bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The emerging transnational “retirement industry” in Southeast Asia
Authors: Toyota Mika , Xiang Biao 
Published: October 2012

PurposeThis article aims to explain how a transnational “retirement industry” in Southeast Asia has emerged recently as a result of interplays between various national and transnational forces, particularly in the domain of elderly care. “Retirement industry” refers to business operations related to the relocation of foreign retirees, primarily Japanese pensioners, who seek affordable social care and alternative retirement life.Design/methodology/approachThis paper is based on extensive documentary studies and multi‐sited ethnographic research from 2004 to date. In‐depth interviews with retirees and relevant agencies were carried out in Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines and Indonesia.FindingsThis article delineates how demographic and economic changes in Japan create demand for the transnational retirement industry, and how Southeast Asian countries actively promote the industry as a national development strategy. As such the boundaries between nation‐state and between the market and the state are simultaneously crossed. The industry opens new transnational routes and spaces and thus further complicates the transnationalization of elderly care in Asia.Originality/valueCurrent research on social welfare remains dominated by methodological nationalism, and this article calls attention to the transnational dimension in understanding recent changes in social care. By engaging the predominant paradigm of “care diamond”, the article shows that how boundaries shift between various care providers within nation states is inextricably related to how borders are crossed between nation states.
Bank profitability and inflation: the case of China
Authors: Tan Yong , Floros Christos 
Published: October 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to evaluate the determinants of bank profitability in China. It examines the effects of inflation on bank profitability, while controlling for comprehensive bank‐specific and industry‐specific variables.Design/methodology/approachThe sample comprises a total of 101 banks (five state‐owned banks, 12 joint‐stock commercial banks and 84 city commercial banks). The period under consideration extends from 2003‐2009. The two step generalized methods of moments (GMM) estimators are applied.FindingsEmpirical results exhibit that there is a positive relationship between bank profitability, cost efficiency, banking sector development, stock market development and inflation in China. The authors report that low profitability can be explained by higher volume of non‐traditional activity and higher taxation. Moreover, the authors confirm that there is a competitive environment in the Chinese banking industry. Furthermore, the authors propose policy actions that should be taken to improve bank profitability in China.Research limitations/implicationsFurther research can be conducted by investigating the profitability of numerous branches of all national banks and its determinants.Practical implicationsThe findings of the current study have considerable policy relevance. First, Chinese banks should emphasize the improvement of labour management and training skills, the purpose of which is to increase their productivity and boost the profitability. Furthermore, the government should gradually continue to open the banking and stock market, as the development of the financial sector is helpful in increasing the banks' profitability in China.Originality/valueParticular emphasis will be placed on the investigation into the effect of inflation on bank profitability while controlling for most comprehensive internal and external factors.
Exchange rate effects on trade in services
Authors: Pattichis Charalambos 
Published: October 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to use disaggregated data on US‐UK trade to investigate the effects of exchange rate depreciation on trade in services both in the short‐ and long‐run.Design/methodology/approachThe paper focuses on the three traditional categories of internationally traded services – travel, passenger fares and other transportation services – and employs the “bounds” testing procedure advanced by Pesaran, Shin and Smith to investigate the J‐curve effect.FindingsThe results reveal that the real exchange rate has a statistically significant effect on trade in services in at least one of the time periods. The results also provide some support for the J‐curve effect.Practical implicationsEmpirical evidence on the J‐curve provides policymakers with valuable information about the effects of currency depreciation on the trade balance.Originality/valueTo the best of the author's knowledge this is the first paper to investigate the J‐curve effect using data on trade in services.
IPO characteristics of index firms
Authors: Colak Gonul 
Published: October 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the initial public offerings (IPOs) of the firms that are eventually included in one of the S&P 400, the S&P 500, or the S&P 600 Indices. Do these firms have very different IPO features than the rest of the IPOs?Design/methodology/approachThe control sample is formed of IPOs that are not included in the corresponding index, and the IPOs that end up in each S&P index are compared to this control sample. Logistic regressions are utilized to estimate the odds of inclusion into one of these indices.FindingsThe author finds that the IPO features, such as underpricing, offer price, underwriter's reputation, venture capital presence, and so on, are found to be substantially different for the index samples. The index firms are found to be “superstars” that deliver extremely high long‐run returns between their IPO date and their index inclusion date. The above results suggest that the quality of index firms has a persistent component to it that can be detected even during the IPO process. After estimating the determinants of the index inclusion, the author discovers that factors implying lower asymmetric information about firm's business (such as, the firm being a spinoff, or being certified by a venture capitalist or a prestigious underwriter, etc.) increase its odds of inclusion.Originality/valueThe paper proposes and tests two new hypotheses related to inclusion into an S&P index. Discoveries made in this paper can help someone recognize which IPOs could become “superstars” that end up in an S&P index.
The operating leverage impact on systematic risk within a context of choice
Authors: Houmes Robert E. , MacArthur John B. , Stranahan Harriet 
Published: October 2012

PurposeStrategic cost structure choices determine how firms divide operating costs between fixed and variable components, and therefore have important implications for financial performance. The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of operating leverage on equity Betas when managers have discretion over firms' cost structures.Design/methodology/approachUsing panel data for publicly listed trucking firms over years 1994‐2006, market model Betas are regressed on controls and alternatively measured proxies for operating leverage: degree of operating leverage, assets in place and percentage of company employed drivers.FindingsResults of this study generally show positively significant coefficients on all three operating leverage variables.Originality/valueOperating characteristics of many industries require that firms make substantial investments in long‐lived assets that result in high fixed costs (e.g. depreciation), and for these firms cost structure is exogenously or technologically constrained leaving managers with little discretion. In contrast to these types of firms, the authors examine the effect of operating leverage (OL) on Betas when managers have discretion over firms' cost structures. Trucking firms are a particularly interesting industry group for analyzing the impact of operating OL choices on Beta because distinct strategic cost structure choices are available to the management of trucking firms that result in various degrees of OL throughout the industry.
Regulation of supervision on financial markets
Authors: Costantino Fulvio 
Published: October 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to consider financial services sector macro‐prudential and micro‐prudential supervisory reforms in the European Union (EU). It aims to critically examine the new system, reviewing in particular the adequacy of the reform to address financial crises.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is based on a qualitative analysis of the relevant academic and trade literature.FindingsIn considering the new EU supervisory system's constitutional and legal foundation and its organizational structure, the study highlights the revamped and complex architecture's strengths and limitations.Originality/valueThe paper makes a contribution to the understanding of the new financial services sector supervisory system in the EU; few studies have analyzed its constitutional legality and satisfactoriness for the prevention of new crises.
Outpatient satisfaction and quality of health care in North Indian medical institute
Authors: Puri Neelu , Gupta Anil , Aggarwal Arun K. , Kaushal Vipin 
Published: October 2012

PurposeOutpatient departments (OPDs) need to monitor the quality of care and patient satisfaction for continuous quality improvement. Additionally, there is a need for an increase in focused literature on patient satisfaction and quality of health care at a tertiary care level. The purpose of this paper is to attempt to fulfil this need.Design/methodology/approachA cross‐sectional hospital‐based study among OPD patients was undertaken, where investigators conducted interviews with 120 patients at entry (registration), 120 patients at the OPD clinic (60 doctor‐patient interactions and 60 exit interviews), and a further 120 patients at investigation facilities. Patient satisfaction, client convenience facilities, prescription quality, doctor‐patient interaction and other quality elements as described in the study were given score of 0 or 1.FindingsAt exit, 52 (86.6 percent) patients were satisfied with the OPD care. The mean total quality score was 80.9 percent of the total scores. It was above 90 percent of the total score for patient convenience facilities and for doctor‐patient interaction, 76 percent for the prescription quality of the doctors and 43.3 percent for signage display. The mean score for patient‐doctor interaction was found to be significantly lower (3.6/5) among dissatisfied patients compared to the satisfied patients (4.7/5). Satisfied patients reported a significantly higher consultation time (12.4 minutes) with a doctor compared to dissatisfied patients (8.5 minutes) (p=0.04).Research limitations/implicationsNot using a Likert scale to measure patient satisfaction could be considered a limitation. However, the authors also arrived at similar conclusions with their tools as with the use of Likert scales in other studies. Furthermore, findings are limited to medicine and surgery general OPDs in a tertiary care setting. Any interpretation beyond this frame may be done with caution.Practical implicationsHospitals should encourage good patient‐doctor interaction as it has emerged as the key factor associated with patient satisfaction.Social implicationsQuality improvements in public sector health institutes can lead to better utilization of health care by the poor and compromised sections of society and can lead to a reduction in the inequity associated with health care.Originality/valueThis paper fulfils the need to evaluate quality of hospital care in public sector hospitals at the tertiary care level. The methods and tools used are simple and extensive enough to capture information at multiple service points.
Simultaneous development of guidelines and quality indicators – how do guideline groups act?
Authors: Blozik Eva , Nothacker Monika , Bunk Thomas , Szecsenyi Joachim , Ollenschläger Günter , Scherer Martin 
Published: October 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the question of how official bodies, health care organisations, and professional associations deal with the absence of a methodological gold standard for the simultaneous development of clinical practice guidelines and quality indicators, what procedures they use and what they feel are major strengths and limitations of their methods.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conducted a web‐based survey among 90 organisational members of the Guidelines International Network (G‐I‐N) representing 34 countries from Africa, America, Asia, Europe and Oceania. All organisational G‐I‐N members were invited to participate in the survey by following a link provided in the invitation e‐mail.FindingsThe responses of 24 organisations were included in the final analysis. The results indicate a broad variability in the approaches and methods used to develop quality indicators and guidelines simultaneously. The answers of the participants indicated a lack of formal procedures for the simultaneous development. Formal procedures exist in only about half of the participating organisations. In addition, piloting or evaluation of the procedures is almost completely missing. Significantly, respondents mainly reported that the procedure used in their organisation “could certainly be more rigorous”. Besides various strengths, participants reported a considerable number of limitations of the development processes they use.Originality/valueThis survey among G‐I‐N members – despite limitations – gives helpful insights in the state of the simultaneous development of quality indicators and clinical practice guidelines and underlines the need for future activities in methodological standard development and quality improvement of these processes.
A sustainable tourism planning model: components and relationships
Authors: Padin Carmen 
Published: October 2012

PurposeThe purpose of the paper is to describe the concept of sustainable tourism planning, establishing the theoretical foundations, the components that make up the model, and the relationships that ensure the sustainability of a tourist destination.Design/methodology/approachTourism planning is based on the principles of sustainability and is defined by three dimensions: environmental, economic and cultural tourism development.FindingsThe goal of comprehensive tourism planning is to achieve economic growth and efficiency, ensuring efficiency and social equity by solving the basic needs of the population and on the basis of stable and continuous environmental systems.Research limitations/implicationsThe limitation of this paper is the need to validate the dynamic elements raised and test the robustness of the model in an application.Practical implicationsFinding the right balance between these three dimensions is necessary to ensure comprehensive long‐term sustainability, while finding ample references of theoretical and conceptual frameworks of sustainability are based on the triple bottom line, as referred to later in this paper.Originality/valueThe contribution of this paper is to propose, within the model itself, the mechanisms of connection between the three dimensions and the relationships among them, emphasizing the importance of the “stakeholders” in the process.
An assessment of the early stages of a sustainable business model in the Canadian fast food industry
Authors: Hutchinson David , Singh Jang , Walker Kent 
Published: October 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to describe a Canadian corporation's implementation and application of a sustainable business operation and model. It is based upon a case study of an International Canadian coffee and donut chain: Tim Hortons.Design/methodology/approachData were collected through: extensive publications of corporate documents, observations of actual operations at retail sites and social media sites.FindingsThe paper finds that Tim Hortons has clearly made progress toward greater sustainability. However, its program often lacks specificity, particularly in terms of greenhouse gas emissions. Within a visibly and highly polluting industry Tim Hortons sustainability program is a step in the right direction but there are areas in need of improvement.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings of this study paradoxically suggest that it is difficult for a company in the fast food industry to truly become sustainable given certain characteristics of the industry (disposal food and beverage containers, and drive‐thrus for example), yet sustainability is also imperative to business success and competitiveness.Practical implicationsThrough a detailed examination of Tim Hortons' sustainable business approach the authors delineate a number of areas where the company can improve its sustainability. The paper also discusses areas of difficulty (e.g. drive‐thrus) and areas in need of improvement (e.g. a detailed description of the sources of the company's greenhouse‐gas emissions).Social implicationsTim Hortons' sustainability program was only recently launched, and although the motivations behind the program are not discussed, it was not developed in response to any government subsidies or legislation.Originality/valueThe main contributions are as follows. First, the authors methodically analyze the sustainable business approach of a Canadian fast‐food company including but not limited to its value‐added process, driving forces, and purchasing policies. This provides a beginning for others who wish to implement sustainability into an industry not known for its environmental responsibility. Second, the authors suggest ways that Tim Hortons could improve its sustainable business approach. Third, the authors provide a case study of how an iconic Canadian company with revenues over $2.5 billion and nearly 4,000 stores across the globe has begun to implement sustainability into its core strategic approach.
Business sustainability and E‐footprints on Earth's life and ecosystems: generic models
Authors: Svensson Göran , Wagner Beverly 
Published: October 2012

PurposeCompanies and their business networks impact on Earth's life and ecosystems must be seriously addressed and minimized. The purpose of this paper therefore proposes and describes a generic model as well as a network model of business sustainability.Design/methodology/approach“Business sustainability” is defined as a company's or an organization's efforts to manage its impact on Earth's life‐ and eco‐systems and its whole business network. The work concentrates on one research question, namely: how can business sustainability and E‐footprints be conceptualised?FindingsThe model introduced emphasises not only the importance of business networks adopting an E‐footprint and an Earth‐to‐Earth (EE) cradle‐to‐cradle approach, but also a transformative Earth (E) footprint‐model derived and inspired from a causal framework in complexity sciences.Research limitations/implicationsResearch is rare that simultaneously focuses on EE‐approaches, E‐footprint stakeholders and zero‐sum cycles. The authors have striven to address this gap by introducing a business sustainability model in an EE‐approach and with an interconnecting transformative E‐footprint‐model.Practical implicationsIt is crucial to embed appropriate routines and processes within the company in the first instance with the aim of business sustainability. This may cause a ripple effect in the company's business network as raw material producers, value‐adding suppliers and customers become drawn into make appropriate strategic, tactical and operative adaptations in their own business dealings. This stresses the importance of E‐footprint stakeholders fostering networks of both interdependent and collaborative corporate efforts aimed at business sustainability.Originality/valueThe main contribution should be a business sustainability model of life and ecosystems from an EE‐approach with a transformative E‐footprint.model. Each company within a business network must endeavour to minimise its E‐footprint through its zero‐sum cycles. These should be seen as interdependent and interconnected thereby contributing to the total E‐footprint of the business network.
Social networks and customer involvement in new service development (NSD)
Authors: Sigala Marianna 
Published: October 2012

PurposeThe study aims to use netnography to investigate the role of customers' contributions in social networks for NSD purposes.Design/methodology/approachThe study adopted an exploratory case study methodology to conduct a content analysis of customers' contributions in a social network, namely www.mystarbucksidea.com. Netnography was used for data analysis and interpretation.FindingsThe findings reveal that online customers' interactions and dialogues enable customers to share and understand the context of using services, which in turn triggers emotions and cognition that help customers to generate and further enhance ideas for new services. Thus, the variety of customers and the sharing of their diverse roles have a positive influence on enabling participants of online social networks to generate new service ideas.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings are applicable to the study's context, but future research should try to triangulate and enhance them by conducting studies in other contexts. The findings also provide ideas on how to further investigate the observational learning processes and behavioural impacts taking place amongst customers' interactions within online social networks.Practical implicationsThe findings provide several implications showing firms why and how to nurture, develop and moderate online customer interactions to enhance the effectiveness of their NSD processes.Originality/valueThe paper examines the role and the management of customers' contributions in social networks for NSD purposes. The topic has received only limited attention in traditional and online settings. Several suggestions for further research are also provided.
Emotional intelligence and emotional labor acting strategies among frontline hotel employees
Authors: Kim Taegoo (Terry) , Jung‐Eun Yoo Joanne , Lee Gyehee , Kim Joungman 
Published: October 2012

PurposeThe study aimed to test the antecedents and consequences of emotional labor (EL) acting strategies in the hotel industry. More specifically, the purpose of this study was to examine the impacts of emotional intelligence (EI) on the relationships among EL acting strategies, emotional exhaustion (EE) and service recovery performance (SRP).Design/methodology/approachThe survey was administered in five‐star hotels in Korea. Frontline employees of the hotels participated in the survey and a total of 353 returned questionnaires were used for data analysis.FindingsThe research confirmed the importance of EI in the context of EL. The paper provided empirical evidence that EI affected the EL acting strategies and their consequential behavioral outcomes.Practical implicationsThe study suggests that hospitality managers must find ways to elevate employees' EI level. Performance management processes should incorporate identification and positive reinforcement of EL acting strategies that enhance SRP and customer satisfaction.Originality/valueThis study explored the under‐researched subject of EL and its role within a hospitality industry context. The study is among the first to examine EI as an emotional resource, EL acting strategies, EE and SRP as a form of job‐related performance simultaneously.