bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Pre- And Post-Enron Learnings On Learning In M&A Environments - A Qualitative Study In Preparation Of A Dissertation On The Influence Of Management Andragogy On Executives Ability To Successfully Manage M&As
Authors: Fendt Jacqueline
Published: March 2016

In a global economy characterized by convergence and consolidation, by shareholder pressure, by the war for talent, for knowledge and for customer bondage, Merger and Acquisition transactions (M&As) are seen as a fast, efficient and spectacular way to innovate. M&As are therefore a frequently used strategic tool for corporate development. However, as of now, more than 75% of all M&As fail to meet objectives and 50% even destroy shareholder value.M&As often fail due to poor leadership. Therefore M&As seem to require particular leadership and management competencies, namely the ability to lead through and manage transitions in which the manager him/herself maybe transitional (Sahl 1998). Management Andragogy, the self-directed, incentive-driven, intercultural interdisciplinary management training that builds on executives experience is known to develop managers leadership and management ability.In preparation of a dissertation on the influence of management andragogy on executives ability to successfully manage M&As this qualitative exploratory study investigates in the success and failure factors of M&As, the reasons for failures and success and the management and leadership competencies favoring success, It also looks at what skills need to be developed to achieve M&A success and explores how to develop them. The study was done before the Enron and WorldCom collapses and the Arthur Andersen failures had shaken the business community. In order to test the impact of these incidents on the investigated subject the author decided to return to the interviewees right after the WorldCom debacle to ask them the same questions again.
International Collaborative Case Research
Authors: Cumber Carol J.
Published: March 2016

Why dont you say no if you mean no? How can we discuss the central issues of a case if not everyone understands what is meant by issues? How can I lead if I dont know where Im going? The author faced these questions, and many more, while exploring collaborative case research opportunities in other countries. This personal and professional journey taught her that the prospect of increasing global awareness for her students and herself is enticing. Another lesson learned is that the opportunities to appear to be an insensitive, cultural illiterate are abundant. This paper focuses on the benefits and challenges of collaborative case research across national boundaries. Illustrations of cultural miscues and misunderstandings are given. Cultural consciousness structure differences are explored. Insights and rewards gained through international experience are highlighted.
Intrinsic Value vs. Market Price: The Excess Return Period And That Elusive Margin Of Safety
Authors: Waldron Darryl G.
Published: March 2016

The principle of convergence is well understood and most accept that in the long-term, market price and intrinsic value will converge. At any point in time, however, one may expect to see significant divergence between price and value. This analysis features a cross-sectional examination of 460 of the S&P 500 companies at a time when the market is under extreme duress. Of interest is the extent to which the market prices and intrinsic values of these firms are convergent, the value drivers responsible for the convergence/divergence, and the extent to which changes in the excess return period may influence valuations and, in turn, an investors margin of safety. A discriminant analysis provides a basis for distinguishing between those firms priced above and those priced below their respective intrinsic values and for identifying those variables that account for most of the between-group separation. Subsequently, intrinsic values are derived using different excess return periods and the resulting effect on the margin of safety is observed. Intrinsic values for the sample firms are derived from an estimate of free cash flow to the firm using Rappaports (1998) model.
Perceived Barriers Of E-Commerce Expansion In The Electronic Manufacturing Companies In Malaysia
Authors: Alam Syed Shah , Khatibi Ali , Sim Chloe Teah Woon , Haque Ahasanul
Published: March 2016

This study examines the major barriers that prevent manufacturing companies in Malaysia from adopting e-commerce. The major barriers of e-commerce expansion were security of payment and uncertain nature of legal and regulatory frameworks. Also the empirical findings reveal that doing business over Internet involves high start-up cost. In fact it is costly to set-up business electronically, because so many technological appliances are involved. Computers are quite expensive to buy limited maintenance facility issue to take advantage of EC. This issue is really affecting small businesses. Therefore, in order to attract and motivate the adoption of EC, the government has to support this sector fully by providing bank loans or subsidiaries.
Retention Management Of Critical (Core) Employees A Challenging Issue Confronting Organisations In The 21st Century
Authors: Chew Janet , Entrekin Lanny
Published: March 2016

Employee retention is one of the challenges facing many business organisations today. Many industries are afflicted with high demand for specialised employees and are also suffering high levels of turnover. We have moved into a knowledge-based society where human capital is considered a key resource and a competitive business advantage. The high attrition rate of critical (core) employees is costly to corporations. Loss of these high talent employees results in the stripping of valuable human capital, critical skills and institutional memory. Consequently, companies are giving increased attention to ways of retaining their high performing employees rather than relying on costly replacement and retraining. New paradigm companies recognise that an important element in business management practices is the need to successfully motivate and retain employees who survive organisational restructuring, downsizing, consolidation, reorganising or re-engineering initiatives. This paper examines the current human resource practices on the retention of core employees in twelve Australian organisations. It explores the relationship between human resource (HR) practices and retention and further identifies the elements of HR practices, which strongly influence the decision for core employees to stay. It is part of a three phased study and the methodologies discussed in this paper consist of a) a Delphi survey of expert opinions and b) an in-depth interview of HR Managers of organisations. Results from this study will assist in the development of an effective HRM retention program for organisations. Businesses can successfully keep critical employees with a total retention strategy and HR programs to support it.
Cultural Values And Leadership Behavior In The United States, Jamaica, And The Bahamas
Authors: Gooden Doreen J. , Preziosi Robert C.
Published: March 2016

As global companies access business opportunities in other countries, culture and leadership practices become critical issues. Thus, it was timely that this study examined the effects of national culture on leadership behavior of Americans, Jamaicans, and Bahamians. These countries were chosen because of Jamaicas and the Bahamas strong relationship with the United States (economic interdependence).MBA students attending classes in these countries and holding leadership positions within their respective organizations participated in the study. The results in addition to confirming other cross-cultural researchers work that the values and attitudes of individuals vary from country, also identifies that there are differences in leadership behavior across countries.
Mutual Fund Tournaments: Evidence From Global And International Funds
Authors: Melton Michael R. , Zorn Thomas S. , DeFusco Richard A.
Published: March 2016

For a sample of global and international equity mutual funds, we test the proposition that managers likely to end up as losers manipulate fund risk differently from interim winners. In contrast with Brown, Harlow, and Starks (1996) who found robust support for the tournament model, we found no evidence of tournament like behavior for international and global mutual funds. A possible explanation of this behavior is that investors in these funds are primarily seeking diversification and therefore are less sensitive to relative performance.
Collaborative Supply Chain Decision Support And Multi-Attribute Supply Chain Scenarios
Authors: Ragan Joseph M. , Faber Ian , Quinn Sean , Tecce Michael G.
Published: March 2016

Todays Global economy is putting a premium on the ability of companies and their professional employees to rapidly evaluate a broad range of decisions in collaboration with both existing and prospective supply chain partners. This includes the development, evaluation and refinement of product designs, the evaluation of alternatives sourcing options, the evaluation of requests for bids, etc. A key difficulty in supporting the collaborative development, evaluation and refinement of alternative courses of action across different organizations lies in the complexity of the solutions involved (e.g. complex production schedules spanning multiple organizations, complex product designs or configurations involving large numbers of parts and components that are procured from a number of suppliers, etc.). Given a growing and ongoing need to revitalize the accounting curriculum and explore eclectic methods to teach accounting information systems, real challenges and opportunities exist to import this material into the accounting systems classroom.The Business Process Integration Lab at Saint Josephs University has developed a prototype environment for collaborative development, evaluation and refinement of supply chain management scenarios (e.g. requests for bids, product designs, sourcing options). The environment relies on the use of Enterprise Resource Planning software, using SAP R/3 to streamline and integrate the supply chain. Through the use of application scenarios, students are able to develop a total understanding of the power of the ERP technology tool as a decision maker and problem-solver, while enhancing their knowledge of the system in modules such as Production Planning and Customer Order Management. It is possible to support powerful workflow management functionality in the context of both interactive and highly automated decision making processes. This functionality has been operational for some three years and is coordinated by senior level graduate and undergraduate students who develop and test the scenarios and assist other students as they navigate through the R/3 system.
Entrepreneurship: An Educational Perspective (The Case Of Slovenia Compared To Developed Economies)
Authors: Dimovski Vlado , Znidarsic Jana
Published: March 2016

Challenges of modern economy are forcing the developed countries to seek comparative advantages mainly in their human resources in the trained, educated, flexible and self-confident workforce. Lifetime learning, continuous training and systematic development of entrepreneurial and managerial skills are becoming the basic need for any developed and/or developing country. Well-educated people with the above mentioned characteristics are initiators of high-tech and dynamic entrepreneurship, which is without doubt the main factor of development. Considering the fact that Slovenia is still far away from ideal entrepreneurial society in which entrepreneurship is the way of life for the majority of its population as well as taking into account that Slovenian entrepreneurs and managers have much lower education than their American counterparts we come to the conclusion that Slovenia should focus much more on entrepreneurial and managerial education. For these reasons we are going to discuss the following hypotheses:Slovenia needs to expand its entrepreneurial activity in general, especially dynamic and high-tech entrepreneurship to compete successfully on the European market.The psychological profile of Slovenian people and/or entrepreneurs is closer to theprofile of employees than to dynamic entrepreneurs. Dynamic entrepreneurship requires a higher educational level than Slovenian entrepreneursposses.Slovenia should improve its educational structure.Entrepreneurial education should involve the implementation of modern, active learningmethods.Active teaching (learning) methods contribute to the development of entrepreneurial characteristics.
Maquiladora Downturn: Structural Change Or Cyclical Factors?
Authors: Canas Jesus , Coronado Roberto , Gilmer Robert W.
Published: March 2016

Mexicos maquiladora industry is currently the focus of much attention in the media, in corporate boardrooms, and among Mexican government officials. After watching the maquiladora industry sustain its biggest ever employment decline in recent years, many observers now question the industrys future in Mexico. The 2001 U.S. economic recession took a heavy toll on Mexicos maquiladora industry, although the size of the industrys contraction during the recent recessionalmost 260,000 jobssuggests there are more factors at work than the mild business cycle. The advantages of operating plants in Mexico, such as low wages and tax incentives, are now offered by a number of developing countries. At the same time, location has become less important for many products, as innovations in transportation and technology lower shipping costs. This paper attempts to estimate how much of the current maquiladora downturn is due to the business cycle and how much is due to structural changes. We use the Branson-Love methodology to estimate structural and cyclical impacts on the maquiladora employment downturn. Results suggest that the 2001 U.S. recession and rising real wages in Mexico account for much of the maquiladora downturn. Historically, these are the two most important factors during maquiladora growth, but new factors such as Chinas membership in the World Trade Organization, the Caribbean initiative and implementation of NAFTA Article 303 have changed corporate options for plant location or affected the cost structure in Mexico. Although our statistical results strongly suggest a recovery in maquiladora employment, potentially important qualifications are discussed as well.
Structural Adjustment And The Stability Of The Nigerian Money Demand Function
Authors: Onafowora Olugbenga A. , Owoye Oluwole
Published: March 2016

This paper uses cointegration vector error correction analysis to test the stability of the demand for real broad money (M2) in Nigeria over the quarterly period 1986:1 to 2001:4 in order to ascertain whether recent macroeconomic developments such as the implementation of the structural adjustment programme (SAP) in 1986; the liberalization of the exchange rate, domestic interest rate, and capital accounts; financial deepening and innovations; changes in monetary policy regimes; and increased integration of the economy with the rest of the world may have caused the real broad money demand function to become structurally unstable. Our empirical results indicate that there exists a long-run relationship between the real broad money aggregate, real income, inflation rate, domestic interest rate, foreign interest rate, and expected exchange rate. Furthermore, both the CUSUM and CUSUMSQ tests confirm the stability of the short- and long run parameters of the real money demand function. The stability of the parameters of the money demand equation provides the justification for the monetary authority to target the broad money supply in its bid to manage inflation and stimulate economic activity in Nigeria.
The Impact Of Transformational And Transactional Leadership Styles On Employees Satisfaction And Performance: An Empirical Test In A Multicultural Environment
Authors: Fernandes Cedwyn , Awamleh Raed
Published: March 2016

This study tests the transformational leadership theory among managers at functional levels in United Arab Emirates (UAE) international companies. The UAE business sector was chosen due to its significance in the regional economy and its sizable contributions as the UAE continues to lead its neighboring countries in business development and technological advancements. More specifically, the UAE economy depends very heavily on expatriate workers and professionals, which creates a rich yet challenging environment for leadership models. The paper examines the effects of both transformational and transactional leadership styles of managers/supervisors on employees satisfaction and self-perceived performance. Self-esteem and leadership disposition (Romance of Leadership) of employees are hypothesized to act as moderators. The impact of cultural origin, gender, age, and job experience are also examined. Data was collected from employees working in international companies operating in the UAE. Results revealed a strong effect for transformational leadership on satisfaction. Importantly, results do challenge the view that both leadership styles are necessary conditions for leadership to be operationalized. Cultural and demographic factors showed strong impact on the dependent variables as did RLS and self-esteem. All findings are discussed and future research directions outlined.
An Empirical Evaluation Of Franchise Contracting Provisions In Spanish Chains
Authors: Perez Rosa M Mariz , Alvarez M Teresa Garcia
Published: March 2016

In this paper, we pretend to identify the existing differences between contractual conditions fixed by franchisors of Spanish chains. With this objective, we analyze the two basic types of existing franchised chains those that commercialize services and those others that distribute products- and if contractual stipulations and other characteristics differ in a systematic manner between them. In this sense, we have considered a series of independent variables such as size, age, initial fee, royalties or contractual initial duration. After undergoing the descriptive analysis of these variables for our sample -440 Spanish franchised chains- we have divided the latter into two groups based on the type of chain- in order to detect significant differences between them. For this aim, we have conducted a discriminant analysis to discover which of the independent variables taken into account contribute, in a significant manner, to a correct classification of chains to their corresponding group service or product chains.
Productivity, Product Differentiation And Profitability In The Greek Chemical Industry: An Empirical Analysis, 1991 And 2001
Authors: Nikolaos Eriotis , Evangelos Poutos I. , Dimitris Vasiliou , Zoe Ventura Neokismidi
Published: March 2016

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between the profitability of the firm and its R&D expenditures. We separate R&D expenditures in two main categories, R&D that focuses on the product differentiation and R&D that concerns improvements in production process. The latter leads to more efficient production, which can be measured by labour productivity. We estimate our model using cross section analysis and test the significance of each one of rhe R&D expenditures in firms profitability. Our model was applied to the Greek chemical industry, for a data set of 124 enterprises, in two distinct years, 1991 and 2001. Our findings support that the role of productivity is growing within time.
Technological Resources And Export Intensity: A Microview
Authors: Rodríguez José López , Rodríguez Jesús López
Published: March 2016

This article analyses the influence of technological resources on firm-export intensity. The empirical analysis is carried out on a sample of Spanish manufacturing firms using tobit models. Our findings show that R&D investments, product and process innovations and patents positively and significantly affect the export intensity of Spanish firms.
The Economic Ramifications Of Multinational Corporations: Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs) And The Connection Between Technological Transfer And ProductivityGrowth Within Host Economies
Authors: Ball Joshua , Krause Aric , Tong Christopher S.P.
Published: March 2016

This study conducts an investigation into the impact of technology transfer as a derivative of FDI on productive efficiency within developing Asian economies through the implementation of applied empirical analysis.
An Analysis Of The Determinants Of Intra-Industry Trade: The Case Of Spanish Foreign Trade
Authors: Turmo Joaquín , Hervitz Hugo M. , Moslares Carlos
Published: March 2016

This paper analyzes the patterns of intra-industry trade observed in Spanish foreign trade and assesses the merits of alternative hypotheses in explaining the determinants of such trade. The results of the econometric analysis support the predictions of the theoretical models. These results show that Spanish intra-industry trade is positively correlated with per capita income, the size of the economies, the existence of a common border and EU membership, while it is negatively correlated with distance and differences in per capita income.
Asymmetric Adjustment In The Effects Of Monetary Policy On Output: Evidence In The USA And Canada Using A Cointegration Analysis
Authors: Wane Abdoul , Larkin Patrick , Lee Baeyong , Williams Thomas G.E.
Published: March 2016

Using a set of cointegration and error correction models with Threshold Autoregressive (TAR) or Momentum Threshold Autoregressive (MTAR) asymmetric adjustment, we investigate whether the effects of monetary policy on output in the USA and Canada are asymmetric or not. Forty years of quarterly data on output, money supply, price of oil and interest rate for the USA and Canada obtained from the International Monetary Funds International Financial Statistics CD-ROM were used for the different tests. Empirical results show that the effects of monetary policy on output are asymmetric in both countries. Furthermore, the impulse response functions indicate that the results are consistent with a dynamic asymmetry in the behavior of money supply movements in both countries.
Measuring The Effects Of Financial Liberalization On The Supply Of Credit To The Private Sector: The Case Of Lebanon
Authors: Naimy Viviane Y.
Published: March 2016

The purpose of this paper is to build a systematic analysis of financial liberalization. An integrated model of portfolio decision-making and consumption-saving decision is presented in order to detect the effect of financial liberalization on the supply of credit to the private sector. Moreover, the crowding out of the private sector credit by the Lebanese government sector is illustrated through the identification of the gap between the demand for money of the public and private sectors.
Consumer Purchase Motives And Product Perceptions: A Hard Laddering Study Of Smoking Habits Of Poles
Authors: Kaciak Eugene , Cullen Carman W.
Published: March 2016

The objective of the study is to apply the Means-End Theory to the analysis of smoking habits of Poles, based on a quota sample of 418 smokers in Krakow. The Means-End Theory posits that consumers learn to associate attributes (A) of products with particular consequences (C), and that these consequences are important because they accord with personal values (V) held by the individual. Each chain of associations A-->C-->V depicts the consumers personal motivations with respect to a given product. The paper-and-pencil assisted approach (which is called hard laddering, as opposed to soft, conventional tape-recorded interviews) is used to uncover links between personal values and the smokers choices. The results are then transposed into a meaningful market segmentation strategy.
A Comparative Analysis Of Competition And Anti-Trust Law For The Major Industrialized Nations
Authors: Damanpour Faramarz
Published: March 2016

Global investments have grew tremendously in the recent years. As a result, mergers and acquisitions are becoming a daily occurrences. To achieve their goals, multinational corporations have to go through the process of filing for permissions with the various antitrust authorities in various countries with different rules and regulations. This paper deals with the antitrust laws and rules and regulations in the three major regions in which most mergers occurs. The regions and countries under consideration are the United States of America, Japan and the European Union.
The Effect Of The Relationships Between Organisations And Their Suppliers On The Implementation Of Purchasing Marketing Strategies
Authors: Irsic Matjaz
Published: March 2016

The article deals with different factors determining relationships of large Slovenian organisations (with over 500 employees) with their strategic suppliers and their influence on the frequency of implementations of purchasing marketing strategies. The factors dealt with are: the quality of the relationship between the organisation and its strategic supplier (suppliers activities, attractiveness of supply for the organisation and the competitive position of the organisation on the supply market), bargaining power of the organisation with respect to the supplier (the organisation's risk orientation, its orientation towards cooperation and the size of its bargaining power) and the quantity of the relationship (the size of transactional assets). The research showed that large organisations in Slovenia are unlikely to develop such purchasing marketing strategies characteristic of the so-called relationship marketing with their strategic suppliers, with which they have long-term business relationship. The influence of measured factors on the frequency of the implementation of individual purchasing marketing strategies exists, with a stronger impact of factors with short-term effects on the organisation; hence the surveyed organisations are still more oriented towards reaching short-term efficiency instead of long-term success.
New Economic Geography And Educational Attainment Levels In The European Union
Authors: Lopez-Rodriguez Jesus , Medin J. Andres Faina , Lopez-Rodriguez Jose
Published: March 2016

In this paper a New Economic Geography model is used to analyse the distribution of educational attainment levels in the European Union. The results show that educational attainment levels decrease with distance to large consumer markets, proving that the theoretical predictions of the model are verified empirically.
Measuring The Costs Of Protection In Venezuela
Authors: Faria Hugo J. , Gonzalez Jorge , Penzini Luis , Perez Ricardo , Zalzman Stephanie , Zerpa Jesus
Published: March 2016

This research looks into the static effects on the Venezuelan economy of removing trade barriers in the form of tariffs in textiles, agricultural products, steel and automobile. Based on a methodology used by the United States International Trade Commission, this paper documents that gains to consumers for every job lost range from $85,384 in the agricultural industry to $1,096,714 in the automobile industry. Removal of these barriers would increase national welfare in excess of $1 billion per year, which is equivalent to 1% of Venezuelas GDP (based on statistics from the 90s). This evidence suggests significant misallocation of resources that may retard the growth process.
Forecasting Daily Returns: A Comparison Of Neural Networks With Parametric Regression Analysis
Authors: Angelidis Dimitrios , Lyroudi Katerina , Koulakiotis Athanasios
Published: March 2016

Since the seminal work of Fama (1965), many researchers have found that the actual distribution of stock returns, for the USA market, is significantly non-normal. Our study is focusing on the examining stock returns predictability for the Hellenic market given some macroeconomic variables. The objective is to use the given information set to reach an optimal way for forecasting. Hence, two basic models for forecasting are examined; a multivariable OLS regression approach and a non-parametric neural network approach and we compare them, based on the minimum forecasted error. Then, the approach that gives the minimum forecasting error is selected. The results indicated that better forecasting approach between the selected two ones is the neural network regression, since it has the smaller mean absolute percent error.
Public Health Insurance Reform And Womens Labor Supply Decisions
Authors: Tomohara Akinori , Lee Ho Jin
Published: March 2016

The literature has explored the effects of welfare policy reforms on womens labor supply. However, a comprehensive analysis has not been conducted regarding the effects of individual policy instruments in public assistance programs. This paper examines whether policy instruments in the public health insurance program affect womens labor supply decisions, specifically, after we control for the effects of policy instruments in the welfare program. The results indicate that, on average, public health insurance policy instruments did not affect womens labor supply. Our analysis implies that, regarding the recent reform on public assistance programs, the crowd-out of private health insurance for public health insurance is less likely to arise via a reduced labor supply channel.
The Validity Of "TDS-DTM": A Strategic Methodology Of Merchandise Development Of New JIT-Key To The Excellence Design LEXUS
Authors: Amasaka Kakuro
Published: March 2016

Recently, the author has touched on the development of the principle of New JIT and its validity. In this paper, the author presents TDS-DTM (Toyota Development System-Design Technical Methods) as a methodology of New JIT, which contributes to strategic product development. The excellence profile design of LEXUS has achieved by TDS-DTM.
The Role Of Susu A Traditional Informal Banking System In The Development Of Micro And Small Scale Enterprises (MSEs) In Ghana
Authors: Alabi Goski , Alabi Joshua , Akrobo Stephen Tei
Published: March 2016

The paper examines the role of Susu a traditional banking system in the development of Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) in Ghana, using some selected MSEs and Susu operators. It combines both a reflective and empirical analysis approach. It is based on extensive review of literature on the subject and draws its conclusions from analysis of field data. It attempts to underscore the significance of Susu to MSEs in Ghana. The paper sought to ascertain the role of Susu in the development of MSEs by examining the effects of Susu on MSE development. The assessment was based on analysis of total turnover on investments, and number of people employed after five years of involvement in any Susu scheme. It also reviews the strengths, weaknesses and challenges of the system and offers some suggestions for strengthening it. The results of the study indicated that Susu generally contributes to the development of MSEs. However, the Susu systems favour the development of unorganized MSEs than organized MSEs. MSEs that do not rely on heavy capital outlay are more likely to succeed with Susu than those with heavy capital outlay. The study identifies self regulation as the major set back of the Susu scheme and recommends a system of regulation that may replicate the Ghana Credit Unions Association (GCUA) system.
The Chaotic Structure Of The $C/$US Exchange Rate
Authors: Weston Rae , Premachandran Prem
Published: March 2016

This paper provides a brief survey of previous applications of chaotic analysis to exchange rate series and of the connection between theoretical models of exchange rates and the chaotic approach. and then considers the key elements required to establish a chaotic structure and apply the analysis to the daily $C/$US exchange rates over the period 1973 to 2003 In particular the overshooting hypothesis as represented by the chaotic structure is investigated.
Impact of Loyalty Cards On Customers Store Loyalty
Authors: Ergin Elif Akagün , Parıltı Nurettin , Özsaçmacı Bülent Özsaçmacı
Published: March 2016

In this paper, we try to determine whether loyalty cards issued by stores have an impact on customer loyalty and how loyalty cards compare with other factors companies can use to increase loyalty in general. Based on the results of the study, it is concluded that loyalty cards have no impact on customerss store loyalty. On the contrary, it is observed that customers that use their loyalty cards frequently tend to shop at different stores with different loyalty cards.
Egypt: The Environment For Adjustment To Trade Liberalization
Authors: Elshennawy Abeer
Published: March 2016

This paper investigated the potential effect of market failures in labor and capital markets in addition to market failure due to high transaction costs on the transitional path to trade liberalization. All three types of market failure were found to reduce the speed of adjustment to free trade and contribute to high adjustment costs. The paper also examined the consistency of the macroeconomic environment with the objectives of trade liberalization. It is postulated that a macroeconomic environment that is basically recessionary is likely to lead to high adjustment costs.
Necessary And Sufficient Conditions For Post-Communist Communist Reform
Authors: Lee George
Published: March 2016

The results of post-Communist reforms in the Central Europe Economies have been less than ideal; the republics of the former Soviet Union have fared even worse (Lee, 2006). Necessary and sufficient conditions for post-Communist reforms include those needed to design logical and viable policies, those required to protect viable policies from unreasonable attacks, and those necessary to ensure orderly implementation with the smallest risk to the countrys economic well being. At the least, reform policies must be theoretically rigorous and supported by comprehensive empirical evidence. Moreover, even policies proven to be effective in bring economic prosperity in other countries need to be tested in small scale, in-country proving grounds before they are expanded to the entire country. Finally, however viable the proposed policies, they cannot be implemented without the explicit approval and involvement of the country political leaders.
Evaluating The International Diversification Benefits Of Chinas New Indexes
Authors: Meziani A. Seddik
Published: March 2016

This article examines the characteristics and performance of selected Chinas financial indexes. Although several indexes were recently made available, this study focuses on three in particular because they are compiled using distinct methodologies. Based on the differences in their composition, they were categorized as either global or investable indexes, herein indexes composed of shares that are readily available for trading in the market. From a portfolio diversification perspective, this study found that U.S. investors seeking exposure to China stand to gain the most from funds tracking the Standard & Poors/CITIC 50 Index (a global index) than from those tracking the FTSE/Xinhua China 25 Indexor the Halter USX China Index (investable indexes). Its risk-return characteristics, along with other performance evaluation measures used, show that it is most efficient in providing international diversification benefits.
Comparing The Machiavellianism Of Todays Indonesian College Students With U. S. College Students Of Today And The 1960s
Authors: Harmon Harry A. , Webster Robert L. , Hammond Kevin L.
Published: March 2016

The tactics and strategies that were suggested by Niccolo Machiavelli in The Prince (1513) have become synonymous with manipulative and unethical practices. Machiavellis writing to the politician has been used to describe business leaders as well. The business literature indicates that Machiavellian tactics do not guarantee success. The research we report examined the Machiavellian tendencies of college students in Indonesia and compare those results to the literature including the original U.S. student sample of the 1960s and the Harmon and Webster student sample published in 2002.
Application Of Grounded Theory Method In Information Systems Research: Methodological And Practical Issues
Authors: Halaweh Mohanad
Published: March 2016

This paper argues that the grounded theory method (GTM) is a positivist-oriented research method from a methodological standpoint. It argues that following the systematic procedures, principles, and mechanism of conducting the research and creating knowledge and theories, and the unavoidable influence of the literature, places GTM under the umbrella of the positivist paradigm. It also sheds some light on practical issues that information systems (IS) researchers face when applying GTM such as applying theoretical sampling and coding in GTM, concerns of presenting GTM data, and the politics of applying GTM. These issues, which are methodological in nature, and their implications will also be discussed.
Data Mining: How Popular Is It?
Authors: Nataraj Sam , Lee Jim
Published: March 2016

Data Mining is a process used in the industry, to facilitate decision making. As the name implies, large volumes of data is mined or sifted, to find useful information for decision making. With the advent of E-business, Data Mining has become more important to practitioners. The purpose of this paper is to find out the importance of Data Mining by looking at the different application areas that have used data mining for decision making.
Impact of two disinfectants on detachment of Enterococcus faecalis from polythene in aquatic microcosm
Authors: Djimeli C. Lontsi , Arfao A. Tamsa , Rossi V , Nsulem N , Raspal V , Bricheux G , Nola M , Sime-Ngando T.
Published: March 2016

After cell adhesion processes in microcosm, the impact of sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) on the detachment of Enterococcus faecalis from polythene fragments immersed in water under stationary and dynamic conditions was assessed. The abundance of planktonic cells was also evaluated. The density of E. faecalis adhered in absence of disinfectant fluctuated between 2 and 4 units (Log CFU/cm2). After living in disinfected water, the density of E. faecalis remained adhered to polythene sometimes reached 2 units (Log CFU/Cm2). This highest abundance of cells remained adhered was recorded with cells coming from the lag, exponential and stationary growth phases in water treated with 0.5‰ NaOCl. In H2O2 disinfected water, the highest value was recorded at all cells growth phases with 5‰ H2O2 concentration. Adhered E. faecalis cells have been sometimes completely or partially decimated respectively by NaOCl and H2O2 treated water. Considering separately each experimental condition, it was noted that increasing the concentration of disinfectant caused a significant decrease (P≤0.01) in abundance of cells stay adhered after living in water disinfected by the two disinfectants. Changes in disinfectant concentrations in different experimental conditions had an impact on the detachment of E. faecalis cells from the substrates. 
Challenges for Teachers in the Era of E-learning in India
Authors: Singh Garima
Published: March 2016

Technology driven world has touched almost all the fields and all the aspects of life. There has been a technological transformation in the field of education as well. E-learning has become a crucial aspect of the educational system. It is gaining momentum day by day. In such a technology-driven scenario, it has become a challenge for the teachers to accommodate e-learning in their teaching-learning processes. To keep up with the demands of information explosion, information and communication technology has become crucial issue of academia. It is high time to equip teachers with advanced ICT and train them to avail maximum benefit from it. ICT is integral part of our day to day life but it is still in process to get a better place in schools as a generation of teachers is not well acquainted with it but they are willing to adapt it.
The paper aims to describe the role of a teacher and significance of e-learning in the present context. It emphasizes on the challenges faced by teachers in India to implement e-learning and makes an attempt to suggest varied solutions to the awareness, implementation and comfortability with regard to the e-learning solutions by the teachers in their teaching-learning processes.
Reforming the Vietnamese Legal Education system: possibilities and perspective
Authors: Ho Ai Nhan
Published: March 2016

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-fareast-language: VI; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;" lang="EN-AU">This paper discusses the demand and various possibilities for the reform of Vietnamese legal education. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: VI; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;" lang="EN-US">A particular emphasis will be placed on clinical legal education (CLE) as a potential option for this reform.
A Pipeline Strategy for Grain Crop Domestication
Authors: DeHaan Lee R. , Van Tassel David L. , Anderson James A. , Asselin Sean R. , Barnes Richard , Baute Gregory J. , Cattani Douglas J. , Culman Steve W. , Dorn Kevin M. , Hulke Brent S. , Kantar Michael , Larson Steve , Marks M. David , Miller Allison J. , Poland Jesse , Ravetta Damian A. , Rude Emily , Ryan Matthew R. , Wyse Don , Zhang Xiaofei
Published: March 2016

In the interest of diversifying the global food system, improving human nutrition, and making agriculture more sustainable, there have been many proposals to domesticate wild plants or complete the domestication of semidomesticated orphan crops. However, very few new crops have recently been fully domesticated. Many wild plants have traits limiting their production or consumption that could be costly and slow to change. Others may have fortuitous preadaptations that make them easier to develop or feasible as high‐value, albeit low‐yielding, crops. To increase success in contemporary domestication of new crops, we propose a pipeline approach, with attrition expected as species advance through the pipeline. We list criteria for ranking domestication candidates to help enrich the starting pool with more preadapted, promising species. We also discuss strategies for prioritizing initial research efforts once the candidates have been selected: developing higher value products and services from the crop, increasing yield potential, and focusing on overcoming undesirable traits. Finally, we present new‐crop case studies that demonstrate that wild species’ limitations and potential (in agronomic culture, shattering, seed size, harvest, cleaning, hybridization, etc.) are often only revealed during the early phases of domestication. When nearly insurmountable barriers were reached in some species, they have been (at least temporarily) eliminated from the pipeline. Conversely, a few species have moved quickly through the pipeline as hurdles, such as low seed weight or low seed number per head, were rapidly overcome, leading to increased confidence, farmer collaboration, and program expansion.
Effects of D‐Genome Chromosomes and Their A/B‐Genome Homoeologs on Fusarium Head Blight Resistance in Durum Wheat
Authors: Zhu Xianwen , Zhong Shaobin , Cai Xiwen
Published: March 2016

This study aimed to elucidate the effect of D‐genome chromosomes and their homoeologs in A and B genome on Fusarium head blight (FHB) resistance in durum wheat. Evaluation of the ‘Langdon’ (LDN) durum‐'Chinese Spring’ (CS) D‐genome disomic substitution lines for reaction to FHB indicated that chromosome 5A could affect resistance to FHB by generating variation in the 5AQ gene‐controlled spike structure. Also, we found that CS chromosome 6D might contain genes for FHB susceptibility and/or suppression of FHB resistance. Langdon chromosomes 2B and possibly 6A and 6B may contain the genes that enhance FHB resistance. In addition, we added the entire D genome of Aegilops tauschii Coss. RL5286 (2n = 2x = 14, DD) to LDN by producing LDN‐RL5286 amphiploid (2n = 6x = 42, AABBDD) and dissected the A. tauschii D genome in LDN background by producing LDN‐A. tauschii D genome addition lines. The A. tauschii chromosomes 1D and 5D were found to carry the genes that conditioned FHB resistance when they were individually or concurrently added to LDN. The genes for FHB resistance on these two chromosomes seemed to act additively in LDN. The other A. tauschii chromosomes (i.e., 2D, 3D, 4D, 6D, and possibly 7D) might contain the genes that downregulated or suppressed the FHB resistance‐related genes on chromosome 1D or 5D. Apparently, there are complex interactions among the genes on the A. tauschii chromosomes, as well as A‐ and B‐genome chromosomes, for FHB resistance in the durum background. Proper manipulation of the critical chromosomes may lead to the improvement of FHB resistance in durum wheat.
Participatory adaptation to climate extremes: an assessment of households’ willingness to contribute labor for flood risk mitigation in Pakistan
Authors: Abbas Azhar , Amjath-Babu T. S. , Kächele Harald , Müller Klaus
Published: March 2016

The predicted increase in frequency and severity of flooding events poses substantial challenges for the farming communities of developing countries. Given the financial limitations of governments in these countries, the concept of participatory flood management is of high relevance. This article studies how communities can participate in structural measures such as embankments/dikes. Given that surplus rural labor is available due to the seasonal nature of agricultural operations, this paper utilizes a field survey for exploring the willingness to contribute (WTC) labor by rural households in Pakistan towards a hypothetical flood-protection scheme. Results show a potential labor contribution of 11.07 man-days per year per household (equivalent to Rs. 4,084 or 39 USD). The WTC decision is positively influenced by the number of adult family members, livestock damage, compensation received and expected effectiveness of the intervention, but is negatively influenced by age and education of the household head, farm income and the distance of the farm from the river. The study concludes that community resources (e.g., manual labor) can be utilized for flood mitigation, which may reduce the costs of building and maintaining the infrastructure while increasing the sense of security and ownership. This would also ensure the sustainability of flood protection interventions to a considerable extent.
Hydrologic impacts of climate change and urbanization in the Las Vegas Wash Watershed, Nevada
Authors: Tong Susanna T. Y. , Yang Heng , Chen Heyin , Yang Jeffrey Y.
Published: March 2016

A cell-based model for the Las Vegas Wash Watershed in Clark County, Nevada, USA, was developed by combining the Thornthwaite water balance model and the Soil Conservation Survey's Curve Number method with pixel-based computing technology. After the model was validated, it was used to predict the 2030 and 2050 hydrologic conditions under future scenarios of climate and land-use changes. The future climate projections were based on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) B1 climate scenario, and the land-use scenarios were derived from a CA-Markov land-use model. Results indicate that under these hypothetical conditions, the future surface runoff in the watershed will significantly decrease in winters but increase in summers. Climate change will be the primary controlling factor over runoff. Urban development is projected to increase runoff and may contribute 1.1–18.7% of the changes. This finding may be useful in devising future urban development plans and water management policies.