This Progress Report reviews implementation of Albania’s National Strategy for Socio-Economic Development (NSSED) during 2003. The report is primarily orientated toward the vitalization and harmonization of mid-term and long-term development objectives; the principle of further...

This primer aims to provide IMF macroeconomists with the essential information they need to address issues concerning health sector policy, particularly when they have significant macroeconomic implications. Such issues can also affect equity and growth and are fundamental to any strategy of...

Based on the experience of budget management reforms that have been introduced over the last two decades in a large number of member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) it is not uncommon to find emerging market economies moving toward performance-based...

Insurance intermediaries help consumers to economize on information and transaction costs in insurance markets. However, competing insurance intermediaries provide heterogeneous services, which are difficult to assess by incompletely informed consumers. Transaction costs economics, search theory...

The management of revenue within a hotel has a direct impact on the financial success of the business. Over the past few years, there has been a lot written about revenue/yield management within hotels; however, research linking influence of services provided by the human resource of a hotel on...

In both entry deterrence theory and practice, customer sorting in response to stockouts determines the best reply responses of incumbents threatened by entry. People Express (PE) chose the right strategy but for the wrong entry game and ended up being deterred in the Southeast region by the...

Since US deregulation, over 200 airlines have started up and failed (Rosen, 1995). While competitive pressures and economic conditions were a factor in the failure of many carriers, the issue of rapid growth and service quality has been blamed for the demise of these carriers. This paper...

This study develops a model for measuring the service quality of e-banks. Our model's seven factors are very consistent with the four core factors of the generic e-SERVQUAL model, but less consistent with its three non-core factors. Appearances and staff qualities, being new factors identified...

Both empowerment and the use of emergent technologies are ways to cope with increasing competition and customer demands on service industries. The relationship between empowerment, technology and behaviour at the service encounter is, however, sparsely documented. This article offers a...