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Services Sector (services + sector)
Kinds of Services Sector Selected AbstractsTotal Cost of Ownership in the Services Sector: A Case StudyJOURNAL OF SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT, Issue 1 2006Krisje Hurkens SUMMARY Few detailed studies exist of the trade-offs to be made when developing a comprehensive, strategically focused total cost of ownership (TCO) model. Moreover, most studies of TCO have been conducted in manufacturing firms, with little or no TCO research directed toward service organizations. This research presents the results of a study conducted at a leading vehicle glass repair and replacement organization. The results show how TCO information can be used for strategic decision making regarding the allocation of volumes. This information can also be used in the identification of improvement areas for preferred suppliers by introducing a limited number of key performance indicators that have a significant impact on the TCO of supplier offerings. The paper highlights some of the trade-offs required in designing such a model. It fills an existing literature gap that allows service organizations to better understand the development and implementation of total cost measurement systems. [source] DIFFERENCES IN FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE AMONGST SPANISH SMES ACCORDING TO THEIR CAPITAL-OWNERSHIP STRUCTURE: A DESCRIPTIVE ANALYSISANNALS OF PUBLIC AND COOPERATIVE ECONOMICS, Issue 1 2010Zuray Melgarejo ABSTRACT,:,The purpose of this paper is to assess whether financial performance differences between labour-managed (LOFs) and mercantile (PCFs) firms are due to differences in their capital-ownership configuration or to the particular measurement indexes commonly used to quantify performance. The empirical evidence rests upon a 1994,2003 data set of LOFs and PCFs that operate in the Industrial and Services sectors of the economy of Navarre, Spain. The results do not detect significant differences in financial performance between LOFs and PCFs, especially in the long-term and suggest the need to develop performance indices more akin to the special nature of the LOFs. [source] Cross-border mergers and acquisitions and European integrationECONOMIC POLICY, Issue 57 2009Nicolas Coeurdacier SUMMARY Cross-border M&A Cross-border mergers and acquisitions activities (M&As) sharply increased over the last two decades, partly as a result of financial liberalization policies, government policies and regional agreements. In this paper, we identify some of the main forces driving M&As, using a unique database on bilateral cross-border M&As at the sectoral level (in manufacturing and services) over the period 1985,2004. The key empirical findings are: (1) EMU helped the restructuring of capital within the same sector of manufacturing activity among euro area firms; (2) joining the EU favoured both horizontal and vertical mergers; (3) policy-makers can help attract capital by reducing the corporate tax rates and the degree of product market regulations and by improving the country's financial systems; (4) the service industry has not yet fully benefited from European integration because the level of protection and barriers to entry in the services sector act as a strong deterrent to cross-border M&As in services. , Nicolas Coeurdacier, Roberto A. De Santis and Antonin Aviat [source] Anatomy of employment growthECONOMIC POLICY, Issue 34 2002Pietro Garibaldi Summary This paper studies net employment growth across 21 OECD economies since 1980, focusing on the wide range of experiences within the European Union. The initial composition of employment across sectors is relevant in a few countries, but can only partially account for cross-country differences in net employment growth. Institutions play a more important role. A policy package including low dismissal costs and low taxation is significantly associated with high net employment growth and can account for a substantial share of cross-country differences. While the Netherlands' employment miracle is largely accounted for by an increase in part-time jobs for women aged 25,49 in the services sector, we find that in the whole sample part-time jobs largely replace full-time jobs, and temporary jobs replace permanent jobs, with small net effects on hours worked. Continental Europe did not increase employment as much as other OECD countries until the mid-1990s, but later appears to be staging a resurgence of employment growth. We argue that this resurgence is not merely cyclical, is likely related to reforms, and may well be there to stay. [source] Knowledge management practice in Scottish law firmsHUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT JOURNAL, Issue 2 2002Laurie Hunter Law firms, as part of the professional services sector, are increasingly engaged in strategic thinking about business growth and development. The management of partners, staff and their knowledge is critical to this strategic development. This study of a sample of Scottish law firms engaged in commercial and corporate law finds that organisations are at different stages of progress, and that change has focused more on technical solutions than on organisational and HR issues. Based on evidence from partners and management, and on attitude data from salaried staff, the article suggests that, although the traditional professional firm's interest in building and leveraging its human capital is still present, the underlying social and cultural processes involving motivation, sharing of experiences, coaching and mentoring are relatively underdeveloped. The implications for HR strategy and practice, and for the role of the HR manager, are considered. [source] Tourism flows between India and SingaporeINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF TOURISM RESEARCH, Issue 5 2003Faizal Yahya The tourism industry has become increasingly important as a source of revenue and employment for countries in Southeast Asia. Within the Southeast Asian region, intraregional travel has also seen an upsurge since the Asian Financial Crisis of 1997. More attention is also being paid to attract other Asian tourists from China, India, Japan and South Korea to the region. Competition to be tourism hubs in the region has seen countries such as Singapore developing an array of incentives to entice inbound foreign tourists to its shores. The aim of this paper is to examine the growing importance of India as a source of inbound tourists for countries in Southeast Asia and in particular Singapore. India is an apt case study because of its long historical and cultural links with the region. Another main motivation for examining inbound tourists from India is India's engagement with the Southeast Asian region through its ,Look East' policy. Following from its economic reforms and liberalisation of 1991, India has sought to strengthen economic links with ASEAN member states through a range of economic sectors including tourism. The 1991 Indian economic liberalisation has also created an upsurge of Indian business travellers who are exploring investment and business opportunities in the Southeast Asian region. With India's economic liberalisation of 1991, an expanding middle class has come to view foreign travel as a necessity. In turn, ASEAN member states, such as Singapore in particular, which is heavily dependent on its services sector, including tourism, for revenue, have chosen to regionalise its tourism operations by collaborating and investing in projects in India to woo more Indian tourists. Competition in the tourism sector among ASEAN countries has increased the urgency for Singapore to reinvent itself to attract foreign tourists and implement a number of initiatives to maintain its share of the tourism market. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Urban Capitalisms: European Models in CompetitionINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF URBAN AND REGIONAL RESEARCH, Issue 2 2005DOMINIQUE LORRAIN This article takes as its starting point a central issue for the urban social sciences: comparison. Local government is a theme where much is singular, contingent and idiosyncratic, and international comparison reinforces this tendency towards diversity. Therefore, the capacity to generalize becomes a real issue. The central argument of this article is that, beyond any first-level complexity, the organization of the urban services sector in European countries basically follows three major ,models'. These simplified forms represent ways of combining public policy principles with a market economy. As such, they may be read as specific versions of urban capitalism. All three ,models' are European in origin, and nowadays find themselves in competition. In order to establish the features of these models , simplified forms of more complex phenomena , it is necessary to introduce a historical reading of overall choices of institutional and policy architecture. It is necessary to trace the importance of firms and to study the momentum of crisis and tension, as these give an internal view of phenomena that are generally regarded as natural. Ce texte part d'un problème central pour les sciences sociales urbaines, celui de la comparaison. L'objet urbain pousse à la singularité; les comparaisons internationales renforcent cette tendance; se pose donc un vrai problème de généralisation. La thèse soutenue est qu'au-delà de toute complexité de premier rang, constatée dans l'organisation de chaque service urbain dans les pays européens, ceux-ci au fond ressortent de trois grands modèles. Ces formes simplifiées, ou modèles, représentent autant de manières de combiner des principes d'action publique à une économie de marché; on peut les lire comme autant de versions du capitalisme urbain. En étant tous les trois représentés en Europe ces ,modèles' se trouvent aujourd'hui en compétition. Pour parvenir à dégager ces propriétés modéliques, formes simplifiées de phénomènes plus complexes, il convient d'introduire une lecture historique des grands choix en matières d'architectures institutionnelles et politiques. Il faut accorder de l'importance aux firmes et suivre les moments de mise en tension; ils permettent de saisir ce qui semble naturel dans le fonctionnement ordinaire. [source] Emerging perspectives on customer relationships, interactions and loyalty in Irish retail financial servicesJOURNAL OF CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR, Issue 2 2006Deirdre O'Loughlin This paper presents the key findings in relation to current consumer perspectives on the role of relationships, the nature of loyalty and types of customer interaction from an in-depth qualitative consumer study of Irish retail banking. Although the literature proposes that the RM approach is particularly applicable to the financial services sector, the research findings identify key supply and demand-related changes within Irish financial services and raise questions as to the appropriateness of general RM theory to the current nature of interaction between consumers and their financial suppliers. Key customer factors such as low involvement, apathy and dissatisfaction have resulted in much apparent customer loyalty actually being spurious. More important for customers in this study was how convenient the bank was for their lifestyle. In an age in which increased depersonalisation and automation impact upon the nature of consumer-supplier interaction and service delivery, it would appear that the concepts of relationship and loyalty need to be fundamentally re-examined and their role and relevance within current retail financial services re-appraised. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] How Critical is Employee Orientation for Customer Relationship Management?JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES, Issue 2 2008Insights from a Case Study abstract This paper explores the interface of employee orientation and the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) process based on an in-depth case study of a leading firm in the UK automotive services sector. Employee orientation is embedded in the Organizational Culture (OC) of the firm and manifested through its key elements, notably assumptions, values, behaviours and artefacts. CRM consists of four organizational activities: strategic planning, information, value creation, and performance measurement sub-processes. Based on the case study evidence, the widely postulated link between CRM success and employee orientation is empirically supported and the mechanisms underlying this association elucidated. [source] Understanding and Managing the Services Supply ChainJOURNAL OF SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT, Issue 4 2004Lisa M. Ellram SUMMARY Services have become increasingly important as the driving force in the U.S. economy. However, there has been little research to date on services supply chains. It is believed that service businesses can benefit by applying some best practices from manufacturing to their processes. However, the inherent differences in services create a need for supply chain management tools specific to the services sector. This article documents the growing importance of the services sector and of services purchasing. Next, it develops a supply chain framework appropriate for a services supply chain by comparing and contrasting the applicability of three product-based manufacturing models: Global Supply Chain Forum Framework, SCOR and Hewlett-Packard's Supply Chain Management Model. Finally, this research describes the challenges for procurement professionals managing purchases for a services supply chain and provides suggestions for use of supply chain management theory, and practices for improvement. [source] Firm characteristics and location: The case of the institutional investment advisory industry in the United States, 1983,1996PAPERS IN REGIONAL SCIENCE, Issue 1 2000John E. Bodenman Institutional investment advisors; financial services; location Abstract. This article examines the locational dynamics of the institutional investment advisory industry in the United States, 1983,1996, focusing on the factors and firm characteristics that account for institutional investment management firms' location. The institutional investment advisory industry, one of the fastest growing industries in the financial services sector, includes firms that manage the securities portfolios of institutional clients (e.g., corporate pension funds) for a fee. Descriptive and logit analyses are used to identify, compare and contrast those factors and firm characteristics associated with firm location outside (versus inside) the traditional investment management core. The findings presented in this article diminish the notion that access to a skilled financial services labor pool and a high-quality and diversified transportation and communications infrastructure is only available in the traditional core. [source] Developing Conceptualisations of Europeanisation: A Study of Financial ServicesPOLITICS, Issue 1 2004Kerry E. Howell In its most explicit form Europeanisation is conceptualised as the process of downloading European Union (EU) directives, regulations and institutional structures to the domestic level. However, this conceptualisation of Europeanisation has been extended in the literature in terms of up-loading to the EU shared beliefs, informal and formal rules, discourse, identities and vertical and horizontal policy transfer. This article undertakes a study of banking, investment and insurance directives to analyse the impact of Europeanisation on the UK financial services sector. [source] An Examination of Labor Productivity Growth and Structural Changes in the Singapore Labor Force,ASIAN ECONOMIC JOURNAL, Issue 3 2002Chong-Yah Lim This paper ,rst examines the sources of growth in the Singapore economy by decomposing real per capita gross domestic product (GDP) growth into two components. It is found that, for the period 1974,1999, labor productivity was a signi,cant source of economic growth in Singapore. Conversely, the contribution of the rate of change in employment ratio was only of secondary importance. On further decomposition, the rate of change in employment ratio was due mainly to rate of change in population age-structure ratio and rate of change in labor-force participation rate. Growth patterns of the labor force were examined after it has been segregated according to gender, citizenship and age group independently. Labor productivity growth was highest in the transport, storage and communication sector, while labor productivity growth was lowest in the ,nancial, insurance, real estate and business services sector. [source] Transformation Charters in Contemporary South Africa: The Case of the ABSA Group LimitedBUSINESS AND SOCIETY REVIEW, Issue 2 2008BINDU ARYA ABSTRACT Over the past decade, strategy and international business scholars have increasingly turned their attention to assessing how alterations in institutional arrangements in former centrally planned economies influence enterprise-level strategies. Little is known about the strategic responses of organizations operating in countries going through institutional transformation related to social issues. Since the first democratic elections in 1994, the South African government has focused on addressing the inequalities of the past through what is known as Black Economic Empowerment (empowerment of historically disadvantaged black people). In this paper, we investigate the approach used by the Amalgamated Banks of South Africa (ABSA) Group Limited, one of the top four banks and an important player in the South African financial services sector, in formulating and implementing strategy to ensure successful and sustainable organizational transformation. A key component of ABSA's Black Economic Empowerment strategy is incorporation of transformation as a business imperative and not merely as a compliance requirement. [source] Supply's Growing Status and Influence: A Sixteen-Year PerspectiveJOURNAL OF SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT, Issue 2 2006P. Fraser Johnson SUMMARY The recent completion of a major survey of large North American supply organizations in 2003 permits a longitudinal perspective on supply roles and responsibilities over a 16-year period. The latest survey complements two earlier studies in 1987 and 1995. All three surveys counted at least 280 responding large North American supply organizations, thereby providing a valuable opportunity to examine trends and changes over time. Major areas of investigation for respondents in both the manufacturing and services sectors include supply organizational structure, supply chain responsibilities, and chief purchasing officer (CPO) reporting line, title and background. This research provides solid evidence that in both manufacturing and services, today's CPOs have greater responsibilities, report higher in the organization and carry more significant titles than their predecessors. The conclusion is that, at least in large North American companies, supply has grown substantially in corporate status and influence since 1987, a particularly welcome discovery. [source] ASSESSING THE IMPACT OF CHINA'S WTO ACCESSION ON INVESTMENTPACIFIC ECONOMIC REVIEW, Issue 3 2006Terrie L. Walmsley More recently, with China's accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) a reality, FDI has once again picked up. This paper explores the linkage between WTO accession and investment in China. We find that investment and capital stocks increase substantially. Moreover, foreign ownership of Chinese assets doubles by 2020. Central to this increase is the expected catch-up in the productivity of the services sectors driven by reforms. These estimates are far larger than those predicted by earlier studies, which ignored the reforms affecting Chinese services sectors, and abstracted from international capital mobility. [source] Declining health insurance access among US hispanic workers: Not all jobs are created equalAMERICAN JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL MEDICINE, Issue 2 2010Kathryn E. McCollister PhD Abstract Introduction Approximately 18% of the U.S. population are uninsured, a proportion that may continue to rise, particularly among Hispanics, as the cost of medical care increases faster than the growth in wages. Methods Health insurance trends were analyzed by race,ethnic category, and among Hispanic workers by occupation type and industrial sector, using data on employed respondents ,18 years from 1997 to 2007 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) (mean annual n,=,17,392, representing 123 million US workers on average over this 11 year period). Results From 1997 to 2007, the relative decline in health insurance coverage for US workers was greatest among Hispanics (7.0%). Hispanic workers in the Construction and Services industries had the greatest overall decline in coverage (24.9% and 14.7%), as well as Hispanic blue collar workers (14.0%). Conclusion Hispanic workers in general, and those employed in blue collar, construction, and services sectors in particular, are at greater risk for poor access to health care due to a lack of health insurance coverage. Am. J. Ind. Med. 53:163,170 2010. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] EMPIRICAL IMPACT OF PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE ON THE JAPANESE ECONOMY,THE JAPANESE ECONOMIC REVIEW, Issue 4 2008CHRISTOPHER N. ANNALA We study the impact of public capital investment on individual sectors of the Japanese economy using time-series data for the period of 1970,1998. We employ a production function approach and also estimate a dynamic VAR/ECM model. We find significant differences in the employment effects, output effects and private investment effects across sectors. Public capital investment has a positive effect on employment in the finance, insurance and real estate (FIRE), manufacturing, construction and utilities sectors; on private investment in the FIRE, agriculture, transportation, trade and services sectors; and on output in the mining, FIRE, trade and manufacturing sectors. [source] Sectoral Effects of Monetary Policy: Evidence from MalaysiaASIAN ECONOMIC JOURNAL, Issue 1 2005Mansor H. Ibrahim E40; E52 The present paper analyzes the effects of monetary policy shocks on aggregate and eight sectoral outputs for Malaysia using vector autoregressive models. In line with many existing studies on Malaysia, the results are supportive of the real effects of monetary policy shocks. More importantly, we find evidence suggesting sector-specific responses to innovations in monetary policy. In response to positive interest rate shocks, we note that the manufacturing, construction, finance, insurance, real estate and business services sectors seem to decline more than aggregate production. By contrast, we observe the relative insensitivities of agriculture, forestry and fishing, mining and quarrying, electricity, gas and water to interest rate changes. The results, therefore, seem to confirm potential disparities in the effect of monetary policy on real sectoral activities. [source] | |||||||||||||