Investigating consumer expectations of convenience store attributes in emerging markets: Evidence in Chile

Convenience stores (c-stores) constitute a successful format in developed markets such as North America and Europe, but there is scant research in the retailing literature. Even less is known about convenience store behavior in emerging markets. This study attempts to provide a better understanding of consumer expectations regarding convenience stores in a Latin American context. Interviews were held with Chilean consumers to identify salient convenience store attributes. Further, a survey was applied to 400 consumers and results show that the salient attributes for Chilean consumers are related to the access dimension of convenience such as access to the store, parking facilities and hours of operation

E-Commerce Adoption:Perceptions of Managers/Owners of Small and Medium Sized Firms in Chile

Although the adoption of e-commerce is widely studied in the industrialized world, only a small number of these studies focus on developing countries. An even smaller fraction of these studies focus on small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), which account for a high percent of the economy generated in developing countries. In this study, managers/owners of SMEs in Chile identified variables that differentiate between adopters and non-adopters of e-commerce. The analysis suggests that Chilean managers/owners most receptive to adopting e-commerce possess the financial and technological resources to implement it, see e-commerce as increasing managerial productivity and supporting strategic decisions, feel external pressure to put e-commerce into operation, perceive e-commerce as compatible with preferred work practices and existing technology infrastructure, and perceive e-commerce as useful for their firms

Spatial Inequality in Chile

Despite success in reducing poverty over the last twenty years, inequality in Chile has remained virtually unchanged, making Chile one of the least equal countries in the world. High levels of inequality have been shown to hamper further reductions in poverty as well as economic growth and local inequality has been shown to affect Duch outcomes as violence and health. The study of inequality at the local level is thus crucial for understanding the economic well-being of a country. Local measures of inequality have been difficult to obtain, but recent theoretical advances have enabled the combination of survey and census data to obtain estimators of inequality that are robust at disaggregated geographic levels. In this paper, we employ this methodology to produce consistent estimators of inequality for every county in Chile. We find a great deal of variation in inequality, with county-level Gini coefficients ranging from 0.41 to 0.63.Inequality, poverty mapping, Chile

An International Comparison of Factors Inhibiting Physicians\u27 use of Hospital Information Systems

Finding ways to strengthen health care systems is a matter of great concern all around the world. Health care operations struggle with limited resources and diminishing workforce capabilities, making it imperative for effective and efficient operations. Hospital information systems (HIS) can help achieve this mission, providing reliable, timely, and relevant information about patient characteristics, reimbursement, and status of tests and quality metrics. However, there are still barriers toward the adoption of HIS by health care professionals. This study explores the inhibitors perceived by physicians for adopting HIS. The main motivation for this research is to answer the question: What are the factors inhibiting physicians\u27 use of Hospital Information Systems? This research question is of great interest as physicians are considered to be the key to successful HIS deployment, adoption and use. This study takes a qualitative research approach, employing ninety-eight (98) interviews at nine different hospitals, complemented by more than 40 hours of workplace shadowing. We conducted our research in the United States, Chile and Germany, as the three countries have developed healthcare systems but take different approaches to fostering the use of IT in hospitals and have implemented at different organizational levels. Our findings show that the alignment of user, system and process is important as expected. However, the results point out that leadership and organizational setting play vital roles, although they were often neglected in previous studies

Local Distributional Effects of Government Cash Transfers in Chile

Despite rapid economic growth and poverty reduction, inequality in Chile has remained high and remarkably constant over the last 20 years, prompting academic and public interest in the subject. Due to data limitations, however, research on inequality in Chile has concentrated on the national and regional levels. The impact of cash subsidies to poor households on local inequality is thus not well understood. Using poverty mapping methods to asses this impact, we find heterogeneity in the effectiveness of regional and municipal governments in reducing inequality via poverty-reduction transfers, suggesting that alternative targeting regimes may complement current practice in aiding the poor.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/57252/1/wp872 .pd

Ridesourcing mode choice: a latent class choice model for UberX in Chile

As shared mobility expands, ridesourcing has become its most popular manifestation. However, users' mode choice has not yet been sufficiently explored. Thus, this study aims to model ridesourcing mode choice across different latent classes to ascertain who chose ridesourcing and why. We conducted a mode choice study by collecting revealed preference surveys from UberX users in Viña del Mar, Chile, in 2017. We then determined the existence of two latent classes and modeled the mode choice using a latent class choice model. Ultimately, we characterized individuals belonging to each latent class and calculated the subjective value of time (SVT). Most UberX users were highly educated and aged 20?35 years. Further, UberX gained users principally from public transport (80%). Likewise, the two latent classes differed by socioeconomic characteristics and SVTs. A latent class grouped the highest-educated and highest-earning users, who also offered the highest SVT. In summary, two latent classes, differentiated by educational level and income, formed the ridesourcing market. Besides, they offered distinct ridesourcing choice behavior based on the widely dissimilar SVTs. There was also a strong substitution effect between ridesourcing and transit use. The results imply that policymakers and transportation planners could have increased the competitiveness of the public transit system by improving rapidity and safety, having room to increase the fares to defray the improvements. Further, they could have used information related to the latent classes to customize relevant policies and marketing strategies (routes, frequency, fares, etc.) for every latent class

Social network communications in chilean older adults

The growth of older adults in new regions poses challenges for public health. We know that these seniors live increasingly alone, and this impairs their health and general wellbeing. Studies suggest that social networking sites (SNS) can reduce isolation, improve social participation, and increase autonomy. However, there is a lack of knowledge about the characteristics of older adult users of SNS in these new territories. Without this information, it is not possible to improve the adoption of SNS in this population. Based on decision trees, this study analyzes how the elderly users of various SNS in Chile are like. For this purpose, a segmentation of the di erent groups of elderly users of social networks was constructed, and the most discriminating variables concerning the use of these applications were classified. The results highlight the existence of considerable di erences between the various social networks analyzed in their use and characterization. Educational level is the most discriminating variable, and gender influences the types of SNS use. In general, it is observed that the higher the educational level, the more the di erent social networking sites are used