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A broad array of information channels exists for service customers. The purpose of this study is to better understand the relationship between the use of, and trust in, information channels, so that there is scope to increase the effectiveness of reliable information provision and, hence, to change behaviour.

This study empirically explored whether customers use channels they trust, and trust what they use, and examined the association between individual (demographic) factors and that trust. A total of 472 mothers completed an online survey.

The current study empirically explored channel trust and individual factors, finding that individual factors (such as education level) and trust warrant inclusion in traditional communication models such as Communication–Human Information Processing. The findings revealed that the more highly educated a customer is, the more likely it will be that a health professional is their most trusted channel, but the less likely it will be that they consider family the most trusted channel. Magazines are the least trusted information channel. Further, while informants’ most trusted information channel was healthcare professionals, this was not the most common information channel used.

This study was limited to a female consumer sample focused upon one service (maternity and child health) and five key information channels, which limits the generalizability. Further, the data were collected via an internet survey, which have biased may the results on use and trust of the internet.

The findings showcase the importance of demographic factors and the relationship between trust in information sources and use. The insights developed provide a useful research agenda for the future. This study was limited to a female consumer sample focused upon one service (maternity and child health) and five key information channels, which limits the generalizability of the findings. The data were collected via an internet survey, which may bias the results on use and trust of the internet. Additionally, the data were collected over five years ago, which may have some impact on factors such as the role and importance of internet usage. However, these limitations do not detract from the primary focus of this study and the main findings remain new and relevant.

This study undertook an empirical exploration to examine information channel trust and individual factors, thereby extending the research focus beyond current traditional communication model approaches. Models such as Communication–Human Information Processing focus on individual cognitions and assume a staged sequence of decision-making following traditional decision-making models and ignoring channel attributes such as channel trust, thereby limiting understanding. The current study indicates that communication models will benefit from the addition of channel trust and additional individual factors (such as demographics) to extend understanding beyond individual cognitions.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a model to assess participant satisfaction of a teaching and learning experience. Additionally, the way innate psychological needs influence the satisfaction formation process will be examined.

A cross-sectional, quantitative approach was chosen and path analysis and t-tests were used to analyze the data.

Satisfaction is formed by two related constructs, emotions and perception of quality, and together explained 53 percent of the variance in satisfaction. Higher levels of psychological need fulfillment were shown to positively influence emotions and quality perceptions and indirectly influence satisfaction judgements.

These findings have relevance for education and training providers. First, they provide a comprehensive way for educationists to manage and measure satisfaction.

Many teaching and learning evaluations are based on quality judgement and single measure of satisfaction. This study shows the important role positive and negative emotions play in determining satisfaction judgements. Additionally, and for the first time, the influence of different levels of psychological need fulfillment on satisfaction has been reported.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between sense of calling and work meaningfulness with job crafting as a mediator and spiritual leadership as a moderator.

Adopting a three-wave procedure, data were collected from 333 participants across industries from Guangdong province, China.

Results indicate that job crafting partially mediates the relationship between employee sense of calling and work meaningfulness. Moreover, the positive relationship between job crafting and work meaningfulness is more significant when spiritual leadership is high than when it is low. Additionally, spiritual leadership moderates the indirect relationship of sense of calling and work meaningfulness through job crafting such that the indirect effect of sense of calling is stronger when spiritual leadership is high than when it is low.

Based on self-determination theory, this study adds to current literatures examining the importance of sense of calling on a person's career and explores the boundary conditions, which bring desirable outcomes.

In this paper we investigate the empirical performance of an alternative beta risk estimator, which is designed to be superior to its conventional counterparts in situations of extreme thin trading. The estimator used is based on the sample selectivity model. The study compares the resultant selectivity-corrected beta to the OLS beta and Dimson Betas. We demonstrate the empirical behaviour of the selectivity corrected beta estimator using a sample of stocks in seven countries from Latin America. The results indicate that the selectivity-corrected beta does correct the downward bias of the OLS estimates and is likely to better estimate stock risk.

The market-based approach to catering for the poor mainly focusses on companies making profits while helping the poor enhance their lives. This concept presented the possibility of there being a ‘fortune’ to make at the Bottom of the Pyramid (BoP) market that was an opportunity for both businesses and consumers. The notion of the BoP market has been widely studied using urban and rural contexts as distinct classifications; yet many argue that the opportunity does not in fact exist in the rural BoP markets. In this chapter the authors examine the prospects in the rural BoP in Sri Lanka through a qualitative study using insights provided by industry practitioners who operate at the BoP level. Findings show that a large percentage of the income of multinational companies is derived from rural BoP markets. Compared to the urban sector, the rural BoP market indicates relatively higher disposable income and is viewed as an attractive market segment by industry practitioners. The findings also show that rural BoP people have more resources and skills than their urban counterparts, although the former commonly have lower levels of education. Moreover, the youth segment in both the urban and rural BoP markets was found to heavily consume social media. The authors conclude their discussion by providing several key proposals for organisations looking to seize opportunities in this market.

The purpose of this paper is to provide some insights into the exchange rate exposure of Australian stock returns.

Using a dynamic econometric approach that allows for both asymmetry and time‐varying risk exposures in both the exchange rate variable and the market variable, a large sample of Australian firms were tested over the period of January 2001 and December 2005. The data were analysed using three different classification methods, forming portfolios according to industry sector, size deciles, and censoring deciles.

Although the evidence of exchange rate exposure is limited across the sample of industries, the following were found: a time‐varying asymmetric effect primarily in the utilities sector, time‐varying exposure in the materials and energy sectors, and an asymmetric effect in the technology sector. Further, some time‐varying asymmetric exchange rate exposure was found across most size and censoring deciles and also substantial evidence of a positive asymmetric effect in the market beta across all three classification methods.

This approach varies from previous studies in this area that only allow for asymmetry and time variation in exchange rate exposures. The paper also examines the Australian stock market, a market which has not been extensively tested in this area of empirical research.

This book is an attempt to reflect on what we have learned from financial policies and financial crises in Latin America. The 21 chapters in this volume capture the developments in various ways. They cover theoretical contributions, regional empirical studies, and specific inquiries on Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru and Venezuela. The breadth of methodologies implemented suggests that researchers are looking at Latin American financial markets through a variety of lenses. The chapters are divided into 7 parts, including, in Part I, an initial overview. Part II examines the foreign exchange markets in Latin America and their interactions with other markets. Part III discusses dollarization issues in the region. Part IV then takes up the issue of banking in Latin America. Equity and bond markets are considered in Parts V and VI, respectively. Lastly, Part VII considers pension systems in Latin America. Taken as a whole, the 21 chapters seize the excitement of studying Latin America and provide lessons that are applicable around the world.