bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Impact Of Oil And Gas Production On The Nigerian Economy: A Rural Sector Econometric Model
Authors: Uwakonye Matthew Nga , Osho Gbolahan Solomon , Anucha Hyacinth
Published: March 2016

The oil economy of Nigeria is very important to the country, but the people of Nigeria still suffer from a corrupt government. Despite the revenues being brought in from oil exports, the Nigerian government still holds a large unemployment rate and a high poverty rate. This paper shows the amount of oil being produced per day, as well as, the process by which the oil is brought to the market. This paper also shows the labor to GDP ratio, the major exports, and the major imports of Nigeria. Finally, an understanding of the ethnic struggle within Nigeria is looked at, as well as, the illegal oil racketeering that is costing the Nigerian governments billions of dollars. Until the people of Nigeria can take control of its government and rid themselves of the crushing militias that controls the politics in Nigeria, the people are doomed to suffer.
Globalization And Women: Challenges And Opportunities
Authors: Hosseini Naierossadat Daneshvar
Published: March 2016

There is growing evidence illustrating means in which a substantial number of women have been adversely affected by globalization, both absolutely as well as in relation to men. Women have also been more adversely affected during the increasing number of financial crisis generated by globalization while being disadvantaged by cuts in social protection. Women are more in danger in confronting the new global challenges. For example, they are disproportionately affected by different diseases, particularly AIDS. According to the UNAIDS epidemic update of 2003, 58 percent of HIV victims are female, and among the teenagers affected, 75 percent are girls. This paper will try to address the above issues while also discussing various positive impacts of globalization arguing that for many women, globalization has improved their economic and social status. Since people are most directly affected by globalization through their work and employment, many women workers have been absorbed into the global production system while wage employment has helped increase their incomes giving them greater potential economic independence and often raising their social status.
On The Need For A New Economic Nomenclature
Authors: Alemayehu Tsehai
Published: March 2016

Fully 14 years after it came to power, many observers are unsure about the exact nature of the ideological bases for the economic policies pursued by the government of Ethiopia. It calls its political ideology revolutionary democracy and pronounces its economic policies as market based. Given the tight control it exercises over much of the economy and given the absence of private ownership of land in particular, many observers are quick to point that those self ascribed labels do not accurately characterize the economic policy environment of present day Ethiopia. Some would suggest that the Ethiopian economy is in actuality a centrally directed economy with aspirations of liberalization at some future date. This essay explores how the economic policy environment in Ethiopia compares against the traditional standards of a market system. It reports on the current policy framework and how that framework impacts on the efficiency of the operation of markets in such important regards as attracting adequate quantities of private investment from domestic and foreign sources and efficiently allocating the countrys labor and other critical resources. The essay also explores the extent to which the policy environment protects private property rights and promotes risk taking. The study concludes that the policy framework falls far short of what is normally expected in a free market economy.
Muslim-American Marketplace: Understanding Cultural Diversity
Authors: Noormohamed Nadia Abgrab
Published: March 2016

The Muslim-American marketplace is a cultural challenge for US businesses offering numerous generational interpretations of each nationality, traditions, and historical values.
The Impact Of Ownership Structure On Corporate Debt Policy: Two Stage Least Square Simultaneous Model Approach For Post Crisis Period: Evidence From Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange
Authors: Joher Huson , Ali Mohd , Nazrul M.
Published: March 2016

Ownership concentration as a governance mechanism has received considerable attention among academician, practitioners as well as policy makers because large-block shareholders are increasingly active in their demands that corporations adopt effective governance mechanisms to control managerial decisions, which include corporate debt policy. Earlier study on the agency model of the firm widely recognizes that the managerial ownership and external debt play an important role in mitigating agency conflicts and enhancing firm value. They also found that increase in the external monitors, for example the institutional investors, can actually play a useful role in limiting agency problems in the firm. This paper, using 100 Composite Index companies from Brusa Malaysia between 1998 to 2002 explores the impact of institutional holdings on managerial ownership and debt policy in an integrated framework by using a simultaneous equations estimation procedure (2SLS). The findings show that there is a significant impact of institutional ownership which serves effective control mechanism on managerial ownership and corporate debt policy as hypothesized. Findings of such evidence suggest that institutional holding thus have played an important role in managers' strategic management decision and reduce agency conflict. In addition, corporate debt policy too is governed by managerial ownership and exhibited a negative relation.
Comparison Of Finnish, American, And New Zealand Franchisee Satisfaction
Authors: Wadsworth Frank H. , Haines Doug , Paynter John , Terry Andrew , Tuunanen Mika
Published: March 2016

Franchising is growing as a business model in many countries. We test a model of franchisee satisfaction across three countries to examine the models predictive and measure reliability. The multi-dimensional franchisee satisfaction model is a significant and reliable predictor of general franchisee satisfaction in different cultures. Franchise systems looking for an efficient method of measuring and predicting franchisee satisfaction can rely on the model to aid their efforts of managing the franchisor-franchisee relationship. In the future the model should be tested in other industries, cultures, and with larger samples.
Should The U.S. Seriously Contemplate Initiating A Value-Added Tax? What Are Other Countries Doing With This Type Of Tax?
Authors: Fay Jack R. , Stryker Judson P.
Published: March 2016

The U. S. Tax System needs extensive changes. As Congress addresses these modifications, should it consider a value-added system? To what extent are other countries using the value-added tax?
Empirical Issues And Examples: Growth Theory
Authors: Kan Elif Oznur , Omay Tolga
Published: March 2016

This paper deals with the growth literature. In particular our fundamental concern in this paper will be the empirical studies which are held nowadays. For this purpose, we will mainly base our study on a recent paper called as The New Growth Evidence which was written out by J. Temple (2000) who gives a very detailed discussion of the empirical issues concerning the growth literature. In this work we will not only be giving his papers brief summary but also will be pointing out the borders of growth theory with a number of specific examples of empirical studies in growth literature. In this respect, we will organize three types of empirical analysis which are achieved by different estimation procedures. In the first example, we will deal with cross country evidence in which we aim to point out the growth differences between developed and underdeveloped countries. In order to show these differences we will gather data about fifty countries and make cross section analysis in between. We will then use Chow methodology to pinpoint the structural break between developed and underdeveloped countries. In the second example, we will provide a time series analysis of one country, in which we intend to find out whether a countrys productivity level does or does not affect the GNP growth rate. Last and the third example will be given from a panel data analysis, in which we will take the same sample countries as of the cross section analysis. The rationale will be to pool all the countries at first and observe the existence of any regularity and later to apply panel data analysis to each group of country -namely developed and underdeveloped- by the help of cross section analysis. The purpose of this empirical study is to show robustness of the empirical regularities in the homogeneous type countries. In conclusion, the paper will give brief summaries of theoretical and empirical issues which will be covering the boundaries of discussions and more importantly covering all the main types of empirical studies.
Equity Valuation Process And Price-Volume Relationship On Emerging Stock Markets
Authors: Assogbavi Tov , Osagie Johnston E.
Published: March 2016

This paper examines the stock price?volume relationship in emerging markets throughout the world. Using a vector auto-regression analysis on monthly index data, contrary to evidence reported by Saatcioglu and Starks (1998), we find strong evidence on stock price changes leading trading volume. This finding confirms the evidence reported by studies on many developed markets and the ones recently reported by Moosa et al. (2003) and Chen et al. (2004) on Commodity futures market. However, the lack of strong evidence on the well-documented positive absolute price-volume relation may imply that differences in institutions and information flows in emerging markets are important enough to affect the valuation process of equity securities.
The European Union: What Might The Future Hold?
Authors: Gilliard Debora J.
Published: March 2016

Some extraordinary events have been taking place in the European Union in recent years. This group of countries has introduced a new currency, has expanded to a 25 member country single market, and is in the process of implementing a European Union constitution. Because these events will have an impact on the United States and on global business, it is important to monitor and evaluate activities of the EU. This paper briefly reviews the development of the European Union, then discusses recent events and the implications of European Union activities for business, and looks at future possibilities for the EU.
An Analysis Of Central Bank Interventions: Evidence From Turkey
Authors: Saatcioglu Cem
Published: March 2016

This paper investigates the characteristics of the foreign exchange operations of the CBRT during the period following the Turkish economic crisis in February 2001. Using time series based econometric models, we estimate the parameters of the FOREX market, along with the degree of effectiveness of the interventions of the monetary authority and the inflation targeting framework it employs. The results indicate that the CBRT interventions are inefficient and are mainly influenced by the uncertainties inherent in the economic environment, and cannot decrease the volatility of the exchange markets.
Polarizing Mexico
Authors: Heinzman Joseph , Darnell Tamara F.
Published: March 2016

Mexico has been a third-world country for centuries. Through its historical path of turbulent governments, Mexico was continuously left in a worse economic condition than where it was in each previous regime. (Suchlicki, 1996) When NAFTA was signed, the hopes were to unite and increase trade between Canada, the United States and Mexico. It was also believed that NAFTA would solve all of Mexicos social, political and economic problems, demonstrating how free trade could aid in developing a nation such as Mexico. (Smith & Lindlad, 2003) However, not all of Mexico was accepting NAFTA with open-arms. After the signing, there were hostile movements in Mexico (Suchlicki, 1996), attempted renegotiations of NAFTA ("Mexico Rejects," 2004) and a requirement for a delay in lifting some agricultural import barriers (Hall, Schwarf, and Root, 2006). While NAFTA is not a panacea for all of Mexicos economic woes, it is the path to a stronger Mexico in the future. The greatest obstacle to free trade lies within Mexicos divided culture and internal derision.
A Single Currency For The GCC: Launching A New Culture
Authors: Alsowaidi Saif S.
Published: March 2016

The member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) are moving towards launching a single currency by January 2010, an advanced step towards monetary union. These countries are characterized with a great degree of similarities whether political, economic, or social. This provides an advantage many regional economic groups lack. A single currency setting, as advocated in the literature, requires fulfillment of many conditions and requirements to assert its feasibility, desirability and durability. The SWOT methodology utilized in this paper presents a list of activities that must be thought of carefully before and after the year 2010, when the single currency is planned to circulate. Time is approaching fast, thus, GCC states should take serious steps in the remaining few years. The paper identifies very important issues that must be investigated and settled ahead of launching the common currency; among them the urgent need to establish super-national institutions and pooling legislations and economic environment.
SLOPOL6: A Macroeconometric Model For Slovenia
Authors: Weyerstrass Klaus , Neck Reinhard
Published: March 2016

Slovenia entered the European Union in 2004 and was the first country of the ten new members to enter the Euro Area in 2007. As Slovenia was part of Communist Yugoslavia until 1991, the economic history of this country to some extent started after that date. This provides difficulties for attempts to discover empirical regularities to be exploited for forecasting and policy analysis. Nevertheless, in this paper, we describe a macroeconometric model for Slovenia, called SLOPOL6. It was estimated using most recent quarterly data and rests on up-to-date econometric methodology, including stationarity and cointegration analysis. The model has already been used successfully for simulations of alternative monetary and fiscal policy measures.
Generating Employment For Turkey: Policy Alternatives In Comparison With Selected Countries
Authors: Bilgin Mehmet Huseyin , Toker M. Cem , Demir Ender
Published: March 2016

The main purpose of this paper is to provide some lessons for Turkey from the experiences of some selected countries that gained success in their fight against unemployment. In this respect, the experiences of selected countries; Ireland, Netherlands, United Kingdom and South Korea will be analyzed and the policy options for Turkey will be formed up. It is expected that the detailed analysis and comparison of the reforms in labor markets of these countries will put forward essential and applicable results. It is also supposed that our results will greatly contribute to the decrease in the unemployment level in Turkey, when applied. By doing so, this paper endeavors to get some meaningful policy findings for Turkey. In addition, it is believed that the comparison of the labor markets of these countries, the economic structures and labor markets of which are fairly different from each other will result in interesting findings.
The Indigenization Of Business Ownership In An Emerging Market: Doing Business In South Africa
Authors: Luiz John , Gaspari Roberto
Published: March 2016

Black economic empowerment (BEE) has transformed the South African economic and business environment, and continues to be one of the most important issues a company has to deal with in doing business in South Africa. The indigenization of ownership is also developing as a concern in several other emerging markets particularly in Latin America. This research focuses on BEE issues within the small medium enterprises (SMEs) sector of the engineering industry. The research set out to identify the issues which were considered to be important for the successful implementation of BEE. A significant finding was the importance of upfront planning and setting of objectives prior to implementation of BEE initiatives. The research also found a very low level of satisfaction with the outcomes of BEE initiatives. The findings of this research can prove to be valuable for policymakers and business as they review the progress made towards achieving the broader objectives of indigenization and the costs of doing business in such an environment.
Corporate Ethics: China vs. USA
Authors: Chan Peng S. , Pollard Dennis , Chuo Shirley
Published: March 2016

Fairness is one of the basic aspects of business exchange. Ethics are principles used to establish fairness. This study will look at background and origins for different American and Chinese ethical beliefs. It is important for U.S. and Chinese firms to understand each others cultural perspectives, especially as the Chinese market opens up. Methods to resolve ethical conflict will be reviewed. Business agents from both cultures can relate and deal with each other if they have the knowledge, skills, and patience to do so. This study builds on prior research that suggests that younger Chinese are more concerned with profit than with abiding by regulations or adhering to corporate ethics. The major argument of this study is that future Chinese business leaders, born after Chinas one-child policy was implemented in 1979, will be primarily concerned with self-interest and making decisions that will benefit them individually. Guanxi (interpersonal connections or human relationships), corporate ethics and social responsibility (CESR) beliefs will be reduced in importance and influence. American managers should incorporate this information when formulating a China strategy.
Syndicate Size In Global IPO Underwriting
Authors: Ejara Demissew Diro
Published: March 2016

This study analyzes factors that determine syndicate size in ADR IPO underwriting. The information gathering role of investment bankers, complexity and risk of issue, corporate governance and transparency environment factors, and potential business relations are the basis for the analyses. Empirical results indicate decreasing syndicate size over time. No significant relation is found between syndicate size and initial day return of IPOs. The transparency environment, dilution effect of the issue, growth stage of the issuer, lead underwriter reputation, offering size and ownership concentration are found to have significant effects on syndicate size.
On The Importance Of Family In Family Firms
Authors: Joyce William B.
Published: March 2016

Family values may play an important role in shaping the organization of businesses and their efficiency. This paper first addresses the question of Why family firms? Family firms are discussed from the perspectives long-term, substitution, human capital, and politics. The paper then addresses family values and family firms discussing nepotism, legacy, and inheritance norms.
Local Cable Operator And Telecom Operator Partnership For Broadband Growth In India
Authors: Kumar T.P. Pavan
Published: March 2016

This paper discusses the present state of Broadband in India. It looks at various factors for the low penetration and initiatives by the Regulator and Industry to achieve higher growth. It brings in new thought of Local Cable Operator (LCO) and Telecom Operator (TELCO) Partnership to achieve accelerated growth.
Interest And Exchange Rate Shocks On The Capital Market Risk And Capital Mobility: Evidence From Four Asian Countries
Authors: Min Hong-Ghi , McDonald Judith A.
Published: March 2016

This paper investigates how the thinness of foreign-exchange markets causes destabilizing speculations. Using the vector-autoregression model, it is shown that in response to one-standard-deviation shock to interest and exchange rates, the dynamic capital mobility and capital market-risk have increased in the short run. During the crisis, the Asian crisis countries responded by increasing their interest rates and devaluing their currencies to stem capital flight. However, in an environment of protracted financial-sector reform and thin foreign-exchange markets, these standard policies did not stabilize the capital inflows into these countries and this can be attributable to the very thin foreign-exchange markets of these Asian countries.
Trust In A Social Theory Of Currency Crises As Applied To Currency Boards
Authors: Weston Rae
Published: March 2016

The conventional explanations of currency crises have not proved fruitful .Aykens (2005) proposes a social theory of currency crises which he shows is able to account for the interwar gold standard crisis. In this paper we explain the elements of Aykens theory, propose a brief extension of it and demonstrate with respect to currency boards, specifically those of Bosnia-Herzogovina and of Argentina both how affective trust is achieved and also how it is destroyed.
A Study Of Passenger Perception And Sensitivity To Airport Backscatter X-Ray Technologies
Authors: Leo Jennifer G. , Lawler James P.
Published: March 2016

Because of September 11, security continues to be a concern in the airline business. Enhancing airport security is one of the highest considerations of the federal government, which is currently employing electromagnetic screening systems and metal detection portal technologies, in order to screen airline passengers for hazardous metallic objects. Improving security is considered critical in mitigating the perceived risk of terrorism and threat, though privacy sensitivity is frequently a consideration if not a concern of passengers. This study analyzes factors of public acceptability of airport backscatter screening systems, in a current survey of passengers in New York City and in Tel Aviv. The study furnishes findings that may benefit administrators in the federal government in the implementation of x-ray screening systems that are cognizant of not only the risk of terrorism but also of public sensitivity to intrusive technologies.
Freedom In Teaching Applied To Computer Science Education And Its Relationship To Accreditation And Diversity
Authors: Shata Osama
Published: March 2016

Much of the literature reviewed on the subject of freedom in teaching seems to emphasize that it is not only highly desirable and appreciated but deeply embedded in the core of the teaching profession. Although freedom in teaching has been used to mean freedom of academic institutions, instructors and students, but it has focused mostly on freedom of instructors in classrooms to discussmaterials relevant to their courses and in their research. The intention behind this paper is not to look for evidence to support what is already known, but rather to contribute to the understanding of the subject by extending what is meant by the term freedom in teaching to cover freedom of disciplines. This paper seeks to use this extension to propose that freedom in teaching can help addressing and responding to many challenges that face a rapidly changing discipline such as the discipline of Computer Science. The paper focuses on how freedom in teaching computer science at both program and course levels may play a pivot role in responding to some of the disciplines challenges. The paper also seeks to link freedom in teaching to issues such as diversity, accreditation and learning objects. The paper concludes by discussing the disadvantages and burdens that may come with freedom in teaching. Although that this paper focuses on the discipline of Computer Science as a case to study, but the arguments and discussion may be generalized to cover other disciplines that face similar challenges.
Knowledge Infrastructure, Service Sector, And Economic Growth In Africa
Authors: Okpala Amon O.
Published: March 2016

Economic theory and studies have theoretical and empirical evidence suggesting that countries which remain underdeveloped have consistently low levels of human capital, and a large agricultural sector. Of equal importance are the roles of the information technology and service sectors in improving economic growth and stability. This paper examined the extent to which non-industrial factors, such as information technology, knowledge infrastructure, and the service sectors activities helped contribute to the economy of African nations. The results from the analysis of 38 African nations indicate the information infrastructure for index public expenditures on education and personal computers per 1,000 capita contributed significantly to economic productivity.
Ethical Responsibilities: An Empirical Analysis Of The Ethical Codes Of The Top 100 Companies In The United Kingdom
Authors: Stanwick Sarah D. , Stanwick Peter A.
Published: March 2016

In response to ethical dilemmas faced by companies around the globe, companies are developing or refining their ethical codes. Many of these companies communicate these codes to their stakeholders through the companys corporate social responsibility (CSR) report. This paper examines the ethics codes of the top 100 companies (based on market capitalization) in the United Kingdom. A sample of CSR reports for these companies is examined to determine if the company includes its ethical code in the CSR report, if it reports its ethical code in a separate document, or if it does not disclose the code.
The Main Changes In Financial Behaviour Of Estonian Firms In Transition Economy
Authors: Lutsoja Kaja , Lutsoja Margus
Published: March 2016

This paper analyzes main changes in financial behaviour of Estonian companies in the period of economic transition in Estonia from 1994 to 2003. Empirical results of Estonian firms interview study, undertaken annually during 1994-2003, are presented in the paper. We have used other sources in preparation of this paper, which are derived from publicly disclosed statistics of financial institutions and firms. The analyze concentrates on payment habits and terms, as well as on informal borrowing and lending. There exists strong tendency of stabilizing official and habitual payment terms and decrease in informal lending and borrowing. If the informal borrowing was mentioned as an important source of financing in the questionnaires of mid-1990, it has become insignificant in last questionnaires. At the same time the payment habits have became stable and payment terms have slightly decreased.
The Endogeneity Of Association Agreements And Their Impact On Trade For Eastern Countries: Empirical Evidence For Romania
Authors: Rault Christophe , Sova Ana Maria , Sova Robert
Published: March 2016

The main goal of regionalization is the creation of free trade areas and the guarantee for countries to accede to a widened market. Many studies dealing with the effects of regional free trade agreements on trade flows already exist in economic literature and the increase of regional agreements among nations has recently stressed the key role of regionalization. However, the effects of agreements on trade have not yet been clearly determined in those studies. Our research in this paper aims at reassessing the genuine role of associations. For this matter, we particularly study the association of Romania with European Union countries. Our econometric analysis based on qualitative choice models highlights in particular why European countries chose to conclude an association agreement with Romania, and stresses the fact that European Union countries select endogenously the conclusion of association agreements. We also find a 29% positive impact of the association agreement on Romanian export performances.
Lessons Learned From Comparing Survival Behaviors Of Very Old Japanese And American Companies
Authors: TenHaken Vicki
Published: March 2016

This study compares small and medium-sized U.S. and Japanese companies that have been in business for at least 100 years, looking for common characteristics that enabled them to overcome environmental changes and economic challenges in order to prosper for an unusually long period of time. Working with the premise that a fundamental objective of the corporation is to survive, this work is an attempt to identify common behaviors or strategies among the long-lived companies in different cultures that may be worth emulating.
Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Under The Kyoto Protocol: The South African Example
Authors: Luiz John , Muller Eugene
Published: March 2016

Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and its contribution to global warming has become an increasing concern to the international community. Although launched in 1997, the Kyoto Protocol only came into force in February 2005, with the goal to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions globally. This resulted in the establishment of a Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) which involves emissions in developing countries such as South Africa, giving them an opportunity to benefit financially when reducing GHG emissions voluntarily. The qualitative research approach used in this study gain inputs from experts in the CDM process in the South African environment so as to examine factors impacting on the viability of these projects. With the current outlook, this study suggests that there is a relatively high likelihood that the CDM would have the desired effect of reducing GHG emissions from existing South African industry and other developing countries given the incentive to do so.
Protectivity Versus Productivity And Economic Growth: Empirical Evidence From Selected Countries
Authors: Shahrestani Hamid , Anaraki Nahid Kalbasi
Published: March 2016

This paper tries to cast light on the effects of terrorism on some macroeconomic variables at the international level. Using the Generalized Method of Moment (GMM) we investigate the effects of terrorism on such variables as GDP growth, foreign direct investment (FDI) and total factor productivity (TFP) with cross section data of 2005 for a sample of both developed and developing countries. The results suggest that terrorism has adversely and significantly affected economic growth, FDI and TFP around the world. In line with Abadie and Gardeazabal (2007) we find that once the effects of other country-specific characteristics such as country risk, good governance, and restrictions on FDI are taken into account these results are still robust.
Connections And Connectivity And In China; Guanxi And The Explosion Of Instant Messaging - The Marriage Of Relational Diads, Group Membership, And Web Based Communications
Authors: Banfe Peter L.
Published: March 2016

This research explores the reasons behind the phenomenal growth in the use of instant messaging (IM) in China. The paper proposes that one explanation might lie in the high collectivism, high context communication and the cultural practice of guanxi in China. On the one hand, current cross cultural research related to China on mobile telephony seems to provide a strong basis for this contention. On the other hand, the discussion within the literature examining IM within Chinese society appears to be much less robust. However, one could argue that IM provides a unique vehicle for communication within guanxiwang which deserves consideration, especially considering its huge popularity in China. A cursory examination of initial evidence suggests that instant messaging provides the possibility of high context communication and efficient information gathering which facilitates relationship building and maintenance within the relational dyads as well as group characteristics of a guanxiwang. One could argue that instant messaging is perfectly suited to the communication needs of these particularistic and personal hyper-social networks in China.
Comparison, Validation And Implications Of Learning Style Theories In Higher Education In Slovenia: An Experiential And Theoretical Case
Authors: Penger Sandra , Tekavcic Metka , Dimovski Vlado
Published: March 2016

The learning styles literature is having a revival during last years. Researchers have pointed out that students learn effectively in a harmonic environment and by using teaching aids which match the students learning style preferences (Li et al., 2008). Although learning styles have been heavily researched (Coffield et al., 2004; Reynold & Vince, 2007; Welsh et al., 2007; Hornyak et al., 2007; Herbert & Stenfors, 2007; Sievers, 2007; Hyde, 2007; Kayes A.B., 2007; Kayes D. C., 2007; Garcia et al., 2007; Demirbas & Demirkan, 2007; Armstrong & Mahmud, 2008; Li et al., 2008), little is known about Slovenian students learning styles, especially in the field of management education. The aim of this study is to present, compare, validate and explore the learning styles of students enrolled in the course Economics of education at the University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Economics (FELU) in Slovenia. Another purpose is to better understand the different learning styles among management students in order to develop appropriate teaching and pedagogical strategies for improving management education at FELU. Additionally, the intention of this research is to develop a valid and reliable research questionnaire for further research processes and to set up research instruments as supportive mechanisms in management education and in the development curriculums and syllabuses of new courses. This study method included both a descriptive and an exploratory perspective. In the first part of the study the qualitative meta-analysis method was used to overview the literature background of the study. In the empirical part of the study the factor analysis using the Principle Axes Factoring method was used to extract learning styles. The adapted versions of Honey and Mumfords (1992) Learning Style Questionnaire (LSQ) and Dunn & Dunns (2003) VAK Learning Style Theory (Coffield et al., 2004) were used as instruments in the questionnaire to determine Slovenian students learning styles. For the educators in higher education institution, the challenge is to provide meta-cognitive support for students, enabling them to reflect not just on what they learn but also how and why.
Post 2008 Olympics: Has The Spotlight Left China And Beijing For Good Or Will There Be A Continuing Impact On Tourism And The Economy As A Result?
Authors: Premo Kathleen M.
Published: March 2016

The enormous investment by China in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing has paid dividends in terms of lavish world attention that was directed at Beijing and China during the summer of 2008. It has been scarcely three decades since Chinas economy was opened to the point where China is on the threshold of becoming the worlds third-largest economy. Travel and tourism can certainly continue to positively impact the economy of this country. As for tourists, China has much to offer and is quickly catching up with the rest of the world; cities such as Beijing and Shanghi in the eastern part of the country call attention to the success of the governments economic development in that area. Rapid development of infrastructure in those cities is on par or has rivaled development in many other large metropolitan cities located throughout the world. Yet much of the western part of the country still provides unparalleled access to exotic cultures, beautiful landscapes, and tranquil scenery. Increasing numbers of tourists from the rest of the world seem anxious to experience China, before it changes. The world has been witness to rapid economic growth and the Chinese government is focusing on making tourism an important developmental strategy. This paper will attempt to identify the problems relating to Chinas emergence from its mainly agricultural society to the point where it is today and will consider the boost in interest that was created as a result of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
The Role Of Euros In Eurozone Regionalism And World Globalization
Authors: Gorjidooz Javad
Published: March 2016

The success of Eurozone regionalism is primarily based on the establishment of regional monetary cooperation that resulted in creation of the Euro. In addition, the development of regional strategies for increasing competitiveness of the region and the establishment of structural funds for assisting economic restructuring, solving the social problems, and reducing the differences in the social economic structure of the member countries helped Eurozone integrates fully with the global economy. Just as the Euro has successfully helped the processes of regionalism (globalization on a smaller scale) in Eurozone, a global currency would be necessary counterpart to the further globalization of world economies. As regional monetary cooperation was required in Eurozone for success of the Euro, a global monetary cooperation is needed for creation and success of a global currency. This paper explores the success of the Euro in Eurozone regionalism, the formation of a global monetary cooperation, development of a framework for currency fluctuations among main currencies (dollar, euro, and yen), and ultimately creation of global currency.
International Strategic Alliances: Identifying Objective Performance Measures
Authors: Adams Russell P. , Downey Clara
Published: March 2016

With the acceleration of globalization, International Strategic Alliances (ISA) are increasingly playing a critical role in a firms strategic arsenal. Despite its importance, measuring an ISAs success is difficult due to the reticence of failing partnerships to announce these issues. This paper presents an analysis of 29 alliances from 18 countries and 5 industries. The success or failure of these alliances was analyzed utilizing ROA, ROE, ROI, and operating margin as the variables of performance measurement. Discriminant Analysis demonstrates that operating margin correctly classifies the success of an alliance 70% of the time.
Purchasing And Supply Chain Management Practices In Greek Small And Medium Sized Business Enterprises (SMES)
Authors: Hubbard Katharine A. Bohley , Adams Jeffery H. , Whitten Deborah D.
Published: March 2016

This paper presents information concerning the purchasing and supply management practices of Greek small and medium sized business enterprises (SMEs). Findings from site visits to SMEs located in the metropolitan Athens area are presented. The results from this study are compared and contrasted with the existing academic and practitioner literature. Unique aspects of Greek SME organizations are identified and discussed.
Understanding The Brain-Drain From The Capital District Of New York State
Authors: Polimeni John M. , Iorgulescu Raluca
Published: March 2016

The Capital District Region of New York State, home to twenty-five colleges and universities with a combined 14,000 students per year is attempting to leverage this educational resource to transform its economy away from its traditional government services, industrial, and manufacturing base towards high-technology. Millions of dollars have been invested to develop the infrastructure necessary to have economic growth fueled by high-technology. However, many of these highly skilled college graduates leave the area. This exodus, or brain drain, is a major concern for regional economic developers and policy-makers because the social and economic vitality of a region is at risk. For the high-tech industry to be successful in any region there must be complementary support industries and services. Therefore, the retention of college graduates in various fields, not just those in technology disciplines, of study is vital for regional economic development. Due to the considerable threat that the brain drain poses for a region in terms of social and economic vitality, one must have a complete understanding of the problem before attempting to correct it. This study will answer the following questions: (1) How big is brain drain from the region; (2) What are the characteristics of the graduates who leave the region; (3) What are the differences between the graduates that stay in the region and those that leave; and (4) What factors can be changed to increase the probability of retaining graduates?
A Comparative Analysis Between The Balanced Scorecard And The French Tableau de Bord
Authors: Souissi Mohsen
Published: March 2016

Concern over the development of new performance measurement systems that that are in line of a complex business environment has increased. Problems with relying solely on financial measures have proven counterproductive. Recently, interest over non-financial measures has dramatically increased. Non-financial measures, however, are not problem-free. The issues are to translate improvements in these non-financial indicators into improvement in the bottom line. To overcome these problems, Kaplan and Norton have developed a new system called the Balanced Scorecard (BSC). Some French scholars argue that the BSC is a mere reproduction of the French Tableau de Bord (TDB) developed in the 1950s by French engineers. This paper seeks to draw a comparison between the BSC and The TDB.
The Use Of Altman Equation For Bankruptcy Prediction In An Industrial Firm (Case Study)
Authors: Al- Rawi Khalid , Kiani Raj , Vedd Rishma R
Published: March 2016

Financial analysis provides the basis for understanding and evaluating the results of business operations and explaining how well a business is doing. In addition, the financial statement analysis can help creditors, investors, and managers answer the following questions: Can the company pay the interest and principal on its debt? Does the company reply too much on non-owner financing? Does the company earn an acceptable return on invested capital? Is the gross profit margin growing or shrinking? Does the company effectively use non-owner financing? Are costs under control? Is the companys market growing or shrinking? Do observed changes reflect opportunities or threats? Is the allocation of investment across different assets too high or too low? Furthermore, financial statement analysis reduces our reliance on hunches, guesses, and intuition. Above all, it reduces risk and/or uncertainty in decision making. Therefore, to reduce risk, uncertainty, and avoid bankruptcy one must appreciate the usefulness of financial statement analysis by using some tools and techniques to evaluate and project the future performance of the firm within a given industry.The researchers used the Altman z-score analysis to predict a firms insolvency. The study results for the period 2002-2004 indicated the weaknesses of Jordan Establishment for Marketing Durable goods. The z-score from the analysis (for the given period) was less than 1.81 (z-score <1.81).Evidence suggests that the firm has increased its debt and will be facing bankruptcy in the near future. In liquidity ratios, the percentage of the working capital is less than 1, indicating an increase in liabilities over assets. Leverage ratios increased from 41.7% to 56.7%, while inventory turnover decreased by 1.2 times through the given period. Net profit to total sales reduced from (1.3) to (1.8) for the same period. Also, the assets return percentage declined from (-9.29%) to (-10.3%), while the stock book value declined from (0.95) JD to (0.67) JD through the given period. The main features provide a gloomy picture and indicate inefficiencies within the firm.
A Study Of Ethical Work Climates Between Filipino And Taiwanese Accountants
Authors: Chuang Chiulien , Gallano Catherine M.
Published: March 2016

The purpose of this study is to find if there is a significant difference between the Filipino and Taiwanese accountants on the perceived work climate value. The 36-item revised version of Ethical Climate Questionnaire, developed by Bart Victor, John B. Cullen, (1987, 1988), and James W. Bronson (1993), was used as the instrument in investigating the ethical perceptions of the accountants. Factor analysis results extracted seven dimensions and all of them were originally identified from the based theory of Ethical Work Climate of Cullen, Victor, & Bronson (1993). These are Rules/Codes, Caring, Self-Interest, Social Responsibility, Efficiency, Instrumentalism, and Personal Morality. Results showed that Rules/Codes, Efficiency, and Instrumentalism dimensions have no significant difference between Filipinos and Taiwanese. The analysis indicated that caring, self-interest, social responsibility, and personal morality dimensions showed significant difference between Filipinos and Taiwanese accountants.
An Assessment Of The Stock Market And Exchange Rate Dynamics In Industrialized And Emerging Markets
Authors: Beer F. , Hebein F.
Published: March 2016

This paper adopts an Exponentional General Autoregressive Conditional Heteroskedasticity (EGARCH) framework to explore the relationship between stock prices and exchange rates for two groups of countries: emerging and developed economies. Results show that some positive significant price spillovers from the foreign exchange market to the stock market exist for Canada, Japan, the U.S and India. Findings also show for the developed countries, there is no persistence of volatility in the stock markets and the exchange rate markets. For the emerging economies, findings point to the opposite: volatility is pronounce and enduring.
The Relationship Between Distinctive Capabilities, Innovativeness, Strategy Types And The Performance Of Small And Medium-Size Enterprises (SMEs) Of Malaysian Manufacturing Sector
Authors: Man Mandy Mok Kim
Published: March 2016

This study was conducted to investigate the relationship between distinctive capabilities, innovativeness, strategy types and the performance of SMEs in the Malaysian manufacturing sectors. The conceptual framework is developed based on the distinctive capabilities, innovativeness, strategy types and the performance. This study is based on a sample survey consisting of 121 SMEs in the manufacturing sector. Using structured questionnaires, the data were collected by mail as well as interviews with owner-managers of the SMEs. The findings indicate that there is no significant relationships between distinctive capabilities, innovativeness and the strategy types on the performance of SMEs.
Doing Business In Australia: Illustration Of A Class Exercise
Authors: Neidermeyer Presha E. , Lacasse Andrew
Published: March 2016

In this paper, the authors will discuss the current regulations and culture of Australia as an educational tool for an ex-patriot hoping either to locate a business there or obtain more insight into doing business in the country.
Acts Of Terrorism And Their Impacts On Stock Index Returns And Volatility: The Cases Of The Karachi And Tehran Stock Exchanges
Authors: Nguyen Anh Phuong , Enomoto Carl E.
Published: March 2016

Terrorist attacks throughout the world have disrupted the flow of financial capital between nations and affected incomes, company profits and stock prices. This paper uses a GARCH(1,1) model to determine how these attacks have affected two specific stock markets: one in Pakistan and the other in Iran. It was found that significant, but different, stock index return shifts and changes in volatility occurred in the two markets. These effects on stock returns have important implications for the economies involved and provide information about investor reaction to terrorism.
Information-System Investment: An IS-Commons Market-Failure
Authors: Wright Christopher , Dawood Isaam
Published: March 2016

While investment in Information Systems (IS) is an area of vital strategic concern to most organizations, there is little understanding of how to measure real returns of IS to business. This measurement problem has persisted from the 1990s to the present -- where managers are under increasing pressure to adopt new technology or face being left behind. In the current competitive climate, senior managers seek practical techniques to manage their current IS investments and to help them to decide where best to allocate uncommitted company resources. The model in this paper should help firms understand and respond to the process behind the persistent underperformance of IS investments. Specifically, the responses of other market participants must be factored into estimates of IS-investment returns -- cooperation and coordination may yield higher long-term returns for all.