Direction of luxury fashion retailers' post-entry expansion – the evidence from China

PurposeThis empirical study, from the international retailing perspective, examines the direction of retailers' further expansion after initial entry into overseas host market in the context of the luxury fashion retail market in China.Design/methodology/approachThe research adopts qualitative multiple case studies.FindingsAfter initial entry into China, luxury fashion retailers further expand their retail operations through three directional patterns: cautious, regional and countrywide expansions. The stepwise expansion from tier-1 to tier-2 and tier-3 cities remains popular; however, the importance of the tier system of Chinese cities has been weakened because tier-3 cities in affluent regions are perceived to have more potential than some tier-2 cities in less developed regions. The retailers assess a potential local market through interrelated criteria, including location and strategic importance, economic development, available store locations and staff, a high degree of urbanisation and tourism, debatable favourable policies and offers, and popularity of e- and m-commerce. There is a positive relationship between popularity of e- and m-commerce in a city and the potential of that city to run brick-and-mortar stores.Originality/valueThe paper offers an insight into the current international retailing literature by examining the direction of luxury fashion retailers' further expansion after their initial market entry. Particularly, the research considers a set of criteria which can be used to assess a potential local market, and the impact of e- and m-commerce on local market choices for brick-and-mortar stores.

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The Impact of the November 2020 English National Lockdown on COVID-19 case counts

10.1101/2021.01.03.21249169 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Paul R Hunter ◽

Julii Brainard ◽

Alastair Grant

Keyword(s):

Reproductive Rate ◽

Tier 2 ◽

New Variant ◽

Tier System ◽

Obvious Benefit ◽

Beneficial Impact ◽

R Value ◽

The Uk ◽

Tier 3 ◽

The Impact

In the UK the epidemic of COVID-19 continues to pose a significant threat to public health. On the 14th October the English government introduced a tier system for control of the epidemic but just 3 weeks later a National lockdown across all areas of England was implemented. When English areas emerged from Lockdown many were placed in different tiers (most typically moved up at least one tier). However, the effectiveness of the tier system has been challenged by the emergence of a new variant of SARS-CoV-2 which appears to be much more infectious. In addition, from early November a trial mass testing service was being run in Liverpool. We used publicly available data of daily cases by local authority (local government areas) and estimated the reproductive rate (R value) of the epidemic based on 7-day case numbers compared with the previous 7-day period. There was a clear surge in infections from a few days before to several days after the lockdown was implemented. But this surge was almost exclusively associated with Tier 1 and Tier 2 authorities. In Tier 3 authorities where hospitality venues were only allowed to operate as restaurants there was no such surge. After this initial surge, cases declined in all three tiers with the R value dropping to a mean of about 0.7 independent of tier. London, The South East and East of England Regions saw rising infection rates in the last week or so of lockdown primarily in children of secondary school age. We could find no obvious benefit of the trial mass screening programme in Liverpool city. We conclude that in Tiers 1 and 2 much of the beneficial impact of the national lockdown was lost probably because of the leak of its likely implementation five days early leading to increased socialising in these areas before the start of lockdown. We further conclude that given that the new variant is estimated to have an R value of between 0.39 and 0.93 greater than previous variants, any lockdown as strict as the November one would be insufficient to reverse the increase in infections by itself. The value of city-wide mass testing to control the epidemic remains uncertain.

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Modelling the impact of the tier system on SARS-CoV-2 transmission in the UK between the first and second national lockdowns

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2021-050346 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (4) ◽

pp. e050346

Author(s):

Daniel J Laydon ◽

Swapnil Mishra ◽

Wes R Hinsley ◽

Pantelis Samartsidis ◽

Seth Flaxman ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Real Time ◽

Reproduction Number ◽

Secondary Outcome ◽

Bayesian Hierarchical ◽

Time Reproduction ◽

Tier System ◽

The Uk ◽

National Trends ◽

Tier 3 ◽

The Impact

ObjectiveTo measure the effects of the tier system on the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK between the first and second national lockdowns, before the emergence of the B.1.1.7 variant of concern.DesignThis is a modelling study combining estimates of real-time reproduction number Rt (derived from UK case, death and serological survey data) with publicly available data on regional non-pharmaceutical interventions. We fit a Bayesian hierarchical model with latent factors using these quantities to account for broader national trends in addition to subnational effects from tiers.SettingThe UK at lower tier local authority (LTLA) level. 310 LTLAs were included in the analysis.Primary and secondary outcome measuresReduction in real-time reproduction number Rt.ResultsNationally, transmission increased between July and late September, regional differences notwithstanding. Immediately prior to the introduction of the tier system, Rt averaged 1.3 (0.9–1.6) across LTLAs, but declined to an average of 1.1 (0.86–1.42) 2 weeks later. Decline in transmission was not solely attributable to tiers. Tier 1 had negligible effects. Tiers 2 and 3, respectively, reduced transmission by 6% (5%–7%) and 23% (21%–25%). 288 LTLAs (93%) would have begun to suppress their epidemics if every LTLA had gone into tier 3 by the second national lockdown, whereas only 90 (29%) did so in reality.ConclusionsThe relatively small effect sizes found in this analysis demonstrate that interventions at least as stringent as tier 3 are required to suppress transmission, especially considering more transmissible variants, at least until effective vaccination is widespread or much greater population immunity has amassed.

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Incorporation of plasma-based next-generation sequencing to improve guideline-concordant molecular testing in patients with newly diagnosed metastatic nonsquamous non-small cell lung cancer.

Journal of Clinical Oncology ◽

10.1200/jco.2020.39.28_suppl.14 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 39 (28_suppl) ◽

pp. 14-14

Author(s):

Charu Aggarwal ◽

Melina Elpi Marmarelis ◽

Wei-Ting Hwang ◽

Dylan G. Scholes ◽

Aditi Puri Singh ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Clinical Practice ◽

Practice Change ◽

Molecular Testing ◽

Tier 2 ◽

Newly Diagnosed ◽

Next Generation ◽

First Line ◽

Tier 1 ◽

Tier 3 ◽

The Impact

14 Background: Current NCCN guidelines recommend comprehensive molecular profiling for all newly diagnosed patients with metastatic non-squamous NSCLC to enable the delivery of personalized medicine. We have previously demonstrated that incorporation of plasma based next-generation gene sequencing (NGS) improves detection of clinically actionable mutations in patients with advanced NSCLC (Aggarwal et al, JAMA Oncology, 2018). To increase rates of comprehensive molecular testing at our institution, we adapted our clinical practice to include concurrent use of plasma (P) and tissue (T) based NGS upon initial diagnosis. P NGS testing was performed using a commercial 74 gene assay. We analyzed the impact of this practice change on guideline concordant molecular testing at our institution. Methods: A retrospective cohort study of patients with newly diagnosed metastatic non-squamous NSCLC following the implementation of this practice change in 12/2018 was performed. Tiers of NCCN guideline concordant testing were defined, Tier 1: complete EGFR, ALK, BRAF, ROS1, MET, RET, NTRK testing, Tier 2: included above, but with incomplete NTRK testing, Tier 3: > 2 genes tested, Tier 4: single gene testing, Tier 5: no testing. Proportion of patients with comprehensive molecular testing by modality (T NGS vs. T+P NGS) were compared using one-sided Fisher’s exact test. Results: Between 01/2019, and 12/2019, 170 patients with newly diagnosed metastatic non-Sq NSCLC were treated at our institution. Overall, 98.2% (167/170) patients underwent molecular testing, Tier 1: n = 100 (59%), Tier 2: n = 39 (23%), Tier 3/4: n = 28 (16.5%), Tier 5: n = 3 (2%). Amongst these patients, 43.1% (72/167) were tested with T NGS alone, 8% (15/167) with P NGS alone, and 47.9% (80/167) with T+P NGS. A higher proportion of patients underwent comprehensive molecular testing (Tiers 1+2) using T+P NGS: 95.7% (79/80) compared to T alone: 62.5% (45/72), p < 0.0005. Prior to the initiation of first line treatment, 72.4% (123/170) patients underwent molecular testing, Tier 1: n = 73 (59%), Tier 2: n = 27 (22%) and Tier 3/4: n = 23 (18%). Amongst these, 39% (48/123) were tested with T NGS alone, 7% (9/123) with P NGS alone and 53.6% (66/123) with T+P NGS. A higher proportion of patients underwent comprehensive molecular testing (Tiers 1+2) using T+P NGS, 100% (66/66) compared to 52% (25/48) with T NGS alone (p < 0.0005). Conclusions: Incorporation of concurrent T+P NGS testing in treatment naïve metastatic non-Sq NSCLC significantly increased the proportion of patients undergoing guideline concordant molecular testing, including prior to initiation of first-line therapy at our institution. Concurrent T+P NGS should be adopted into institutional pathways and routine clinical practice.

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The bidirectional relationship between ESG performance and earnings management – empirical evidence from Germany

Journal of Global Responsibility ◽

10.1108/jgr-01-2019-0001 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 10 (4) ◽

pp. 322-338 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Patrick Velte

Keyword(s):

Earnings Management ◽

Financial Reporting ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Social Performance ◽

Negative Influence ◽

Content Type ◽

Thomson Reuters ◽

Tier System ◽

Bidirectional Relationship ◽

The Impact

Purpose This study aims to focus on environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance as a whole and individually in its three pillars and their influence on earnings management. Design/methodology/approach Companies listed on the German Prime Standard (DAX30, TecDAX and MDAX) for the business years 2011-2017 (548 firm-year observations) are included in the empirical quantitative study. A correlation and regression analysis is conducted to analyze the impact of ESG performance as determined by the Asset4 database of Thomson Reuters on accruals-based earnings management (AEM) and real earnings management (REM). Findings ESG performance has a negative influence on AEM but not on REM. Moreover, by dividing the three different factors of ESG performance, governance performance has the strongest negative impact on AEM in comparison to environmental and social performance. This study also suggests a bidirectional relationship between ESG performance and earnings management. Originality/value The analysis makes a key contribution to research as the link between ESG performance and their three components and earnings management are analyzed for the German two-tier system for the first time. Corporate practice, regulators and researchers should recognize that ESG performance and financial reporting should be discussed together.

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Quantifying the Benefits of a Solar Home System-Based DC Microgrid for Rural Electrification

Energies ◽

10.3390/en12050938 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 12 (5) ◽

pp. 938 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Nishant Narayan ◽

Ali Chamseddine ◽

Victor Vega-Garita ◽

Zian Qin ◽

Jelena Popovic-Gerber ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Energy Deficit ◽

Rural Electrification ◽

Tier 2 ◽

Dc Microgrid ◽

Dc Microgrids ◽

Solar Home System ◽

Tier 3 ◽

Electricity Access ◽

The Impact ◽

Adequate Power

Off-grid solar home systems (SHSs) currently constitute a major source of providing basic electricity needs in un(der)-electrified regions of the world, with around 73 million households having benefited from off-grid solar solutions by 2017. However, in and of itself, state-of-the-art SHSs can only provide electricity access with adequate power supply availability up to tier 2, and to some extent, tier 3 levels of the Multi-tier Framework (MTF) for measuring household electricity access. When considering system metrics of loss of load probability (LLP) and battery size, meeting the electricity needs of tiers 4 and 5 is untenable through SHSs alone. Alternatively, a bottom-up microgrid composed of interconnected SHSs is proposed. Such an approach can enable the so-called climb up the rural electrification ladder. The impact of the microgrid size on the system metrics like LLP and energy deficit is evaluated. Finally, it is found that the interconnected SHS-based microgrid can provide more than 40% and 30% gains in battery sizing for the same LLP level as compared to the standalone SHSs sizes for tiers 4 and 5 of the MTF, respectively, thus quantifying the definite gains of an SHS-based microgrid over standalone SHSs. This study paves the way for visualizing SHS-based rural DC microgrids that can not only enable electricity access to the higher tiers of the MTF with lower battery storage needs but also make use of existing SHS infrastructure, thus enabling a technologically easy climb up the rural electrification ladder.

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Strategic impact of retail 4.0 on retailers’ performance in Malaysia

Strategic Direction ◽

10.1108/sd-05-2019-0099 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 35 (11) ◽

pp. 1-3 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Poorni Sakrabani ◽

Ai Ping Teoh ◽

Azlan Amran

Keyword(s):

Inventory Management ◽

Industry 4.0 ◽

Retail Industry ◽

Young Generation ◽

Content Type ◽

Gen Y ◽

Novel Technologies ◽

Brick And Mortar ◽

Strategic Impact ◽

The Impact

Purpose The Malaysian retail industry, which contributes toward almost 45 per cent of the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is on a downward trend. As such, the main purpose of this study is to improve the performance of the Malaysian retail industry through the incorporation of Industry 4.0 technologies. The incorporation of Industry 4.0 technologies in the retail industry has led to the emergence of Retail 4.0 which can also be defined as omni-channel retailing. Design/methodology/approach The adoption of Retail 4.0, which is a combination of omni-channel retailing and also novel technologies, has been proven to improve the performance of retailers in many countries. As such, the authors have given suggestions on how Retail 4.0 can be incorporated by Malaysian retailers for the betterment of the Malaysian retail industry. Findings Problems faced by retailers these days are boring `brick and mortar' stores, out of stock (OOS) issues, price discrepancy and long queues. Retail 4.0 has enabled retailers to overcome these problems by creating novel shopping experiences, better inventory management, and improved operational efficiency and also more informed decision making in real time. Limitations The incorporation of Industry 4.0 technologies in Malaysia is still in the infancy stage. As such, skilled professionals need to be brought in to help implement these technologies in the retail industry. Practical implications Omni-channel retailing and the usage of various technologies by `brick and mortar' stores is very appealing to Malaysia's Gen Y and Gen Z who make up 67 per cent of the country's population. The spending power of this young generation can help to boost the performance of the Malaysian retail industry. Originality/value To date, no known study has been done on the impact of Retail 4.0 on Malaysian retailers. The results of this study will be very valuable to managers who are keen to improve the performance of their respective retail channels.

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Institutional differences and integration difficulties

International Marketing Review ◽

10.1108/imr-02-2016-0050 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 35 (5) ◽

pp. 850-868 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Kashef A. Majid ◽

Hari Bapuji

Keyword(s):

Product Quality ◽

Failure Time ◽

Accelerated Failure Time Model ◽

Local Market ◽

Product Recall ◽

Content Type ◽

Starting Point ◽

Institutional Differences ◽

The Usa ◽

The Impact

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine how the location of a firm’s headquarters and component sourcing impact a firm’s responsiveness in a product-harm crisis in local market.Design/methodology/approachThe authors collected data on 1,251 vehicle recalls from 12 manufacturers, six in the USA, three in Germany, and three in Japan. All of the recalls occurred in the USA between 2002 and 2010. The time the product was first released into the marketplace was used as the starting point while the time the recall was initiated (if at all) was used to record the probability of the product recall over time. Specifically, a survival analysis with an accelerated failure time model was employed to examine the speed with which a product is recalled. The authors examined the impact of foreign composition using information provided by the American Automobile Labeling Act, which lists the proportion of each vehicle that is composed of domestic parts (USA/Canada) and foreign parts. Organizational characteristics (i.e. size, market share, assets, net income, and reputation) and recall size (i.e. number of affected vehicles) that might have an effect on time to recall were controlled for.FindingsThe authors found that firms headquartered outside the local market would take longer to issue a product recall than firms that were headquartered in the local market. Firm headquartered outside the local market can reduce the time taken to recall by sourcing parts from the local marketplace, rather than from abroad. Interestingly, even local firms are affected by the location of component sourcing, such that they take longer to issue a recall if they sourced parts from abroad.Originality/valueResearch in international marketing has examined the benefits of integration to firms, but has not studied the risks of integration. By highlighting the challenges of managing institutional differences and integration difficulties, the authors show that location of headquarters and the location from where components are sourced have an effect on firm responsiveness in product-harm crises. Further, the authors build on the global supply chain management literature that has shown the effect of upstream activities (i.e. foreign production) on downstream activities (i.e. product quality). Specifically, the authors show that upstream activities can not only affect product quality, but also the ability of firms to respond to those product qualities in a timely fashion.

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Study protocol for COvid-19 Vascular sERvice (COVER) study: The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the provision, practice and outcomes of vascular surgery

10.1101/2020.05.27.20114322 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Ruth A Benson

Keyword(s):

Vascular Surgery ◽

Service Provision ◽

British Society ◽

Tier 2 ◽

Patient Level ◽

Tier 1 ◽

Ethical Approval ◽

The Uk ◽

Tier 3 ◽

The Impact

ABSTRACTBackgroundThe novel Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is having a profound impact on global healthcare. Shortages in staff, operating theatre space and intensive care beds has led to a significant reduction in the provision of surgical care. Even vascular surgery, often insulated from resource scarcity due to its status as an urgent specialty, has limited capacity due to the pandemic. Furthermore, many vascular surgical patients are elderly with multiple comorbidities putting them at increased risk of COVID-19 and its complications. There is an urgent need to investigate the impact on patients presenting to vascular surgeons during the COVID-19 pandemic.Methods and AnalysisThe COvid-19 Vascular sERvice (COVER) study has been designed to investigate the worldwide impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on vascular surgery, at both service provision and individual patient level. COVER is running as a collaborative study through the Vascular and Endovascular Research Network (VERN) with the support of numerous national (Vascular Society of Great Britain and Ireland, British Society of Endovascular Therapy, British Society of Interventional Radiology, Rouleaux Club) and an evolving number of international organisations (Vascupedia, SingVasc, Audible Bleeding (USA), Australian and New Zealand Vascular Trials Network (ANZVTN)). The study has 3 ‘Tiers’: Tier 1 is a survey of vascular surgeons to capture longitudinal changes to the provision of vascular services within their hospital; Tier 2 captures data on vascular and endovascular procedures performed during the pandemic; and Tier 3 will capture any deviations to patient management strategies from prepandemic best practice. Data submission and collection will be electronic using online survey tools (Tier 1: SurveyMonkey® for service provision data) and encrypted data capture forms (Tiers 2 and 3: REDCap® for patient level data). Tier 1 data will undergo real-time serial analysis to determine longitudinal changes in practice, with country-specific analyses also performed. The analysis of Tier 2 and Tier 3 data will occur on completion of the study as per the prespecified statistical analysis plan.Ethical ApprovalEthical approval from the UK Health Research Authority has been obtained for Tiers 2 and 3 (20/NW/0196 Liverpool Central). Participating centres in the UK will be required to seek local research and development approval. Non-UK centres will need to obtain a research ethics committee or institutional review board approvals in accordance with national and/or local requirements.ISRCTN: 80453162 (https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN80453162)Ethical Approval: 20/NW/0196 Liverpool Central, IRAS: 282224

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E-university delivery model: handling the evaluation process

Business Process Management Journal ◽

10.1108/bpmj-10-2018-0281 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 25 (7) ◽

pp. 1633-1646 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Rasha Ismail ◽

Fadi Safieddine ◽

Ashraf Jaradat

Keyword(s):

Business Models ◽

Evaluation Process ◽

Evaluation Tools ◽

Content Type ◽

Online Evaluation ◽

Brick And Mortar ◽

Online Distance Learning ◽

Online Distance ◽

The Impact

Purpose The setting up of e-university has been slow-going. Much of e-university slow progress has been attributed to poor business models, branding, disruptive technologies, lack of organisational structure that accommodates such challenges, and failure to integrate a blended approach. One of the stumbling blocks, among many, is the handling of evaluation process. E-university models do not provide much automation compared to the original brick-and-mortar classroom model of delivery. The underlining technologies may not have been supportive; however, the conditions are changing, and more evaluation tools are becoming available for academics. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach This paper identifies the extent of current online evaluation processes. In this process, the team reviews the case study of a UK E-University using Adobe Connect learning model that mirrors much of the physical processes as well as online exams and evaluation tools. Using the Riva model, the paper compares the physical with the online evaluation processes for e-universities to identify differences in these processes to evaluate the benefits of e-learning. As a result, the models can help us to identify the processes where improvements can take place for automating the process and evaluate the impact of this change. Findings The paper concludes that this process can be significantly shortened and provide a fairer outcome but there remain some challenges for e-university processes to overcome. Originality/value This paper examines the vital quality assurance processes in academia as more universities move towards process automation, blended or e-university business models. Using the case study of Arden University online distance learning, the paper demonstrates, through modelling and analysis that the process of online automation of the evaluation process is achieved with significant efficiency.

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The effect of leverage on the performance of real estate companies

Journal of European Real Estate Research ◽

10.1108/jerer-01-2018-0004 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. 284-318 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Giacomo Morri ◽

Karoline Jostov

Keyword(s):

Real Estate ◽

Risk Premium ◽

Market Risk ◽

Local Market ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Content Type ◽

Crisis Period ◽

Market Risk Premium ◽

Fama And French ◽

The Impact

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the impact of leverage on the total shareholder return of European publicly traded real estate vehicles in three periods: Crisis Period (2007-2009), Rebound Period (2009-2014) and the Whole Period. Design/methodology/approach Cross-sectional analysis is used and the leverage effect on the performance is controlled for seven other independent variables (local market risk premium, size, book-to-market, short-term debt, cash); moreover, regional differences are accounted for. Findings It is established that during the Crisis Period, leverage levels are negatively associated with performance: this relationship also holds throughout the Whole Period, implying that for real estate securities, the cost of financial distress is larger than the potential gain from taxation, although the economic significance of it is limited. The Fama and French (1992) three factors, including size, book-to-market and local market risk premium, are found to be relevant, which is consistent with the literature. In addition, the UK and Sweden regions are identified as significant. Originality/value Even if there is sizeable body of literature on determinants of leverage and determinants of asset returns, little work has been done on how leverage affects the returns of European real estate companies. In addition, this paper takes advantage of observations from a full economic cycle and the possible effects of the crisis period.

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