bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Geometrical and Rayleigh number effects in the transient laminar free convection between two vertically eccentric spheres
Authors: Lamine Sow Mamadou , Sarr Joseph , Mbow Cheikh , Mbow Babacar , Claudet Bernard , Mansour Kane Mamadou 
Published: June 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to study the transient natural convection of a Newtonian fluid which develops in a closed spherical annulus delimited by two vertically eccentric spheres by using a bispherical coordinates system. The inner sphere is heated by a heat flux of constant density and the outer one is maintained isothermal.Design/methodology/approachThe transfer equations are written by using a bispherical coordinates system. The Navier‐Stokes equations are solved and coupled with the energy equation by using the alternating direction implicit (ADI) and the successive over relaxation (SOR) methods.FindingsThe study of the stream function and the Nusselt number shows that the convection motion is reinforced for the geometries characterized by positive values of the eccentricity with heat exchange increasing. The Nusselt number increases with the modified Rayleigh number. The heat exchange increases with the radius ratio. The results show that the steady state is reached faster when the modified Rayleigh number increases and the influence of the eccentricity is very low on the establishment of the steady state. The fluids flow depends strongly on the eccentricity and the modified Rayleigh number.Research limitations/implicationsSimulations are performed for modified Rayleigh numbers ranging from 103 to 106, for eccentricities varying between –0.6 and +0.6 and for radius ratio between 1.5 and 2.Originality/valueThe results of eccentricity and modified Rayleigh number effects in transient natural convection between vertically eccentric spheres have been displayed.
Do multinational companies have effective transfer pricing systems of intangible assets and e‐commerce?
Authors: Abdallah Wagdy M. , Maghrabi Ahmed S. 
Published: June 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the way that multinational companies can design effective transfer pricing systems of intangible assets with special consideration of the effect of e‐commerce within the restricted regulations of tax authorities of American and Foreign governments.Design/methodology/approachThe new trends in transfer pricing and the nature of intangible assets are discussed. Different strategies of multinationals' ownership techniques are examined. The selection of the appropriate transfer pricing methods is analyzed.FindingsThe paper concludes that the most effective transfer pricing system should include: tax and non‐tax strategies to manage global earnings of the company; objectives behind the system; potential global income tax consequences; selection of the best transfer pricing method; and key issues to help in avoiding tax audits in the future.Originality/valueThis paper fulfills an urgent need for an effective transfer system of the e‐commerce to meet tax regulations of different countries.
Will the human factors of relationship selling survive in the twenty‐first century?
Authors: Williams J.D. , Everett Robert , Rogol Elizabeth 
Published: June 2009

PurposeThis paper aims to investigate whether this savored relationship goal within business‐to‐business selling will survive through this century's formidable stumbling blocks. The fundamental question may very well be, if not the present sales model(s) then is it time to formulate a new sales models?Design/methodology/approachThe research examines the relevant sales challenge elements and sales beneficial factors as components of a new sales return on investment (ROI) model. This has generated a series of subordinate research objectives, which attempt to rationalize the contribution and weighted value of each of the modeled elements. The use of secondary research reveals a consistent thread of relationship‐selling challenges for sales teams.FindingsClient management and sales are key functions in most organizations, and companies are increasingly realizing the importance of preserving and developing relationships with their existing clients, in addition to developing new clients. The challenge is to manage customers strategically, by constantly expanding the scope of the offering and the strength of the impact on the customer's business performance. Achieving differentiation with strategic customers requires new buyer‐seller relationship strategies that assist customers in implementing their own strategies. The capability to manage strategic customer relationships as the most critical assets in the business remains elusive.Research limitations/implicationsEffective salesperson follow‐up would logically include specific components designed to interact, connect, know, and relate with their customers: interact – the sales person acts to maximize the number of critical encounters; connect – the salesperson maintains contact with the multiple individuals in the buying; know – the salesperson coordinates and interprets the information gathered; relate – the salesperson applies relevant understanding and insight to create value‐added interactions.Practical implicationsThe contribution of this paper have been directored towards offering sales and marketing organizations the foundational elements of a grass‐roots ROI modeling technique to apply towards their respective sales endeavors. This author believes that successful implementation of these key factors should enable sales teams and their sale management to achieve their respective institutional sales, client, and growth targets.Originality/valueThis paper adds to the subject knowledge of sales and sales techniques by creating new sales models, which address the twenty‐first century marketing environment challenges.
Strategic planning in growth oriented small firms
Authors: Mazzarol Tim , Reboud Sophie , Soutar Geoffrey N. 
Published: June 2009

PurposeThe paper aims to examine the management practices of owner‐managers of small businesses seeking to grow their firms. It seeks to better understand their strategic thinking in relation to internal and external environmental issues.Design/methodology/approachA sample of 204 owner‐managers who had indicated their desire for growth was surveyed using a questionnaire developed from earlier research that examined their strategic and operational behaviour. Follow‐up discussions over their results were conducted face‐to‐face. Data were analysed using confirmatory factor analysis and discriminant analysis.FindingsFirms that possessed formal written business plans were found to be more likely to have stronger support network partnerships, formal quality assurance and the ability to lead change among employees. A relationship was found between an above average level of annual sales turnover and the personal vision of the owner‐managers.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough the sample was atypical, in that it was comprised of owner‐managers who had a growth orientation, the study suggests that owner‐managers who have a strong growth orientation are likely to have an enhanced sense of their strategic vision, and the ability to communicate this vision to their employees.Practical implicationsThe findings in this paper suggest that owner‐managers from small firms should seek to benchmark their business against industry best practice, but that such benchmarking must be supported by a clear strategic vision and the capacity to communicate this vision to others, particularly employees.Originality/valueThe literature relating to strategic thinking and behaviour within small firms remains underdeveloped, and this paper provides valuable insights into this area.
Entrepreneurs' attitudes towards failure
Authors: Politis Diamanto , Gabrielsson Jonas 
Published: June 2009

PurposeThis paper employs theories of experiential learning to examine why some entrepreneurs have developed a more positive attitude towards failures compared to others.Design/methodology/approachThe paper conducts statistical analysis on a sample of 231 Swedish entrepreneurs that have started new independent firms in 2004.FindingsThe empirical findings support the guiding proposition that more favourable attitudes towards failure could be learned through entrepreneurs' life and work. The results suggest that previous start up experience is strongly associated with a more positive attitude towards failure. The paper also finds that experience from closing down a business is associated with a more positive attitude towards failure. In addition, a more fine‐grained analysis suggests that experience from closing down a business due to reasons of poor performance is a highly valuable source of learning while closure due to more personal reasons does not lead to the same result.Research limitations/implicationsIn sum, the findings add to the knowledge of why some entrepreneurs have a more positive attitude towards failure compared to others. It also provides some general implications for the understanding of entrepreneurial learning as an experiential process.Practical implicationsA positive attitude toward failure might be a significant asset for entrepreneurs as it might help them to deal with and learn from their mistakes and to move forward. The results indicate that the attitudes toward failure are not homogeneous among entrepreneurs. Rather, this attitude can, at least to some degree, be influenced due to new experiences and new information.Originality/valueThe paper provides novel insights with regard to the role that critical career experiences can play for the development of entrepreneurs' attitudes towards failure.
Ethnicity and sheepskin effects in the returns to education in Sri Lanka
Authors: De Silva Indunil 
Published: June 2009

PurposeThe main purpose of this paper is to investigate the sheepskin effects in the returns to education in the Sri Lankan labor market by ethnicity.Design/methodology/approachThe study is based on the latest Sri Lankan Consumer Finance and Socio‐economic Survey. The study employs the quantile regression method for each conditional quantile wage group, rather than the mean regression analysis used in most labor market analysis. The quantile regression technique fits hyperplanes through out the conditional wage and is ideal for characterizing the entire wage distribution. The standard Mincerian wage equation was estimated for the full sample of male workers and separately for the two main ethnic groups in Sri Lanka.FindingsThe empirical findings are broadly encouraging. Quantile regression results suggest that average returns to education for both ethnic groups differs significantly from the returns at the two extreme ends of the wage distribution. In general, the returns to education are positive for both groups, but the returns are higher for Sinhalese workers than for Tamil. An increasing trend in returns to education is evident for both ethnic groups when moving up wage distribution. Sinhalese workers experience higher returns to education than for Tamil especially at the bottom of the wage distribution, but the difference becomes less at the upper part of the distribution. Estimated results with spline in years of education suggest that returns to secondary education are higher for Sinhalese workers, but the returns to tertiary education are greater for Tamil workers at the upper part of the wage distribution. Findings indicate that returns to experience are also higher for Sinhalese workers than for Tamil workers.Originality/valueThis is the first study that examines sheepskin effects in the returns to education by ethnicity in Sri Lanka in a Mincerian framework, employing quantile regression models.
The corporate university: meeting the learning needs of a changing workforce
Authors: White Audrey 
Published: June 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this article is to detail the importance of providing structured learning solutions and to give an overview of the Alcatel‐Lucent University.Design/methodology/approachThe article looks into the Alcatel‐Lucent University itself, its approach, the benefits to employees and customers and its future.FindingsThis article shows that a structured, comprehensive approach to learning, such as a corporate university, can bring company‐wide benefits.Originality/valueThe corporate university solution of the Alcatel‐Lucent University has brought a number of benefits to both employees and customers and proved the best solution to Alcatel‐Lucent's learning needs.
Being the change you want to see: developing the leadership culture at Ernst & Young
Authors: Hawkins Peter , Wright Andrew 
Published: June 2009

PurposeThe article's aim is to describe a leadership development program that is being conducted internationally with over 500 partners in Ernst & Young. Globally Ernst & Young has 135,000 people in 140 countries with worldwide revenues of US$24.5 billion. In EMEIA it has over 60,000 people in 87 countries and a turnover of $11.4 billion.Design/methodology/approachThis article looks at specific issues relating to the Ernst & Young partner development program, including the need for leadership development at partner level, the leadership challenge of the program and the success of the initiative.FindingsLeadership resides in the relationships leaders create, not within the leaders themselves. Many leadership development programs in large organizations fail to deliver the hoped‐for value as they focus on developing leadership skills within individual leaders.Originality/valueMarket leadership depends on how an organization engages with its clients. How employees engage clients is affected by how they are engaged by their management and leadership. Moving towards market leadership, therefore, requires a change to internal culture, which requires a transformation of the leadership culture and the relationships being formed.
Advances in tourism marketing research: introduction to a special issue on consumer behavior in tourism destinations
Authors: Gnoth Juergen , Andreu Luisa , Kozak Metin 
Published: June 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this editorial is to introduce the reader to six articles related to consumer behavior in tourism destinations.Design/methodology/approachThe paper introduces the papers in this special issue.FindingsTourists are part of the tourism production process. They engage with supply networks and interact with destinations.Originality/valueThe paper provides an introduction to six contributions that are particularly relevant for understanding and managing the content of the interaction between the network nodes, in particular business‐to‐consumer relationships.
Exploring non‐linear effects of determinants on tourists' satisfaction
Authors: Campo Sara , Jesús Yagüe María 
Published: June 2009

PurposeThe effect of the antecedents of satisfaction on consumer satisfaction is an issue still under debate in the academic literature. Thus, the primary goal of this article is to analyze the relationship between two of the most important antecedents of consumer satisfaction – namely perceived quality and price.Design/methodology/approachTo analyze the relationship between tourist consumer satisfaction and its main antecedents, we performed an empirical study on such issues with regard to the purchase of a package tour.FindingsThe results of this research are that the tourist's perception of quality has a positive and significant effect on his or her satisfaction. This effect is of greater magnitude than the effect produced by perceived price. The present study identifies two components in the total effect of perceived price on satisfaction. Those components have opposite signs: the negative effect of the sacrifice perceived by the consumer and the positive effect that shows the influence of price as a sign of quality. One can estimate the first effect from the price that the consumer recalls paying, which shows a non‐linear negative effect on satisfaction (following the model of “decreasing returns”). One can estimate the positive effect by the range of minimum and maximum prices that the consumer considers acceptable to pay for the product.Originality/valueEntrepreneurs must know how improvement in service quality influences customer satisfaction and what price levels they might consider to increase consumer satisfaction and to influence positively the quality perceived by the consumer.
A framework for tourist expectations
Authors: Rodríguez del Bosque Ignacio , San Martín Héctor , Collado Jesús , del Mar García de los Salmones María 
Published: June 2009

PurposeAs there is still only limited research about expectation formation in destination marketing, the aim of this paper is to enhance this body of knowledge by providing theoretical and empirical evidence about the role of different factors which generate tourist expectations. In particular, since expectations may significantly condition not only the tourist choice process but also the perceptions of experiences, the objective of this paper is to examine the factors contributing to the expectations of a tourist destination. Based on service expectations literature, a theoretical framework postulates the main factors generating tourist expectations.Design/methodology/approachEmpirical research tests the research hypotheses. More specifically, several in‐depth interviews and focus groups (qualitative research) and a survey conducted in a holiday destination (quantitative research) led to data collection.FindingsTourist expectations are a second‐order factor based on inter‐correlations among several first‐order factors (i.e. past experience, external communication, word‐of‐mouth communication and destination image). In addition, image can be considered as the main factor generating expectations of a destination.Research limitations/implicationsThe main limitation of this study is the geographic area (tourist site) of the research process. The tourist destination under investigation significantly influences the characteristics of the sample, of which national tourists are the main constituent.Originality/valueManaging the destination image and the quality of experience is critical to induce favorable expectations of the destination in the tourist's mind. In addition, the coherence and reliability of destination communication need to be controlled in expectations management.
Cognitive age as a criterion explaining senior tourists' motivations
Authors: González Ana M. , Rodríguez Carmen , Miranda Mauro R. , Cervantes Miguel 
Published: June 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to gain a broader knowledge of the concept of cognitive age and its use as a variable when segmenting the market of people aged over 55.Design/methodology/approachA proposal for measuring this variable was developed, the dimensions used being: actions, interests, feelings, health, thinking and expectations. A personal survey of 400 individuals aged over 55 who had been involved in some tourist travel in the last year was undertaken.FindingsA principal component analysis resulted in the extraction of a single factor labeled “cognitive age”. The outcome of the cluster analysis undertaken was the establishment of two segments, i.e. active livers and stable passives. The technique of multiple correspondence analysis reflected differences both in motivations for tourism and in the behavior as tourists of the two segments.Research limitations/implicationsIt should be pointed out that there were insufficient repetitions of the methodology to indicate reliably whether it is consistent and that difficulties were encountered in gathering information from the group investigated.Practical implicationsThe results obtained permit it to be stated that cognitive age enriches knowledge about senior tourists; hence, it seems to be of interest to take it into consideration when establishing marketing strategies directed towards this group.Originality/valueAfter its overview of the various methodologies relating to cognitive age, this investigation is one of the few applications of this criterion to segmentation of senior citizen tourists undertaking journeys of longer duration. Furthermore, it is the sole piece of research so far undertaken to investigate its usefulness in an individualized manner.
Consumer behavior in a religious event experience: an empirical assessment of value dimensionality among volunteers
Authors: Gallarza Martina G. , Arteaga Francisco , Floristán Elena , Gil Irene 
Published: June 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present volunteering in tourism events as a sort of spontaneous community participation that has far‐reaching consequences for destination management. It chooses the concept of value to explore volunteering experience in an international religious mega‐event, using Holbrook's value typology (efficiency, social value, play, spirituality).Design/methodology/approachThe authors undertake this objective by means of testing psychometric properties of the four value scales, as well as providing a causal model of relationships among value dimensions and overall perceived value, satisfaction and loyalty or commitment to volunteering in a special event tested with MBPLS, a particular algorithm for the partial least squares methodology.FindingsThe results confirm the reliability and validity of the scales tested in a sample of 1,638 volunteers, collected via e‐mail from the database of a religious mega‐event held in Valencia in July 2006. They also confirm a relationship among overall perceived value, satisfaction and loyalty or commitment as a chain of behavioral constructs.Research limitations/implicationsOne can find implications for the relevant weight of volunteers as peculiar stakeholders of mega‐events. For consumer behavior researchers, the chain of effects among value dimensions and behavioral constructs is once more relevant, although the findings are only related to volunteers at religious events.Practical implicationsFor destination marketing managers, this study can throw light on the profile of volunteers for event marketing and how they behave in their own experience as relevant stakeholders in the organization of a mega‐event.Originality/valueVery few works devote their interest to value dimensionality in a marketing event context, despite the richness of that sort of tourism experience. Perceived value, satisfaction and loyalty or commitment have been investigated among volunteers in sport or cultural mega‐events, but rarely in religious mega‐events.