Choice Hotels International is a hotel franchisor with 5,570 hotels open and 1,093 hotels under development as of Dec 31 2007, representing 452,027 rooms open...
Affective Decision-Making ADM is a refutable and predictive theory of individual choice under risk and uncertainty. It generalizes expected utility theory by positing the existence of two cognitive processes - the "rational" and the "emotional" process. Observed choice is the result of their simultaneous interaction. This paper presents a model...
Here at the BNET Intercom we've posted several times about the increasing tendency of marketers to target a multitude of products to specific market niches rather than aiming for broad appeal (among those posts is today's look at Nike's new shoes for Native Americans.) The result of all this niche...
Water quality is not uniform in the United States. Drinking water quality is dependant on safe sources, competent processing, and ongoing monitoring by regulator, and out of those dependencies, a person essentially has three drinking water choices. One can install a well on the property. One can use tap water...
Of the five conflict styles, accommodating or harmonizing, is viewed as the "Peacekeeper" mode as it focuses more on preserving relationships than on achieving a personal goal or result. However in a dispute this creates a lose/win relationship where the accommodating party may make a choice to acquiesce to the...
Managing multiple outsourcing vendors is costly and complex, and in order to control contracts and providers, smart CIOs are using vendor dashboards and training their staff in finance. By choosing to work with multiple outsourcers, CIOs can cut costs and foster competition between vendors, while taking advantage of vendor specialization...
The two most important aspects of time management are acceptance and choice. When one thinks of time in terms of acceptance and choice, he is never "Wrong", "Bad", or "Lazy", he has just made certain choices. When one thinks in terms of discipline and willpower, however, his inner critic can...
It is important that companies quickly learn to get their branding right, for competition is increasing fast. Choice is exploding and the brand will quickly become the main differentiator. What happens when Western brands enter the Chinese market? Do popular brands from the West work in China, or should they...
The newest generation of lamps can reduce long-term operating costs of fluorescent lighting systems in institutional and commercial facilities. Making investments in these new lamps can improve the lighting and reduce both energy and maintenance cost. Managers have so many lamp choices, however, that making the right choice can be...
Defined-contribution plans represent a major organizational form for investors' retirement savings. Today more than one third of all workers are enrolled in 401K plans. This paper analyzes the adequacy and characteristics of the choices offered to 401K-plan participants for over 400 plans. It finds that, for 62% of the plans,...
The insurance premium varies by region of residence but is independent of income and risk. The insured face's a minimal annual deductible. Annually, they are given a choice of higher deductibles to reduce their insurance premium by a regulated percentage. The choice of a higher deductible sets incentives for a...
Discussions of the Medicare drug benefit have focused more on what beneficiaries will pay than what pharmaceutical manufacturers will receive. A key choice is the degree to which Medicare must become involved in setting manufacturers' prices. If prices must be set, Medicare could do so using average wholesale price, comparison...
This paper evaluates models of participant choice in retirement plans, in the context of advisory services offered by their employers. IT is found that small barriers to accessing online advisory services seem to have significant impact on the likelihood of their use. IT is also found that by reducing the...
This paper provides a brief overview of the research conducted into the links between HRM and firm performance. Within this context it addresses the wider debate on research in HRM and highlights the necessity of studying strategic choice and practices in an in-depth manner which appreciates the complexity of organizational...
A survey of 237 fleet professionals undertaken by Employee Benefits magazine in conjunction with leasing specialist Alphabet found that nearly 60% of companies believe that cars are essential to winning and keeping top talent - up from 50% in 2001. 42% of respondents agreed that "Company cars will always be...
Despite all the hype about globalization and the supposed universal triumph of free-market policies, governments around the world, including that of the United States, continue to intervene in the flow of goods, services, people, and capital across international borders. That widespread intervention takes two basic forms: barriers that discourage trade...
This study analyzes employees' ability to select health insurance benefits that fit their needs. The study analyzes both the actual choices and the implications of those choices for employees, measured as out-of-pocket costs OPC. By introducing OPC as a measure of decision quality, this study demonstrates its advantages over measuring...
We examine the economic implications of a public reporting system designed to communicate end results -- but not the details of how those results were achieved. This is done in the context of a leader-follower game where all information except the leader's internal choices (e.g., marketing, process, technology and design...
"When the risk assessment shows that a machine or process carries a risk of injury the hazard must be eliminated or contained. The manner in which this is achieved will depend on the nature of the machine and the hazard. In basic terms this means preventing any access to the...
The prime aim of an organization is to maximize the returns of its shareholders. To do this, the organization has to perennially be on the lookout of strategies to increase productivity and growth. Several growth strategies are available for the organization to choose from. The aforesaid choice entails consideration of...
While we can't control much of the world changing around us, we can control how we respond. We can choose to anticipate and embrace changes or resist them. Resisting change is like trying to push water upstream. Generally we're quick to point to others who resist change. It's much harder...
