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The retail structure of the People’s Republic of China has been undergoing rapid changes since the implementation of the economic reform. Examines the socioeconomic factors which determine the performance of retailing enterprises measured by their sales per employee at the provincial level by using a data set of 30 provinces over eight years (1985‐1992). Obtains the following empirical results: per capita national income, stores per capita, average real wage and mobility are significant factors accounting for the variations in the performance; test statistics show that the implementation of the 1988 austerity programme has altered the retail structure significantly.

This paper studies which aggregate socio‐economic factors determine the long run entry and exit process of the retail sector at the provincial level by using a data set of 30 provinces over eight years (1985–1992). The following results are obtained: (1) All predictor variables, especially population growth rate, average wage rate and employees per store, have statistically significant effects on the entry and exit process. Per capita national income, store per capita, average wage, mobility are significant in accounting for the variations in sales per store. (2) The 1988 austerity programme only affected the short run variable, sales per store but not the long run variable, store per capita. This suggests that the short run recession induced by the austerity programme could not affect the long term trend of the retail sector.

The distribution system in China has been undergoing rapid changes since the implementation of the economic reform in late 1978. The relative performance of the major players in distribution, namely state enterprises, collective enterprises and private businesses has had significant changes. The private sector has been the winner in terms of market share and efficiency. In addition to the entrepreneurial spirit and operational efficiency of the private sector, argues that there are two other important factors accounting for its success. The first determining factor is the relaxation of government policy which has legalized and fostered the development of the sector. The second factor is the change in consumption patterns during the reform. Less staple food but more consumer goods and services are purchased than in the past. These change have further contributed to the booming of the private sector in the distribution system.

Western manufacturers have often benefited from the Country-of-Origin (COO) effect when a product is launched into emerging markets. The authors examine if this still holds true in the China market. The authors believe that the degree of perceived hedonism associated with the product does matter and, therefore, conducted an experiment to test how this influences the effect of COO on perceived quality and price of the product. This paper aims to discuss the aforementioned objective.

A lab experiment with a 2 (COO: Western vs. Local) x 2 (Hedonism: High vs. Low) factorial design was conducted with Chinese consumers as subjects. The dependent variables were perceived quality and price of the products.

It was found that Western COO has a positive effect on the product perceived quality and price in the China market, but the effect was significantly moderated by the degree of perceived hedonism of the products.

The study used an experiment to investigate the different prominence of the COO effect on perceived quality and price in terms of hedonic vs. utilitarian products which has not been done previously. The findings provide implications concerning allocation of marketing resources to product positioning in the presence of different degrees of perceived hedonism and suggest additional areas for future examination.

It has often been said that a great part of the strength of Aslib lies in the fact that it brings together those whose experience has been gained in many widely differing fields but who have a common interest in the means by which information may be collected and disseminated to the greatest advantage. Lists of its members have, therefore, a more than ordinary value since they present, in miniature, a cross‐section of institutions and individuals who share this special interest.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the key practical factors that confront global businesses as they attempt to improve all aspects of their operations including emerging areas of the customer experience. The paper focuses on the way various organisational capabilities such as information systems/information technology have been adopted in order to provide an enhanced operational and strategic control over key areas of business.

The paper adopts a case‐based participation observation study which explores the global operations of a major restaurant brand. This approach enables it to explore several concepts which examine the behaviour of global operations at a time of major change.

The paper has focused on the application of change principles in the restaurant and hospitality industry and its importance for business performance and marketing strategy. The paper shows how adapting business strategy to incorporate key cultural sensitivities can pay major dividends for organisations. This strategy appears to be contrary to the general approach of standardisation adopted by other franchises in this key market sector.

It will be necessary to increase the range of this research to ensure any real certainty regarding its implications.

The paper identifies a number of interesting changes to preconceived ideas of standardising product portfolios in the restaurant sector. It shows the need for a balanced “mix” of menu products to satisfy local and national requirements.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the cultural learning process (namely, the development, practice and enhancement of cultural intelligence (CQ)) of a successful entrepreneur – Harold Bixby, a Pan American Airways expatriate, as reflected in the memoir of his experiences in China during 1933–1938.

This study adopts a microhistory approach as a methodology for studying history and the past while ultimately requiring evaluations informed by the present. This paper first identifies the literature gap on CQ development and the need to study historical accounts of the past in assessing the CQ development process. This study then outlines the four key foci of microhistory as a heuristic for making sense of on-going and past accounts of selected phenomena.

This paper finds that specific personality traits (namely, openness to experience and self-efficacy), knowledge accumulation through deep cultural immersion (namely, extensive reading/study, visiting/observation and interacting/conversation), critical incident and metacognition all contributed to Bixby’s CQ development, which was a time-consuming process.

The study contributes to debates around cultural learning and historical organization studies by providing a rich, qualitative study of CQ assessment and CQ development through microhistory. This study highlights the importance of cognitive CQ and the function of extensive reading/studying in the process of knowledge accumulation. This paper draws attention to critical incidents as an underexplored way of learning tacit knowledge. Moreover, this study suggests metacognitive CQ can be enhanced through meditative and reflexive teaching and research practices. These findings have significant implications for cross-cultural training programs.