to ascertain whether it is an outcome of increased domestic production or reduction in bilateral and multilateral trade barriers. Novy's model indicates that the decline in relative bilateral trade costs explains the greatest percentage of this trade growth, which is partially offset by decline in multilateral resistance terms that has diverted trade away to other trading partners primarily in South and South‐East Asia and North America.     

Cultural determinants of alliance management capability – an analysis of Japanese MNCs in India

This study examines the role of national and organizational culture in alliance management in the context of three prominent joint ventures between India and Japan, which reached diverse alliance outcomes. It uses the case study method as a tool for an initial rich exploratory analysis (Yin 2013) of alliance management capabilities that may later be tested on a larger dataset. The study finds that national and organizational culture is both important factors of alliance management capability. It highlights the specific role of trust, consensus in decision-making, communication and relationship building as key constituents of alliance management capability. This paper thus contributes to an important strand of literature on alliance management in the context of two important Asian players from the developed and emerging markets. Its focus on cultural factors as determinants of alliance management helps to establish a managerial blueprint leading to positive alliance outcomes for such ventures in future and to establish a roadmap for increased interaction between India and Japan.     

Shall One Sit “Longer” for a Free Lunch? Impact of Trading Durations on the Realized Variances and Volatility Spillovers

This study examines the effect of trading durations on the realized variance of rupee futures traded in national stock exchange (NSE), India and Dubai Gold & Commodities Exchange (DGCX), Dubai as there exists a difference in the trading durations at these exchanges, where DGCX has longer trading duration. The empirical results suggest that longer trading duration has significantly higher realized variance, and also non-trading durations at NSE account for higher overall realized variance of Rupee Futures. We model the impact of trading durations on intraday and overnight realized variance for rupee futures and estimate a reduced realized volatility of 40–70 bps due to shorter trading duration. We find that non-trading durations at National Stock Exchange account for 60–70% of the overall realized variance of rupee futures. Using MGARCH model with BEKK parameterization, we find evidence of bidirectional volatility spillover from Offshore to Onshore Rupee markets.

     

Is emigration of workers contributing to better schooling outcomes in Nepal?

This paper presents evidence on how emigration for work affects schooling outcomes for primary and secondary school‐age children in Nepal. Using an instrumental variable strategy exploiting past migration network, we show that the identified effects critically depend on how schooling outcomes are measured. While conventional measures of school attendance indicate no impact, our new set of schooling status and schooling gap measures reveals significant impacts. Schooling status measures reveal favorable impacts for girls, and for emigration to India. Schooling gap measures reveal favorable effects of all emigration on schooling outcomes for girls and of emigration to other countries for boys.