bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Leading digital economies: a best practice approach to converged regulation
Authors: Burdon Steve , Webb William , Courtney Nigel 
Published: May 2010

PurposeOver the past decade telecommunications media and technology (TMT) has driven a new era that has evolved into the digital age. There is a growing consensus in developed countries that TMT is the most important driver of economic and social development for a society. Its genesis began in the USA and its cultural preference for market‐based development set the framework for national policy and development. Recently the formation of convergence regulators amongst many of the leading nations has begun another episode. This article aims to explore and build upon a research study of the senior executives of six of the leading convergence regulators in Asia and Europe. The article aims to analyse by way of a numeric comparison expert views of the key convergence issues three and five years out.Design/methodology/approachA generic conceptual model was constructed of the foundation, social and economic dividend issues. By examining the relative progress of nations developments of these issues and their different approaches, new insights are developed into different regulatory approaches.FindingsThe concept of proactive regulation with competition (PRC) would appear to have benefits for a number of these nations. It is hoped that these research outcomes and hypotheses will generate further research and analysis amongst the world's leading regulators in order to work through the best regulatory approaches for the current challenges.Originality/valueThe paper presents original research regarding regulatory challenges.
What lies beyond the second Roaming Regulation?
Authors: Sutherland Ewan 
Published: May 2010

PurposeThe purpose of the paper is to review the progress made with the EU Roaming Regulation and to identify policy options from the review that the EC must now undertake.Design/methodology/approachThe paper presents a review of the development of the two regulations, of the market developments in the EU and beyond, and an identification of the policy and regulatory options.FindingsThe new Commission is constrained by the decision not to use a competition law approach and the lack of a robust market definition, and thus a further period of price controls seems unavoidable.Research limitations/implicationsKey documents and data are not available, making analysis of certain constraints and revenue flows between operators impossible to evaluate.Practical implicationsThe EC will have to craft a new set of price controls and develop a pathway towards the use of the directives to regulate roaming charges.Originality/valueThe paper is a first attempt to identify options and constraints for the future regulation of international mobile roaming charges.
VoIP network architectures and impacts on costing
Authors: Rendon Schneir Juan , Plückebaum Thomas 
Published: May 2010

PurposeThis paper aims to describe the effect of VoIP network architectures on the cost modelling of termination rates of VoIP services.Design/methodology/approachThe study investigates and organises the arguments available in the technical and regulatory field related to VoIP networks and services in order to ascertain the possible impact of VoIP techniques, the provisioning of voice features in VoIP networks, and network interconnection issues on the cost of regulated VoIP services.FindingsThe information and analysis reveals how the provision of VoIP services is related to a number of issues that will have an effect on the cost of VoIP termination rates. In particular, the study analyses the impact on a cost model of the components of a VoIP network architecture, the usage factor of network elements, and the traffic volume generated by VoIP applications.Research limitations/implicationsThe issues described in the article can be used in elaborating a cost model for termination rates in VoIP networks. For the present study, no cost model was built, and therefore no quantitative estimations were made of the specific impact of every cost parameter on the termination rates.Practical implicationsThe findings of this study can be used by policy makers, voice operators, and researchers.Originality/valueMost studies of VoIP that are available in the literature address, on the one hand, the costs of corporate VoIP networks and, on the other, the regulation of VoIP services. This article, however, presents a comprehensive study of the most relevant features of VoIP network architectures that should be considered when determining regulated termination rates.
Identification of the profiles of women who take holiday decisions
Authors: José Barlés‐Arizón Ma , Fraj‐Andrés Elena , Matute‐Vallejo Jorge 
Published: May 2010

PurposeThis study aims to identify typologies of women who take holiday decisions within the couple, characterizing their profile through their lifestyles and some socio‐demographic variables.Design/methodology/approachThe information was obtained through a survey addressed to Spanish women who were married or lived with their partner. Data were used to perform two types of analyses: scales validation and cluster analysis.FindingsThree different groups have been found depending on the importance the women give to pre‐ and during‐holiday decisions. These groups present specific socio‐demographic characteristics, interests and opinions. However, findings reveal the need for further research into women's lifestyles as an explanatory variable.Research limitations/implicationsThis information will contribute not only to the academic knowledge, but will also help tourist managers to create competitive offers. It will also allow managers to implement more efficient promotional campaigns with the aim of attracting female tourists.Originality/valueA classification of women, based on their holiday decisions, their lifestyles (activities, interest and opinions, AIO scale) and on some socio‐demographic variables (age, time living with the partner, children, occupation, level of studies, personal and family income, etc.), is provided in order to characterise them.
Infrastructure repercussions of mega sports events: the relevance of demarcation procedures for impact calculations, evaluated using the case of UEFA Euro 2008
Authors: Müller Hansruedi , Moesch Christian 
Published: May 2010

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to develop procedures that make it possible to evaluate appropriately the economic infrastructure repercussions of a mega sports event, aiming at both theoretical and practical scientific targets. On the one hand, this involves developing exegeses while, on the other, the focus is on problem‐led structuring. To fulfil both requirements means following objective‐cum‐analytical as well as empirical strategies.Design/methodology/approachStaging mega sports events necessitates the availability of appropriate infrastructure, both for specific events and for general purposes. Investments in infrastructure triggered by mega sports events are often of considerable importance for any calculation of their economic impact. The scale of the impacts identified largely depends on the basic demarcation between event‐related and non‐event‐related investments. Developed in former literature the six models derived from procedures are used as potential demarcation approaches. Their application is shown in four case studies.FindingsThe application of the six different models to four case studies shows that event‐related investment varies considerably depending on the model selected, thus decisively influencing impact study results. The determining effect of the choice of model is illustrated by applying the case of UEFA Euro 2008. The results differ from 63.2 million CHF at the minimum to 196.4 million CHF at the maximum.Research limitations/implicationsNone of the six evaluated models manages to reflect reality truthfully and totally comprehensively. However, this is due not so much to faulty theoretical design as to the fact that reality is always more complex than the model which therefore can never fully mirror it. Every model provides its own specific information and so – depending on the basic situation and the actual problem – is justified in its own right.Originality/valueThe paper attempts to close the gap in connection with the demarcation of event‐related investments. As the studied demarcation problem remains the same, irrespective of the type of event, the scope for applying these models goes far beyond the case studies looked at here. The models in their final form are new. The findings obtained can also be adapted to other types of events.
Application of the TSA in a regional context: the case of Vienna
Authors: Smeral Egon 
Published: May 2010

PurposeTourism satellite accounts (TSA) are important tools for demonstrating the economic impact of tourism on a country and state level. A regional TSA (RTSA) offers the statistical groundwork for theoretical as well as practical users to underpin their own statistical evaluations and analyses, providing a regionalised view of consumption by tourists. This paper aims to extend TSA with respect to the indirect effects of tourism and the leisure demand of residents in their usual environment.Design/methodology/approachThe study is based on the recommended framework for TSA‐building. The case study of Vienna will demonstrate the valuable information of a RTSA as city tourism is a very complex phenomenon and this impact is difficult to capture.FindingsFor 2006, the TSA method found that tourism made €1.36 billion in direct value added to Vienna's economy, or a share of 1.9 per cent of the Viennese gross regional product. Considering the direct and indirect effects of tourism a total value‐added of €4.05 billion for Vienna in 2006 is obtained. According to this figure, tourism contributed 5.7 per cent to the overall regional gross value added in Vienna. In taking an overall look at the expenditure on leisure‐time consumption and in the non‐usual environment (tourism), it is found that Vienna contributes €8.11 billion or 11.5 per cent to the gross regional product.Originality/valueThis paper is one of the first papers about building a TSA for a city. Vienna was the first state to commission a regional TSA (RTSA), followed by Upper and Lower Austria.
Supply elasticities and developers' expectations: a study of European office markets
Authors: Fuerst Franz , McAllister Patrick 
Published: May 2010

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationships between supply and demand in 19 European office markets in the period 1991‐2006. It estimates the variations in the price elasticity of supply across the different markets. The paper tests whether developers display evidence of myopic or rational expectations in their behaviour.Design/methodology/approachThe paper draws upon a time series of rental, take‐up and new completions for 20 European office markets. A static measurement of price elasticity is calculated for each office market. To measure this expected supply response in the empirical analysis, the paper applies an impulse response analysis.FindingsThere is an evidence of positive and negative price elasticity. In a significant proportion of cities, supply increases following falls in rental levels. As a result, there is some evidence of myopic behaviour in a proportion of the markets examined, there is little evidence to support the hypothesis that real estate developers systematically display myopic expectations. The diversity in developer responses to price signals is surprising. It is concluded that idiosyncratic rather than systematic factors may dominate supply‐side responses to market signals.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper is essentially exploratory and raises a number of questions for further investigation. There is scope to address the research questions using better data series, in particular, net absorption rates, construction starts, real rental growth rates and different geographical definitions. There is also scope to extend the research to examine the causal factors underlying differences in supply elasticity, for instance, the relative contribution of constraining variables such regulatory restrictions and limitations in physical capacity. It is also possible to model the supply adjustment process more dynamically in an error‐correction framework.Practical implicationsThe findings would suggest that the complexity and diversity of economic, institutional and capital market influences affecting European commercial real estate markets seem to be far too numerous for any single model of market or developer behaviour to explain.Originality/valueThis is the first paper to examine supply elasticity across a broad range of European office markets.
The role of assessment in managing student diversity
Authors: Azasu Samuel , Hungria‐Gunnelin Rosane , Edström Kristina 
Published: May 2010

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the use of assessment to manage some of the challenges diversity brings into the teaching and learning in international real estate degree programs.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is a multi‐year case study of a course in real estate valuation in a Swedish University. The impact of assessment on student experience and performance was analyzed.FindingsChanges in the timing and rules of assessment have an appreciable impact on differences in student performance. However, some diversity problems must be addressed also at the program level.Practical implicationsReal estate departments must exercise pedagogical leadership if they are to continue to effectively provide globally relevant education.Originality/valueThis paper analyses one of the consequences of the expansion of international real estate education into a non‐traditional destination for foreign students.
Performance effects of corporate divestiture programs
Authors: Brauer Matthias , Schimmer Markus 
Published: May 2010

PurposeThe paper aims at extending extant research on sources of divestiture gains by suggesting a novel program‐based perspective on divestitures and analyzing the performance of program divestitures in comparison to single “stand‐alone” divestitures.Design/methodology/approachBased on event study methodology, the authors analyze the abnormal returns of 160 divestiture announcements within the global insurance industry between 1998 and 2007. In contrast to prior research which relied on ex post statistical clustering to identify transaction programs, ad hoc corporate press releases issued with the divestiture announcements are used to categorize program divestitures.FindingsEmpirical results suggest that program divestitures generate higher abnormal returns than stand‐alone divestitures. Further analyses into the sources for these higher gains, however, do not provide support for experience effects as significant explanatory factors. Instead, results suggest that the scheduling of divestitures significantly impacts announcement returns.Research limitations/implicationsThe scope and single industry setting of the study suggest future cross‐industry research on the influence of divestiture program characteristics on divestiture performance and the conditions under which these programs improve divestiture performance.Practical implicationsManagers are advised to refrain from piecemeal divestiture behavior lacking clear strategic focus. Instead, they are encouraged to bundle their divestitures as part of a divestiture program with a clear strategic intent and shared business logic.Originality/valueWhile prior research on divestitures has treated divestitures as isolated events, the paper directs attention towards the analysis of divestiture programs. Further, experience and timing effects, which have been widely absent from prior divestiture studies, are considered.
Business‐relatedness and strategy moderations: impacts on foreign subsidiary performance
Authors: Pehrsson Anders 
Published: May 2010

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to improve the existing knowledge of international strategy antecedents of foreign subsidiary performance.Design/methodology/approachHypotheses are developed regarding the impact of perceived relatedness between the foreign subsidiary and the parent firm's core business unit, and the moderating effect of the subsidiary's business strategy. In order to test the hypotheses, the study uses survey data from Europe (Germany and the UK), and the USA, and the subsidiaries belong to Swedish manufacturing firms.FindingsPerceived relatedness regarding intangible resources affects foreign subsidiary performance positively. Competitive differentiation and market knowledge of a foreign subsidiary reinforce the performance impact of the perceived relatedness.Research limitations/implicationsA foreign subsidiary's relatedness to the core business unit of its parent firm determines the subsidiary's ability to assimilate the parent firm's core competencies. The relatedness represents a synergy potential that is realized by the subsidiary's core competence exploitation and economies of learning.Originality/valueThe paper extends current knowledge of international strategy antecedents of foreign subsidiary performance as it applies the perceptual approach to relatedness and acknowledges the impact of foreign subsidiary strategy.
Capital investments, capabilities, and uncertainty
Authors: Ahsan Mujtaba 
Published: May 2010

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to empirically examine the impact of capital investments on new capabilities development during competence‐destroying change. The moderating role of uncertainty is also explored.Design/methodology/approachThis paper utilizes two distinct but related research streams; the literature on organizational capabilities and real options, to build the theory and hypotheses.FindingsData from a sample of 767 alliances between incumbent pharmaceutical firms and new biotechnology firms reveal that incumbent firms who increase capital investments in emerging technological domains despite the uncertainty present in them, are more likely to develop new products based on emerging technology.Research limitations/implicationsThe results encourage future research on the nexus of managerial cognition, capital investments, uncertainty and the adaptation process.Originality/valueExtant literature implicitly suggests that capital investments are critical for developing new capabilities; yet no prior study has addressed the relationship between capital investments and new capabilities development during competence‐destroying change. This paper addresses this gap in the literature.
CEO pay as a reflection of power or performance: an empirical test for The Netherlands, 2002‐2006
Authors: Van der Laan Gerwin 
Published: May 2010

PurposePrevious empirical research interprets results from pay‐performance studies in the light of either agency theory or managerial power theory. This paper aims to directly estimate the relationship between CEO power, and compensation structure, level, and performance‐sensitivity. In doing so, it seeks to test the crucial assumption in managerial power theory according to which more powerful CEOs are able to enjoy higher and less performance‐sensitive compensation.Design/methodology/approachThe hypotheses are tested on a detailed dataset, covering compensation for CEOs in virtually all Dutch stock‐listed companies, for the period 2002‐2006. The paper tests whether the findings are robust against different lag structures and firm size classes.FindingsIn general, most of the multi‐dimensional measures of power do not appear to have a strong effect on compensation, with one exception: non‐Dutch CEOs receive more variable compensation, and receive higher and less performance‐sensitive pay than their Dutch colleagues.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to the extant CEO compensation literature, which to date relies on interpretations of findings in pay‐for‐performance studies to argue for either agency or managerial power theory. The direct test of the relationship between power and compensation emphasises the importance of one dimension of a multidimensional power construct. As strong effects of performance of compensation are not found either, the paper suggests that the bipolar debate be extended to include other explanations of compensation arrangements.
Revitalising an oil giant
Authors: O'Regan Nicholas , Ghobadian Abby 
Published: May 2010

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how key strategic decisions are made in practice at a successful FTSE 100 company.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is based on semi‐structured interview with the Chief Executive of BP, Dr Tony Hayward. Dr Hayward has introduced his “Forward Agenda” with the aim of turning BP into a more efficient and simpler organisation to achieve operational efficiency.FindingsThe paper sheds light on ingredients of successful transformation, key elements of growth, strategy implementation, and the link between corporate responsibility and strategy.Practical implicationsThe paper presents views of a successful chief executive of a FTSE 100 company. It provides an insight on how strategy is made and executed.Originality/valueThe paper bridges the gap between theory and practice. It provides a practical view and demonstrates how a leading chief executive thinks about key strategic issues.
Borrowing amongst friends: the economics of informal credit in rural China
Authors: Turvey Calum G. , Kong Rong , Huo Xuexi 
Published: May 2010

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the economic significance of informal borrowing between friends and relatives in rural China. Guided by an economic model of household‐production interactions, the paper provides results from a survey of over 1,500 households including general linear model and logistic regression results. The paper finds evidence of a “small farm bias” in the use of informal credit, but the paper cannot generalize this to credit rationing as a matter of course. In part, it is believed that a preference for informal borrowing is related to some forms of credit rationing, spillover effects and collateral as some literature suggests, but the results suggest that by no means are these mutually exclusive or exhaustive.Design/methodology/approachThis paper uses regression techniques based on 1,557 farm household surveys gathered by the authors in Shaanxi, Gansu and Henan Provinces in 2007 and 2008.FindingsThe paper argues that informal lending amongst friends and relatives cannot be dismissed as a significant economic factor in the financing of China's agricultural sector. A small farm bias in formal lending is indicated by the results, but there are many factors other than credit rationing which affect a households' decision to borrow informally.Research limitations/implicationsThe research is limited to the survey data used. China's agricultural economy is too large to assert that the informal‐formal relationships described herein are general, even though the results are supported by other research.Practical implicationsThe paper makes the case that the study of agricultural finance in China should include informal lending as part of any credit study. In addition, the paper argues that the use of the term “informal lending” should not generally group familial lending with other forms of interest‐bearing loans such as pawn shops or money lenders.Social implicationsChina's rural credit needs are huge and many farmers do not have access to formal credit. This paper argues that the strength of trust relationships between friends and family is sufficiently high that nearly 60 percent of all credit outstanding is between friends and relatives at zero interest rates.Originality/valueThis, it is believed, is one of the first comprehensive studies on informal lending in China.