Eurasian Journal of Business and Economics

1-26

Authors: John E. SPILLAN & Talha HARCAR

The current study’s emphasis is intended to provide researchers with a point of departure for understanding specific cultural differences associated with the ethnocentrism scale. Consumer characteristics such as patriotism, protectionism and social economic conservatism are analyzed. This manuscript empirically compares these three dimensions of the ethnocentrism scale (Shimp, T. A. and Sharma, S. 1987) using data furnished by Vietnamese and Indian consumers. Using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), the findings indicate that the three dimensions of the ethnocentrism model are validated in both countries. The study results indicated that there are discernable attitudinal differences between Vietnamese and Indian consumers. The study also explores the relationship between CETSCALE subscales (patriotism, protectionism and social economic conservatism) of Vietnamese and Indian consumers and the underlying dimensions of ethnocentrism construct with different countries. The results showed that all loadings in the model were significant, leading us to conclude that the relationships between the items and latent factors were confirmed by the two datasets obtained from different countries.

27-42

Authors: Mohammad HAMAD & Teoman DUMAN

The effective design and delivery of a microcredit program is difficult under any circumstance. Similarly, the task of microcredit institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina that provide financial stability to its most impoverished members is very much complicated. The purpose of this paper is to explore competitive advantages that microcredit industry in Bosnia and Herzegovina has by using Porter's diamond model. The demonstration of the Diamond Model is used to explain the competitive advantage that the microcredit industry has in Bosnia and Herzegovina. To analyze the competitive advantages, secondary data were used from various institutional and governmental resources .The findings reflect that the meaningful objectives were set out by microcredit institutions in the country including objectively verifiable indicators of achievements. Among peers in Kosovo and in other Balkan regions (Albania, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia), as well as peers similar in size and market outreach from Eastern Europe and Central Asia (ECA), the Bosnian microcredit institutions are some of the most highly leveraged. There is a clear upward trend in the median indicator for portfolio at risk between 2006 and 2008. The inflationary pressures that started at the end of 2007 in BH as well as the repercussions of the global 2008/2009 financial crisis have affected the repayment capacity of clients. From a policy perspective, the results suggest that in order to improve efficiency in the microcredit sector, and in the financial sector as a whole, a unified banking agency for the country must be established. Despite being hopeful for future, this doesn't seem likely to happen until the Bosnian Constitution is amended sometime in the future.

63-77

Authors: Nidhi GROVER & G.S. BHALLA

The study endeavors to analyze the effect of awareness level regarding bancassurance among the bank customers on choice of Insurance product in India. A primary survey of 552 bank customers, who have purchased bancassurance, reveals the following facts using ordered response Probit analysis: i) regardless of the present efforts of the banks, the expected level of awareness among the customers of banks regarding bancassurance is either partial or significant; ii) the expected probability of complete awareness is very low; iii) the banking sector needs to improve upon the level of awareness regarding bancassurance among their customers and the factors like frequency of dealing with bank customers, bank brochures and other publications may prove to be helpful; and iv) the reasons because of which, three sources of information namely, Newspapers, Bank Staff and Direct Mail are failing to spread complete information regarding bancassurance among customers of the banks are needed to be analyzed. However, an execution of structural equations model rejects the hypothesis of insignificant effect of level of awareness on choice of insurance product in weak form.

97-112

Authors: Ali Akbar Naji MEIDANI, Mohammad Ali FALAHI & Seyyed Mohsen Seyyed Agha HOSSEINI

The aim of this study is to investigate the realization of the law of diminishingreturns in usage of major oil products in the industry sector of some oil exportingand importing countries during 2002- 2008. To achieve this aim, in a first stage the efficiency of industry sector of countries has been calculated using DEA window analysis and then in the second stag the existence of an inverted U' shape relationship between major oil product consumption and efficiency has been tested in the context of dynamic panel data (GMM) approach. The results confirm this relationship in each group of countries except that the turning point in the case of oil importing countries is much higher than oil exporting countries. This firstly suggests that oil dependence in oil importing countries is more than oil exporting countries and secondly indicates that the industry sector of oil importing countries have advanced technology and high scale and capacity so that they can take benefits of oil products consumption without decrease in efficiency.

129-142

Authors: Aytac GOKMEN & Dilek TEMIZ

With the comprehensive advent in information and communication technologies and worldwide ease of transportation, the volume of international trade and business increased profoundly. Within this process, a Born Global Firm (BGF), right from its initiation, aims at creating competitive advantage by marketing a large volume of its products in various international markets by utilizing technological advances. Therefore, the rational behind the idea of BGF is to become an international firm in a short period of time and making international business affairs core of its business activities. Thus, the aim of this study is to review the concept of BGF theoretically and relate the issue to foreign trade affairs resting on significant sources related to the Turkish case mainly focusing on trade statistics as to review the potential development of BGFs in Turkey.