Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Jerrold Van Winter Author-Name: Marilyn Liebrenz-Himes Title: THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CULTURAL DIMENSIONS AND INTERNATIONAL VENDOR SELECTION CRITERIA Abstract: International vendor selection has been a lightly researched area of organizational buying behavior. The few studies in the field have examined differences in the importance of vendor selection criteria to purchasers across countries, but did not attempt to identify the potential cause of these differences. The present study surveyed purchasers in the United States and Germany and identified differences in the importance placed on vendor selection criteria factors. The study then took the additional step of examining to see if there was a relationship between these perceived differences and differences in the cultural dimensions of purchasers, a relationship which has been suggested but not tested by earlier studies. A relationship was found between Hofstede’s cultural dimension of uncertainty avoidance and the vendor selection factors of quality, price, vendor reputation, firm characteristics and vendor attitude. In addition, a relationship was found between individualism and the quality, price and vendor attitude factors. Classification-JEL: M16, M31 Keywords: International Organization Buyer Behavior, International Vendor Selection Journal: Review of Business and Finance Studies Pages: 1-12 Volume: 6 Issue: 1 Year: 2015 File-URL: http://www.theibfr2.com/RePEc/ibf/rbfstu/rbfs-v6n1-2015/RBFS-V6N1-2015-1.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Handle: RePEc:ibf:rbfstu:v:6:y:2015:i:1:p:1-12 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Nisha Singh Author-Name: R.D. Sharma Title: USE OF DEPRECIATION AS A TAX POLICY DEVICE TO CONTROL INFLATION Abstract: The United States Internal Revenue Code contains many provisions for credits, deductions, and other tax advantages intended to achieve various economic goals considered desirable by the U.S. Congress. The depreciation allowance is one such deduction, frequently used to compensate taxpayers for the effects of inflation and to promote economic growth. The government uses it extensively as a part of tax-incentive programs based on the theory that tax benefits stemming from depreciation reduce the cost of doing business, and thus stimulate capital formation by allowing tax-free recovery of capital by businesses. Capital formation increases productive capacity by providing resources to those companies that can use them to expand business operations. The expected increase in productivity would result in more goods and services in the economy, which in turn would act to keep prices down and help suppress inflation. Congress has realized the importance of capital formation to control inflation and thus, over time, has extended significant tax advantages to businesses through depreciation. This paper examines the effectiveness of depreciation as a means of stimulating capital formation and of controlling inflation. Classification-JEL: H2, H4, H8 Keywords: Depreciation, Tax Policy Device, Inflation, U.S. Congress, Capital Formation, Internal Revenue Code Journal: Review of Business and Finance Studies Pages: 13-26 Volume: 6 Issue: 1 Year: 2015 File-URL: http://www.theibfr2.com/RePEc/ibf/rbfstu/rbfs-v6n1-2015/RBFS-V6N1-2015-2.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Handle: RePEc:ibf:rbfstu:v:6:y:2015:i:1:p:13-26 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Roberta Provasi Author-Name: Patrizia Riva Title: ASSESSMENT OF GOING CONCERN FOR THE ITALIAN LISTED COMPANIES: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY Abstract: The research has a dual purpose. The first is to investigate the going concern assumption for Italian listed companies by analyzing the contents of audit reports issued by the independent auditors. We examined meeting the following criteria: a) all the companies listed on the Italian Stock Exchange; b) excluding foreign companies c) and included an auditor report on the 2012 consolidated financial statements. The results show that 80% of Italian listed companies have no issues related to business continuity. The remaining 20% showed significant problems. The second purpose is to analyze the trend of the going concern assumption for Italian listed companies. We compare going concern figures between 2009 and 2012. Classification-JEL: M41, M42 Keywords: Going Concern, Audit’s Opinion Journal: Review of Business and Finance Studies Pages: 27-34 Volume: 6 Issue: 1 Year: 2015 File-URL: http://www.theibfr2.com/RePEc/ibf/rbfstu/rbfs-v6n1-2015/RBFS-V6N1-2015-3.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Handle: RePEc:ibf:rbfstu:v:6:y:2015:i:1:p:27-34 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Tony Mutsune Title: NO KENYAN LEFT BEHIND: THE MODEL OF FINANCIAL INCLUSION THROUGH MOBILE BANKING Abstract: The importance of widespread access to suitable financial services for the populace in fostering economic vitality is well recognized. Regrettably, much of the developing world experiences a relative scarcity of crucial financial services in rural and semi-urban areas. With estimated mobile devise ownership at over 700 million in Africa, innovative banking solutions such as mobile banking offer potential channels to advance the access frontier in the banking industry. This study examines Kenya’s highly successful money transfer model, M-pesa, in an effort to explore the nature and role of financial inclusiveness in stimulating economic activity. M-pesa allows ordinary Kenyans to send money across the country cheaply and reliably using mobile devises. As such, the stage appears set for a mass adoption by similarly situated countries in the region that are keen to enhance their financial services. Understanding the nature and role of economic dynamism dispensed through financial inclusiveness can be useful for policy prescription and future studies, among other things. To this end, we borrow from a combination of the ideas of velocity circulation of money and a simple diffusion model to develop a framework for empirical study. Classification-JEL: G00, G20, E41, E42 Keywords: Mobile Banking, Financial Innovation, Financial Inclusion, Money Velocity Journal: Review of Business and Finance Studies Pages: 35-42 Volume: 6 Issue: 1 Year: 2015 File-URL: http://www.theibfr2.com/RePEc/ibf/rbfstu/rbfs-v6n1-2015/RBFS-V6N1-2015-4.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Handle: RePEc:ibf:rbfstu:v:6:y:2015:i:1:p:35-42 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Querubin S. Yap Author-Name: Jon K. Webber Title: DEVELOPING CORPORATE CULTURE IN A TRAINING DEPARTMENT: A QUALITATIVE CASE STUDY OF INTERNAL AND OUTSOURCED STAFF Abstract: This qualitative case study was conducted to investigate and analyze the perceptions and lived experiences of 20 training department staff at a New York-based early childhood multi-service healthcare company. The study was used to discover the leadership practices involved in creating a positive corporate culture in a work environment with outsourced and internal employees working concurrently together. There were six emergent themes that resulted from the study. It was discovered in the study that leaders who do the following activities continually engage the employees, whether they are internal or outsourced: (1) lead to the specific needs of each staff, whether internal or external, (2) create an environment of fun, (3) create an environment that purports familial ties with all team members, (4) ensure that learning exists continually, (5) honor the employees who have worked in the industry the longest, and most importantly, (6) lead as a socially and emotionally intelligent leader. Classification-JEL: L2, M1 Keywords: Outsourcing, Training, Internal Employees, Outsourced Employees Journal: Review of Business and Finance Studies Pages: 43-56 Volume: 6 Issue: 1 Year: 2015 File-URL: http://www.theibfr2.com/RePEc/ibf/rbfstu/rbfs-v6n1-2015/RBFS-V6N1-2015-5.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Handle: RePEc:ibf:rbfstu:v:6:y:2015:i:1:p:43-56 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Benedict E. DeDominicis Title: US POST COLD WAR GRAND STRATEGY AND MULTILATERAL NATIONAL INTEGRATION IN EUROPE AND EAST ASIA Abstract: East Asian liberal intergovernmental integration is unlikely to occur without formal engagement by the United States. An Asian Union is therefore improbable. The European Union model is not transferrable to East Asia in that the former is a multilateral organization that has emerged that can claim authoritatively to speak for Europe. The Cold War context for European liberal intergovernmental integration included US policies constituting the strategy of containment towards the USSR. US incentives to coordinate west European policies towards the Communist bloc targeted mid-range power allies. These European nation states were roughly equal in their national power capabilities. The USSR did not have the hard or soft power capabilities to claim irrefutable membership in the same European club. Even traditional Russian allies such as Bulgaria have sought affirmation of their European identity through accession to the EU. A similar US-led containment strategy towards China is unlikely. Creation of a multistate Asian regional organization that will persuasively claim to represent Asia in opposition to China is unfeasible. Potential power disparities among East Asia states will be so significant that China cannot be a pole of opposition against which to construct Asia. Pan-regional integration should be Pacific-oriented rather than Asia-focused. Classification-JEL: F5 Keywords: Bulgaria, China, East Asia, European Union, Grand Strategy, Liberal Intergovernmentalism, Nationalism, Russia, Soft Power, Trans Pacific Partnership Journal: Review of Business and Finance Studies Pages: 57-80 Volume: 6 Issue: 1 Year: 2015 File-URL: http://www.theibfr2.com/RePEc/ibf/rbfstu/rbfs-v6n1-2015/RBFS-V6N1-2015-6.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Handle: RePEc:ibf:rbfstu:v:6:y:2015:i:1:p:57-80 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Tahereh Alavi Hojjat Title: THE ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF OBESITY Abstract: Over the past several decades, obesity has grown into a major global epidemic. Obesity in the United States is widely acknowledged to be a severe and growing problem. In the United States (U.S.), more than two-thirds of adults are now overweight and one-third of the overweight population is obese. There is growing evidence that obesity in America is largely an economic issue. In this paper, we will provide an overview and an economic analysis of obesity based on behavioral economics as a non-rational behavior. Economic costs of obesity are discussed with an emphasis on healthcare costs, as obesity is perhaps the largest medical problem in America. Research to date has identified at least four major categories of economic impacts linked with the obesity epidemic: direct medical costs, productivity costs, transportation costs, and human capital costs. Stemming the obesity epidemic cannot be separated from stemming the tide of poverty and income inequality gap. The obesity issue could be related to rising fastfood outlets and availability of vending machines, too much advertising for unhealthy food, the falling value of minimum wage, government subsidies, income inequality gap, and lack of health and family benefits. These issues need to be addressed through a concerted program of environmental and policy interventions. Classification-JEL: D1, H00, I1 Keywords: Obesity, Medical Costs, Economics, Inequality Gap, Poverty, Food Prices, Diet Cost Journal: Review of Business and Finance Studies Pages: 81-98 Volume: 6 Issue: 1 Year: 2015 File-URL: http://www.theibfr2.com/RePEc/ibf/rbfstu/rbfs-v6n1-2015/RBFS-V6N1-2015-7.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Handle: RePEc:ibf:rbfstu:v:6:y:2015:i:1:p:81-98 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Gilbert O. Boateng Author-Name: Akwasi A. Boateng Author-Name: Harry S. Bampoe Title: MICROFINANCE AND POVERTY REDUCTION IN GHANA: EVIDENCE FROM POLICY BENEFICIARIES Abstract: Poverty is a concept that applies to all humans and more seriously to people in the developing world. The deadly effect of poverty on the poor necessitated a worldwide research into ways of reducing its impact. An important tool in fighting poverty is microfinance which has gained prominence over the last few decades in countries hardly hit by the menace. Studies have shown that microfinance has produced certain successes in poverty reduction. Other schools of taught argue that microfinance has not had the much touted impact. This study ascertained the impact of microfinance on poverty reduction in Ghana. The study employed economic and social variables such as individual income, household growth, access to education, housing and participation in social and religious activities as benchmarks for measuring the impact. Questionnaires were administered to 60 customers and beneficiaries of microfinance products of two major microfinance institutions in Ghana: Opportunity International Savings and Loans Ltd. and Sinapi Aba Savings and Loans Company Ltd. The study found a positive relationship between microfinance and the benchmark variables and recommended training for beneficiaries to ensure efficient use of funds and creation of sound political and economic environments so microenterprises can thrive. Classification-JEL: O15, O16 Keywords: Microfinance, Poverty Reduction, Impact Assessment, Ghana Journal: Review of Business and Finance Studies Pages: 99-108 Volume: 6 Issue: 1 Year: 2015 File-URL: http://www.theibfr2.com/RePEc/ibf/rbfstu/rbfs-v6n1-2015/RBFS-V6N1-2015-8.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Handle: RePEc:ibf:rbfstu:v:6:y:2015:i:1:p:99-108 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Laetitia Pozniak Title: UNREGULATED MARKETS AND INTERNET FINANCIAL COMMUNICATION: QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE APPROACHES Abstract: This research examines voluntary financial communication on the Internet by companies quoted on Brussels’ unregulated markets. In the absence of obligation to communicate, we wish to know if companies quoted on these markets are proactive regarding financial disclosure on their website? We also identify determinants of the level of internet financial communication. Have the characteristics of the SME an impact on this level? What brought the managers of these SME to disclose or not financial information on the Internet? Do companies quoted in Paris disclose more financial information on their websites than those quoted in Brussels? The general methodology of this thesis follows Grounded Theory principles. This paper aims at showing the contribution of an inductive positioning and the complementary of quantitative and qualitative approaches. Classification-JEL: M15, G10, C50 Keywords: Financial Communication, Website Analyses, Internet Financial Reporting, Unregulated Financial Markets, Voluntary Disclosure Journal: Review of Business and Finance Studies Pages: 109-120 Volume: 6 Issue: 1 Year: 2015 File-URL: http://www.theibfr2.com/RePEc/ibf/rbfstu/rbfs-v6n1-2015/RBFS-V6N1-2015-9.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Handle: RePEc:ibf:rbfstu:v:6:y:2015:i:1:p:109-120 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Elizabeth Robles Title: HOW TO IDENTIFY DISRUPTIVE NEW BUSINESSES Abstract: In almost any industry, the most dramatic stories of growth and success were launched from a platform of disruptive innovation (Christensen et al., 2002). The probability of creating a successful, new growth business is 10 times greater if the innovators pursue a disruptive strategy rather than a sustaining one. Genuinely disruptive innovations are the ones that result in the creation of entirely new markets and business models. Few companies have introduced these innovations. Disruptive innovations appeal to customers who are unattractive to the incumbent companies. According to Christensen (2012) companies that want to create new growth businesses should seek disruptive opportunities because industry leaders will not be motivated to pursue them. The successful disruptive innovators always target customers who welcome simple products and affordable. The disruptive business model strategy needs to be sure that it is unattractive to every powerful incumbent. The purpose of this article is to present the concept of disruption from the perspective of a Social E- Commerce company that is the leader in group buying daily deals in Puerto Rico. In four years, Social Media Group obtained 80% of the market share of the group daily deal companies in the island. It achieved sales of $12.5 million in 2011 and $25 million in 2012. The owners are three brothers of less than 30 years old! The chief of operations is only 26 years old. This is an example of young genius entrepreneurs. Classification-JEL: M13, M19 Keywords: Disruptive Innovations, Disruptive New Businesses, New Businesses Models, E-commerce Journal: Review of Business and Finance Studies Pages: 121-130 Volume: 6 Issue: 1 Year: 2015 File-URL: http://www.theibfr2.com/RePEc/ibf/rbfstu/rbfs-v6n1-2015/RBFS-V6N1-2015-10.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Handle: RePEc:ibf:rbfstu:v:6:y:2015:i:1:p:121-130