a r t i c l e i n f o Keywords: Sales forecasting Computer wholesaler Multivariate adaptive regression splines Artificial neural networks IT industry Artificial neural networks (ANNs) have been found to be useful for sales/demand forecasting. However, one of the main shortcomings of ANNs is their inability to identify important forecasting variables. This study uses multivariate adaptive regres...

Increasingly, policymakers look to the small business sector as a potential engine of economic growth. Policies to promote small businesses include tax relief, direct subsidies, and indirect subsidies through government lending programs. Encouraging lending to small business is the primary policy objective of the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) loan-guarantee program. Using a panel data s...

he American Dream, to have a better life than those who came before us, is possible because of opportu‐ nity. A favorable juncture of circum‐ stances,* opportunity can be viewed economically as a combination of employment, income, population, and education. More jobs in a location creates a situation in which there are more opportunities to find a suitable match between employer and employee. L...

This study explores the cash management practices of women-owned Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Indonesia. Through qualitative research using ethnographic method, including observations interviews with three female entrepreneurs Batu Malang, East Java, reveals insights into their practices. The findings show varying understandings flow among entrepreneurs. Cash planning is done by estim...

This paper compares alternative time-series models to forecast state tax revenues. Forecast accuracy is compared to a benchmark random walk forecast. Quarterly data for California is used to forecast total tax revenue along with its three largest components, sales, income, and corporate tax revenue. For oneand four-quarter-ahead forecasts from 2004 to 2009, Bayesian vector autoregressions gener...

Fresh produce consumption in the United States expanded by 16 percent between 1978 and 1988. Grocery store produce sales reached 26.5 billion dollars in 1988 (Supermarket Business, Oct. 1989). Demand has been stimulated by numerous demographic and lifestyle trends, including: changing income distribution; an increase in ethnic expression; concerns over health and fitness; changing household siz...

Upselling is a common practice in business that is associated with high profit margin. Yet empirical evidence suggests that upselling is negatively correlated with customer satisfaction. In this paper, we study the relationship between upselling and customer satisfaction in the framework of sales agents’ incentive. On the one hand, sales representatives are motivated to upsell by the monetary i...

All countries look to economic growth to reduce low-income. This paper focuses on the 1990s and assesses the role played by changes in economic growth, employment earnings and government transfers in the patterns of low-income intensity in Canada during the 1990s. We find that low-income intensity was higher in most provinces during the 1990s than during the 1980s (comparing comparable position...

How does the opportunity to use tax havens influence economic activity in nearby non-haven countries? Analysis of affiliate-level data indicates that American multinational firms use tax haven affiliates to reallocate taxable income away from hightax jurisdictions and to defer home country taxes on foreign income. Ownership of tax haven affiliates is associated with reduced tax payments by near...

Overview This brief examines the incidence of the proposed 1 percent Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (T-SPLOST) on different income and age groups in the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) region. The T-SPLOST is to be voted on by Georgians on July 31, 2012. Of particular interest is the effect the 1 percent sales tax would have on low-income families and senior citizens. W...