TENDING RELATIONSHIP QUALITY OF YOUNG MIDDLE CLASS An Empirical Study on My Starbucks Reward Members In Semarang

This study aims to examine the effect of perceived benefit in My Starbucks Reward loyalty program in Semarang. Research design used for this study is a modification of previous research about effect of loyalty program in France which was conducted by Mimouni-Chaabane and Volle (2010). The model consists of four independent variables which are monetary benefit, exploratory benefit, social benefit, and ego pleasure. This research also used perceived relationship investment as intervening variable, whereas relationship quality is used as dependent variable. Primary data were collected by using online questionnaire from 60 respondents whom were members of My Starbucks Card and had used the card as payment method in their patron to Starbucks Semarang store. Path analysis method to aalyze the model. The result shows that all independent variables, except Monetary Benefit, have influence upon Perceived Investment Variable. Perceived. Variable Perceived Relationship Investment is found to have positive influence upon relationship quality and to have role as intervening variable

Regional income inequality in China and Indonesia: A comparative analysis

This study examines the extent and trends of regional income inequality in China and Indonesia, and performs a comparative analysis between these two countries in terms of factors determining regional income inequality. There are a number of studies that have analyzed the relationship between economic development and regional income inequality in China and Indonesia. However, most previous studies employed provincial income and population data to measure regional income inequality and were thus unable to measure inequality within provinces. In order to rectify this drawback, we will use district-level income and population data, rather than provincial data, to measure regional income inequality, and examine not only between-province inequalities but also within-province inequalities by using the two-stage nested Theil decomposition method developed by Akita (2002). China and Indonesia are still at a relatively early stage of economic development; therefore, income-enhancing economic activities tend to have concentrated in a few districts in each province to enjoy agglomeration economies. We will show that a very large regional income inequality exists among the districts of China and Indonesia. This study will also conduct a regression analysis to explore possible determinants of within-province income inequality, in which the following variables are considered: foreign direct investment, economic dualism, and migration.

Regional Income Inequality in the Post-War Japan

In his seminal work on national development and regional inequality, Williamson (1965) predicts that regional income inequality will pass through three distinct phases as a nation moves through the early development stages to maturity. In the early stages of economic development, regional income inequality will increase, largely because of the disequilibrating effects of factor mobility. This will be followed by a period of stability, characterized by a relatively high level of inequality between regions. Finally, a lessening of regional inequality will set in as the national economy matures and equilibrating forces take effect. This overall process, if plotted against national economic development, will result in a bell-shaped or inverted U-shapes curve. The early stages of development are also associated with rapid urbanization, though with a shift toward population dispersion as the economy matures. Other stylized facts in the process of development include industrialization, demographic transition, and changing inequality of income among population subgroups (Alonso, 1980). The concentration of population in and around large cities is usually accompanied by an increase in regional income inequality. Some researchers have argued that this population concentration and concurrent increase in regional inequality does not impede economic development, and may in fact favor it. Nonetheless, many national governments have introduced policies of balanced regional development. The main objective of this paper is to measure regional income inequality in the post-war Japan using Williamson?s weighted coefficient of variation. Based on prefectural population and GDP data, it investigates longer-term trends in regional income inequality. A sectoral decomposition analysis is also performed to examine the extent to which each industrial sector contributes to the overall weighted coefficient of variation. We hope to gain a deeper understanding of the relationship between national development, industrialization, and regional inequalities in the post-war Japan.