E-Business in Service: Recent Trend and Development in Online College Textbook Sales

This paper is an attempt to investigate the current issues and development of the marketing strategy for all those online college textbook sales, as the Internet has provided more options for college students across the nation in terms of buying and selling their textbooks in recent years. The primary data for this study are collected through a comprehensive website evaluation and testing, and a questionnaire survey from a selected campuses. The objectives of this research are: (1) to investigate the marketing strategy of current online college textbook business in terms of: price, leadtime, availability, and the likes; (2) to identify major issues and challenges for online college textbook websites in promoting online textbook sales; and (3) to examine college students’ preference in their textbook buying decision regarding online textbook sale options. The data collected from this study show that there is a significant gap between business marketing strategic priority and college students’ perception in their final purchasing decision. The results are presented with graphical displays along with managerial discussion

E-Business Application in the Hospitality Industry: A Case Study

This paper describes some recent development of e-business application in the hospitality industry (e.g., travel industry, and recreational entities) and illustrate with two case studies. One is about a local hotel industry’s effort to use the Internet to boost its local market. Another describes the operations and its competitive strategy of an emerging online travel agency. The research objective is to investigate the trends and level of prevalence of application of the Internet in the hospitality industry focusing on some emerging issues and challenges. Managerial implications are discussed with suggestions for future research

E-Banking in Rural Area - Recent Trend and Development: A Case Study

This paper discusses recent trend and development of e-banking (banking though Internet) for small and community banks in rural areas through a case study. The applications of e-banking of several local banks in rural areas are investigated and examined. The research objective is to investigate the trends and level of prevalence of on-line banking (i.e., e-banking) focusing on some emerging issues and challenges. Managerial implications are discussed with suggestions for future research

Key Successful Factors in Knowledge Transfer during M&A in Traditional Industries: An Empirical Study

This paper describes a study on identifying key successful factors in knowledge transfer resulting from business mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in those (so-called) traditional industries (e.g., textile and steel & iron) with the data collected in the steel and iron industry in Southwestern China. Specifically, this research investigates the relationship between prior-gained knowledge of merging companies, preparation and implementation processes, and actual performance after knowledge transfer. The result reveals that such prior-gained knowledge of merging companies will have a significant positive impact on the motivation for proposed M&A, while it, in contrast, may only have a limited impact on other factors such as the levels of transferred knowledge, its investments, implementation process, and the final performance. In fact, the prior-gained knowledge about the transferred knowledge among involved firms in the M&A is often mutually complementary. This research suggests that intensive motivation for M&A will have a positive impact on the desire levels of knowledge transfer, which will in turn have a positive impact on the success of knowledge transfer implementation process, and a successful implementation process then certainly will make a positive contribution to the effectiveness of knowledge transfer. Managerial implications and suggestions for future research are also discussed

Key Success Factors in Knowledge Transfer during M&A in Traditional Industries: An Empirical Study

This paper describes a study on identifying key successful factors in knowledge transfer resulting from business mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in those (so-called) traditional industries (e.g., textile and steel & iron) with the data collected in the steel and iron industry in Southwestern China. Specifically, this research investigates the relationship between prior-gained knowledge of merging companies, preparation and implementation processes, and actual performance after knowledge transfer. The result reveals that such prior-gained knowledge of merging companies will have a significant positive impact on the motivation for proposed M&A, while it, in contrast, may only have a limited impact on other factors such as the levels of transferred knowledge, its investments, implementation process, and the final performance. In fact, the prior-gained knowledge about the transferred knowledge among involved firms in the M&A is often mutually complementary. This research suggests that intensive motivation for M&A will have a positive impact on the desire levels of knowledge transfer, which will in turn have a positive impact on the success of knowledge transfer implementation process, and a successful implementation process then certainly will make a positive contribution to the effectiveness of knowledge transfer. Managerial implications and suggestions for future research are also discussed

Optimal investment-consumption-insurance with random parameters

This paper discusses an optimal investment, consumption, and life insurance purchase problem for a wage earner in a complete market with Brownian information. Specifically, we assume that the parameters governing the market model and the wage earner, including the interest rate, appreciation rate, volatility, force of mortality, premium-insurance ratio, income and discount rate, are all random processes adapted to the Brownian motion filtration. Our modeling framework is very general, which allows these random parameters to be unbounded, non-Markovian functionals of the underlying Brownian motion. Suppose that the wage earner’s preference is described by a power utility. The wage earner’s problem is then to choose an optimal investment-consumption-insurance strategy so as to maximize the expected, discounted utilities from intertemporal consumption, legacy and terminal wealth over an uncertain lifetime horizon. We use a novel approach, which combines the Hamilton–Jacobi–Bellman equation and backward stochastic differential equation (BSDE) to solve this problem. In general, we give explicit expressions for the optimal investment-consumption-insurance strategy and the value function in terms of the solutions to two BSDEs. To illustrate our results, we provide closed-form solutions to the problem with stochastic income, stochastic mortality, and stochastic appreciation rate, respectively.26 page(s

Identifying key factors for successful joint venture in China

China has become one of the top three nations for attracting foreign investment in the international market since 1990. Hundreds of international corporations are currently competing for business opportunities in China in the form of joint venture or direct investment. Both successful joint ventures and failed investments have been reported. Research, addressing issues of the conflicts between different cultures, traditions, as well as value systems, has appeared recently, but few focuses on identifying the key factors and their managerial implications for foreign investors to successfully enter China\u27s market. This paper presents an application of analytic hierarchy process (AHP) in such an effort, through a case study of China Motorola. This study shows that for foreign investors, by identifying key success factors and then incorporating those factors into firm\u27s long-term business strategies and policies can enhance their business opportunities in China for a long time to come, even under China\u27s current complex economic and marketing conditions

Implementing ISO 9000 at a clay plant in Georgia: A case study

In this paper, the implementation process of the system of ISO 9000 standards is investigated and the importance of the ISO 9000 standards is then assessed through a specific case study - English China Clays International (ECCI), located in middle Georgia. To be competitive in today\u27s marketplace, ECCI doesn\u27t have any reason to hesitate or prolong becoming certified, as such a certification has become a required condition to sell their products in Europe. Certification forced ECCI to keep detailed records and enabled them to analyze important performance measures. Additionally, the company is convinced that their certification has made the company be more cost effective, maintaining a higher market share, realizing a 10% increase in export, and reducing cost per ton by 7%. In summary, the certification has proven to be significantly contributive to the success of the company in their global market competition. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT