The purpose of this paper is to examine the determinants that associated with IT utilization and further how IT utilization influences competitive advantage and organizational performance in creative SMEs sector. The samples used in this research were 400 creative SMEs in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Purposive sampling method was taken. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) by using Partial Least Squares (PLS) was conducted to examine the validity, reliability, and the proposed hypotheses. The determinants of IT utilization covering management commitment, and direct and indirect supports from government were significantly influence IT utilization. IT utilization does not significantly influence performance directly. The influence of IT utilization on performance is indirect via competitive advantage. Considering that management commitment and government supports is vital to IT utilization, management and government collaborations should be developed and improved. Strategic IT development is vital to create competitive advantage and further to achieve higher organizational performance. The management commitment to build people equity for employees and management is urgent since it provides the basis for IT successful engagement.

This paper seeks to discover whether as a result of the removal of prudence as a concept within the revised 2010 Conceptual Framework, the accounts of companies in the FTSE100 in the UK have displayed any trends to be more or less conservative/prudent. The research design uses the two most popular measures of accounting conservatism (prudence) used in literature, Market-to-Book ratio and the Basu Asymmetric Timeliness model (Basu 1997) and compares the period prior to the change in the 2010 Conceptual Framework with the same measures post the change. The study finds that using both measures of conservatism, the levels of conservatism have fallen since the removal of prudence from the Conceptual Framework. This paper has implications for the users of financial statements and standard setters as the lower levels of prudence or accounting conservatism are associated with higher levels of risk (litigation) and costs (agency costs) which can affect stock valuations.

This paper judges the welfare implications of anticipated and unanticipated Productivity shocks in a small open economy. The purpose model is two country New Keynesian dynamic stochastic general equilibrium model with the characteristics of nominal rigidities and monopolistic competition. This study finds out the higher degree of openness increase the welfare cost in the anticipated shocks. The response of optimal policy to anticipated shocks demonstrates the larger and delayed on macroeconomic variables than unanticipated shocks. Optimal monetary policy rule has a potential to curb the inflation and meet an optimal level of the real exchange rate volatility. Movements in real exchange rate resist the terms of trade externality and upturn the effectiveness of monetary policy. In addition, monetary authorities focus on the goal of exchange rate stabilization in their policy decisions.

Unified process, a leading software development methodology, allows project teams to incrementally build their software and structurally defines project roles, phases, iterations and disciplines. One of the issues that arise when applying unified process is absence of discipline for quality assurance and control. This research aims to define new discipline entitled “quality management of software development” and its processes, in order to produce modified version of unified process, suitable for continually controlling quality in software development projects. This discipline will integrate ISO 9126 “Software engineering – product quality”, which is an international standard for addressing software quality and quality control tools, as proposed by Project Management Book of Knowledge 2010. Main hypothesis of this research is that, by defining and integrating new discipline of quality management, project teams that employ this new, modified version of unified process, will be able to produce software of higher quality level. Experimental research is conducted on four software development projects, ranging from 2009 to 2010, two of which use standard, and two of which use modified unified process model. Research results show higher software quality levels in two projects that use modified unified process methodology.

As an analytical approach, decision-making is the process of finding the best option from all feasible alternatives. The application of decision- making process in economics, management, psychology, mathematics, statistics and engineering is obvious and this process is an important part of all science-based professions. Proper management and utilization of valuable data could significantly increase knowledge and reduce cost by preventive actions, whereas erroneous and misinterpreted data could lead to poor inference and decision-making. This paper presents a class of practical methods to analyze high-dimensional event history data to reduce redundant information and facilitate practical interpretation through variable inefficiency recognition. In addition, numerical experiments and simulations are developed to investigate the performance and validation of the proposed methods.

The growth rate of unemployment in Nigeria is becoming an issue of great concern therefore calling the attention of stake holders to seeking solution to it. On the other hand, capital flight is another issue that has generated great concerns among economists with regards to its growth over the decades particularly in developing countries of which Nigeria is one on the top of the list as shown in the literature. Given these, it is highly essential that the attendant effects of this incredible growth of capital flight are found, however some of these effects are already mentioned in the literature. Given the growth rate of unemployment in Nigeria and the failure of many policies prescribed by the government of Nigeria to curb it, it has therefore become very clear that there are still more factors contributing to unemployment than the ones known. Solving the unemployment problem demands the knowledge of all factors contributing to it. In this paper, capital flight is identified as one of the factors contributing to unemployment in Nigeria. The Ordinary Least Squares Method including Co-integration and Error Correction Mechanism (ECM) were used to investigate this assertion. It was found that in the short run, capital flight contributes positively to unemployment in both current and next years while in the long run, it only contributes positively in the current year while contributing negatively in the next year but leaving an unemployment gap as the contribution of the current year is greater than that of the next year.

This study was undertaken to explore the determinants of liquidity in Zimbabwean commercial banks. The research paper was motivated by the persistent high liquidity crunch currently be delving operations of commercial banks. An explanatory research design was adopted to find out variables that determine banks liquidity. An Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) model was developed after testing the variables for stationary to avoid spurious regression using the Augmented Dicker-Fuller (ADF) unit root test. Pearson’s correlation analysis was used to examine the existence of correlation between the repressors and the regressed. The study identified that non-performing loans are highly negatively related with banks liquidity signifying that this variable influence bank liquidity to a larger extent. A positive relationship between bank size and capital adequacy ratio and liquidity was established. Contrary to expectations a positive relationship was obtained between loan growth and banks liquidity. The following recommendations were made. Banks should devise robust credit risk management tools to reduce credit risk, tap into the offshore markets to obtain more credit to extent to their clients and the central banks should speed up the operation of ZAMCO which is meant to take over banks bad debts.

The analysis of monetary policy in Tunisia highlights three main distinct periods with the support of the IMF: the last in 1987 when the country was in deep recession, after 1989 with the gradual privatization plan launched by the government and recently current period in the end of 2012, after revolution, in which the economic and financial balance recorded major shocks remanding back of the ex-period and the rise in arrow of the inflation. This article aims to provide an overview on key reforms Tunisian financial markets from 1989. These reforms have particularly affected the banking system and the implementation of monetary policy based on the interest rate as an instrument controller for the first phase and also the monetary aggregates, M3 mainly, following the evolution of economic conditions to our days 2014. But from the 90's view that the success recorded by the industrialized countries precursors on Inflation Targeting strategy IT and some developing countries as follower, we will demonstrate the inability of the Tunisian Central Bank TCB to pursue this inflation target announce strategy as a primary objective and the main difficulties before its actual realization in the current difficult economic environment.

In this paper, an in depth theoretical overview on the central question in business strategy is provided: Why some firms outperform others? The latest approaches to the concept of competitive advantage were examined. Recent researches show that sustainable competitive advantage is becoming rarer, and that the duration of competitive advantage decreases (Wiggins and Ruefli, 2002). Sirmon, et. al. (2010) point out that competitive advantage is de facto unsustainable and that each advantage of the firm is reduced, as a result of dynamic interactions with competitors. Thus, the paper gives detailed explanation of how and why new perspectives work to unlock the potential for competitiveness. In other words, the purpose of this paper is to examine the theoretical background and insights of behaviour of the firms and the ways of sustaining competitive advantage in the context of hypercompetition, by examining the modes in which firms successfully compete, evolve and survive in times when specific advantages are not sustainable, but of more temporary nature. This extant literature review shows that still and all we face a knowledge gap in realizing the big picture of competitive advantage.

Along with the government's policy to convert from kerosene to LPG gas, LPG consumer demand is increasing. It requires the LPG distributors to be able to meet the needs of its customers. PT. Limas Raga Inti is an authorized distributor company PT. Pertamina LPG product devoted to distribute 12 kg. The company's main commitment is to provide the best service to the consumer. One of the efforts to improve the quality of service is to provide optimization of the distribution process. Optimization can be done by determining the distribution of the matrix saving method to obtain the optimal route. The purpose of the optimization of route determination is to provide effectiveness and efficiency of the distribution process. Effectiveness and efficiency can be seen with the speed of delivery time and can overcome the problems that exist in the company. In the process of determining the route to saving matrix, is done in the consumer sorting method which has produced the nearest neighbor and nearest the insert. Then do the repair method using 2-opt and or-opt in order to provide the best route to the selected proposal. Furthermore, the delivery time will be calculated based on the productivity of the proposal and indicating the optimal route. The results of this study are are 4 routes proposed by sorting nearest neighbor method with a total delivery time of 10 hours 30 minutes for 100 customers spread in the distribution area D14. The resulting productivity by 85.11%.

The data set consists of 58 companies listed on the Baltic Stock Exchange over the period from 2005 to 2012. The study analyses the trade-off and the pecking order theories of capital structure by using regression analysis. The empirical results indicate that Baltic listed companies do not apply pecking order to their capital structure. Speed of adjustment varies for long-term debt and short-term debt. Short-term debt is adjusted more quickly than long-term debt. Speed of adjustment also depends on company size and country. Large companies and companies from Estonia adjust their capital structure more quickly than medium companies and companies from Lithuania.

Online social support perceived by Facebook users and its effect on stress coping were examined in this study with a sample of 518 college students, who completed a conventional or online survey form, in which they responded to items regarding demographic information, Facebook use, social support from Facebook friends, resilience, and feeling of stress. Four important findings were found: First, the participants reported having received more information and appraisal support than emotional support. Second, Facebook users who frequently used embedded services (i.e., News Feed, Photos, Events, Groups, and Chat) reported having received greater levels of social support than those who occasionally or seldom used these services. Third, Facebook users’ perceived social support and resilience were positively correlated with each other, and were both negatively correlated with feeling of stress. Finally, Facebook social support significantly accounted for the variability of stress, after taking into account the effect of resilience. The results are discussed in terms of characteristics of online social support, implications for coping stress in workplace, and suggestions for future research.

The purpose of the study was to determine the key drivers which influence the shopping behavior of the customers in the retail store. In today’s competitive world with increasing number of retail stores, the retailers need to be more customer oriented. Retail has changed and expanded in all lines of business, be it apparel, jewelry, footwear, groceries.etc. The modern consumer is posing a challenging task for the Indian retailer. More aware, more confident and much more demanding, therefore the retailers are looking for ways to deliver better consumer value and to increase consumer purchase intention. Retailers tend to differentiate themselves by making their service easier to consumers. The study aims to study the key drivers that can influence shopping behavior in retail store. A survey (store intercept) method was employed to elicit primary information from 300 shoppers in different formats of retail stores of Lucknow. The findings reveal the factors that play a greater role in influencing the shopping behavior of customers in retail store. As such, a survey of retail store customer’s attitude towards reduced price, sales promotion, quality of the products, proximity to the home, customer service, store atmospherics were analyzed to identify the key drivers influencing shopping behavior in retail store. A questionnaire based on a five-item Likert scale, as well as random sampling, was employed for data collection. Data analysis was accomplished using SPSS software. The paper has found shopping experience, store image and value for money as three important variable out of which shopping experience emerged as a dominant factor which influences the consumer’s shopping behavior in the retail store. Since the research has established empirical evidences in determining the key drivers which influences the shopping behavior of the customers in the retail store, it serves as a foundation for a deeper probe into the shopping behavior of the customers in the retail store research domain in the Indian context

An activity of online buying and selling products causes many online shops on social media. One of social media being used for buying and selling products in society is Instagram. Factors in influencing online purchasing need to be considered by online shops in order to meet the needs and desires of customers. This study aims to determine the factors that influence the online clothes fashion product purchasing on Instagram and other social media to find out the most dominant variables of each factor. This study employs a descriptive quantitative method and factor analysis in SPSS 20:00 in windows seven. The variables analyzed in this study is the impulse purchase orientation, attitude to online shopping, service quality, perceived risk, informativeness, online trust, specific holdup cost, perceived ease of use, and purchase intention. Data collection techniques are on students of Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB) and students of Faculty of Communication and Business (FKB) of Telkom University done by interviews and questionnaires. The sample in this study is using proportionate stratified random sampling of 100 people with a confidence level of 95% and an error of 5%. The results showed that the newly formed five factors that influence online purchase. The fifth factor is the perceived ease of use, online trust, informativeness, attitude to online shopping, and impulse purchase orientation. Online shopping businesses today are expected to pay attention to these factors in order to improve the service. Future studies are expected to use other variables such as enjoyment, perceived usefulness, and innovativeness while also able to use other analytical techniques such as Structural Equation Modelling (SEM).

Service quality leads to customers’ satisfaction and gives a competitive advantage to the firms/organisations against their rivals. Furthermore, service quality by firms in a country gives a competitive advantage to the country against rival countries as well. The global financial crisis has affected Cyprus too. The National Strategy plan for economy recovery is included as a main point the attracting of direct foreign investments by non- European High Net Worth Individuals in the island. Banks, Accounting and Legal offices in Cyprus cooperate together in providing full services to them for their corporate and wealth management needs. The aim of this research is to investigate if Banks, Legal and Accounting firms in Cyprus concern about providing a high level of service quality to non-EU HNWIs and examines the ways of implementation based on the five dimensions of SERVQUAL model.It also researches the impact of different ethnicities on service quality expectations and illustrates how this matter is treated by the firms examined. The study also investigates the priority of importance of the different service quality dimensions and emits new service quality dimensions found important for this industry in Cyprus. After studying different service quality models and different ways of research through literature review and academic resources, this research adopted a qualitative methodology. It was conducted through face-to face semistructured interviews with the managers of ten firms and organisations involved. The conclusions of the study confirm that Banks, Legal and Accounting offices in Cyprus do concern about offering high level of service quality to non-EU HNWIs however the whole infrastructure of the industry has been built mostly on Russian speaking customers’ needs. The firms are performing well in the five dimensions of SERVQUAL and ethnicity matters are taken into consideration with a different approach treatment. Responsiveness is found to be the most important dimension after reliability based again on Russians’ demand for quick service while flexibility and transparency emitted to be new important dimensions apart of pricing.

Mobile gaming and digital music industries’ dynamics and growth show high potential of value network and induce new ways of designing and developing competitive value propositions throughout disruptive innovation processes. These innovative processes have the potential to lead to design and development of new products and services, by combining games with music contents and revolutionizing the current media entertainment sector. In view of that, mobile gaming sector and market analysis were conducted throughout competitive analysis frameworks, analysis of regional innovation systems and online surveys to support the blue ocean opportunities and corroborates its market potential. Hence, the analysis involved the study of the competitive environment and technological convergence of both industries and the impact of this new game in industry dynamics. Moreover, the key drivers and trends influencing the business environment were analysed and competitive strategies were discussed as new trends for the sector, as well as new value chain rearrangements and potential players’ competition models. Finally, there were discussed vertical and horizontal integration processes, industrial clustering and agglomeration economics to lead regional innovation systems, higher knowledge investments and R&D spillovers to support blue ocean opportunities benefiting customers through new and innovative value propositions. Major sectorial changes and societal impacts for the future are also discussed.