Total Quality Management of EAP Vendors

Employers are increasingly turning to benefits consulting firms to help them plan the management of employee mental health care costs. With evolving employee assistance and managed care programs, employers need to be "informed consumers." Direct marketing by EAP vendors is no longer the most effective business strategy. Most employers want to get an impartial third party opinion on what their needs are, the type of program(s) best suited to their organization and which vendor can best meet those needs. Quality and cost are of primary concern. This article addresses the specific elements that are examined by a benefits consultant in review and selection of EAP vendors with a particular emphasis on total quality management.     

Cause-related marketing,philanthropy, and the arts

Joint fundraising and promotional programs between businesses and nonprofits, often referred to as cause-related marketing, have been on the rise. During the 1980s, many large corporations initiated cause-related marketing programs. Less is known, however, about how widespread cause-related marketing has become among medium-size companies. In the study of 478 medium-size businesses reported here, one-fifth made contributions to nonprofits as part of cause-related marketing programs, and more were becoming interested, but many of the businesses were dissatisfied with the effect of their contributions to nonprofits. Satisfied business participants actively recommended nonprofits to other business owners and intended to increase their own contributions. The authors provide additional insights on business donor motivation through their application of the Seven Faces framework.     

浅谈证券营业部经纪业务的开展

经纪业务是证券公司最基本的业务,有效开展经纪业务,开发和维护目标客户群体,是开展其他业务的基础。文章从证券公司一线部门——营业部的角度阐述了经纪业务的重要性和如何开展金融服务产品销售的基本策略。     

VOLUNTARY DISCLOSURE AND EARNINGS EXPECTATIONS IN MULTI-LEVEL MARKETING

Multi-level marketing (MLM) firms recruit individuals into a business opportunity but are not required to disclose the earnings of past participants. Some MLMs voluntarily create income disclosures, which may serve both marketing and risk-management functions. We create an economic experiment to explore the impact of MLM income disclosure on consumer interest and expectations. Results suggest that disclosure does not significantly alter interest in the business opportunity but does reduce expectations, on average, when subjects are asked to estimate annual income in a lab environment. We discuss findings in the context of current regulatory policy. (JEL D18, D82, M38)     

生鲜电商时代“潘苹果”品牌网络营销策略研究

从2012年生鲜电商时代开始,潘苹果品牌的诞生已经不是偶然。从该品牌的网络营销现状进行了SWOT分析,提出了网络营销策略建议,并对品牌发展给出了具体的规划。     

The 1999 Small Employer Retirement Survey: building a better mousetrap is not enough

As of 1995, there were 5.3 million small-employer firms (100 or fewer employees) in the United States. These small firms employed 38.0 million individuals, representing 38 percent of all employment. Therefore, low retirement plan coverage among small employers directly affects a sizeable fraction of the national work force. There are a number of reasons why more small employers do not offer retirement plans. Cost and administration-related issues do matter, but for many small employers these take a back seat to other issues. For some, the main driver is the financial reality of running a small business: Their revenue is too uncertain to commit to a plan. For others, the most important reasons for not sponsoring a plan are employee-related, e.g., the workers do not consider retirement savings to be a priority, or the employer's work force has such high turnover that it does not make sense to sponsor a plan. Many nonsponsors are unfamiliar with the different retirement plan types available to them as potential plan sponsors, especially the options created specifically for small employers. For example, most nonsponsors said they have never heard of (36 percent) or are not too familiar with (20 percent) SIMPLE plans for small businesses. Fifteen percent of small employers report that they are very likely to start a plan in the next two years, while 24 percent say this is somewhat likely. Nonsponsors report that the two items most likely to lead to serious consideration of sponsoring a plan are an increase in profits (69 percent) and business tax credits for starting a retirement plan (67 percent). Major drivers of low retirement plan sponsorship among small employers are who they employ and the uncertainty of revenue flows. While issues of administrative cost and burden matter, they are only part of the puzzle. Therefore, the solution is not simply "build it and they will come," by creating simpler and simpler retirement plans geared to small businesses. Rather, it is build it and they will come once the business reaches a certain level of profitability and stability, and once retirement planning and saving are more of a priority for the small employer's workers.     

eHealth recruitment challenges

Little is known about effective eHealth recruitment methods. This paper presents recruitment challenges associated with enrolling African-American girls aged 8–10 years in an eHealth obesity prevention program, their effect on the recruitment plan, and potential implications for eHealth research.Although the initial recruitment strategy was literature-informed, it failed to enroll the desired number of girls within a reasonable time period. Therefore, the recruitment strategy was reformulated to incorporate principles of social marketing and traditional marketing techniques. The resulting plan included both targeted, highly specific strategies (e.g., selected churches), and more broad-based approaches (e.g., media exposure, mass mailings, radio advertisements).The revised plan enabled recruitment goals to be attained. Media appeared to be particularly effective at reaching the intended audience. Future research should identify the most effective recruitment strategies for reaching potential eHealth audiences.     

Social Learning and Innovation at Retail Farmers' Markets*

Abstract Retail farmers' markets are seen as key institutions in a more “civic agriculture,” but little is known about how they promote small business entrepreneurship. Drawing on research in economic sociology and economic geography, this paper examines the role of social learning in vendor innovation. Data from a 1999 mail survey of farmers' market vendors in California, New York and Iowa show that business innovation, as represented by intensity of vendors' innovative marketing practices and vendors' successful enterprise expansion, was modest. Social learning through engagement with customers contributed to more innovative marketing by vendors, while social learning through engagement with customers and fellow vendors increased the likelihood of vendors diversifying to additional markets beyond the farmers' market. Certain individual and enterprise characteristics also influenced vendor innovation. This suggests that, although important, the beneficial effects of social learning for vendors at farmers' markets remain moderated by human capital and structural factors.     

旧金山的公共交通

介绍旧金山市营交通公司和湾区快速交通系统的硬件设备、运营管理情况及发展计划等。文末还着重介绍了市营交通公司的营销策略。     

Self-perceived Age and Attitudes Toward Marketing of Older Consumers in China

Understanding consumer psychological characteristics and their impact on consumer behavior is an important foundation for business marketing strategies. Self-perceived age has a great impact on older consumers’ behavior. This article defines the gray market in China, investigates the factors that affect the differences between older consumers’ self-perceived age and life age, and analyzes the influence of self-perceived age on older Chinese consumers’ behavior. In this study, 1,120 older consumers were randomly selected from six cities in China. Findings show that over half of the respondents feel younger than their actual life age. Related marketing strategies are discussed.     

Executive functional experience and its relationship to the financial performance of nonprofit organizations

This study examines the relationship between a chief executive's functional business experience and multiple financial measures of Nonprofit organization performance within higher education foundations. Executive experience in specific business disciplines was found to be associated with two financial performance outcomes examined in this study. Specifically, prior functional experience of CEOs in the areas of accounting, production, and marketing were significant and positive predictors of financial performance.     

The effects of new ways of work in the Netherlands: national data and a case study

In 2010 15.2% of the work force in the Netherlands works with a computer at another location than at the office or at the clients' location. 27% of the Dutch working population is not satisfied about the possibility to work at home and 18% is not satisfied on the possibility to plan your own working time. The case control study affirms what has been reported as effects of new ways of work: the experienced productivity by communication and the representativeness of the office interior are improved and attention is needed for workers that need concentration space and need to personalize their work environment. In implementing new ways of work these issues need attention.     

A Mission of Civic Engagement: Undergraduate Students Working with Nonprofit Organizations and Public Sector Agencies to Enhance Societal Wellbeing

Universities in the U.S. have been criticized for not contributing enough to the social well-being of the communities within which they operate, and business schools have been accused of failing to prepare students adequately for careers in business. These criticisms have led to increased focus on service learning, a form of experiential learning that aids students in the application of theoretical knowledge to “real-life” situations—including problems and opportunities—faced by local as well as international communities. Even though service-learning has become fairly popular in business schools throughout the U.S., there is relatively little literature that illuminates its application. Thus, the present article describes a service-learning project in a marketing research course and how this project supports the university’s mission of civic engagement. Included are also a discussion of course-specific objectives as well as learning goals, objectives, and assessments as commonly required by regional and national accreditation agencies.     

定制你的私人印刷

你想拥有一本为自己量身定制的图书吗？你想自己的结婚喜帖与众不同吗？你想把自己最喜欢的照片做成台历摆在桌上吗？没问题!别忘了，我们生活在定制时代，个性化印刷正在流行。     

“炫”出你的掌中宝!(英文)

当看到街上来来往往的人手里拿着相同或相似教式的手机,你是否觉得有些单调乏味?当自己的手机不知不觉间挂上道道划痕,你可曾感到郁闷。甚至有些恼火?想"炫"一下自己的手机,让它变成只属于你的掌中宝吗?     

业态与现代经济发展

业态是产业的存在方式,是现代经济发展的支撑资源,愈来愈成为企业竞争的重要途径,并非只有商业才有业态。产业链中的研发业态、生产业态和营销业态互动演进代表着现代产业体系中业态变革的未来方向。怎样展开业态创新,如何遵循业态发展规律、把握其基本走势以及科学处理企业竞争与业态竞争关系等均成为核心内容。     

Re-branding the NHL: Building the league through the “My NHL” integrated marketing campaign

This article is a case study examining promotional efforts undertaken by the National Hockey League (NHL) via integrated marketing initiatives launched during the 2005–2006 season. Following the 2004–2005 season player lockout², the NHL worked to promote itself to both fervent and casual fans. By briefly assessing past marketing efforts and the dwindling popularity of the league in recent years, the article provides a fuller picture of how professional hockey was marketed in North America when the NHL returned to play. The focus is on “My NHL” and the league's re-branding efforts as part of its new integrated communications plan. This research reveals that in its attempts to revive the sport the NHL has done a better job than with past efforts, however the current campaign must be aggressively maintained in order to successfully re-brand the league.     

WHAT IS THE PROBABILITY YOUR VOTE WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE?

One of the motivations for voting is that one vote can make a difference. In a presidential election, the probability that your vote is decisive is equal to the probability that your state is necessary for an electoral college win, times the probability the vote in your state is tied in that event. We computed these probabilities a week before the 2008 presidential election, using state‐by‐state election forecasts based on the latest polls. The states where a single vote was most likely to matter are New Mexico, Virginia, New Hampshire, and Colorado, where your vote had an approximate 1 in 10 million chance of determining the national election outcome. On average, a voter in America had a 1 in 60 million chance of being decisive in the presidential election. (JEL H0)     

夏季生活的健康之选

夏季气候炎热，病菌繁殖生长快，影响身体健康的因素多。在此，我们愿．为您推荐夏季生活的健康之选，为您平安度过炎夏助—臂之力。     

The Significance of Networks in the Initiation of Small Businesses in Taiwan

This paper investigates theoretically a factor that impacts the institutional and structural environment of initiating small investments in Taiwan, namely personal relationship networks. A potential investor needs market opportunities in order to earn profit, business organization to exploit the opportunity, and capital to initiate the business. In Taiwan's network economy, the solidarity provided by family networks makes small initial business organizations possible. Subcontracting systems, both horizontal and vertical, make the entry-level investment low, and the decentralized production/marketing processes provide numerous market opportunities for small investments. Taiwanese entrepreneurs opt to start their business ventures primarily through the use of network financing, since bank loans fall under the dominion of government policies.