infonet-economy

This paper will examine the productivity of the public sectors in the US across the states. Because There is heterogeneity across states in terms of public services provided that could impact its productivity. In fact, there could be a convergence among the states. The services provided by the public sectors have come under increased scrutiny with the ongoing process of reform in recent years. The public sector unlike the private sector or in the absence of contestable markets, and the information and incentives provided by these markets, performance information, particularly measures of comparative performance, have been used to gauge the productivity of the public service sector. This paper will examine the productivity of the public sector across states throughout the United StatesThe research methodology marries exploratory (i.e. Kohonen clustering) and empirical techniques (panel model) via the Cobb-Douglas production function.. Given that there is a homogeneity across states in terms of the use of a standard currency, it will be easy to identify the nature of the convergence process in the public sectors by states throughout the United States.

Extensive research has been conducted on the motivations of volunteer tourists; however , the scope has not included how motivation is expressed through posting of images on social media . This study examine s the relationship between volunteer tourist s’ motivations and social media use through the identification of picture publishing behaviour based on motivations. An online survey yielding 260 complete responses is used and statistical tests investigate the relationship between demographic factors, moti vations and social sharing of photos. The results show that demographics have little impact; however, there is a relationship between motivation and photo sharing and between motivation and volume of photos. Additionally , including a profile of onesel f is also an indicator of low ( shallow) motivation.

This study examines the potential for rainwater harvesting in an existing 3 - star hotel in Switzerland with the purpose of illustrating, to what extent the usage of a rainwater harvesting system could reduce cost and potable water consumption in a hotel. The paper comprises methods used by previous research in rai nwater harvesting and applies them to the hotel industry with a specific example. The assessment is based on the identification of the reduction in water consumption, optimal tank size, system efficiencies, and payback periods. For this purpose, a single - c ase study approach was selected. Results confirm high potential for rainwater harvesting at the case study subject, especially when the water is used only for laundry washing. The economic analysis yielded low savings due to an exceptional low water price, soft water and local regulations for sewage charges, rendering the system financially not feasible. Nevertheless, rainwater harvesting was still found to be a viable solution for hotels due to high water savings. It could ev en be come interesting from a fi nancial point of view in areas of Switzerland where the water hardness and price are relatively high. This paper’s approach to assess the potential of such sustainable systems in the Swiss hotel industry is a unique addition to the existent literature on r ainwater harvesting studies and contributes to their understanding in hotels.

The aim of this paper is to apply linguistic and international management theories to team interactions and effectiveness in cross - cult ural settings. First , in relation to language, we draw on pragmatics and politeness theory, notably with regard to relational practice (Brown & Levinson , 1987 ; Holmes & Marra , 2004) in English as a lingua franca (Pullin , 2010, 2013). Second , we build on so cial identity theory (Tajfel & Turner, 1979, 1986), and cultural intelligence (CQ; Earley & Mosakowski, 2004). We studied multicultural teams (MCTs) with Chinese and Swiss students taking part in a Sino - Swiss Summer Uni- versity in Business Administration (S SSU) . The linguistic part of the study is qualitative. The main analytical tool is discourse analysis, based on the identification of patterns in audio - recorded data and interpretation of how and why these patterns occur. Initial findings show that the te am members use a range of linguistic strategies and practices both in nurturing relations and solidarity, in adapting to each other, and in ensuring effective communication. The data reveal sensitivity to face, for example in negotiating misunderstandings that originate in non - standard language use , without referring to ‘mistakes’ in language, or the use of humour such as teas- ing, and the exploration of common ground, for example through social talk. Finally, linguistic practices and strategies of the SSSU participants reveal a shared identity as well as some aspects of CQ. As for the quantitative part, a questionnaire was submitted to the SSSU participants to assess their identification with their home university and the SSSU, and their level of cultural in telligence. Moreover, they rated effectiveness and interactions in their sub - teams in terms of satisfaction, quality of outcomes, meeting expectations, and fulfilling roles and responsibilities. R esults show a positive association be- tween identification wi th the SSSU and team effectiveness, which is in line with the existing literature. Furthermore, we found a significant correlation between cultural intelligence and the quality of team interactions as perceived by the respondents. Th u s , just as relational practice, CQ helps improving team interactions. In that sense, high levels of CQ can make relational practice more effective.

This Handbook aids in filling the gap by exploring and critically evaluates the debates, issues and controversies of all aspects of hotel chains from their nature, fundamentals of existence and operation, expansion, strategic and operational aspects of their activities and geographical presence. It brings together leading specialists from range of disciplinary backgrounds and regions to provide state-of-the-art theoretical reflection and empirical research on current issues and future debates. Each of the five inter-related section explores and evaluates issues that are of extreme importance to hotel chain management, focusing on theoretical issues, the expansion of hotel chains, strategic and operational issues, the view point of the individual affiliated hotel and finally the current and future debates in the theory and practice of hotel chain management arising from globalisation, demographic trends, sustainability, and new technology development. It provides an invaluable resource for all those with an interest in hotel management, hospitality, tourism and business encouraging dialogue across disciplinary boundaries and areas of study. This is essential reading for students, researchers and academics of Hospitality as well as those of Tourism, Marketing, Business and Events Management.

This article studies the effect of dividend taxation on corporate behaviour, more specifically how firms respond to a dividend tax cut. A change in the Swiss corporate law in 2011 has introduced the possibility for some firms to pay tax-exempted dividends to their shareholders We find that all the firms that fulfilled the conditions required by the new law started paying tax-exempted dividends to their shareholders. This means that the management takes explicitly into account the tax treatment of their shareholders when setting corporate payout policy. We find that this reform has led to an increase in the propensity of firms to pay dividends as well as an increase in dividend payouts and dividend yields. This is consistent with the view that firms pay lower dividends in the presence of taxes.