Boston Hospitality Review: Winter 2018

Table of contents: Blockchain Technology & its Implications for the Hospitality Industry By Tarik Dogru, Makarand Mody, & Christie Leonardi -- How Does My Neighbor Feel About my Airbnb? By Makarand Mody, Courtney Suess & Tarik Dogru -- 5 Keys to Successful Hospitality Leadership By Sarah Andersen -- Cutting Through the Online Hospitality Clutter: 10 Best Practices for Organic Visibility By Leora Lanz & Juan Lesmes -- When is a Group a Chain, and a Chain a Brand? By Christopher Muller -- À la Carte Dining in a Banquet Setting: Is it Feasible? By Peter Szende and Ally Run

Comparative Saving Behavior of Rural and Urban Households in the Philippines

Marginal saving rates for the Philippine households are estimated, distinguishing between rural and urban households, by region and by income group. At a given income level, rural households generally save more, both on the average and on the margin. This contrasts with the higher savings rate for urban households in various regions, attributable for their higher incomes. Marginal savings rate for rural households are higher than for their urban counterparts. Faster growth of rural income need not result in lower aggregate savings.agriculture sector, income, rural sector, savings

Macro Perspective and Cross-country Comparison of Patenting Issues

To stimulate technological development, it is necessary that intellectual property be clearly rewarded. It is not, therefore, surprising that international fora have discussed the issues of IPR and patents. This article, which has been presented during the DOST-PIDS Seminar-Discussion on “Intellectual Property Rights: Policy Issues and Perspectives” on December 13, 1991, provides a background on U.S., Mexican and Philippine patent laws. Highlights of the Budapest Treaty and patent protection on biotechnology are also discussed.biotechnology, patent and license, intellectual property rights

Impact Assessment and Project Development: An Overview

This paper provides a background for the reports produced on a nine-month training and application program designed to encourage the institutionalization of broad-scoped project impact evaluation skills and strategies. The training has been through the initiative of the micro component of the Economic and Social Impact Analysis/Women in Development (ESIA/WID) and the Food Systems Program of the East-West Center Resource Systems Institute (RSI). It reviews the micro component of the ESIA/WID that provides the context for other articles in this journal, the significance of the efforts in the reports and the relationship of the training program to the micro component.impact analysis

Fiscal Incentives Revisited

This short paper attempts to clarify some of the issues and provide suggestions for reforms in the fiscal incentive system. In particular, it focuses on the Investment Incentive System embodied in the Omnibus Investment Code. The paper attempts to provide some estimate of revenues forgone, specifically from income tax holiday under different assumptions. It urges that the government should be aware of these costs, be very choosy in granting incentives, and should make sure that social benefits from preferred activities compensate for the costs. Toward this end, the paper proposes a two-tiered approach for reforms--generic and special incentives.investment incentive system, fiscal incentives

Liberalization in Directed Credit Programs for SMEs

To evaluate the effectiveness of approaches to improve policies toward the development of small and medium enterprises, this article assesses the efficiency of directed credit programs and the impact of a liberalized design of a specific project.credit program, borrowing behavior, borrower

An Assessment of the Capacity and Financial Performance of Microfinance Institutions: The Philippine Case

Despite the government’s credit program approach, access of poor households to microfinancial services has remained limited. This paper explains the microfinance policy environment in the Philippines and evaluates the institutional and financial capacity/performance constraints of MFIs. This also addresses four areas that will allow MFIs to be self-sustaining financial institutions for the poor.microfinance, poverty alleviation, microfinance institutions

Import Smuggling in the Philippines: An Economic Analysis

This study attempts to generate an estimate of import smuggling using Philippine data on import trade. Through the development of microeconomic model, it tries to explain the level of smuggling activity in terms of factors impinging on the trader’s decision to engage in smuggling.trade sector, overvaluation, import commodities, smuggling

A Note on the Competitiveness Debate

This article deals with the concept of competitiveness. Competitiveness is technically a firm-level concept. However, it is oftentimes extended to the national level--the idea of a country's 'international competitiveness' with the following analogies: market share-->export share of country; price-->real effective exchange rate or unit labor cost; profitability-->long-run economic growth. The concept of national competitiveness is faulty, in the words of Paul Krugman it has become a 'dangerous obsession.' However, national or government policies do have an impact on firm level competitiveness. The only concept related to firm level competitiveness that can be extended to the national level without ambiguity is technological capability. Since technological capability is at the heart of competitiveness, countries must address this issue squarely. One course of action is to adopt a strategic approach to foreign direct investment--as opposed to a passive strategy--similar to what Malaysia and Singapore did.competitiveness, technology capability