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The purpose of this study was to establish assessment criteria for Taiwan’s agricultural leisure brand management. We employed the Delphi method to achieve a consensus of experts’ evaluative opinions, and then applied the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to assess the pairwise comparison provided by experts. A consistency test was subsequently performed to establish assessment criteria for agricultural leisure brand management. The relative weights of the agricultural leisure brand management assessment indicators were determined using the statistical software Power Choice. The results of this study were as follows: 1) We developed three primary indicators and eight secondary indicators and established the agricultural leisure brand management assessment model; 2) the primary indicators for the assessment model of agricultural leisure brand management were, in order of importance, brand loyalty, brand awareness, and brand reputation. The findings of this study can be used by agricultural leisure brands as a reference for constructing a competitive management strategy regarding brand management.

Background European Union public healthcare expenditure on treating smoking and attributable diseases is estimated at over €25bn annually. The reduction of tobacco consumption has thus become one of the major social policies of the EU. This study investigates the effects of price hikes on cigarette consumption, tobacco tax revenues and smoking-caused deaths in 28 EU countries. Methods Employing panel data for the years 2005 to 2014 from Euromonitor International, the World Bank and the World Health Organization, we used income as a threshold variable and applied threshold regression modelling to estimate the elasticity of cigarette prices and to simulate the effect of price fluctuations. Results The results showed that there was an income threshold effect on cigarette prices in the 28 EU countries that had a gross national income (GNI) per capita lower than US$5418, with a maximum cigarette price elasticity of −1.227. The results of the simulated analysis showed that a rise of 10% in cigarette price would significantly reduce cigarette consumption as well the total death toll caused by smoking in all the observed countries, but would be most effective in Bulgaria and Romania, followed by Latvia and Poland. Additionally, an increase in the number of MPOWER tobacco control policies at the highest level of achievment would help reduce cigarette consumption. Conclusions It is recommended that all EU countries levy higher tobacco taxes to increase cigarette prices, and thus in effect reduce cigarette consumption. The subsequent increase in tobacco tax revenues would be instrumental in covering expenditures related to tobacco prevention and control programs.

This paper uses quantile regression to investigate the travel mode and the shopping expenditures of over 7000 Chinese and Japanese tourists interviewed as part of the 2012-2013 Annual Survey Report on Visitor Expenditures and Trends in Taiwan. Results show that most Chinese tourists prefer to travel in group package tours, whereas most Japanese tourists prefer to travel independently. Both Chinese and Japanese tourists traveling in package tours purchase considerably more than individual travelers. Chinese visitors with high disposable income who travel in group tours had the highest shopping expenditures. Travelers over 40, those with college education or with higher income, and females had higher shopping expenditures than tourists in other demographics. Consequently, promotional marketing campaigns focusing on these travel segments could lead to significant increases in consumption and thus benefit Taiwan’s tourism industry and economy.

This study attempts to examine the relationships between leisure involvement, social support, and happiness. Consequently, for data collection, this study utilizes a convenient sampling procedure, involving a questionnaire survey on scuba divers in Kenting, a southern resort town in Taiwan. In this study, 320 samples of useful samples were collected. Structural equation modeling is deployed to test the underlying relationships among the research variables. Concerning the leisure involvement of the scuba diving participants, social support is viewed as an essential antecedent. This study confirms leisure involvement is a mediator between social support and happiness in the case of scuba diving. This study further confirms that the mediation effect of leisure involvement positively affects happiness. Furthermore, social support positively leads to leisure engagement (e.g., scuba diving) and could also directly influence happiness with a positive relationship. Consequently, this study renders managerial implications for the service providers of scuba diving.

Background According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 80% of the world’s smokers live in low- and middle-income countries. Moreover, more than half of the world’s smoking-addicted population resides in the Asia-Pacific region. The reduction of tobacco consumption has thus become one of the major social policies in the region. This study investigates the effects of price increases on cigarette consumption, tobacco tax revenues and reduction in smoking-caused mortality in 22 low-income as well as middle-income countries in the Asia-Pacific region. Methods Using panel data from the 1999–2015 Euromonitor International, the World Bank and the World Health Organization, we applied fixed effects regression models of panel data to estimate the elasticity of cigarette prices and to simulate the effect of price fluctuations. Results Cigarette price elasticity was the highest for countries with a per capita Gross National Income (GNI) above US$6000 (China and Malaysia), and considerably higher for other economies in the region. The administered simulation shows that with an average annual cigarette price increase of 9.51%, the average annual cigarette consumption would decrease by 3.56%, and the average annual tobacco tax revenue would increase by 16.20%. The number of averted smoking-attributable deaths (SADs) would be the highest in China, followed by Indonesia and India. In total, over 17.96 million lives could be saved by tax increases. Conclusion Excise tax increases have a significant effect on the reduction of smoking prevalence and the number of averted smoking-attributable deaths. Middle- and upper-middle income countries would be most affected by high-taxation policies.

This study analyzed the effects of price changes on the annual costs and returns of 162 oyster farmers in Changhua County, Taiwan, who cultivate oysters at two levels of density: low and high. Specifically, it used the translog profit function to evaluate the effects of changes in oyster prices on output supply and the demand of various inputs at the two densities of oyster cultivation. The study found that high-density farmers generate more profit than low-density farmers because they experience lower average costs. The results of the output supply elasticity with respect to input prices indicate that wages and other miscellaneous prices are the two main factors that negatively and more significantly affect the production of low- and high-stocking-density farmers. Own price elasticity of other miscellaneous input (−1.814), labor input (−1.805), seed input (−1.682), and input of capital (−1.58) was more responsive to price changes for high-density farmers than for low-density farmers. This indicates that increases in input prices have a significant effect on reducing input demand for high-density farmers. The cross-price elasticities of the variable inputs labor–seed and labor–other miscellaneous are −0.648 and −0.649, respectively. These negative elasticities indicate that labor–seed and labor–other miscellaneous are complementary inputs, which suggests their combined application increases farm production synergistically for low-density farmers.

This study investigates the effects of price hikes on cigarette consumption, tobacco tax revenues, and reduction in smoking-caused mortality in 36 African countries. Using panel data from the 1999–2013 Euromonitor International, the World Bank and the World Health Organization, we applied fixed-effects and random-effects regression models of panel data to estimate the elasticity of cigarette prices and simulate the effect of price fluctuations. Cigarette price elasticity was the highest for low-income countries and considerably lower for other African economies. The administered simulation shows that with an average annual cigarette price increase of 7.38%, the average annual cigarette consumption would decrease by 3.84%, and the average annual tobacco tax revenue would increase by 19.39%. By 2050, the number of averted smoking-attributable deaths (SADs) will be the highest in South Africa, followed by the Democratic Republic of Congo, Madagascar, and Ethiopia. Excise tax increases have a significant effect on the reduction of smoking prevalence and the number of averted smoking-attributable deaths, Low-income countries are most affected by high taxation policies.

This study examines the influence of word of mouth (WOM) on eight tourism products by applying economic elasticity theory to understand the relationship between behavioral outcomes and target elements to these behavioral outcomes (customer consumption). The elasticity model of economics was developed to conceptualize WOM elasticity (EWOMx) and measure WOM effects on various products. The results of WOM elasticity values show a significant difference between physical and service product categories. In addition, all effective respondents in this research are highly sensitive to WOM relating to specific products. This shows that WOM is not only a key variable of tourism products but also validates that WOM communications are meaningful for tourism customers. The authors contributes to tourism service and WOM marketing effects compared by validating empirical research in eight different product categories and providing empirical support with prior services marketing literature. Theoretical and practical implications and future research issues are discussed.

Background The abuse of alcoholic beverages leads to numerous negative consequences in Taiwan, as around the world. Alcohol abuse not only contributes to cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes and cancer, but it is also an underlying cause of many other serious problems, such as traffic accidents, lost productivity, and domestic violence. International leaders in health policy are increasingly using taxation as an effective tool with which to lower alcohol consumption. In this study, we assessed how consumption patterns in Taiwan would be affected by levying a welfare surcharge on alcoholic beverages of 20%, 40% or 60% in accordance with the current excise tax. We also assessed the medical savings Taiwan would experience if consumption of alcoholic beverages were to decrease and how much additional revenue a welfare surcharge would generate. Methods We estimated the elasticity of four types of alcoholic beverages (beer, wine, whisky and brandy) using the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) Demand Model. Specifically, we estimated alcohol’s price elasticity by analyzing the sales prices and time statistics of these products from 1974 to 2009. Results Alcoholic beverages in Taiwan have the following price elasticities: beer (−0.820), wine (−0.955), whisky (−0.587), brandy (−0.958). A welfare surcharge tax of 40% in accordance with the excise tax would decrease overall consumption of beer, wine, whisky and brandy between 16.24% and 16.42%. It would also generate New Taiwan Dollar (NT$) revenues of 5.782 billion to 5.993 billion. Savings in medical costs would range from NT$871.07 million to NT$897.46 million annually. Conclusions A social and welfare surcharge of 40% on alcoholic beverages in Taiwan would successfully lower consumption rates, decrease medical costs, and generate revenue that could be used to educate consumers and further decrease consumption rates. Consequently, we strongly recommend that such a tax be imposed in Taiwan.