Multinational Firms’ Motivations and Foreign Direct Investment Decisions: An Analysis of the Software and IT and Financial Services Sectors in the Irish Context

This article focuses on the way greenfield foreign direct investment (FDI) in different sectors is influenced by locational characteristics and explores the role of policy in attracting and retaining foreign investment. We contribute to the literature by empirically investigating the investment motivations of multinational companies in the software and information technology (IT) and financial services sectors in Ireland and those locational factors that contribute to the retention of FDI. The methodology used in this research is of a qualitative nature, and an exploratory deductive approach is adopted in order to gain an understanding of firms’ internationalization decisions and motivations. The data demonstrate that companies in the two sectors follow different investment motivations. Firms in the software and IT sector entered Ireland primarily because of the availability of a high‐quality workforce, whereas firms in the financial services sector entered Ireland following the deregulation of markets and the subsequent ease of doing business. The article builds on these findings to develop policy recommendations. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

文化差异对消费者奢侈品购买行为的影响——以中国和英国市场为例

越来越多的企业开始参与国际化进程。而在这其中,企业为了更成功地实施全球营销策略,文化是其中一个不容忽视的关键因素。顾客的购买动机和消费行为都会因为文化环境的不同而各异。本文意在研究跨文化差异对中英消费者奢侈品消费行为的影响——中国以集体主义文化为代表,英国以个人主义文化为代表。英国近年来奢侈品消费市场正迅猛增加而中国更是成为世界最大奢侈品消费国。在前人研究的基础上,本文将着重研究文化差异对奢侈品消费行为的影响。通过比较分析,希望本文的研究能够为营销者们在一个文化多元的全球市场中提供一些建议和参考。     

Motivations of volunteer overseas and what have we learned – The experience of Taiwanese students

The study explores motives for Taiwanese students to volunteer overseas and what they have learned from the trip. Their motivations are classified into pull and push factors. Pull factors include expecting challenge, validating personal perceptions of the place, and getting to know local residents and experiencing the life in a foreign culture. Push factors identified as underlying themes include escaping from daily life to reorganize and relax, look for new ways of life and self exploration, a desire to give back, to make friends who share a common interest, a less expensive way of traveling, encouragement by others, and parental compulsion. The students gain several benefits from this trip, including a better attitude to learning, better communication skills, better stress management, an appreciation of what they have, being more active, becoming more generous and developing empathetic skills, be willing to hear and respect different voices, having trust in co-workers and be willing to admit deficiencies, appreciating a slower life pace, having an open mind, and learning to control material desire.     

Understanding Motivations,Inhibitors, and Facilitators of Association Members in Attending International Conferences

Abstract

This study examined the motivations, inhibitors, and facilitators that influence association members in attending international conferences. Mailed questionnaires were sent to conference participants of the 2000 International Council of Hotel, Restaurant Industry Educators (CHRIE) conference. It was found that “Sightseeing,” “Self-enhancement,” and “Business and association activities” are the underlying dimensions of the conference motivations. The underlying dimensions of conference inhibitors are “Conference and personal constraints” and “Distance, time, and money.” The study also revealed that “Affordability and availability of time,” “Family/spouse,” and “Distance and ease of access” are major conference facilitators.     

Chinese medical tourists – Their perceptions of Taiwan

This study explores the motivations and perceptions of Chinese medical tourists visiting Taiwan regarding the quality of tourism packages and the medical services consumed. Knowing the factors that motivate medical tourists and their quality demands for tourism operators and medical institutions is important for medical tourism planners to develop and organize services that serve their customers. Particularly, findings can help tourism operators plan customized itineraries and healthcare services, including software and hardware facilities, for Chinese tourists.     

What's in a tip? The creation and refinement of a restaurant-tipping motivations scale: A consumer perspective

According to Segrave (1998), since the late 1800s, the study of tipping has provoked debate in a range of abstract dimensions such as economics, sociology, and psychology. To date, the research on the topic has been largely qualitative in nature, while addressing motivating themes (service, social norm, and future service considerations) in isolation from one another. Following a thorough examination of the literature, there is a definite lack of research on the development and testing of a more holistic quantitative scale aimed at identifying the motivational Gestalt driving actual consumer tipping behavior. Therein lies the major theoretical contribution of this study, namely the development and testing of a Tipping Motivations Scale, which over two separate analyses, supports a number of drivers of consumer tipping motivation.In this study, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to test the empirical dimensions of consumer tipping motivations. The results obtained indicate a reasonable fit between the data and the proposed model across both analyses. This was repeated on two separate occasions and the results largely remained consistent. The findings point to the key role of service in driving the consumer's decision to tip. Other important factors included social conformity, the issue of future visitation, and server actions. Further research is needed to explore whether these dimensions remain constant among other sample groups and across different tipped professions.     

INCENTIVES AND SOCIAL NORMS: A MOTIVATION‐BASED ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF SOCIAL NORMS

Abstract It is now commonplace to regard social norms as a subject of growing interest in the economic literature (e.g. game theoretical approaches based on ‘other‐regarding’ individual preferences, the analysis of the impact of rewards or punishment on individuals’ behaviour through experimental economics as well as field experiments, the revival of the institutionalist tradition spurred on by the influential work of Douglas North and followed by many others and the growing influence of neuroeconomics). In this paper, we focus on the relationship between incentives and social norms and survey the literature that could constitute the foundations of a motivation‐based economic analysis of social norms. Our main findings are that (1) the interaction between incentives and social norms is far from obvious since taking social norms into account involves the introduction of supplementary motives, in addition to self‐interest, into the economic analytical framework; (2) the analysis of the interaction between incentives and social norms resists an approach exclusively in terms of crowding‐in and ‐out effects because it is sensitive to whether it concerns behaviours driven by honour or by social stigma; (3) as a result, it is difficult to precisely evaluate the policy implication of the interactions between incentives and social norms.     

资产减值计提动机的实证研究

基于A股上市公司在2006年以及2007年所披露资产减值的计提以及其它相关数据进行的实证研究结果表明:行业类别的实质性经济因素与资产减值率存在一定的负向关系;实施新会计准则的2007年与2006年相比较,高管变动、迎合预期以及洗澡动机、收益平滑动机与资产减值计提具有了显著关系;资产减值计提具有正向关系的报告动机被明显地观察到了,成为解释资产减值计提的关键因素,相反,负向的关系并不显著.     

Why do companies transfer the trading compartment of their common stocks

We analyze the motives and determinants of voluntarily stock exchange section switching on the NYSE Euronext. By strategically deciding trading-section transfer when it is beneficial, managers expect to reduce their liquidity and invisibility costs, cost of capital, or their listing costs. We show that managers decide to change the trading compartment of their common stocks based on various factors including firm's size, liquidity level, debt ratio, and expected growth opportunities. Firms that move voluntarily from a less or non regulated compartments to a more regulated one are likely to have transferred to increase their credibility, improve their stocks’ liquidity, re-balance their leverage, and to finance their growth opportunities. Whereas those that move their common stocks toward a less-regulated compartments do it mainly for costs saving reasons.     

What prevents consumers that are aware of Airbnb from using the platform? A mixed methods approach

The hospitality sector is now characterised by the co-existence of traditional providers and sharing economy enterprises. It is important to better understand what prevents the use of peer-to-peer accommodation rentals in the tourism marketplace. Adopting a mixed-methods approach, this study first examines travellers’ Airbnb use constraints, and then profiles 252 Airbnb non-users based on their constraints and characteristics. The findings suggest that travellers do not use Airbnb because of distrust in the providers, in the platform and in other users, as well as perceived risk and unfamiliarity. Loss of service quality, lack of local experience, legal and regulatory issues, and disinterest also prevented consumers to book Airbnb accommodations. A cluster analysis divided non-users into three segments: Traditional travellers, Sharing economy misbelievers and Airbnb prospective users. Significant differences based on age confirmed that young travellers are more confident in using peer-to-peer accommodation platforms and more interested in the philosophy.