Marjorie Gott and Hester Packham
Describes a study of three community nursing services provided by North Staffordshire Health Authority, which was carried out during the summer of 1991. Both the type and focus of…
Abstract
Describes a study of three community nursing services provided by North Staffordshire Health Authority, which was carried out during the summer of 1991. Both the type and focus of quality measurement reported here are fairly unique. While the development of quality measures is yet at an early stage, most measures to date are quantitative. These can inform about volume of use of a service, but not its quality. The measures designed for this study were qualitative. These, when combined with quantitative data (statistics, routinely collected), yield much richer and more complete information as a basis for decision making in service planning. Quality data on the use of community services are also under‐represented in the quality literature ‐ most studies to date have used hospital patient services as their source for data collection. Goes some way towards redressing the imbalance.
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David Worthington and Mammar Brahimi
The Patient′s Charter has recently set the standard for hospital out‐patient clinics that patients will “be given a specific appointment time and will be seen within 30 minutes of…
Abstract
The Patient′s Charter has recently set the standard for hospital out‐patient clinics that patients will “be given a specific appointment time and will be seen within 30 minutes of that time”. Describes the successful application of an operational research/operations management approach to out‐patient appointment systems at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary. Draws the conclusion from a comparison of this and other studies that many hospitals face very similar problems with similar solutions; but that localized studies may often be required to achieve these solutions.
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Phillip D. O'Shea, Andrew C. Worthington, David A. Griffiths and Dionigi Gerace
There is conjecture that small and mid‐cap companies in highly speculative industries use frequent and repetitive disclosure to promote price volatility and heighten market…
Abstract
Purpose
There is conjecture that small and mid‐cap companies in highly speculative industries use frequent and repetitive disclosure to promote price volatility and heighten market interest. Excessive disclosure could indicate instances of self‐promotion or poor disclosure practices, and these habits could mislead investors. The purpose of this paper is to quantitatively investigate the impact of firm disclosure on price volatility in the Australian stock market.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper considers the effect of information disclosure on the daily stock price volatility of 340 Metals & Mining industry entities listed on the Australian Securities Exchange over the period 2005‐2007 using regression analysis.
Findings
The results indicate the number of disclosures, the number of price and non‐price sensitive disclosures and the number of disclosures by category has a significant influence on daily price volatility. Moreover, the volatility impact of disclosure is greater for small and mid‐sized firms than large firms.
Research limitations/implications
Price volatility is calculated using daily data; intra‐day stock prices could provide measures that are more accurate. There is also no attempt to allow for asymmetry in disclosure; categorizing news as “good” or “bad” would allow better insights.
Practical implications
There is support for the conjecture that disclosure could serve as a self‐promotion tool through fabricated and repetitive announcements. Inadvertent poor disclosure practice could also result in excessive price volatility. Disclosure practice requires ongoing consideration by regulatory bodies.
Originality/value
This analysis complements basic work by the Australian regulator to establish a quantitative link between disclosure practice and price volatility.
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This paper aims to propose that a Neave-Worthington Match Test for Ordered Alternatives is a simple, non-parametric test that can be used to consider Gibrat’s law. Whether the…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to propose that a Neave-Worthington Match Test for Ordered Alternatives is a simple, non-parametric test that can be used to consider Gibrat’s law. Whether the law, that states that the proportional rate of growth is independent of absolute size, is supported by regional house price growth rates is considered. The Match Test is further used to test the applicability of beta-convergence and dual economy models to a house price context.
Design/methodology/approach
The Match Test relates an actual rank order with an expected one. Gibrat’s law implies house price growth rates are independent of the absolute price levels. Beta-convergence posits that growth rates are inversely related to the initial price level. With a divergent system, there is a direct relationship between size-order and growth rates. As such, the Match Test is used to test alternative models of size-growth relationship.
Findings
Rather than convergence, there is a tendency to diverge across the UK, but not in Eire. That said, the size of growth shocks is related to price level on the upswing of a price cycle, but not in the down. Assigning the high-priced regions of the two islands into core and the rest into a periphery, total matching is dominated by the capital cities’ growth. The sigma-convergence observed in British house prices is likely to be associated with slower beta-divergence, not a convergent system. The law of Gibrat is not found to apply in a regional house price context.
Research limitations/implications
This work only covers two countries and nineteen regions. Gibrat’s law in regional house prices may be better examined using a multi-country analysis.
Practical implications
As the law of Gibrat is not found to apply in a regional house price context and core-regions appearing to dislocated, this has interesting implications for growth trend analysis and the claim of cointegration, which should be explored further. In particular, the level-growth relationship in the cyclical price upswing points to a ratcheting of differentials between high and low house price regions. The common trends in the long run may result from corrective periodic crashes. Not an ideal mechanism for policymakers.
Originality/value
To the best of the author’s knowledge, this paper makes a novel use of the Neave-Worthington test in the realm of regional convergence-divergence and in the first consideration of the law of Gibrat in a house price context across two countries.
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Despite some outward signs of strength, all may not be as well with Australian retailing as appears on the surface. Our contributor, Steve Worthington, has just returned from a…
Abstract
Despite some outward signs of strength, all may not be as well with Australian retailing as appears on the surface. Our contributor, Steve Worthington, has just returned from a six month stay in Australia. He suggests that the dominance of the sector by Coles Myer, an over reliance on price as a competitive weapon, and the lack of segmentation of the Australian consumer all mean that Australian retailing has somewhat atrophied.
David P. Oulton and Tara Young
This paper describes how the communication of colour specifications between designers and technical production personnel has been improved using calibrated colour and digital…
Abstract
This paper describes how the communication of colour specifications between designers and technical production personnel has been improved using calibrated colour and digital networking. The electronic colour communication system known as “Imagemaster”™ is described in which both colour and texture are quantified by calibrated variables. Colour is calibrated by reference to CIE colour co‐ordinates. Imagemaster also uses and if necessary generates a reflectance curve for each object on the screen for use as a production colour specification. A novel colorimetric model of textile textures based on image content is described, which can be used to predict the independent effect of texture as a distinct component of overall colour appearance. Close electronic collaboration between all those contributing to design, product development and production is described. Savings in the complexity, cost and lead‐time for achieving correct colour and technical specifications are reported.
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Christopher E.C. Gan, David A. Cohen, Baiding Hu, Minh Chau Tran, Weikang Dong and Annie Wang
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact that several of these factors have on a consumer’s decision to hold a credit card, as well as those involved in determining…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact that several of these factors have on a consumer’s decision to hold a credit card, as well as those involved in determining the level of credit card limit.
Design/methodology/approach
Potential explanatory variables were identified in the literature, then used to build a binary logit model to test the impact of the card and consumer characteristics on credit card ownership. Data were collected via a structured interview of 409 consumers living in Hebei Province, China.
Findings
The results indicate that convenience in use, level of credit card interest rates, the application process, number of people in the household, a rewards programme, marital status, credit limit and age influence the likelihood of the respondent holding a credit card. Further, an anaylsis shows that the number of credit cards held, duration of holding a credit card, monthly credit card purchasing volume and having a degree at the tertiary level, are significantly and positively related to different levels of credit limit.
Originality/value
In summary, in order to attract more consumers to credit card use, the banks and credit card companies should consider making it more convenient for consumers to use their credit cards. Moreover, banks can increase their networking and degree of cooperation with merchants to increase the acceptance of payment by credit card. The most heavily used businesses such as supermarkets and smaller retailers, where consumers purchase goods frequently, would be good targets for banks’ attention. In addition, banks might also improve credit card reward programmes to make these more efficient and perhaps increase the size of the rewards customers can earn through card use.
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Steve Worthington, David Stewart and Xiongwen Lu
The purpose of this paper is to present exploratory research into the holding and usage of credit cards by a distinct segment of the Chinese population, who are “early adopters”…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present exploratory research into the holding and usage of credit cards by a distinct segment of the Chinese population, who are “early adopters” of this product.
Design/methodology/approach
Primary data collection using survey methodology. A sample of the urban‐affluent population in China was utilized to gauge preferences and attitudes towards the use of credit cards.
Findings
The respondents were comfortable with the holding and use of credit cards and particularly recognised their value for spending on travel and entertainment. The research also identified purchase trigger points, which indicated that the use of credit cards for purchases above certain value was already prevalent with this sample of urban‐affluent Chinese consumers.
Research limitations/implications
The sample was drawn from a narrower base than the actual target population of urban‐affluent market, but an available and valid respondent set, which offers insights into the “early‐adopters” of the credit card product in China.
Practical implications
Hitherto there has been a very limited amount of research into payment cards in China and yet with the market for financial services opening up in China from 2007, this research is timely both for domestic Chinese banks wishing to issue credit cards and for foreign entrants, seeking to enter the Chinese market via their expertise in credit cards.
Originality/value
The paper presents focused research on the attitudes towards credit cards, with the urban‐affluent consumers, who are the most likely early‐adopters of this product.
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Alan G. Hallsworth and Steve Worthington
One important arena for the study of the impact of larger retailers is, in the UK, the market town. This paper shows how locational policies of larger retailers – akin to WalMart…
Abstract
One important arena for the study of the impact of larger retailers is, in the UK, the market town. This paper shows how locational policies of larger retailers – akin to WalMart openings in the US Midwest – are affecting these traditional towns in rural areas. The paper takes a case study approach by examining the pioneering fightback using the local loyalty card first adopted by Leominster in Herefordshire. Through time it emerges that the community has not been able to sustain its trading opposition to a large format intruder. However, its successes are noted – and study is made of copycat schemes in the UK. A paradox emerges: the most cohesive smaller communities with many independent retailers lack the resources to maintain the fight. Larger settlements can and do support more viable card schemes: but these towns (and cities) having greater populations are themselves already dominated by larger retailers.