Dynamics of Information Acquisition: Does Investment in Information Technology Matter?

The purpose of the study is to develop a theoretical model to ascertain if the IT investment in the banking sector is capable of generating a new equilibrium with increased efficiency. The empirical strategy is to seek an indirect test for Jordanian banking sector by looking at the time profile of banking profits as a temporal function of IT investment. The study enquires if the banking sector, as an iterative process of credit allocation and information acquisition through IT investment, lead to a stable equilibrium? Does IT investment ensure stable market shares for Jordanian banks in the long run? The study finds that investment in IT has led the banking system in Jordan away from an efficient equilibrium. We also find that the banks in Jordan directly interact with each other, although they may have collusive arrangements with some of their rivals, this means the banking market is not fragmented.

Can competition improve hospital quality of care? A difference-in-differences approach to evaluate the effect of increasing quality transparency on hospital quality

Public reporting on the quality of care is intended to guide patients to the provider with the highest quality and to stimulate a fair competition on quality. We apply a difference-in-differences design to test whether hospital quality has improved more in markets that are more competitive after the first public release of performance data in Germany in 2008. Panel data from 947 hospitals from 2006 to 2010 are used. Due to the high complexity of the treatment of stroke patients, we approximate general hospital quality by the 30-day risk-adjusted mortality rate for stroke treatment. Market structure is measured (comparatively) by the Herfindahl–Hirschman index (HHI) and by the number of hospitals in the relevant market. Predicted market shares based on exogenous variables only are used to compute the HHI to allow a causal interpretation of the reform effect. A homogenous positive effect of competition on quality of care is found. This effect is mainly driven by the response of non-profit hospitals that have a narrow range of services and private for-profit hospitals with a medium range of services. The results highlight the relevance of outcome transparency to enhance hospital quality competition.

Market structure and horizontal growth strategies – A case study of the container shipping industry

This article aims to review the structural transformation in the container shipping industry from 1995 to 2020 and identify the growth strategies of global carriers to enhance their market presence. Along with large investments in mega vessels, the growing deployment of charter capacity in all ship sectors has been a prominent trend in fleet expansion. The waves of mergers/acquisitions and bankruptcies have narrowed the group of global carriers. In addition to internal and external growth, they have been increasingly involved in strategic alliances to expand service coverage and compete well with powerful rivals. A few mega carriers have progressively captured the industry. In 2020, the Top 12 controlled 88 % of the global supply, and nearly 56 % was in the hands of the Top 4. Besides the substantial expansion of the four biggest carriers, we can identify the de-concentration within this gigantic group through the less inequality between their market shares.

Relevance of Marketing Strategies for Gas Stations in China – An Analysis Using SPSS

This study aims to find out the relevance of marketing strategies for gas stations in China. According to IBISWorld, the companies holding the largest market shares in China’s gas station industry include China Petrochemical Corporation, China National Petroleum Corporation, Sinochem Corporation, China National Offshore Oil Corporation, and BP (China) Holdings Limited. Marketing has changed over the past several years. Similarly, gas station marketing is all about more customers, greater sales, and higher profits. Technology provides many different marketing tools to see more fresh faces at the door, increase repeat sales, and improve profits. Word-of-mouth advertising should be encouraged, especially when contests are being held. The prizes from these contests may include car essentials, free coffee, free car wash, or coupons to be used at convenience stores. Customers who have won these contests would surely go around advertising the particular gas station, ultimately bringing in more customers. Other than that, managers can boost the sales volume through radio promotions as well. This study also aims to give future businessmen and women some ideas on how to deal with different kinds of strategies when it comes to marketing, especially in China in hope to cater and prove to the people of China the possibility of promoting businesses, such as the oil industry.

Agricultural and Foodstuff Trade between EU28 and Russia: (Non)Uniformity of the Russian Import Ban Impact Distribution

The distribution of the impact of the Russian import ban on the EU28 countries is not uniform. The market shares and clustering of the EU28 countries changed before and after the introduction of the ban. Although the Russian import ban was introduced as a countermeasure to Western sectoral and individual sanctions, the ban’s impact on EU28 economies is not parallel, and the impact is not evenly distributed among EU members. Cluster analysis shows that two groups of countries can be distinguished, with Group 2 having the most severe impact from the ban (on average, a decrease of 48% in the trade balance with Russia). Our results show that Germany, the Netherlands, Latvia, Lithuania, Italy and Poland are the countries which have experienced the largest Russian import ban impact and bear up to 63% of total EU28 losses due to the ban. Some of the countries (Austria, Hungary, Czechia) did not stop expanding trade after the import ban, and they could be the ones to see the first benefits once the ban is lifted.

Effects of Corporate Entrepreneurship Dimensions on Organizational Performance: Case of Small and Medium Enterprises in Holeta Town, Ethiopia

Small and medium enterprises are paying the lion’s share in the innovation-based economy of today’s competitive business environment. To this effect, this study observed the effects of corporate entrepreneurship (CE) dimensions on the performance of SMEs in the town of Holeta, Ethiopia. We used both descriptive and survey research designs to meet the specified target of the study. The researchers employed both primary and secondary data sources; the former were collected from 173 participants using both primary and secondary data. The result of this study indicates that all of the explanatory variables used were statistically significant and had a positive relationship with the performance of SMEs. Thus, we recommend that owners of small and medium enterprises pay special attention to practicing CE to increase their business performance, sustainability, and competitiveness. Entrepreneurs should also come up with new and attractive product and service features to take high market shares. Furthermore, forecasting potential challenges for firms and devising possible ways of solving the situation in advance can safeguard businesses from failure.

Entry, Variable Markups, and Business Cycles

The creation of new businesses declines in recessions. In this paper, I study the effects of pro-cyclical business formation on aggregate employment in a general equilibrium model of firm dynamics. The key features of the model are that the elasticity of demand faced by firms falls with their market share and that adjustment costs slow the reallocation of employment between firms. In response to a decline in entry, incumbent firms' market shares increase, their elasticity of demand falls, and they increase their markups and reduce employment. To quantify the model, I study the relationship between variable input use and revenue in panel data on large firms. Viewed through the lens of my model, my estimates imply that for large firms, the within-firm elasticity of the markup to relative sales is 25 percent. I use the calibrated model to study shocks to entry, finding that a fall in entry can lead to a significant contraction in employment. A shock to entry that replicates the decline in the number of businesses during the Great Recession generates a prolonged 2.5 percent fall in employment in the model. Finally, I show that the declining correlation between revenue and variable input use over the past 30 years implies that the effect of entry on the business cycle has become stronger over time.

Economic consequences of the COVID-19 impact on the tourism development in Arctic regions of Russia

The authors assess the economic impact of the restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic on the components of tourism and recreation system in the Arctic regions of Russia. They propose the estimation method, which includes indicators of changes in the sale volume and structure of the tourism industry services, changes in the revenue volume and share of tour operators, changes in the monopolization level and the distribution structure of market shares of tour operators in the Arctic regions. The study results can be used to adjust policy and strategic documents for tourism development in the Arctic regions of Russia.

Embedding Performance Testing in Agile Software Model

In the last couple of decades, the software development process has evolved drastically, starting from Big Bang to Waterfall to Agile. The primary driver for the evolution of the software was the “Speed of Delivery” of the Software Product which has significantly accelerated from months to less than weeks and days. For IT (Information Technology) Organizations to be successful, they inevitably need a strong technology presence to roll out new software and features as quickly as possible to their customer base. The current user generation tends to use technology to maximum potential and is always striving to keep up with the new trends. The main subject is for the organizations to be ready with their Speed of Delivery strategy adapting to all technology modernization initiatives like CICD (Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment), Agile, DevOps, and Cloud so that there are negligible customer friction and no risks to their Market shares,. The aim of this paper is to compare the performance testing in every stage of the agile model to the traditional end testing. The results of the corresponding testing phases are presented in this paper.