Models of insolvency are important for managers who may not appreciate how serious the financial health of their company is becoming until it is too late to take effective action. Multivariate discriminant analysis and artificial neural network are utilized in this study to create an insolvency predictive model that could effectively predict any future failure of a finance company and validated in New Zealand . Financial ratios obtained from corporate balance sheets are used as independent variables while failed/non-failed company is the dependent variable. The results indicate the financial ratios of failed companies differ significantly from non-failed companies. Failed companies were also less profitable and less liquid and had higher leverage ratios and lower quality assets.

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PurposeThis study aims to investigate perceived risk and trustworthiness in relationship to the diffusion of innovation theory to understand the determinants of behavioural intent to adopt mobile commerce among the Y Generation. It also seeks to investigate the impact of culture on mobile commerce adoption.Design/methodology/approachFive hundred and thirty randomly distributed questionnaires in six tertiary education institutions in Kazakhstan, Morocco and Singapore were used. Multivariate analysis of variance was conducted using SPSS and structural equation modelling using AMOS 7.0 to test for construct validity and for hypothesis testing.FindingsPerceived risk, trustworthiness and Rogers' five perceived characteristics of innovation (namely, observability, trialability, compatibility, complexity, relative advantage) determined behavioural intent to adopt mobile commerce among the Y Generation. Culture had a moderating effect on these determinants in Kazakhstan and Morocco.Research limitations/implicationsThis study has not yet explored cost, goods offerings and payment systems that may influence users' intention to adopt mobile commerce. Differential experience of respondents with different mobile portals would have differential effect on the perceived ease of use of mobile commerce, affecting the result of this study.Practical implicationsThis study suggested that the Y Generation are concerned about privacy violation and risk associated with mobile commerce. Mobile service providers should consider trials and permission‐based mobile marketing to imbue trust in mobile commerce.Originality/valueThis study integrates trustworthiness and perceived risk with Rogers' DOI innovation characteristics, resulting in greater understanding of the behavioral intent to adopt mobile commerce among the Y Generation. Further, few studies delved into the comparative impact of culture on the behaviour intent to adopt mobile commerce among the Y Generation in Asian and African countries.

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to investigate how Chinese cultural values influence ''Little Emperors' '' choice of study destination; and their preferred communication sources for university choice. Design/methodology/approach -University students from the People's Republic of China (PRC) in New Zealand were surveyed with an instrument based on Schwartz's ''Values survey'' and the understanding that cultural values are a powerful force shaping consumers' motivations, lifestyles and product choices. A central-location (libraries, lecture theatres) sampling strategy was employed.Findings -The results from the research suggest that Chinese cultural values have an impact on ''Little Emperor's'' choice of international tertiary education and their preferred communication sources for university choice. The study shows that New Zealand society appeals for its low corruption and high level of honesty and fairness which are attractive to these ''Little Emperors'' because these values help to reinforce group harmony, a prominent characteristic of Chinese society. The ''Little Emperor's'' preference for using education fairs, university open days and representative agents as sources of information for university enrolment is consistent with the high context nature of Chinese society.Originality/value -Few studies have attempted to understand how cultural values influence young Chinese students' decisions on study destinations and their preferred communication sources for university choice.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the following choice issues among young consumers (Generation Y): how cultural values influence a student's decision on study destinations, and how cultural values influence student's preferred sources of information for university choice?Design/methodology/approachHigh school students from Singapore and Malaysia, intending to study in New Zealand were surveyed with an instrument based on Schwartz's Value Survey and the understanding that cultural values are a powerful force shaping consumers' motivations, lifestyles and product choices.FindingsThe results of this research suggests that cultural values have an impact on student's intended choice of international tertiary education and their preferred sources of information for university enrolment. The results have important implications for marketers of export education.Originality/valueThere are few studies which try to understand how cultural values influence a student's decision on study destinations and their preferred sources of information for university choice.