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The nation's oldest greeting card company remakes itself with a slew of new products sold in entirely new venues.
Paul Freathy and Frank O’Connell
Details the methods used by European airport authorities to segment their consumer base. It will be argued that macro‐level factors, over which the industry has no control, have…
Abstract
Details the methods used by European airport authorities to segment their consumer base. It will be argued that macro‐level factors, over which the industry has no control, have compelled airports to expand their commercial activities. As a consequence, airport authorities have been forced to adopt a more marketing‐orientated approach. To fully capitalise on the opportunities afforded to them, a range of segmentation categories have been developed that are specific to an airport environment. It will be argued that authorities act as “gatekeepers” and use this unique form of a priori segmentation to determine the most suitable tenant mix for their airport. Once operating within the airport, the retailers themselves also undertake a further series of segmentation strategies based either on a priori principles or on “micro‐level” techniques.
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Paul Freathy and Frank O’Connell
Airport retailing is an under‐researched area of study. It is also a sector displaying significant year‐on‐year growth. This paper examines the structure of the supply chain…
Abstract
Airport retailing is an under‐researched area of study. It is also a sector displaying significant year‐on‐year growth. This paper examines the structure of the supply chain within airport retailing and the main factors that differentiate it from its downtown counterpart. It describes the structure and operation of the supply chain within European airport retailing and the main sources of power that retailers and suppliers draw on in the negotiating process. The paper concludes that, relative to other retail sectors, relationships within the airport retailing supply chain are technologically unsophisticated and based on conventional market exchange principles.
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Paul Freathy and Frank O’Connell
Airport retailing has undergone a series of significant developments over the last two decades and now occupies a central position in the revenue generating strategies of many…
Abstract
Airport retailing has undergone a series of significant developments over the last two decades and now occupies a central position in the revenue generating strategies of many airport authorities. This paper identifies briefly the factors that have prompted these developments before examining in detail how these changes have affected the role of buying within airport retailing. It outlines the buying and negotiating process common in many European airports and details the methods used for both buyer and supplier evaluation. It concludes that airport retailers have experienced a significant increase in their market power and the process of supplier negotiation has consequently changed to reflect this.
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The study focuses on primarily big U.S. firms' joint venture activities with the Soviets after the break‐up of the former Soviet Union. It examines U.S.‐Soviet joint ventures in…
Abstract
The study focuses on primarily big U.S. firms' joint venture activities with the Soviets after the break‐up of the former Soviet Union. It examines U.S.‐Soviet joint ventures in the following sectors: oil and gas, soft drinks, consumer products, gold mining, aircraft engines, telecommunications, and software. Data were collected by mail and interviews in order to identify the obstacles in the negotiation and operational stages of the venture. Furthermore, business and governmental organisations' recommendations as to whether or not U.S. firms should engage in joint venture activities in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) were elicited.
Scott J. Niblock and Elisabeth Sinnewe
The purpose of this paper is to examine whether superior risk-adjusted returns can be generated using monthly covered call option strategies in large capitalized Australian equity…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine whether superior risk-adjusted returns can be generated using monthly covered call option strategies in large capitalized Australian equity portfolios and across varying market volatility conditions.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors construct monthly in-the-money (ITM) and out-of-the-money (OTM) S&P/ASX 20 covered call portfolios from 2010 to 2015 and use standard and alternative performance measures. An assessment of variable levels of market volatility on risk-adjusted return performance is also carried out using the spread between implied and realized volatility indexes.
Findings
The results of this paper show that covered call writing produces similar nominal returns at lower risk when compared against the standalone buy-and-hold portfolio. Both standard and alternative performance measures (with the exception of the upside potential ratio) demonstrate that covered call portfolios produce superior risk-adjusted returns, particularly when written deeper OTM. The 36-month rolling regressions also reveal that deeper OTM portfolios deliver greater risk-adjusted returns in the majority of the sub-periods investigated. This paper also establishes that volatility spread variation may be a driver of performance for covered call writing in Australia.
Originality/value
The authors suggest that deeper OTM covered call strategies based on large capitalized portfolios create value for investors/fund managers in the Australian stock market and can be executed in volatile market conditions. Such strategies are particularly useful for those seeking market neutral asset allocation and less risk exposure in volatile market environments.
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Juita-Elena (Wie) Yusuf and Arwiphawee (Sai) Srithongrung
This article highlights key aspects of capital management, including capital planning, capital budgeting, capital financing, decision making and capital spending outcomes. We…
Abstract
This article highlights key aspects of capital management, including capital planning, capital budgeting, capital financing, decision making and capital spending outcomes. We provide a background discussion of public sector capital management, followed by a summary of the articles that comprise this symposium. Combined, these articles illustrate the complexity of and challenges to capital management at the state and local government levels. We discuss common themes that emerge from reading these articles as a collective symposium, including: (1) modest progress in applying and empirically testing theoretical frameworks; (2) the variety of actors and institutions; and (3) the deteriorating condition and poor performance of public infrastructure. We use the articles to illustrate gaps in the research and offer suggestions for future research on capital management theory and practice.
Lenahan O’Connell, Juita-Elena (Wie) Yusuf and Khairul Azfi Anuar
The purpose of this paper is to compare public preferences for investment and spending on non-automobile infrastructures (mass transit and bicycling) to preferences for new roads…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to compare public preferences for investment and spending on non-automobile infrastructures (mass transit and bicycling) to preferences for new roads and the repair of current highways. The study explores the factors that explain preferences for non-automobile infrastructure using a three-factor model including self-interest (personal transportation benefits), concern for community-wide benefits (political beliefs), and concern for the economic impact. The study uses a case study of the urban context of the Hampton Roads region of Southeastern Virginia (USA).
Design/methodology/approach
The analysis uses data from a 2013 telephone survey of urban residents in the Hampton Roads area. Survey respondents were asked to identify their two investment priorities from four options: repairing existing roads, bridges, and tunnels; constructing new or expanding roads, bridges, and tunnels; expanding mass transit; and expanding bicycle routes and improving bike safety.
Findings
Repairing existing highway infrastructure is the most popular spending priority (66 percent of residents). There is as much support (46 percent) for investing in non-automobile infrastructure as for investing in new roads, bridges, and tunnels. Significant predictors of support for non-automobile infrastructure, using the three-factor model, are: length of commute time, self-identification as liberal, use of light rail, and a belief that light rail contributes to economic development.
Originality/value
The study examines public preferences for both non-traditional and traditional transportation infrastructure investments. It highlights the factors that contribute to public support for different transportation spending options.
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GASB Statement No. 34 required state and local governments to report information regarding general infrastructure in financial statements, to improve understanding of the…
Abstract
GASB Statement No. 34 required state and local governments to report information regarding general infrastructure in financial statements, to improve understanding of the organization's investments in capital assets. Some proponents suggested that this information would affect management practices and potentially resource allocation decisions, but initial survey data found limited evidence of effects. We use dynamic panel analysis covering 47 states from 1995 to 2009 to explore whether implementation of GASB 34 affected state highway capital and maintenance spending. We find evidence of increased capital spending, but no statistically significant change in maintenance expenditures. The choice of reporting method was not found to affect spending outcomes.
Brendan O'Connell, Meredith Tharapos, Paul De Lange and Nicola Beatson
The purpose of this study is to provide a polemic on the evolution of universities and business schools over the past two decades. During this period, universities have…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to provide a polemic on the evolution of universities and business schools over the past two decades. During this period, universities have increasingly adopted a self-interested stance using business-like practices and behaviours to justify their transformation. The authors provide recommendations aimed at enhancing universities’ contributions and relevance to society, increasing their sustainability broadly defined and better positioning them to help solve wicked problems in a post-COVID-19 world.
Design/methodology/approach
This polemic analyses prior literature relating to the evolution of universities and uses this to generate a framework for ways forward for their improvement.
Findings
The authors argue that the evolution of universities into entities with missions and operations designed to mimic business and commercial imperatives has yielded undesirable outcomes including the muddling of the core mission of universities, alienation of key stakeholders and an excessive focus on income growth. Business schools face a tension between forging their own, unique identities and simultaneously striving to meet university university objectives. We term this “the Business School identity paradox”. The authors contend that the way forward requires senior management to re-discover the essence of what it means to be a university, re-establish collegial decision-making within universities that includes built-in feedback loops and a fundamental emphasis on developing graduates with an enlightened perspective that goes beyond technical skills.
Originality/value
This paper is novel in that it analyses the evolution of the “Enterprise University” some 20 years after this term was first coined and in a radically changed environment following the COVID-19 pandemic. This analysis is also forward-looking as the authors re-imagine universities and business schools by identifying opportunities for renewal and improvement in their focus and societal impact. The authors also develop a schema that identifies major influences on universities and business schools, the impact of COVID-19 and strategies for them post-COVID-19.
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