Are Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay area cities attractive to university students in Hong Kong? Leading the potential human capital from image perception to locational decisions

Purpose This study aims to identify the perceived image of the Greater Bay Area (GBA) cities by university students in Hong Kong through both quantitative and qualitative analysis of the levels of familiarity and favourability, the characteristics of the GBA cities and the personal factors that affect the locational decisions (tourism, education, employment and migration) of the sampled students. This study also classifies both the students and the cities according to their perceived image. Design/methodology/approach This study, on a sample of university students in Hong Kong, investigated the linkage between their perceived familiarity and favourability of the 11 GBA cities using a questionnaire-based survey (n1 = 617). A follow-up, semi-structured interview (n2 = 32) was then conducted to qualitatively understand the underlying factors that determine the perceived city image and inform the students’ locational decisions. Findings Geographically, the familiarity-favourability (F-F) analysis indicates that Hong Kong university students are overwhelmingly familiar with and favourable to Hong Kong, Macau and Shenzhen. The 11 cities are classified into development-oriented, have specialized local economy, are personality-based and have a rich history and bring back nostalgic memories. From the F-F scores, Hong Kong students are classified into two main clusters of non-interested students and positive but unfamiliar students. The locational decisions of local students show a relatively stronger magnitude of favourability affecting all four purposes of relocation, an overriding preference for Hong Kong and the high determination of psychological characteristics. Research limitations/implications As this study focuses on Hong Kong students as a sample, a further comparative study between mainland Chinese students in the GBA region and Hong Kong could be conducted to extend the main findings of this research. Social implications The idea of “People-to-People Bond”, under the framework of the Belt-and-Road Initiative, and its socio-cultural aspect are emphasized as the key to transnational and regional policy success, which is relevant to the GBA region. The regional policies determine the movement of human capital and the interconnection of places for regional planning and development. The research outcomes correspond with the dearth of knowledge about the relationship between the characteristics of upcoming university graduates, their perceptions of GBA cities as destinations for varied purposes and their ultimate decision for relocation. Their interests and intended movements will exert short-to-long-term social and cultural influences to the region. Originality/value The promulgation and implementation of the GBA development plan for providing opportunities for tourism, education, employment and migration for mainland and Hong Kong university students. This research enriches the knowledge about the bottom-up and citizen-oriented approach in regional planning and policy formulation by advancing Govers and Go’s (2009) three-gap branding model and relying on an empirical foundation for these policy initiatives.

Institutions, Culture and Foreign Direct Investment in Transition Economies: Does Culture Matter and Why?

The aim of this research is to analyse the importance of cultural and institutional determinants in attracting FDI to transition countries. We rely on gravity econometric framework and examine the impact of cultural and institutional factors on FDI using bilateral FDI flows between home (i.e. major trading partners) and eight transition economies in the period 2000–2018. We study this relationship in an integrated framework considering principal gravity forces, traditional FDI determinants, policy and institutional factors. We provide strong and robust evidence that cultural factors, depicted in Hofmann cultural indices, influence MNCs’ locational decisions. Other things held constant, specific cultural features seem more important than formal institutions, which seems at odds with standard neoclassical propositions, and shed some new light on the way we understand international business transactions.

THE DETERMINANTS OF FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT IN THE GREEK REGIONS

This study investigates the determinants of FDI in the Greek regions. The aim of the study is to understand whether and to what extent the presence of localization economies in the Greek regions, has an impact on FDI locational decisions. We use a pooled cross-section dataset of FDI stock and we study the effect of localization economies and of other basic determinants, on the attraction of FDI. We find the most significant influences to be market size, human capital, geographic position and the presence of localization economies.

‘Suitable’ Locations for ‘State Private Universities’ in India: Anticipated Demand and State Regulatory Frameworks

In the last two decades, India has witnessed the establishment of a large number of private universities. While these institutions are spread across different parts of the country, one can observe certain locational patterns. Focused particularly on private universities legislated by state governments (as opposed to private deemed universities legislated by central government), this article examines the significance of anticipated demand and state regulatory frameworks in attempting to understand how private capital and state engage with the question of location of universities. This article is largely based on an analysis of data generated by University Grants Commission and All India Survey of Higher Education. It argues that while locational decisions of private universities are influenced by anticipated demand, state governments are often using careful customisation of regulatory frameworks as an instrument to facilitate the development of private capital in higher education.

Local determinants of foreign direct investment in Poland: the role of relative distance

Research background: The increasing role of foreign direct investments (FDI) in global, national, regional, and local economies draws the public’s attention to the criteria utilised by foreign investors in undertaking locational decisions, owing to the mostly stimulating character of these kinds of investments. Purpose of the article: The aim of the article is to identify the local determinants of FDI distribution. Particular attention is put on the role of distance to: (i) various transport endowments; (ii) next special economic zone; (iii) different national borders, among other motives studied in empirical papers. Methods: An important value added over the existing studies is the use of continuous variables representing distances (in km) to selected points of interest (e.g., airport) or minimum distances to lines (i.e., border, road) instead of dummy variables indicating whether particular infrastructure endowment is present in a region. The estimations were run in STATA 14.2 software with the use of a negative binomial approach. Findings & Value added: The results present new empirical evidence on FDI determinants witnessed at a local level of analysis (LAU 1), fitting into the other research done at a higher level of data aggregation (NUTS 2, NUTS 3), signalling high intra-regional inequalities and the role of: (i) relative distance to various infrastructure endowments; (ii) heterogeneous border effects; and (iii) the importance of close proximity to special economic zones. Given the presence of counties’ auto selection process (i.e., better developed, endowed, urbanised, favourably located) done by FDI investors, we formulate universal implications in terms of FDI promotion policy.

Patterns of Patient Flow to Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital Complex’s Cancer Treatment Centre, Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria

This study analyses the spatial dimensions of patronage of Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital Complex’s Cancer Treatment Centre, Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria, with a view to provide information on the sphere of influence of the centre and to inform future locational decisions. The geographic coordinates of relevant phenomena were obtained using a GPS receiver. Also, the medical records of cancer patients were assessed for relevant information. The collected data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics, and geo-spatial techniques. The data showed that a total of 1809 patients from 15 states in Nigeria were enrolled for the treatment of cancer at the hospital. The volume of patronage at the centre was seen to be inversely related to the distance travelled by patients (r = −.657, p>0.05). For instance, 85% of the patients came from the three (3) states nearest to the health facility, with Osun, the host State, accounting for about half (50.6%) of the total number. Additionally, the study revealed some demographic and socio-economic peculiarities among the cancer patients.