International Journal of Economics & Management Sciences

The first decade of the 21st century is characterized for businesses uncertainty, market globalization, and a higher level of competitiveness, what makes small and medium enterprises rethink their strategies and adjust it to changes and requirements, such as market, clients and customers. Also, the market pressure about customizing even more the products and services demanded by consumers, is taking enterprises to adopt competitiveness as a strategy, which allows cost reductions through an efficient use of technology in the organization. Hence, in this empiric study trough a sample of 322 enterprises of the furniture industry in Spain, the effects of the competitiveness are analyzed in these companies. Results show that financial performance, cost reduction and the use of technology impact positively on the competitiveness level of companies, whereby could be considered that competitiveness is a good company strategy.

Customer loyalty and customer retention is very important for the success of an organization. The present study is devoted to investigate the measures used by insurance companies in Saudi Arabia in enhancing the customer loyalty and customer retention. The study is based on primary data collected from 80 employees of insurance companies in Saudi Arabia. The findings of the study show that the insurance companies in Saudi Arabia are using appropriate incentives to build customer relationship to enhance customer loyalty and customer retention. The reason for concentration of demand to motor insurance and health insurance is other than loyalty and retention measures taken by the insurance companies. A recent study shows that people reluctant to buy insurance other than compulsory insurance is the fact that they consider insurance against the Islamic principles (Sharia?h).

The study analyzed technology based capacity utilization in the sugar industry in Nigeria in the period 1970 to 2010. Data used in the analysis were obtained from the sugar firms in Nigeria, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) as well as Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) database. Unit root test was conducted on the specified data to ascertain their stationarity and order of integration. The short-run and long-run coefficients of technology based capacity utilization with respect to the macro-economic variables were determined using the techniques of co-integration and error correction estimation. Trend in the technology based capacity utilization rate exhibited undulating pattern throughout the study period with an average value of 24.24% and excess value of about 75.76% per annum. The empirical results obtained substantiate the presence of a long-run equilibrium relationship between the technology based capacity utilization in the sugar industry and some key macro economic variables in Nigeria. Real sugar import, real exchange rate, import price of sugar, parallel market exchange rate premium and tariff rate on sugar import were significant variables that influenced technology based capacity utilization rate in the sugar industry in Nigeria. Our results suggest that policy measure that should focus on periodic upward review of sugar tariff is strongly advocated as a means of enhancing domestic capacity utilization in the industry. Also policy measure that would promote full commercialization of the sugar industry manufactures in the country was strongly recommended.

This article discusses values based management (VBL) and its relation to managing projects that include an international component. In an increasingly globalized business environment, the Project Manager (PM) must be cognizant of her own values, as well as those of the project team and operating environment. While these values are inherently individual, they are greatly influenced by cultural and societal factors. Failing to recognize these values can introduce risk to the project as differences emerge. Using commonly accepted project fundamentals, the PM can plan for these differences and mitigate any risks that may emerge from them.